Author: dailyguardian.ae

During the recent Pixel 11 announcement, Google showcased its new HiLight feature. We had our initial skepticism about it, but what caught my eye more was the temperature sensor being replaced. This was a feature barely anyone remembers (or uses), though it was something unique to the Pixels at the time. The hardware eventually became capable of measuring body temperature, and I can appreciate the engineering behind squeezing something like this into a smartphone’s body. Even then, I rarely had a reason to reach for it in day-to-day use. While I wasn’t immediately drawn to the concept behind its replacement,…

Jared Cooney Horvath has spent over 15 years studying how people learn, and he says the picture for today’s kids isn’t good. The neuroscientist and former teacher argues that classroom technology is quietly eroding how children think and retain knowledge, according to a report from The Guardian. Horvath’s new book, The Digital Delusion, lays out the case that generational progress in health and education has stalled since around 2000, right around the time kids started to get access to screens. Concerns about early exposure run even deeper, with some researchers now warning that screen habits formed before age two carry…

There is a rather optimistic argument doing the rounds about Sony’s decision to kill physical PlayStation game discs: maybe digital games will finally become cheaper. Former Square Enix business development director Jacob Navok argues that removing manufacturing and distribution costs, combined with greater competition between publishers, could push digital prices down and create a Steam-like environment on the PlayStation Store. Competition between publishers is what drives pricing pressure, not competition between digital stores. This is because publishers set pricing on digital stores.Competition between stores like EGS and Steam improves the take rates for developers, not necessarily the price for… https://t.co/6ZZw8EUJ5v…

I always use my free time to hunt for interesting Mac apps on Reddit, and somehow I keep finding new ones worth trying. Some make parts of macOS a little easier, while others quickly become apps I wonder how I ever lived without. But recently, I came across one that fits into my workday almost perfectly. Whenever I’m working on something that needs my full attention, I put on my work playlist and let it run in the background. Music has basically become part of my focus routine. And that’s exactly why Gramola caught my attention. It’s a simple Mac…

Smart glasses can be genuinely useful, whether you’re taking a hands-free photo, listening to music, or asking an AI assistant about whatever is in front of you. Unfortunately, putting a camera on someone’s face also opens the door to some much less pleasant uses. That’s becoming a problem for Meta. Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in July that the platform was working to remove videos in which people use Meta glasses to film and harass others secretly. However, a new Business Insider investigation suggests the cleanup isn’t going quite as smoothly as Meta might have hoped. The publication found dozens of pickup…

Google has a new foldable ready to hit the shelves, and it’s quite a compelling package with some alarms going off. I spent some time with the phone earlier today, and after collecting my thoughts, I can’t quite figure out whether I should be excited about it or disregard it in favor of rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 pair.  The conundrum is warranted. It’s a $1,899 phone after all, and that’s the base price. But based on my limited time with the phone, it comes out as an overwhelmingly more practical device, especially for buyers based in…

Samsung appears to be preparing a major visual overhaul for One UI, with early leaks suggesting One UI 9.5 could adopt a more glass-like design with shinier edges, transparency, and greater visual depth. The reported changes surfaced shortly after Samsung began rolling out One UI 9 Beta 5 for the Galaxy S26 series. According to Android Central, tipster Fahad Ali shared leaked screenshots of the upcoming interface on X, offering an early look at Samsung’s apparent design direction. Samsung could be giving One UI a glassier makeover The leaked screenshots suggest Samsung is experimenting with a glass-inspired interface across parts…

Apple appears to be preparing a much broader push into smart-home hardware, with several new products in development as the company looks to expand beyond the HomePod mini and Apple TV, according to a 9To5Mac report. The roadmap includes refreshed versions of both existing products, a new smart-home hub with a display, a larger HomePod update, and eventually Apple’s first dedicated smart-home security devices. The information comes from recent reporting summarized by 9to5Mac, which notes that Siri’s long-awaited AI upgrades could remove one of the obstacles that has held back new Home products. Apple is finally giving the smart home…

Google may have accidentally revealed a fitness tracker that it has not announced yet. New Pixel 11 advertisements appearing on YouTube show a small, screen-equipped wearable that does not appear to be the Pixel Watch 5 or the Fitbit Air, raising questions about whether Google is preparing another fitness device. The ads were spotted by Reddit users over the past day and appear to promote the refreshed Pixel lineup. One advertisement shows Pixel 11 phones alongside a Pixel Watch 5, while another features several Google devices in matching green colors. Both ads also include the mystery tracker. Multiple advertisements showing…

Secondhand booksellers have noticed a curious pattern over the past few months. Large orders are coming in for old books that often share no obvious subject, author, or genre, leaving sellers wondering who wants them and why. According to The Guardian, booksellers in the U.K. and Ireland have received bulk orders covering everything from agricultural texts to racing biographies. Some buyers reportedly use opaque aliases, send orders to the same freight warehouses, and pay full price without negotiating bulk discounts. Similar activity has also surfaced in the U.S., Australia, and Europe. There is no proof that AI companies are behind…