Summary Using Vocal Shortcuts, you’re able to record specific phrases that trigger actions on your iPhone. In many cases, there’s no need for a Vocal Shortcut when you can ask Siri to perform the same action, but there are some occasions where only a Vocal Shortcut will do the job. 1Giving Siri a New Name No self-respecting geek would turn down the opportunity to change Siri’s name to that of a famous talking computer from popular culture....

Quick Links It’s never too early to start thinking about the next flagship Galaxy Ultra phone. After returning my Galaxy S25 Ultra this year for a smaller model, here’s what I want to see from the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year. Yes, you heard me right. I bought the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and while it’s an amazing phone, Ireturned it for the Galaxy S25 Plus. There are several reasons why I decided against keeping it, but if Samsung makes a few subtle changes, I’ll gladly get the Galaxy S26 Ultra in 2026....

The last two weeks in space have brought us lots of highly-anticipated events and amazing discoveries. From mission launches to galactic spectacles, here’s our pick of the top eight pictures and videos you need to see. 1The Galaxy Cluster MACS-J0417.5-1154 Scientists are always trying to answer questions in space, so it’s quite convenient that space has a giant question mark of its own. This galaxy cluster, dubbed “The Lensed Question Mark” due to its apparent representation of the punctuation mark with the same name, is so massive that it warps the fabric of space-time....

Summary If $899.99 for a 27-inch monitor shocks your senses, don’t worry, I felt the same. However, I began singing a very different tune after using theAlienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q)thanks to the boon its immense pixel density has on both gaming and general computing. Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q) A 27-inch 4K gaming monitor with a QD-OLED screen and a pixel density of 166 PPI. It features HDR and Dolby Vision, supports NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, and uses AI to help reduce burn in....

Google is hard at work on Android 15, the next major update for the Android operating system that will arrive later in 2024. Following two developer previews, the first Android 15 beta is now available. The first beta release of Android 15 is now available, coming after thefirst developer previewin February and asecond developer previewin March. Unlike the earlier testing releases, the first beta is deemed ready for regular testers and not just app developers....

Formula 1 auto racing is hotter than ever, now with its 75th season underway. If you just can’t get enough of the world’s premier motorsport, you might be looking for more ways to satiate your speed addiction on streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, and more. Any F1 fan will tell you, when the race is over and the champagne sprays run dry, the weeks between Grand Prix can be excruciating....

Quick Links The social media landscape is shifting rapidly as users seek alternatives to traditional platforms, whether due to privacy or… “X” other reasons. Bluesky and Threads have emerged as prominent new options, each offering unique approaches to online social interaction. New Ways to Socialize The exodus from traditional social media platforms has created space for fresh alternatives.Meta launched Threads in July 2023as an Instagram companion app, using its massive existing user base to create instant momentum....

Summary Foldable phones have left many prospective tablet buyers confused: are you better off buying a new tablet now or switching to a foldable phone? Foldables offer the large-screen tablet experience in a pocketable size, but they still aren’t a perfect solution. Here’s everything you need to consider. Tablets Are Available Cheaper Foldables like theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 5or theGoogle Pixel Foldstart at $1,799. So, right off the bat, you’re looking at a pretty substantial investment, since you’re basically paying for a phone and a tablet in one product....

Summary Figure plans to mass-produce its humanoid robots, and that gives me mixed feelings. On the one hand, it’s incredibly cool, but on the other hand, every single robot apocalypse movie I’ve ever watched warns that this is a very bad idea! 12,000 Robots a Year, and That’s Just the Beginning If you’ve been keeping up withhumanoid robotics, you’ve definitely heard ofFigure. They recently made waves with a demo of theironboard AI, Helix, which helps the robot execute commands without prior training and allows them to work together seamlessly....

Summary AI detectors, while a potentially useful feature, are currently a mess. Tools like ZeroGPT like to do a lot of false positives and false negatives. Still, the need for an actually reliable AI detector is real, and that’s why efforts continue to be made in that direction. Google has its own, though you can’t use it yet. Google has just announced SynthID Detector, a new verification portal designed to identify content created using its artificial intelligence tools, such as Gemini, the Imagen image generation model, or the Veo video generation model....

Google Pixel Buds A Series The Pixel Buds A-Series lack noise-canceling but are otherwise excellent earbuds. Delivering quality sound, tons of features, and more for only $99. Or, for a limited time, grab a pair for only $59 at Amazon. We have good news for anyone looking to get a new set of earbuds or wanting a better audio experience than what they currently have. This week, Google launched a big sale, slashing prices on two of its best Pixel Buds earbuds by upwards of 40%....

Quick Links Summary Despite being the market leader, Google Chrome still can’t beat Microsoft Edge for me. However, the abundance of unnecessary features often clutters the simple browsing experience I’m looking for. If you’re like me, here’s how to remove all the clutter from Edge. Remove Clutter From Edge Home Page When you open Microsoft Edge, you’ll see a lot of unnecessary information on its home page. There are news stories, shopping ads, market indicators, and other irrelevant data that you probably don’t want on a browser home page....

Summary You don’t need a paper notebook to keep a bullet journal—it can live inside Microsoft Word. Turning a Word document into a bullet journal works perfectly if you normally have your laptop or tablet handy. If you struggle to keep a bullet journal on paper, you might like a digital version better. Why You Should Use Word for Bullet Journaling Bullet journaling is an incredibly flexible system to organize and plan your life....