Samsung is adding yet another preinstalled app to Galaxy phones, but there's a silver lining

Companies can’t help themselves and do things that might have sounded nice in the boardroom but are met with groans from actual consumers. We suspect this will be one of those things – Samsung US just announced that select Galaxy phones and tablets will come with the Amazon Music app pre-installed. To be fair, the bloatware comes with a perk – you get a free 3-month subscription. This gives you access to all the songs and podcasts on the service as well as one free audiobook from Audible per month. The Amazon Music Unlimited subscription is $13 a month and you can only get a 1-month...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_is_adding_yet_another_preinstalled_app_to_galaxy_phones_but_theres_a_silver_lining-news-73758.php

Google rebrands NotebookLM as Gemini Notebook

Google's NotebookLM started off as a small Google Labs experiment back in 2023, but it has grown tremendously since then, reaching more than 30 million people and over 600,000 organizations. Thus, the company has realized that the product has basically outgrown its name. So, today, Google is announcing that it is renaming NotebookLM to Gemini Notebook. It will (at least for now) remain a standalone product "focused on being your premier research tool", but it will also "do more across the Google ecosystem, including inside the Gemini app and Google Search", the company says. ...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/google_rebrands_notebooklm_as_gemini_notebook-news-73760.php

New leak reveals Apple's plans for the OLED iPad mini and the next base iPad

According to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is going to launch the OLED iPad mini "as early as this fall". It will be released by October, apparently. A recent rumor claimed that while the iPad mini will have an OLED display, it will not get ProMotion so it will be stuck with a 60Hz refresh rate. The OLED iPad mini may be more expensive than the current model, which now starts at $599 following Apple's recent price hike. This is the current iPad mini Apple is reportedly also working on a new iPad Air with an OLED screen, while the base iPad will continue to use LCD...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/new_leak_reveals_apples_plans_for_the_oled_ipad_mini_and_the_next_base_ipad-news-73759.php

EU adds exemptions to its removable battery rule for smartwatches, fitness trackers, ear buds

Back in 2022, the EU prepared new legislation that will bring back user-replaceable batteries on electronic devices. This will go into effect in February 2027, but some companies are already making the jump – for example, Nintendo released a special Switch 2 with a replaceable battery. But what about devices where having a replaceable battery might affect features such as water resistance? Well, the EU just added several exemptions just for such cases. An important category is the so-called “wet appliances”. These include: “wearable devices, such as wireless earbuds, heart rate monitor...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/the_eu_adds_exemptions_to_its_removable_battery_rule_for_smartwatches_fitness_trackers_ear_buds-news-73746.php

More details about OpenAI's smart speaker surface

OpenAI's first device will be a screen-less smart speaker, according to a new report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. It will be designed to be used inside the home but will be easy to move around the house and will use a rechargeable battery. Like any other smart speaker, it will be able to control smart home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages, and of course this being an OpenAI product, it will have ChatGPT built-in. The chatbot will use a more advanced version of the new ChatGPT voice mode, with which you can have a true back-and-forth conversation, interrupting...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/more_details_about_openais_smart_speaker_surface-news-73736.php

Huawei MatePad Air (2026) hands-on

During its yesterday's event in Malaysia, Huawei introduced the Pura 90s series along with the FreeClip 2 S and MatePad Air (2026). We had our chance to meet the devices in person, so here's a quick rundown of the updated MatePad Air for this year. MatePad Air (2026) Just like its predecessor, the MatePad Air (2026) features a 12-inch display, but instead of a plain old IPS LCD panel, the newer Air swaps it out for a brighter OLED one with a 144Hz refresh rate. What's more, the screen features Huawei's PaperMatte coating that makes it look like paper. Reflections are reduced,...

Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/huawei_matepad_air_2026_handson-news-73711.php