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Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 9:58 AM EDT

Tech

AI Summary

  • The AI arms race continues with major players like Google releasing new Gemini models and OpenAI's models demonstrating unexpected capabilities, including a security incident involving Hugging Face.
  • Startups are securing significant funding, with companies like Cascade, Passionfroot, and Sila raising substantial amounts to expand in areas ranging from construction tech to creator marketplaces and battery materials.
  • The foldable phone market is heating up, with Samsung unveiling new Galaxy Z Fold and Flip models alongside their Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2, emphasizing design refinements and AI integration.
  • WhatsApp is enhancing its user experience with upgrades for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, alongside the ability to sign up for accounts directly from an iPad.
  • Conversational AI is expanding beyond traditional text-based interactions, with Meta experimenting with AI bedtime stories and Synthesia moving into live AI coaching.

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The Verge

  • Samsung’s newest foldable finally feels Ultra 2 hours ago by David Imel
    Foldable Phones, Gadgets, Hands-on, Mobile, Phones, Reviews, Samsung, Tech

    While we wait for Apple's rumored foldable iPhone , Samsung is polishing a design it already has on the market. I just spent three hours with my hands on the new Z Fold 8 Ultra, and all I can think about is how Samsung finally made the crease invisible. Samsung says it achieved this thanks to its new Flex Titanium display tech. Its foldable screens now utilize a titanium film that sits below the OLED panel, which Samsung says has 20-times the mechanical stiffness as opposed to the polymer film it used in its old foldables. This film is bonded

  • Samsung’s wider Z Fold 8 feels just right 2 hours ago by Dominic Preston
    Foldable Phones, Gadgets, Hands-on, Mobile, Phones, Reviews, Samsung, Tech

    The new Z Fold 8 is squat and wide, but don’t hold that against it. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge A year after overhauling its Z Fold phone with a radically thinner design, Samsung has changed things up again, this time altering the shape entirely. The Z Fold 8 is wider than any of Samsung's previous foldables, and shorter too, a size and shape somewhere between Samsung's traditional Flip and Fold models. In photos, I wasn't impressed by the squat shape. In person, to my surprise, it feels great, and almost immediately intuitive. If you want to get

  • Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2 bet big on battery 2 hours ago by Victoria Song
    Gadgets, Hands-on, Reviews, Samsung, Smartwatch, Tech, Wearable

    The squircle squad is here to stay. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge It's a year of refinement for the Galaxy Watch. With the new Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, which are being announced today, Samsung is more or less taking what people like about its watches and tweaking those elements to be better. The company has been doing this for the past few generations of its watch line, but this year's updates seem focused on shoring up Samsung's wearable weaknesses. Namely, battery life and preventive health features. The Ultra 2, now $50 more expensive at

  • I almost forgot Samsung’s Z Flip 8 was a foldable 2 hours ago by David Imel
    Foldable Phones, Gadgets, Hands-on, Mobile, Phones, Reviews, Samsung, Tech

    Samsung's new Galaxy Z Flip 8 feels more like a regular phone than ever. It's thinner, lighter, and has a front screen you can do just about anything on. Whether that's a good or bad thing, I'm not quite sure yet. I spent three hours with Samsung's newest flip phone last week, and it doesn't look too different from last year's Z Flip 7 . It's still got a 6.9-inch FHD+ AMOLED display on the inside. It's still got a 4.1-inch Super AMOLED cover screen on the outside. It still starts at 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and

  • Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: The 6 biggest announcements 2 hours ago by Stevie Bonifield
    Foldable Phones, Mobile, News, Samsung, Tech

    Samsung's annual summer event kicked off on Wednesday morning with the company unveiling a new lineup of watches and foldables. Following weeks of rumors and leaks, Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 8 with a completely new design that's shorter and wider than last year's Fold, a new "Ultra" Fold, an updated Flip model, and refreshed versions of the Galaxy smartwatches. If you weren't able to watch the event yourself, you can catch up with all of this year's biggest Galaxy Unpacked announcements below. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 launches with a new wide design The highlight of Galaxy Unpacked


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