The Latest from Gadget Hacks

If you've been wondering where Apple's iOS journey is headed, this week feels like a rare convergence moment. iOS 26.1 just landed, the iOS 26.2 developer beta is already in the wild, and early whispers about the iPhone 18 are making the rounds. It is like seeing Apple's playbook from three angles at once. The pattern is hard to miss, bend to real feedback, and keep the vision intact.

Black Friday lands Mac users a rare chance to tidy up their desk and boost connectivity without paying full freight. The OWC Thunderbolt Go Dock is $100 off its regular price, which makes this premium dock far easier to justify. If you have been waiting to turn a laptop into a full desktop setup, this is the moment.

Google's Pixel 10 looks like it is rewriting the smartphone playbook. After years of struggling in the premium tier, Google finally hit a milestone: September 2025 marked Google's highest-ever single-month Pixel sales in the U.S., according to Counterpoint Research's North America Channel Share Tracker, and US Pixel sales jumped 28% year over year. Not a blip, a shift in how people see Google hardware. Remember when Pixel felt niche? Not anymore.

When you think about the "most powerful phone on the planet," what pops into your head? Raw processing muscle? Fancy AI tricks? Or something more basic, like keeping all that silicon from frying when you push it hard. Recent teardowns of flagship smartphones have pulled back the curtain on how manufacturers are taming heat, leaning on liquid cooling tech that would make desktop PC modders grin.

Reviewed by: Jame Jimenez

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Apple's latest renewable energy expansion across Australia and New Zealand is a big step toward the company's 2030 carbon neutrality goal. Millions of devices sip power every day across both countries. Apple is trying to meet that demand with new clean supply, not just accounting tricks. The plan mixes large solar builds, forest restoration, and partnerships to create a balanced ecosystem that addresses both energy production and carbon removal.

Apple's frustration with the European Union's Digital Markets Act has snapped. What started as quiet back-and-forth now looks like a street fight that could reset how big tech works, not only in Europe, maybe everywhere.

Apple's streaming ambitions in sports just got a reality check, but there's a silver lining that might surprise you. While the tech giant faces major upheaval in baseball broadcasting, the continuation of one key program reveals something important about the evolving streaming sports landscape.

The beloved film community platform is making a bold move into digital distribution, and it's about to change how we discover and rent movies. Letterboxd's upcoming Video Store represents more than just another streaming service—it's a data-driven approach to film curation that leverages insights from 20 million dedicated film enthusiasts. The platform, which launched in 2011 with modest beginnings, has evolved from a niche social network to a mainstream cultural force that's often called the...

Apple's manufacturing revolution is happening right now, and it's more significant than you might think. The company just unveiled something remarkable: fully 3D-printed titanium cases for the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11, marking the first time any tech giant has produced millions of device enclosures using additive manufacturing at scale. This isn't just a manufacturing tweak—it's a fundamental shift that saves over 400 metric tons of raw titanium annually, cuts material waste in half,...

Orange, the French-based European carrier that operates in over 25 countries across Europe and Africa, is making some serious moves in the satellite connectivity space. The company just announced something pretty remarkable: they're partnering with Google to bring what might be Europe's first commercial satellite texting service to Pixel phones. According to Android Central, this isn't just another incremental tech update—we're talking about a genuine leap forward in making satellite...

US Pixel users have been watching from the sidelines as their international counterparts enjoyed faster hotspot speeds, but that's finally changing. American Pixel 9 Pro XL owners are now discovering that 6GHz hotspot functionality has quietly become available on their devices, delivering the enhanced connectivity that regulatory hurdles had previously kept locked away, according to Android Authority. The timing couldn't be better, as flagship Android devices in North America are showing over...

Disney's latest legal challenge against Sling TV represents a pivotal moment in streaming history, where traditional content licensing meets innovative distribution models. The entertainment giant recently faced a setback when a federal judge denied its request to halt Sling TV's revolutionary day pass feature. This courtroom drama highlights the tension between established media contracts and evolving consumer preferences for flexible streaming options. The case underscores broader industry...

Getting your smart home to play nice with all your devices has felt like navigating a maze of incompatible ecosystems. If you have been running Samsung's SmartThings as your connected home hub while carrying an iPhone, you know the daily friction of hopping between apps just to dim a lamp or nudge the thermostat.

Looking at the early reports and leaks surrounding Apple's iPhone 18 Pro, we're staring at what could be the most significant iPhone design overhaul since the introduction of Face ID back in 2017. We're still over a year away from seeing these devices hit the market, but the technical groundwork being laid suggests Apple is finally ready to tackle one of the biggest visual elements that's defined iPhone design for nearly a decade. About time, right?

You might not know this, but you can use Apple Wallet to store your driver's license right on your iPhone. It speeds up airport security, adds an extra layer of protection with Face ID or Touch ID, and lets you verify your age or identity quickly without handing over your physical card.

Black Friday has arrived early for Apple enthusiasts, and this year's deals are genuinely impressive. Current discounts span across Apple's entire product lineup, with savings that rival or exceed previous Black Friday events. The iPad Pro is seeing unprecedented $400 discounts, while MacBook Air models are starting as low as $749. What makes this deal season particularly noteworthy is the timing—retailers are offering these substantial savings weeks before traditional Black Friday shopping...

When Apple CEO Tim Cook walked into the White House on November 18th, he wasn't just attending another diplomatic dinner—he was stepping into one of the most controversial tech gatherings in recent memory. The evening brought together nearly 50 American CEOs and executives from different industries to dine with President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, marking the prince's first White House visit since the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The guest list read like...

When your phone becomes your lifeline's weakest link, we're not just talking about dropped calls anymore. Here's what you need to know: a recent incident involving a Galaxy S24 owner who couldn't reach 911 during a critical emergency has exposed a troubling reality about smartphone reliability when it matters most. The device failed to connect despite three separate attempts, even after a restart, while displaying what appeared to be full signal strength (PhoneArena). This isn't an isolated...

Apple's Long Game: How a Privacy-First AI Strategy Is Reshaping Silicon Valley's Future

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

The battle for ultra-slim smartphone supremacy just got more interesting. Huawei has stepped into the ring with its Mate 70 Air, positioning itself as a formidable challenger to Apple's rumored iPhone Air. While Apple continues to tease its thinnest iPhone yet, Huawei has already revealed key specifications for a device that promises to deliver more than just sleek aesthetics.

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Reviewed by: Y. Garcia

Here's what's really happening on London's streets: criminals are becoming increasingly selective about their targets, and the data reveals a fascinating pattern. Phone theft has reached epidemic proportions in the UK capital, with over 80,000 smartphones stolen last year alone, representing a staggering increase that's caught both law enforcement and tech companies off guard. What makes this trend particularly intriguing is the thieves' clear preference for specific devices—approximately 80%...

Google just delivered something remarkable with Gemini 3 and the launch of Gemini Agent. It feels less like another model drop, more like a blueprint for how AI should slot into real work. Not incremental tweaks, a coordinated release that pairs stronger reasoning with practical, enterprise-ready tools that can reshape how we handle digital information day to day.

We’re witnessing something pretty remarkable here. Microsoft is fundamentally rethinking what an operating system should be. Windows is shifting from a place you launch apps to what the company calls an "agentic OS," where AI agents sit inside the system and work alongside you.

Windows 11 is getting its biggest shakeup since launch, a pivot to what Microsoft calls an "agentic OS." This is not a sprinkle of AI features, it is a rethink of how you use a PC day to day.

The podcasting world just witnessed something that hasn't happened in years. Joe Rogan's "The Joe Rogan Experience" toppled The New York Times' "The Daily" to claim the number one spot on Apple's annual podcast rankings. Apple confirmed the shakeup, the first time in recent memory that a comedian's conversational show has overtaken the news industry's flagship audio program.

Apple's decision to incorporate 3D printing technology into the iPhone Air and Apple Watch Series 11 marks a significant pivot in how premium consumer electronics get manufactured. It signals a shift toward processes that deliver better performance while sharply reducing environmental impact, and it is happening at a scale that could reshape the entire industry.

Apple's recent success in China reads like a comeback. With the iPhone 17 series launch, the company captured 25% of all smartphone sales in China, its highest market share in the region since 2022. Not just another launch milestone. A lesson in taking a hit, fixing the miss, and giving a demanding market what it asked for.

You've probably heard it a thousand times. Put down your phone before bed, or you'll toss and turn all night. What if that bedtime scrolling advice isn't as black and white as we've been told?

If you're in the mobile streaming world, you probably clocked the news. Blackmagic rolled out version 3.2 of its camera app, not a ho-hum point release. Native streaming landed, the kind that can reshape how we think about going live from a phone.

Google's weather forecasting just got a major upgrade. The tech giant has rolled out its WeatherNext 2 forecasting model across Search, Gemini, and Pixel Weather, promising more accurate predictions for users worldwide. This is not just another incremental update. It marks a leap in how Google processes and delivers weather information across its ecosystem.

Galaxy S26 leaks are making waves in the tech world, and if these early reports prove accurate, Samsung might be preparing to deliver a serious challenge to Apple's latest iPhone lineup. The rumors hint at a strategy shift, slimmer and lighter flagships instead of the usual bulked‑up bricks. We are still months from an announcement, but the early buzz points to a company eager to stand apart in a crowded field.

China's smartphone market just witnessed something remarkable. Most manufacturers are wrestling with declining sales and fierce competition. Yet Apple's iPhone 17 broke through with what industry insiders are calling unprecedented demand. In a down market, a breakout hit? Yes. And it is happening against the odds.

Five years of legal warfare between Google and Epic Games has finally reached a turning point, with both companies now proposing sweeping changes to Android's app ecosystem. The tech giant that once fiercely defended its Play Store monopoly is agreeing to slash fees and open doors to competition, marking what could be the most significant shift in mobile app distribution since the iPhone launched.

You've probably felt the sting of those YouTube TV drama headlines by now. The ongoing feud between YouTube TV and Disney has left millions of subscribers in the dark, missing everything from Monday Night Football to election coverage, since Disney channels, including ESPN and ABC, have been unavailable on YouTube TV since October 30. Black screens, blank slots in the guide, grumbling group chats. What began as contract talks turned into a corporate standoff, the kind that says a lot about...