Google's Wear OS 7 update is starting to roll out today for the Pixel Watch 2, 3, and 4, adding a new Live Updates feature that tracks live events from your Android smartwatch. Live Updates will now sync with Wear OS devices, so updates like sports scores or an ongoing meal delivery will show up on both your watch and your phone. You might also notice your watch lasting a little longer - Google claims Wear OS 7 offers up to 10 percent more battery life than Wear OS 6. Wear OS 7 will also introduce some new Gemini Intelligence features, but Google says these aren't launching until "later this year." They'll include Create My Widget, which …Read the full story at The Verge.

Being a tech reviewer, I carry an iPhone and a Pixel with me all the time. However, when it comes to the in-car infotainment system, I have always preferred Apple CarPlay over Android Auto for its better design and richer widgets. But a dashboard shouldn’t just run apps; it should intelligently handle your day while your eyes stay on the road. The moment Google integrated Gemini into Android Auto, the game completely changed.

Google’s Android 17 update includes highlights like new floating “Bubble” app windows for easier multitasking, a Screen Reaction recording mode, and a 50/50 split gaming mode for foldable phones. Meanwhile, Wear OS 7 brings Live Updates and better battery life for smart watches, and it prepares connections for new Android XR smart glasses that will launch this fall. The update is rolling out to Pixel phones first, then other devices, with some features, like Gemini Intelligence, set to debut later this year.Follow along here for the latest updates. Android 17 arrives on Pixel phones today Android foldables are getting new gamepad controls. Google launches Wear OS 7 with Live Updates and a battery life boost The Google / Xreal Aura XR glasses are now available to preorder Android 17 is getting its own version of Apple’s Handoff Wear OS 7 will keep track of deliveries and sports scores on your wrist A first (and second) look at the Android XR glasses launching this year The 9 biggest new features in Android 17 A new Android 17 beta reveals plans for “Pixel Glow” light animations. Android 17 will let you share one-time location data with apps. The second Android 17 beta is out now for Google Pixel. Google and Xreal extend hardware partnership for Android XR. A first look at Google’s Project Aura glasses built with Xreal Google announces Android XR, a new OS for headsets and smart glasses

Smart glasses are still a nascent category, but chipmaker Qualcomm is hard at work upgrading the silicon to power the next wave of XR devices: the Snapdragon Reality Elite.Although Qualcomm is announcing the chip today at Augmented World Expo, we've technically already gotten a hands-on with a device powered by the new chip at last month's Google I/O: the forthcoming Aura glasses for Android XR. At the time, Xreal and Google were coy about the processor upgrades to the long-awaited spectacles. Turns out, it was the Reality Elite.Spec-wise, the new chip focuses on across-the-board performance upgrades. The GPU gets a 60 percent bump, the …Read the full story at The Verge.

Father’s Day is nearly here. Hopefully, you already got a gift for dads you care about, but if not, here’s a quick, easy recommendation for anyone who enjoys a good comic strip. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes contains every one of Bill Watterson’s beloved strips made during the comic’s ten-year run from 1985 through 1995, packed in three deluxe hardcover books, for $89.48 at Amazon when you check the on-page coupon. The set originally sold for $225, but it’s often available for around $130. This is the best price I’ve seen it sell for.The Complete Calvin and HobbesWhere to Buy: $225 $89.48 at Amazon (with on-page coupon) $225 $134.22 at TargetThe lighthearted, kid-friendly comics couldn’t be more different from Watterson’s darker, adult-themed The Mysteries, which brought him out of retirement with its 2023 launch.If you’re thinking of getting dad a book, but aren’t sure Calvin and Hobbes is the right pick, there are some good deals happening on gorgeous hardcover versions of The Lord of the Rings and other tales in the franchise. The deluxe slipcase hardcover version of The Lord of the Rings that includes illustrations by the author J.R.R. Tolkien himself is $105.14 at Amazon, its lowest price in about a year.He can go further back in the lore with Silmarillion, the prequel to The Hobbit and to The Lord of the Rings. It, too, is illustrated, comes in a bold hardcover, and is down to its lowest price in a while. The book costs $30.50 at Amazon, while the slipcase hardcover version of The Hobbit that contains illustrations is $81.41.

When I hop into my vehicle, I connect my phone to one of the available USB ports, and Android Auto fires up after a few seconds on the center display. The default screen is perfectly fine, showing Symfonium on the left and a large Waze pane on the right. This is perfectly suited to shorter journeys, but when we have a planned outing that requires covering a considerable distance (yes, even the UK has longer drives), I take a few moments before setting off to configure Android Auto.

I've become a little obsessed with weekend coding projects ever since I started using Claude Code. It might be a simple Python utility, or a React app that simplifies or streamlines something I can do without ever using AI, but the joy of creating something or solving a problem with just vibe-coding remains unparalleled. Despite how capable Claude Code can be, and how easy it is to lean on for every step of the development process, the problem arises when it starts getting mighty expensive in terms of tokens, even with a paid subscription.

When I first got into self-hosting and invested in a NAS that could serve dedicated storage pools to all my devices, I built what I thought was an impressive setup. It's RAIDZ2 across six drives, with automatic ZFS snapshots on a schedule, and a separate drive to which all my most important data is synced every night. I was going for an infallible storage array, but was missing one glaring component.

AirPods Pro 3 shown with an iPhone and live translation features. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Now that we're clear of WWDC and all of the new AI-powered features coming to Apple's platforms, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has more details about rumored new hardware, like the camera-equipped AirPods he'd previously written about. He says they are currently on schedule for a late 2027 launch, and that while we're checking out beta releases for this fall's iOS 27 update, the new earbuds are internally being tested with next year's update, iOS 28. With cameras mounted in their stems and lights to indicate when data is being uploaded to the cloud, they could give the upgraded version of Siri "visual context" about your surroundings, be …Read the full story at The Verge.

There’s still no word on the final launch price, however. | Image by Xreal The Project Aura glasses collaboration between Xreal and Google is now one step closer to being something you can buy. Reservations for the second Android XR device, now dubbed the Xreal Aura, are available for $99 starting today, with a full launch in the US, UK, Japan, Canada, and South Korea expected sometime this Fall.The Xreal Aura follows Google's first Android-powered XR device, the Samsung Galaxy XR headset, which launched at $1,799 in October 2025. We still don't have a full price for the Aura - which Google has previously described as "a headset masquerading as glasses" - but Best Buy will be the first in-store retail partner whe …Read the full story at The Verge.

Verizon is launching a new Simplicity plan that starts at $30 / month for new customers, or $45 / month for existing ones. In its announcement, Verizon says the plan drops activation and upgrade fees, while offering one flat price for each line.The $30 price for new customers is an "initial promotional offer" that applies after enabling autopay and taking advantage of a discount for switching carriers, according to Verizon. But before customers can ditch Verizon's $40 fee to activate or upgrade a device, they'll need to opt in to the carrier's new loyalty program through the My Verizon app. The loyalty program comes with a new Verizon Doll …Read the full story at The Verge.

Floating Bubble windows are among the biggest changes in the OS update. | Image: Google Following its official debut last month, Google is now rolling out Android 17 to compatible Pixel phones, alongside additional exclusive features as part of the June Pixel Drop. Not every feature announced alongside the OS at the pre-I/O Android Show is available today, though.Android 17 itself is arriving on Pixel phones today, and Google says other manufacturers will be issuing the update throughout 2026. The biggest user interface update is the introduction of Bubbles, floating app windows that you can open with a long press - similar floating windows are already found in many Android skins, but are now an official part of 17. Google is …Read the full story at The Verge.