Let’s see what unfolds. Samsung’s summer Unpacked is officially on, starting at 10AM ET on Wednesday, July 9th. The invitation features a jazzy little bop and the words “Ultra Unfolds,” so I think it’s safe to assume we’re getting that foldable Ultra phone the company previously hinted at.The event is set to take place in Brooklyn, but you can watch along over at Samsung’s YouTube channel.The invitation seems to suggest a thinner device, or at least that’s how I’m reading it. That would line up with some of the rumors, and super-thin foldables has certainly been a trend so far this year. I’ve wedged plenty of chunky foldables into the side pocket of my yoga pants, so I for one would welcome this development.Per usual, Samsung is offering a little incentive to reserve a device for pre-order ahead of the big reveal: $50 in credit to use at Samsung.com. That’ll cover a chunk of the cost of a case for a foldable phone, which run between $85 and $100 for the Galaxy Z Fold 6 on Samsung’s website right now. If the Ultra comes with an Ultra price tag, it might be worth shelling out a little more to protect it from the wear and tear of daily use. Just a little free advice.

The gaming handheld market has truly boomed in the last few years, propelled by the success of the original Nintendo Switch. For a while, power alone was enough to make PC gaming handhelds more appealing, but with the Switch 2 now on the market and outshining most of the alternatives, it's become apparent to me once again that Lenovo was the only one to ever come close to delivering the same vision as Nintendo.

I've used almost any reverse proxy solution you could name, from Nginx Proxy Manager to Caddy, various WireGuard-based options, and single-shot fixes like Tailscale Funnel and Cloudflare Tunnel. They've all got their pros and cons, some with advanced features baked in, others needing a slew of plugins to build the tool you need, but even though I've used them for a while now, the knowledge of how they work slides out of my brain as soon as I stop configuring them.

If you’ve been itching to get a handheld, but the Switch 2 isn’t quite up your alley, now you can get your hands on a Steam Deck OLED. As spotted by @Wario64, Valve has started selling the device on its online store again after it was out of stock in the US and Canada for over a week.Earlier this month, Valve cited “recent supply chain constraints” for the Steam Deck OLED’s unavailability, adding that it expects the device to come back in stock by the end of the summer. It looks like Valve may have resolved its supply chain issues — at least for now — as the 512GB Steam Deck OLED is currently on sale for $549, while the 1TB version is available for $649.Both devices come with a 7.4-inch HDR OLED display, up to a 90Hz refresh rate, a carrying case, and battery life ranging from three to 12 hours, depending on content. The 1TB version adds a “premium anti-glare etched glass” display, a removable liner with the carrying case, and an exclusive startup screen and virtual keyboard theme. However, neither model includes the Steam Deck Docking Station, which is available separately for $79 (there are plenty of third-party options out there, too.)But if you’re still holding out for a Switch 2, the $450 console has been popping up intermittently at retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy.

The all-Republican Federal Trade Commission agreed to approve a $13.5 billion ad merger if it includes a ban on steering ad dollars away from platforms or publishers based on “political or ideological viewpoints.” The order, which was reported by The New York Times earlier this month, would prevent ad giant Omnicom from wholesale avoiding platforms like X based on their political viewpoints without explicit direction from its advertiser customers. X lost advertisers in 2023 after placing ads next to pro-Nazi content. On Monday, the agency published a proposed consent order that it says would “resolve antitrust concerns” over Omnicom’s acquisition of Interpublic Group, which it says are the “third- and fourth-largest media buying advertising agencies in the U.S.” Under the proposed terms, the newly merged company could not direct or deny advertisers’ spending on any given platform based on that website’s political or ideological views, or those of the content the ads might run alongside. Advertisers who work with Omnicom can still directly request that the media buying agency avoid certain publishers based on political viewpoints.The FTC commonly places conditions on companies seeking to merge through consent orders to prevent anticompetitive effects, but this unusual provision addresses a particular complaint of congressional Republicans and former “First Buddy” Elon Musk, whose company X (formerly Twitter) claimed advertisers engaged in an “illegal boycott” by pulling ads off the platform in the wake of reports on far-right content and Musk’s own promotion of antisemitic conspiracies. The FTC is investigating news outlet Media Matters for encouraging advertisers to drop X; Media Matters sued in response today.One of Musk’s primary targets was the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), a voluntary initiative organized by the World Federation of Advertisers that helped companies avoid advertising against illegal or otherwise harmful non-“brand safe” content. GARM disbanded due to limited resources in the wake of the antitrust suit from X. The FTC mentions GARM in its complaint against the Omnicom merger, saying allowing two major companies to merge could have a similar impact. “With one fewer major competitor in the Media Buying Services industry as a result of the Acquisition, the remaining competitors have fewer impediments to coordinating the placement of advertisements, monitoring one another, and punishing one another for taking actions that harm them collectively,” the complaint says.The Supreme Court has previously protected the right to boycott. But in a statement, Republican Chair Andrew Ferguson claimed the provision would not infringe on advertisers’ First Amendment rights. “The decree goes to great lengths to avoid interfering with the free, regular course of business between marketing firms and their customers,” Ferguson says. “Omnicom-IPG may choose with whom it does business and follow any lawful instruction from its customers as to where and how to advertise. No one will be forced to have their brand or their ads appear in venues and among content they do not wish.”The order, however, says Omnicom can’t maintain any policy that “declines to deal with Advertisers based on political or ideological viewpoints” or “directs Advertisers’ advertising spend based on the Media Publisher’s political or ideological viewpoints.”Interpublic CEO Philippe Krakowsky called it a “notable step forward” in the merger process, and Omnicom CEO John Wren said he anticipated closing the deal in the second half of 2025.The proposed order was approved by Ferguson and Commissioner Melissa Holyoak, with Commissioner Mark Meador recused from the matter. President Donald Trump previously attempted to fire the agency’s two Democratic commissioners and has not yet nominated new ones, leaving the typically bipartisan and five-member agency in the hands of three Republicans.Update, June 23rd: Added statements from Omnicom and Interpublic CEOs.

It's that time of year again when Samsung starts teasing a new event, with promises of announcing some of the most exciting tech that we'll see this year. And while the brand's not giving up much in terms of information, we know from various leaks and rumors that we've seen over the past few months that new foldables are on the way.

T-Satellite is go for takeoff. After spending the first half of the year in beta testing, T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered satellite service will go public on July 23rd. While it will only include messaging at launch, the company has some ambitious plans to expand the service before the end of the year.When it goes live next month, “T-Satellite” will be available as an included service with just one T-Mobile plan — Experience Beyond — and will otherwise cost $10 per month. Like the beta service, it will be available to anyone in the US, not just T-Mobile customers.At launch, T-Satellite will only include SMS on Android and iOS, as well as MMS on Android. T-Mobile says that MMS on iOS is “to follow.” And on October 1st, its satellite connectivity will get another upgrade: data.But don’t expect to be able to use every app on your phone in a dead zone just yet. The company has a handful of app makers that it “anticipates” will enable satellite data connectivity, including AllTrails, Accuweather, and WhatsApp. The announcement also names Apple and Google as partners, but doesn’t list specific apps from either company.T-Mobile’s approach to satellite connectivity looks a little different from the competition’s. Verizon and AT&T have both partnered with AST SpaceMobile to provide satellite service to customers. Earlier this year, the companies demonstrated cell-to-satellite calling. Of the two, only Verizon has introduced messaging for customers — and it’s limited to certain Android phones at the moment.Verizon and AT&T have taken issue with T-Mobile and Starlink’s parent company, SpaceX, claiming its satellite implementation will hamper their efforts. It doesn’t seem like those complaints have slowed Starlink and T-Mobile down.

Apple’s first macOS Tahoe 26 developer beta introduced a big change to the Finder icon that I really didn’t like, but thankfully, the company has reversed it with the second beta released today.A big feature of macOS 26 is Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language, which it has applied across the operating system to give it a new look. But for some reason, for the initial version of the updated Finder icon, Apple bucked tradition and flipped the location of its blue and white elements. An outrage!Fortunately, Apple has seen reason and shifted the colors back to their rightful places with the Finder icon in developer beta 2. 9to5Mac has a handy comparison.View LinkThe second macOS 26 developer beta also includes an option to add a background back to the menu bar, 9to5Mac reports, which should help make it more legible. The second iOS 26 developer beta got a good change to Control Center to help improve legibility, too.

Back in my school days, personal computers were a luxury most families didn’t own. We shared a single computer at home; the school's computer labs were our only real digital zones. My school life simply wasn't as digital as it is for today's kids. Now, as I reflect on the tools available to students, I can't help but imagine the immense impact a platform like Notion would have had on my academic journey back then.

Image: The Verge | Image: The Verge If you missed the chance to pick up Nintendo’s new GameCube Controller for the Switch 2, your time has come. It’s back in stock for $64.99 at the My Nintendo Store. To add one to your collection, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which starts at $19.99 a year for individuals. Once signed up, you can place an order by signing into your Nintendo Account and adding the gamepad to your cart, though you’re still limited to one controller per account.As fun as it’s been playing Mario Kart World and the updated versions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom on the Switch 2, I’ve been enjoying catching up on GameCube titles available through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. The controller provides a genuine experience when playing classic titles like Wind Waker and Soulcalibur II, with some notable upgrades. The biggest change is the addition of wireless connectivity, so you’re not tethered by a short cable. It also has Nintendo’s “C” button for opening up GameChat, a new Discord-like voice chat feature that’s free until March 31st, 2026. And if you like taking screenshots, the controller has a dedicated capture button, allowing you to document your first-place finishes in Mario Kart World.Although it works best with GameCube titles, you can also use the controller to play Switch 2 games, complete with gyro controls. However, Nintendo warns that the GameCube Controller “doesn’t have all the buttons and features found in other controllers that can be used with the Nintendo Switch 2 system,” which means you may run into some issues when playing games on the new system.

Besides a few innovative open-to-air case designs, an overwhelming majority of PC cases still rely on case fans to move air through the case and over warm components, such as capacitors. Similarly, CPU coolers also use the same fans optimized for static pressure to push air through radiator fins or around heat pipes and heatsinks. With the exception of a few air coolers that rely on the airflow in the case alone, PC component design is now standardized to use 120 or 140mm fans in most mini to full-tower chassis.

The next generation of Hue’s smart button is bigger, but is it better? Smart lighting company Hue has released a new version of its Smart Button, one of the simplest ways of controlling Hue’s colorful smart lights. The new Smart Button has a bigger design and a bit of price hike — in the U.S., at least, where it now costs $32.99 compared to $29.99 for its predecessor. That’s significantly more than the UK and EU pricing for the new button — £19.99 and €21.99 respectively — possibly a sign of things to come.The new button is available now directly from Hue’s site.A Zigbee device, the Hue button can be programmed to control any single or group of Hue light bulbs and fixtures through the Hue app. According to Philips Hue’s website, the button “allows you to trigger scenes based on time of day, or cycle through a selection. Press and hold to dim and brighten your lights, or even set it to start an automation.” This is the same functionality as the prior model, meaning all that appears to have changed is the design and the price. The new button is almost twice the size, with a 45mm diameter (about 1.8 inches) versus 32mm (about 1.3 inches). It’s now more angular and flatter, versus the more bulbous style of the prior model. It also doesn’t come with a large plastic wall plate that resembles a standard light switch – handy for people who are used to using regular switches. Instead, it only comes with a small metal plate to magnetically attach the button to the wall, according to HueBlog’s hands-on with the button.The Hue button uses the same CR2032 battery, which, according to Hue, should last for two years. HueBlog called out the battery for being a lot easier to replace on this new button than on the previous one. As it works over Zigbee, the button requires a Hue Bridge and is compatible with Matter-supported platforms through the bridge (as its predecessor was). This includes Apple Home, where it shows as a single-press button.I reviewed the first generation of the button when it launched in 2019 for $24.99, and it’s long been one of my favorite easy ways to control Hue lights. An update in 2023 added more control options, including the ability to cycle through Hue’s natural light scenes based on time of day, so you could get the right type of tunable white light for the time of day with just one press.I like the idea of a slightly larger design, which could be easier to use, but the fact that it’s more expensive in the States than in the EU and UK is a worrying sign. Hue is already one of the most expensive smart lighting brands, and based on an email the company sent to users earlier this month, it may be getting even more expensive — at least for those of us on this side of the pond.  According to the promotional message I got on June 9th, Hue’s “prices go up on July 1.”The note about the price increase appears to have only been sent to US customers, indicating the increase may be due to Trump’s tariffs. We’ve reached out to Signify (Philips Hue’s parent company) to confirm and to find out which products will be affected.