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Tech News
Leaker Evan Blass posted new high-resolution images of an unreleased Lenovo Googlebook 2-in-1, showing a tablet-style design with a kickstand, detachable slim keyboard, a Bluetooth toggle switch, and a rear camera with the lineup's signature glow-bar. This device was reportedly among several Lenovo Googlebook models planned but not included when Google launched five Googlebook laptops earlier in the week.
Code inside version 17.61.19.sa.arm64 of the Google app shows Gemini building its own light/dark mode switch that would override the phone's system-wide setting, without affecting the rest of the Google app. The same teardown also reveals work on a new notification history screen for Gemini.
Android Authority found a hidden change in the Android Auto beta that removes the navigation rail from GameSnacks, both in its main menu and while playing games. Currently GameSnacks keeps the rail visible on screen, unlike other Android Auto games such as Beach Buggy Racing, which already run full screen with swipe-down back and exit controls. The discovery follows Google's move this week to take Android Auto games out of beta and make them generally available.
Google has pushed out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6 to Pixel testers, arriving sooner than the usual two-week cadence and carrying build number CP41.260831.007. Unlike Beta 5, this build does not support the Pixel 11 series, only extending to Pixel 10 devices, alongside a set of bug fixes Google outlined for the release.
Throughout 2026, Google added several new features to Google Wallet beyond payment cards, including a full interface redesign. New additions include package order tracking (requiring Gmail tracking to be enabled) and a June partnership with the TSA making Wallet the first digital wallet compatible with PreCheck Touchless ID at 65 US airports. Android Authority has reported the app may also come to iOS soon.
Android Authority found code in Digital Wellbeing beta version 1.48.975819457 that builds out a flag-guessing trivia game, complete with a three-heart life system and a high-score tracker. The outlet also noted a smaller change letting users select apps for screen-time reminders more easily, alongside earlier signs that features like walk detection may be removed in a broader app overhaul.
F-Droid, the open source Android app repository, has released its first major client update in a decade. Version 2.0 was rewritten in Kotlin Compose with a cleaner interface, expanded app categories, and description-based search across its thousands of listed apps.
Feather Robotics, founded in 2025 by Hoa Mai and Parsa Bakhtiari, has launched a modular robotic hardware system that developers can customize and run with third-party AI models. The startup, backed by a previously announced $7.6 million pre-seed round from Gradient Ventures, says it has already surpassed $1 million in revenue selling small quantities of robots for uses including restaurant cooking in Japan and cleaning science labs.
Users report that Google Maps on desktop browsers returns a 'can't find restaurants' style error when searching broad, nonspecific terms, while specific searches like building names still work. The mobile app appears unaffected, and the issue is showing up across multiple browsers, not just Chrome. Google has not yet confirmed the cause.
Pixel owners are reporting on Reddit that absolute volume control, which keeps phone and Bluetooth headphone volume levels synced, has stopped working reliably since installing the Android 17 QPR1 update. A Pixel 10 user described the feature failing entirely after the September update, while others say it works intermittently and can sometimes be restored by disconnecting and reconnecting their audio device.
Google has expanded its AI-powered virtual closet feature in Google Photos to all iOS and Android users in the United States, Brazil, and India, after first launching on Android in June. The tool scans photos of outfits to build a digital wardrobe that users can sort by category and mix into new combinations. Google also rolled out related Photos updates, including Gemini Spark prompts, an upgraded Markup tool, and new AI photo filters called Moods for Android.
Amazon has cut the price of TCL's NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet to $239.98, down from its $369.99 list price, a 35% reduction. The tablet features an 11.5-inch matte NXTPAPER 4.0 display with glare-reducing eye-comfort modes, a 2.2K 3:2 screen, and AI tools for voice-to-text, note-taking and translation.