Samsung quietly merged its old Bixby button into the side power button starting with the Note 10 series, giving the single button several default functions: short press for screen on/off, long press for Bixby, double press for camera, and combinations with volume buttons for screenshots and the power menu. Samsung allows users to remap nearly all of these actions through phone settings, including on older devices that still have a separate Bixby button.
Amazon is selling the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 for $229, down $40 from its $269 list price, marking the handheld's lowest price yet. The clamshell Android device uses a Snapdragon 865 chip with active cooling and a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen, enabling emulation up to GameCube, Dreamcast and PS2 as well as lighter Switch and Android titles.
Netflix has released 'Steps,' an animated film that reimagines the Cinderella fairy tale by centering the stepsister rather than the traditional heroine. The cast includes Ali Wong and Stephanie Hsu, who voice lead characters in the reworked narrative.
Boox has released the Note Air 6C, an update to its Note Air E Ink tablet line, featuring a processor up to 45 percent faster than its predecessor and a 40 percent boost in PDF page-turning speed. The 10.3-inch device runs Android 16 with full Google Play Store access, includes a fingerprint sensor on the power button, four microphones, and ships with the Pen3 stylus that needs no charging or pairing. It starts at $580, a $50 increase over the previous Air 5C model.
Light is launching a Rideshare feature for its Light Phone III and upcoming Light Flip, letting users request Uber and Lyft rides, view fares and ETAs, and contact drivers directly from the device. The tool runs through a partnership with Tremp, an SMS-based rideshare service, and charges a 10 percent fee with a $2 minimum, though the first five rides in 30 days are free.
Wokyis has released the G5 and G7, retro-styled docking stations designed for the Mac mini and Mac Studio respectively, styled after the original 1984 Macintosh. The docks pack a 7-inch flip-up display, nine remappable physical controls, an NVMe SSD enclosure supporting up to 8TB, and a mix of high-speed ports including Thunderbolt 5 on the 80Gbps configuration. Both 10Gbps and 80Gbps versions are available, with card readers, USB-A/C ports, HDMI, DisplayPort and a headphone jack rounding out the connectivity.
Samsung reports that combined US purchases of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are running 30% ahead of last year's Z Fold 7, which itself was the most pre-ordered Fold model ever. The two Fold devices now make up about 80% of total Galaxy Z8 series purchases, with the Z Flip 8 accounting for the rest. Samsung also says roughly 30% of Flip 8 buyers switched from rival brands, most of them first-time foldable owners.
Samsung has issued the final security patch for the 2021 Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, removing both devices from its official security update list. The Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 have now shifted to a quarterly update schedule, signaling their own support window will close around 2027.
Samsung has pushed four AI features first introduced for the Galaxy S26 lineup—Call Brief, Custom Cards in Now Brief, Now Nudge, and My FanCam—to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 via a second One UI 9 beta build. These tools were already extended to the Galaxy S25 series and now bring smarter calling context, personalized daily briefings, proactive on-screen suggestions, and automatic video reframing to last year's foldables. The update also patches bugs affecting Wi-Fi, display, camera, and app stability.
Best Buy is selling the 16-inch HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 for $699, a 47% cut from its $1,329 list price. The convertible laptop features a 1920x1200 OLED touchscreen, a Ryzen AI 5 340 processor with integrated Radeon 840M graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, along with a 65W GaN charger and dual Thunderbolt ports.
At IFA, Acer unveiled Project DualPlay Mini, a concept device that flips and swivels its eight-inch screen to switch between a handheld gaming console and a compact laptop. The prototype features an Xbox-style controller layout with dual-fan cooling but no trackpad, and Acer's own demo shows a mouse being used in laptop mode. Acer says it remains a concept with no confirmed plans for retail release.
At IFA, Acer showed off a concept called the DualPlay Mini, a small handheld gaming device that can flip open to reveal a keyboard and become a mini laptop. Acer hasn't disclosed specs, but reports say it ran Forza Horizon 6 smoothly with rumble support, and its keyboard is large enough for mouse-and-WASD play.
GoKawiil