Nintendo designer Gunpei Yokoi conceived the Game & Watch after spotting a commuter fidgeting with a calculator on a train in 1979, realizing games could be portable rather than confined to arcades or living rooms. He pitched the concept to Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi just before a meeting with Sharp, the leading calculator maker at the time, leading to a partnership that borrowed calculator technology like LCD screens and segment-based displays.
Google's new Android-based Googlebook laptops are now available for preorder from multiple OEM partners, ahead of an October 4 launch. Five models will debut, priced starting at $899 with only one under $1,000, featuring OLED displays, metal chassis, large haptic trackpads, and an illuminated 'Glowbar' on the lid. The machines run either Snapdragon X Elite or Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips with NPUs delivering up to 45 TOPS.
Microsoft has submitted a patent application, US 2026/0260258 A1, outlining a system that inserts ads into PC and console games at points the game itself flags as natural breaks—like after a boss fight, at the end of a cutscene, or during a loading screen—rather than on a fixed timer. Players would first get an ad-free window, either time-based or tied to progress, and watching an ad afterward would earn a 'credit' extending uninterrupted play.
Helpfeel-operated screenshot service Gyazo confirmed that attackers exploited a server flaw on September 11, 2026 to access its database and steal roughly 23.62 million user records. The company detected the intrusion the following day, patched the vulnerability, and has taken the platform offline for maintenance while investigating. Exposed data varies by account but can include names, emails, password hashes, session and device IDs, SSO tokens, billing details, and usage statistics, alongside 490 million image metadata records.
A new home theater buying guide explains that while projectors can technically display images on any wall, dedicated screens significantly improve brightness, smoothness, and contrast. The guide notes that even inexpensive screens outperform painted walls by eliminating surface texture and better reflecting light back toward viewers.
Apple has agreed to revise its App Tracking Transparency consent screens for apps distributed in Germany, France, Italy, Poland, and Romania, following antitrust scrutiny led by Germany's competition regulator. The changes include full-page prompts instead of pop-ups, removal of the word 'track,' relabeled buttons reading 'Allow' and 'Reject,' new colors and formatting, and an optional link to more detailed explanations from developers.
Yoto's Mini, a screen-free portable audio player for children, has been named winner of the Best Design Europe, Middle East, and Africa category at the 2026 Innovation by Design Awards. The device lets kids listen to stories and music without a screen or algorithm-driven recommendations, relying instead on physical cards to select content.
AMC Theatres, fresh off the highest-grossing weekend in its 106-year history with over 10.2 million admissions across AMC and Odeon locations, is starting its own distribution arm. The move comes because even strong box-office demand hasn't solved a deeper problem: studios simply aren't releasing enough films to keep theater screens consistently filled.
Portable CarPlay screens typically cost between $50 and $150, offering a cheaper alternative to buying a new car with built-in infotainment. Buyers should weigh screen size (6 to 11 inches), resolution (ideally at least 1280x720), audio output options like Bluetooth, AUX or FM, and whether the unit supports wireless CarPlay rather than requiring a cable.
Acer has introduced two new Android tablets, the Iconia X14 and X16, ahead of IFA 2026, both featuring OLED displays, metal bodies, and kickstands in Matte Black. Despite the modern screens, both models run on the aging MediaTek Helio G80 chipset from 2020, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on Android 16, with a Q4 launch planned and pricing still unannounced.
YouTube SEO agency Tasty Edits notes that many creators overlook native platform features designed to boost video performance, instead spending time comparing third-party tools. Among the most neglected are YouTube's built-in A/B testing for titles and thumbnails, and interactive elements like cards, quizzes and end screens that can be added during upload alongside tags and descriptions.
A hidden feature in Android Auto beta version 17.6.66 shows a small animated raccoon, internally named 'Jimothy' after the viral social media character, hopping across the music player interface to display weather information. The widget also shows rain, clouds, or sun icons depending on local conditions, and currently only appears after manually switching the device theme in settings. Google has not confirmed a timeline or plans for a wider public rollout.
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