Foldable phones from Samsung, Google, Motorola and Chinese brands still make up only 1.6% of global smartphone shipments despite years of hinge and display improvements, with 19.6 million units shipped last year according to Counterpoint Research. A commentator argues that Apple's expected entry into the foldable market will finally push the category into the mainstream, much as it did with smartwatches and wireless earbuds.
Mozilla has officially rolled out a native ad-blocking feature in Firefox for iOS after a brief testing period. Built using Apple's WebKit Content Blocker technology and the EasyList filter, it strips out most third-party ads and trackers before pages load, cutting data usage and cleaning up cluttered sites. The feature is off by default and must be enabled through the browser's settings.
Roku has entered the OLED television market with two new lines: the Pro Series, sold exclusively on Amazon starting at $999, and the pricier Pro Series LX arriving in October. Both run Roku's own OS and include 120Hz-or-higher panels, HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus support, and gaming features like VRR and auto low latency mode.
Nvidia is re-launching its DLSS 5 neural rendering technology after early demos, including a widely mocked look at Resident Evil Requiem's Grace Ashcroft, drew accusations of 'AI slop.' The company now frames DLSS 5 as a tool that preserves developers' artistic intent while giving them control, and hands-on testing suggests it functions as a real-time image filter that adjusts lighting, shadow and detail rather than altering shapes or inventing objects.
Nvidia has officially rolled out DLSS 5 on RTX 50-series GPUs and GeForce Now, months after a divisive March preview that drew comparisons to a generative AI filter. NBA 2K27, launching September 3rd, is currently the only game supporting the feature, while previously teased titles like Resident Evil Requiem, EA Sports FC, Starfield, and Hogwarts Legacy remain unsupported.
September has opened with Poco's F9 Pro and F9 Ultra debuting almost immediately, kicking off what looks like the busiest launch month in years. This week's IFA trade show in Berlin will bring phone reveals from Tecno, TCL, and possibly Xiaomi's first-ever foldable at the event, while Apple has scheduled its own iPhone event for September 9th.
Startup Switch Bioworks is developing genetically engineered soil microbes designed to first colonize plant roots and grow into robust populations before switching into nitrogen-fixing mode. The approach aims to solve a longstanding problem in biological fertilizers: microbes that spend too much energy converting atmospheric nitrogen into usable ammonia often fail to establish themselves around crop roots. Founder Tim Schnabel says the company is testing this genetic switch technology in early cornfield trials.
Google is rolling out a new live translation option within Gemini Live's voice settings, allowing the AI to translate spoken conversations between languages in real time with on-screen captions. The rollout also includes a smaller interface tweak, replacing the keyboard exit button with a clearer X icon and adding a 'Tap to interrupt' control, as part of a gradual server-side update following April's UI redesign.
Poco has unveiled its F9 Pro and F9 Ultra flagship phones, continuing its Bose audio partnership for a second year. The F9 Ultra features an upgraded 2.1 Bose sound system with a glowing LED ring around its subwoofer, plus a 6.9-inch OLED display rated at 10,000 nits peak brightness and a 185Hz refresh rate aimed at gamers.
Shadowserver has identified nearly 22,000 internet-exposed Microsoft Exchange servers that remain unpatched against CVE-2026-62911, a high-severity authentication bypass flaw affecting Exchange Server 2016, 2019, and Subscription Edition. Most vulnerable systems are located in the United States and Germany, where officials say roughly 85% of on-premises Exchange servers remain exposed despite Microsoft releasing a fix in August 2026.
Samsung has begun rolling out the first One UI 9 beta update to the Galaxy S25 lineup, following months of testing limited to the Galaxy S26 series. The update, roughly 3,862MB with firmware DZHK, brings Android 17 and the August 5, 2026 security patch, and is currently available in South Korea, the UK, and India, including on the Galaxy S25 FE.
Instagram is renaming its optional disclosure for AI-driven personas from 'AI creator' to 'AI-generated profile' to make it obvious that the account isn't run by a real person. Accounts that skip this new label risk reduced visibility, losing recommendation placement in Explore and Reels for non-followers.