Vivo has expanded global availability of its X Fold 6 book-style foldable, now listed in Austria, Germany, Hungary and Italy after debuting in China in June. The global model keeps the same 6,900mAh battery, 200MP main camera, and Zeiss-tuned triple-camera system, but runs a newer Origin OS 7 skin based on Android 17. It's powered by a custom Dimensity 9500 Super Edition chipset and supports a second-generation 200mm telephoto extender lens for 2.35x added optical zoom.
Android Authority highlights a two-year-old Pixel setting, Charging Optimization's 'Limit to 80%' option, found under Battery and Charging settings. Enabling it stops the phone from charging past 80% most of the time, though it occasionally charges fully to keep battery capacity estimates accurate. The outlet notes the feature can also reduce heat buildup when people use their phone while it's plugged in.
RoseBerry Media is re-editing two early-2000s storylines from the Australian soap Neighbours, including footage featuring Margot Robbie, into short vertical-video clips for the Epis streaming app. The company says it used an AI-assisted production workflow to adapt the classic footage for mobile viewing, despite the original show running for 41 seasons from 1985 to 2025.
Alan Dorfman has made a career out of shrinking well-known items, such as Super Soakers and Rubik's Cubes, into tiny but fully functional toy versions. His miniature creations have turned him into a prominent figure in the toy industry, according to the profile.
In the latest episode of 9to5Mac's Security Bite Podcast, host Arin Waichulis interviews Ananay Arora, founder and CEO of Y Combinator startup OpenHack. The discussion covers OpenHack's 'always-on AI security engineer' tool for finding vulnerabilities on Mac and other platforms, along with Apple's Security Bounty Program and advice for researchers seeking their first CVE.
Paragon Solutions, the spyware maker acquired by US firm AE Industrial Partners in late 2024 and merged with RedLattice, canceled two intelligence contracts with Italy after WhatsApp alleged its Graphite spyware infected over 60 phones across 20-plus countries, including journalists and activists. RedLattice CEO Andrew Boyd told WIRED the company never investigated the abuse allegations or verified them with WhatsApp or Citizen Lab, and instead ended the Italy relationship purely because it was deemed too risky to maintain. Italian authorities have denied any wrongdoing.
Google has launched Gemini 4 Argon, a frontier AI model built for deep reasoning in finance, coding, creative writing and cybersecurity tasks. Independent benchmarking firm Artificial Analysis found Argon matches OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra on its Intelligence Index at roughly 60 percent of the cost, with a notably lower hallucination rate of 15 percent. Google says it is already using Argon internally for quantum computing research, codebase migrations, and data center memory optimization, where it freed up 300 TiB of memory.
Samsung has raised US prices on nearly every Galaxy S26 model by $100, and by $200 on the 1TB S26 Ultra, according to Phone Arena. The base S26 now costs $999, bringing it $200 above the original S25 price once an earlier $100 launch-price increase is factored in. The Galaxy S26 FE is the only model in the lineup that wasn't hit by this latest increase.
Google has relaunched its Pixel Referral Program for the US Google Store, giving buyers a 10% discount when they check out with a referral code. Referrers earn $50 in store credit per successful referral, capped at $500 for 10 referrals, with codes valid until November 4. Participation as a referrer requires an invitation from Google and prior opt-in to Pixel marketing emails.
Samsung has begun pushing its redesigned SmartThings interface to Android phones days after the update first appeared on iOS. The new version introduces a floating navigation bar, denser device and routine cards, and quick on/off toggles directly from the home screen. It also refreshes the built-in TV remote with a light mode and resizable, repositionable controls.
Android Authority's Richard Priday writes that Google is launching a new line of high-end laptops called Googlebooks, positioned as a desktop evolution of Android meant to eventually replace ChromeOS. According to the piece, the initial lineup starts at around $1,000, with no cheaper entry-level models offered at launch.
Reports indicate the Trump administration has adopted the phrase 'super intelligence' as its preferred label for advanced AI systems, with business leaders reportedly expected to use the term. The shift reframes how government officials and allied executives publicly describe AI capabilities.