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Samsung phone owners have access to both Samsung Wallet and Google Wallet, which overlap heavily in basic functions like storing cards, tickets, passes, keys and IDs, as well as scanning physical cards via camera. Despite this overlap, each app has distinct strengths, with Samsung and Google diverging in areas such as ID support and cryptocurrency handling.
Amazon has cut the price of the Dangbei DBOX02, a 4K UHD laser projector, to $948.99 from its $1,199 list price, a 21% discount that matches its lowest recorded price. The device comes with Google TV, built-in Chromecast, and licensed Netflix support, along with 2450 ISO lumens of ALPD laser brightness and HDR10+ compatibility for screens up to 200 inches.
Google has begun taking pre-orders for its Googlebook laptop, priced at $899, months after unveiling it in May. The device runs Android OS with a desktop Chrome browser and ChromeOS-like features, but its main selling point is deep integration of Gemini AI, including an AI-driven cursor called Magic Cursor and a dictation tool called Rambler that cleans up rambling speech into text.
While author-driven and publisher lawsuits against AI companies continue, major publishers including HarperCollins, Wiley, and Penguin Random House are also striking licensing agreements and partnerships with AI firms like Google. HarperCollins signed a $5,000-per-title AI training deal in 2024, and Wiley reported $49 million in AI licensing revenue for fiscal 2026, alongside collaborations with Amazon, Microsoft, and Anthropic. A 2025 industry survey found 63% of publishing professionals now use AI internally for tasks like royalty statements and proofreading.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission fined Google €403 million ($463 million) after a multi-year investigation into how it handled location data through Web & App Activity, Location History, and Location Accuracy features between 2018 and 2020. Regulators found Google failed to meet GDPR transparency and lawfulness requirements and violated data retention rules for two of the three features. Google must bring its location data practices into compliance within six months and says it has already updated its policies since 2019.
Robby Stein, Google's vice president of product for Search, will join a fireside chat at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, running October 13-15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. The session, titled 'From MVP to Billions of Users,' will examine how product teams manage the shift from early-stage experimentation to decision-making at massive scale.
GM introduced a redesigned software interface for its upcoming Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks that refreshes the look of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Several outlets mistakenly reported this as GM reversing its 2023 decision to drop phone mirroring, but that removal only ever applied to GM's electric vehicles, not its gas-powered lineup.
Newly discovered internal account codes suggest T-Mobile is developing a system letting customers select their own subscription perk instead of a fixed bundle. The codes reference services including Apple Music, YouTube, SiriusXM, Paramount Plus, ESPN Plus, Xbox Game Pass, Google AI, and DashPass. T-Mobile has not confirmed the program, so details on eligibility, tiers, and rollout timing remain unknown.
Google has officially unveiled Googlebook, a new laptop platform built on Android and Chrome OS foundations, previously known internally as Aluminium OS. Acer, Asus, Dell, HP and Lenovo have all announced flagship Googlebook laptops starting at $899, with US sales beginning October 4 and pre-orders already open at the Google Store, Best Buy, and select retailers.
Google has unveiled a new generation of Chromebooks that borrow design cues associated with Apple's MacBooks while embedding AI features throughout the operating system, extending even to cursor interactions. The update signals a maturation of the Chromebook platform beyond its budget-laptop origins.
Google introduced Googlebooks, a new laptop platform built on Android rather than ChromeOS, though it looks and functions similarly with the same app dock, Chrome browser and Play Store access. The system retains Chromebook staples like the Titan security chip and built-in malware protection, but adds deeper phone-to-laptop integration, including instant login syncing and app handoff features like 'continue on,' demonstrated with the music app BandLab.
Google unveiled its new Googlebook laptop lineup, a hybrid of ChromeOS and Android built by hardware partners including HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, and ASUS. Pre-orders began immediately through Google's online store and Best Buy, with retail sales starting October 4 and prices beginning at $899 depending on specs and brand.