Eliana Willis

Kerry Wan/ZDNETThere’s been no shortage of Pixel 10 leaks leading up to its expected August launch event — even Google has taken part in it. While early renders and marketing imagery point to a family of phones that look nearly identical (if not the same) as the last generation, the biggest feature upgrade with the Pixel 10 series may actually be hidden in plain sight.Qi2 certificationI’m talking about Qi2 certification, the wireless charging standard introduced at CES more than two years ago that has yet to gain widespread market adoption due to material costs, lack of user demand, and other reasons, according to brands. At the time of writing, only recent iPhone and Samsung models and the HMD Skyline are considered Qi2‑ready. That’s it. Also: The next big wireless charging leap is coming soon: What Qi2 25W means for Android phonesIf the latest rumors are true, the Pixel 10 series will join that list, while also surpassing the likes of Samsung for one key reason: magnets. More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETYour iPhone, Apple Watch, and other Apple-owned devices are getting a big overhaul. The best part? You won’t have to pay a dime for them — just update your software. Several new features are coming to WatchOS 26, and the public beta software is now available for interested users to try now, if you don’t want to wait until the official launch later this fall. Reddit users in the r/Apple Watch subreddit are already digging into the latest update and commenting on their most and least favorite features. The features touch everything from Fitness to Messages, and include a major design update across Apple’s platforms for a more unified look and naming mechanisms that reflect the year the software debuts. Also: The best Apple Watch of 2025: Expert tested and reviewedIn addition to WatchOS updates, Apple also introduced AI feature developments, like Live Translation and on-screen Visual Intelligence, like Hold Assist for phone calls and Polls for Messages. If you want to try it out, make sure your Apple Watch supports WatchOS 26, and be sure to back up your device beforehand. Here are the features we’ve enjoyed using on WatchOS 26 now that the public beta is live.  More

Brilliant Labs/ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysHalo smart glasses might be the first true AI wearable.The agent can remember names, and even vibe code.They are available for $299 and will ship later in 2025.Smart glasses are an ideal form factor for AI assistance. They give AI access to everything you hear and see from your POV, making the handoff between you and the bot as effortless as possible. Now, the latest AI glasses from Brilliant Labs seem ready to take AI-enabled assistance to the next level. The Halo glasses, launched Thursday, weigh just over 40 grams, about the same weight and look as traditional eyeglasses. Yet, they also pack in other features: a full-color display, made possible by a tiny optical module built into the frame; an optical sensor used for multimodal tasks; bone conduction speakers; a microphone array; and 14 hours of battery life for daily intelligence.Also: Should you buy XR glasses for work and travel? This discounted pair made me a believerWhile these specs are impressive on their own, they all work together to support their core purpose — being a true AI wearable that can see and listen to what you do all day and assist you with anything you need at a later date.AI at the coreWith the Halo AI glasses, the company says users can have near real-time conversations with Noa, the device’s AI agent that was created to feel as intuitive and natural as speaking to a real person. According to Brilliant Labs, part of the fluidity of the experience can be attributed to the fact that Noa can see and hear what you see using the mic array and optical sensor.Also: I took a walk with Meta’s new Oakley smart glasses – they beat my Ray-Bans in every wayThis contextual data isn’t only used for immediate responses. Rather, through Brilliant Labs’ long-term agentic memory feature called Narrative, Noa can also create a personalized knowledge base for the user that analyzes life context for future questions. “There’s a ton going on when it [the agent] receives unstructured audio and video and other related contextual bits of data that it’s working autonomously in the background to connect those data pieces together,” Bobak Tavangar, CEO at Brilliant Labs, tells ZDNET.Also: Xreal wants you to dump your Meta Ray-Bans with this trade-in deal – here’s how it worksBeyond regular AI assistance, Noa can perform a series of tasks on your glasses, such as muting your microphone and camera. The AI can also help users vibe code with a new experimental feature called Vibe Mode. Using this feature, users can create new apps using natural language voice commands, which, according to the company, takes seconds. Users can then see and run the application on the display, share it with others, and remix existing generated apps.  More

Anthropic / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNETZDNET’s key takeawaysClaude’s mobile app now drafts emails, texts and events.You get editable templates, but you must review before sending.Integrations include Google Workplace and third-party connectors.Anthropic has made it a little easier to communicate and organize plans with other people using Claude, the AI startup’s proprietary chatbot.Also: Anthropic’s Claude dives into financial analysis. Here’s what’s newThe company announced in an X post on Wednesday that all users of the Claude mobile app on iOS and Android can now prompt the chatbot to draft and send emails and text messages and create calendar events. The announcement is somewhat misleading, as Claude can only generate templates of messages and calendar events; users still need to take some key steps. How to send emails and texts and create events with Claude After prompting Claude with an overview of the message you’d like to send (including details about the intended recipient), users are presented with the option to open a particular app, like Gmail, Slack, or Messages — and the chatbot will directly transfer the requested message; they just need to review and click Send.  Also: Claude might be my new favorite AI tool for Android – here’s whyIn other words, Claude generates a template of a message, which you can then either use or adjust with further prompting. More

berkozel/Getty Images Every five years or so, I make an inventory of the apps I use most frequently. It’s always fascinating to see how the list has changed over time, and it usually says something about the computing landscape. When I did that exercise this year, I was astonished at the changes. Half of the […] More