Technology

The next major smartphone launch is just weeks away: Samsung has set the date for its next Unpacked event as July 22.

The invite doesn’t say exactly what to expect at the London-based showcase, but it does tease that we’ll see a foldable phone with a new form factor, thanks to the tagline “a new shape unfolds”, and that lines up neatly with leaks and rumors.

In this article, we've detailed exactly what that “new shape” might be below, along with details of the other phones, watches, and even glasses that we might see at Galaxy Unpacked 2026.

1. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 is likely to be the most affordable of Samsung’s upcoming phones — and the only one with a clamshell design.

Leaks suggest that this device could use a new Exynos 2600 chipset — though the US might instead get a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Either way, that would be an upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, which uses the Exynos 2500 chipset in every region.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 could also have a smaller crease and a slimmer build, but might otherwise be similar to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, coming equipped with a familiar 6.9-inch foldable display, a 4.1-inch cover screen, a 4,300mAh battery, a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP selfie snapper.

2. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 could be that foldable with a “new shape” that Samsung hinted at, with reports suggesting that the company is planning a new book-style foldable that’s shorter and wider than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

This device is rumored to have a 7.6-inch 120Hz foldable screen, a 5.5-inch cover display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, 12GB of RAM, two 50MP cameras on the back, and a 4,800mAh battery.

This could be one of the more interesting devices at the next Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, since it’s a form factor that Samsung hasn’t tried before. But aside from the size and shape of the screen, it will probably be quite a conventional foldable.

3. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future)

Along with the wider model detailed above, Samsung will almost certainly launch a standard successor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 at Unpacked, and this device is rumored to be called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — though it’s unclear whether it will do anything to earn that name.

Leaks suggest the phone might have an 8-inch foldable screen, a 6.5-inch cover screen, a 50MP wide camera, a 50MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

As with the phone above, it’s likely to have a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and 12GB of RAM, but its battery could be of a higher capacity, with leaks pointing to a 5,000mAh cell.

So in all, the Ultra could have bigger screens, a higher capacity battery, and an extra camera over the wider model — along with an almost certainly higher price.

4. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Ultra 2

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 (Image credit: Future)

We’re also expecting new smartwatches from Samsung, specifically the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and probably also the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. There’s an outside chance we’ll get a new Samsung Galaxy Watch Classic, but this is looking less likely.

The Galaxy Watch 9 will probably have a circular display again, with leaks pointing to an Exynos W1000 chipset, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and two screen sizes: a 1.34-inch (438 x 438) one and a 1.47-inch (480 x 480) one.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 might instead have a Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset, and could be the first Samsung watch to support 5G.

It could also have a massive — by smartwatch standards — 800mAh battery, 64GB of storage, and a high 5,000-nit peak brightness for its screen. The display, however, might otherwise be similar to the original Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra’s, and it will reportedly come in the same 47mm size.

5. The Samsung Galaxy Glasses

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (Image credit: Future)

Finally, we might also see the Samsung Galaxy Glasses at Unpacked. These would be Samsung’s first smart glasses, and they reportedly run Android XR with access to Gemini.

They might also have a 12MP camera, a 155mAh battery, directional speakers, and weigh just 50g. But they’re not expected to have a screen, so they could be direct rivals to products like the Ray-Ban Meta.

You can now own the NordicTrack Ultra 1 Reformer and never pay for a Pilates class again.

• People continue to build alternative Sonos apps with features Sonos hasn't offered
• Recent creations include customizable room correction that works with front surrounds
• Most aren't widely available, and are being shown in invite-only betas

In the last few months, Sonos has finally moved on from fixing its app's tech issues to improving it with new navigation and adding some useful new techy features, such as a key new network troubleshooting option.

But many Sonos users are just tired of waiting for long-requested features — such as the ability to add front surround speakers — so they're building their own alternatives instead.

We covered some user-created apps to improve the Sonos ecosystem not too long ago, and the list of available options continues to grow.

More Sonos apps than you can shake a soundbar at

First up there's "the app Sonos should have made" according to its creator: Somos InControl. It's an iOS remote for Sonos home theater products with custom EQ, saveable sound presets, surround height levels and music features too.

The big draws here are that it supports adding front left and right surround speakers, and the ability to save EQ options for different use cases — the example screen shot has slightly tweaked sound for 5.1 surround versus Dolby Atmos versus music listening that you instantly switch between. It's an Apple TestFlight work in progress so availability is limited, but it looks very impressive.

The app Sonos should have made. Try it for free. from r/sonos

Moosic is a self-hosted music server app that offers an alternative to Trueplay's room tuning, with the always-welcome ability to display charts of the room correction, plus more customization options for the tuning.

It also enables you to switch your Sonos configuration — such as switching a pair of Era 300s from working as rear speakers to working as stereo music speakers — but to keep separate room-tuning profiles for each configuration, which again is something Trueplay doesn't offer.

If you're wondering why not just use TruePlay, creator AffectionateFox5907 explains: "Sonos does not provide a way to switch between home theatre and music setup seamlessly. My app does, but as part of that I lose Trueplay. When you unbond and rebond a speaker, each time it will lose its Trueplay configuration. My app basically builds a better Sonos app that adds features I've been wanting for a while without having to have a bunch of different apps. This now works with multiple subs and should work with fronts added as well."

One of the big downsides of using third-party apps that add front surrounds is that it disables Trueplay, so this is a win for people coloring outside the usual Sonos surround lines.

It also looks ideal for anyone who's found using their home theater for music to be a bit of a pain, and there are plenty of people who do: there's a whole Reddit thread asking for a simple switch between movie mode and music mode without having to reconfigure your system every time you do it.

I built my own version of "Trueplay" from r/sonos

Last but not least, MajorAtmosphere has created Kyuu (pronounced "queue"), an iOS Sonos controller that enables you to use UPnP for local files, which the Sonos app doesn't support.

As they explain: "Kyuu runs a lightweight local server that handles speaker discovery via SSDP, polls playback state, and sends commands directly to your speakers. The iOS app talks to that server over your LAN — no cloud, no Sonos account, no external dependencies."

I built a local-first Sonos controller iOS app using the UPnP API — no account required [Beta] from r/sonos

Somewhere right now, a person is asking ChatGPT for the best cafe near them. The AI answers in four seconds and names three cafes. What if one of them isn't yours?

That's the problem I’ll address here. Without any hacks or suggesting a $500-a-month dashboard that you'll open twice. Instead, something that works with a system you can run from a spreadsheet.

've spent a lot of time watching small businesses handle AI search the way most of us handle gym memberships. Sign up in January, feel great for a week, never log in again. See, the tool was never the problem. The plan was.

So here's the plan.

Start your free 28-day trial and find out if your brand is the answer AI gives buyers

HubSpot AEO gives you visibility tracking, competitor analysis, citation analysis, and prioritized recommendations across ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini — all in one place.

It's one of the fastest ways to understand where your brand stands in AI-generated answers and what to do about it.View Deal

What is AEO?

AEO stands for Answer Engine Optimization. It's the practice of making your business show up when people ask questions to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Google's AI Overviews.

Before AI was a thing, you would simply search for a query on Google and find multiple results, including Ads, Featured Snippet, Blogs, etc.

But, right now, most people ask AI the same question and get an instant answer. Three names, maybe four. A short paragraph and that’s it.

Well, if you and your business is in the above paragraph, you win. If you're not, you don't exist.

And the shift is already here. Google now puts AI-generated answers on top of regular results. Millions of people ask ChatGPT for recommendations the way they used to ask a friend, and your customers are among them.

The mistake almost everyone makes

Business owners hear about AEO and ask the same question:

"Which AEO tool should I buy?"

Wrong question. That's like asking which weighing scale to buy before you've changed anything about your diet. The scale will just tell you the same bad news with more decimal places.

An AEO tool doesn't get you cited. It shows you where you're invisible. Those are very different jobs.

Here's what any AEO tool, cheap or expensive, does at its core:

• Tells you if AI answers mention your business
• Tells you which competitors get mentioned instead
• Shows you which sources those AI answers pull from
• Points out what's missing about your business online

That's it. That's the whole product. It's a diagnostic machine. The treatment is the work you do outside the tool, and most of that work is free.

So, before you buy anything, build the system the tool is supposed to sit inside.

The four-layer framework

(Image credit: Future)

Every small business, whether you run a cafe, a mechanic shop, a car wash, or a SaaS product, should think about AI visibility in four layers.

Layer 1: What are people actually asking?

Start with questions that your target audience actually asks. The stuff people type randomly at 9 PM when they need something.

If you run a cafe:

If you run a mechanic shop:

If you run a car wash:

If you run a SaaS product:

best cafe near Bleecker Street

best mechanic near me

best car wash near me

best invoicing tool for small business

affordable cafe near NYU

reliable car repair in Queens

foam wash in New York

affordable CRM for freelancers

birthday cafe in the West Village

car AC repair near me

doorstep car detailing near me

simple project management tool for agencies

work-friendly cafe with Wi-Fi in Manhattan

affordable brake service in Brooklyn

ceramic coating in Queens

alternative to spreadsheets for client tracking

Layer 2: Who does AI mention right now?

This is where tracking begins, and you don't need software for it yet. Open ChatGPT. Open Perplexity. Ask your 20 questions. Write down what comes back.

Track five things for each prompt:

Prompt

Are we mentioned?

Who is mentioned?

Why them?

Which sources are cited?

Best cafe near Bleecker Street

No

Competitor A, B

More reviews, more listings

Maps, review platforms, blogs

Birthday cafe West Village

No

Competitor C

Birthday decor photos everywhere

Instagram, local blogs

Affordable cafe near NYU

Maybe

You + two others

Menu prices visible online

Reviews, menu pages

Do this weekly. Same prompts, same day, every week. It takes 30 minutes, and it will teach you more about your market than any webinar.

(Image credit: Future)Layer 3: Find the source gap

AI doesn't recommend businesses out of thin air. It looks for proof. And proof, for a local business, lives in boring places.

It lives in your Google Business Profile. In your reviews, and not just the count and the score, but what people actually say in them. In your photos, your menu or service pages, and the local directories that list you. It lives in articles and listicles that mention you, your social media presence, and the community discussions happening around your area.

Google itself says local visibility comes down to relevance, distance, and prominence. And prominence is built from links, articles, directories, review count, and review scores. AI systems lean on the same signals.

So when your competitor gets mentioned, and you don't, the reason is rarely mysterious. Your business information is incomplete or inconsistent somewhere. You don't have enough reviews. Your website doesn't answer specific questions, or your photos don't show the experience.

Maybe nobody else on the internet is talking about you yet. Or you're chasing a query that's too broad for where you are right now.

Layer 4: Turn tracking into action

This is where most businesses quit. They track AI mentions, feel excited for two days, screenshot a result, send it to the family group chat, and then do nothing.

Tracking without action is a hobby. A good AEO workflow ends every week with a short action list. Things like:

• "Create a birthday party page on the website"
• "Add prices to the online menu"
• "Get 30 more reviews this month"
• "Get listed on three local directories"
• "Invite five local food creators to visit"
• "Fix the phone number, it's different on two platforms"

Small, boring, and super specific. That's what moves the needle. And yes, I checked, the needle exists. It's your review count.

Don't chase the big query first

Quick detour, because this mistake costs people months.

If you run a cafe in Greenwich Village, do not start by targeting "best cafe in New York." That query belongs to famous names with thousands of reviews and a decade of press. You will lose that fight, and you'll lose it slowly.

Target the narrow stuff instead:

• "best cafe near Bleecker Street"
• "coffee shop near NYU with Wi-Fi"
• "birthday cafe in the West Village"
• "affordable cafe in Greenwich Village"

Narrow queries have less competition and higher intent. The person asking "cafe near Bleecker Street with Wi-Fi" is closer to walking through your door than the person asking "best cafe in New York" for a listicle they're skimming on the subway.

Own the street first. Then the neighborhood. Then, maybe, the city!

What can an AEO tool do for you?

Okay. Say you've run the manual system for a couple of months. Your listings are fixed, reviews are climbing, and checking 20 prompts by hand every week is getting old. Now a tool makes sense.

Here are the seven things a small business AEO tool should do. If a tool doesn't do most of these, keep your money.

1. Prompt tracking

(Image credit: Future)

It should track the questions your customers actually ask. Real buyer prompts like "where can I get car AC repair near me," not vanity prompts like "is my business the best." (The answer to that one is always disappointing anyway.)

2. Competitor visibility

It should show which competitors keep appearing. If the same three names show up for every prompt, those three names just became your homework. Study their reviews, their photos, their pages, and their listings.

3. Citation and source tracking

The tool should show where AI answers pull information from. Review platforms, directories, articles, maps, social profiles. Then your job is simple:

(Image credit: Future)

Get your brand on those sources.

4. Sentiment tracking

Being simply mentioned is also not enough right now. You should focus on how your brand is perceived online. Here’s what I mean:

• A good mention: "A budget-friendly cafe near Bleecker Street known for coffee, snacks, and casual hangouts."
• A weak mention: "A cafe located in Greenwich Village."
• A bad mention: "Mixed reviews about service and food quality."

Same business. Three very different outcomes for the person reading. The tool should tell you which one you're getting.

5. Gap analysis

It should show what competitors have that you don't. Something like:

Competitor has

You have

500 reviews

80 reviews

Menu indexed online

Menu only on Instagram

Birthday event photos

No event photos

Blog mentions

Zero third-party mentions

A page for every service

One generic homepage

That table isn't depressing. It's a to-do list wearing a disguise.

6. Weekly reporting that ends in actions

Prompts tracked. Mentions gained or lost. Competitors appearing. Sources cited. Gaps found. Next five actions.

If the report doesn't tell you what to do next, it's really just a screensaver with a subscription fee.

The low cost AEO option

Let me put the whole system in one place. This is what I'd hand any small business owner tomorrow.

• Pick your 20 money prompts: The questions customers ask right before they spend money.
• Run them weekly: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google's AI Overviews. Log who gets mentioned, what sources appear, how you're described.
• Fix what you own first: Website, business listing, menu, photos, FAQs, hours, address, phone number. Google's guidance for showing up in AI features is almost insultingly basic: crawlable pages, important content in text form, structured data matching what's visible, business info kept current. Basic. And still, most small businesses fail at it.
• Build third-party validation: AI trusts repetition across independent sources. Local blogs, directories, review platforms, creator videos, community mentions. For SaaS, that's comparison pages, review sites, customer stories, and integration directories. The more places that say the same thing about you, the easier you are to recommend.
• Review progress every 30 days: Mentions up? Descriptions improving? Gaps closing? Adjust and repeat.
• Buy a tool only when the manual version hurts: More on that now.

When to buy an AEO tool

Buy one when the spreadsheet starts groaning. If you're tracking more than 20 or 30 prompts, running multiple locations, or a team needs weekly reports, manual checking stops being cheap. It just becomes slow.

It also makes sense once you want history. Citation trends over time, sentiment shifts, mentions gained and lost month over month. A spreadsheet shows you today. A tool shows you the movie.

And if you're already producing content and collecting reviews every week, a tool helps keep the data pace with the work. At that stage, you're not buying insight. You're buying speed.

Now the other side. Don't buy one if your website is incomplete, your business listing is half-empty, or your review count is embarrassing. The same goes if your photos look like they were taken during an earthquake, or if nobody online is talking about you yet.

And definitely don't buy one hoping it will "get you cited" on its own. It won't. A tool pointed at a business with no proof will produce a beautiful report that says "you're invisible" in fourteen different chart formats. You already knew that. Save the money, do the work, then buy the tool to scale the work.

The whole game in one question

Small businesses keep asking "which AEO tool should I buy?" when the question that actually matters is this:

What are the 20 questions my customers ask before buying, and does the internet prove I'm a good answer?

Answer that honestly, and everything else falls into place. The listings, the reviews, the pages, the photos, the mentions. AEO isn't a separate marketing channel. It's a visibility audit for the AI era, and the audit is only useful if you act on it.

Remember that person asking ChatGPT for the best cafe near Bleecker Street? They're going to ask again next month. And the month after that.

Whether your name comes up is a decision you make this week. Open a spreadsheet. Write your 20 prompts. Start asking.

FAQsHow long does it take to show up in AI answers?

Expect 60 to 90 days for narrow, local queries, and longer for competitive ones. AI answers lean on reviews, listings, and third-party mentions, and those take time to build. The businesses that see results fastest are the ones fixing their listings and collecting reviews every single week, not the ones checking prompts every day, hoping something has changed.

Is AEO different from SEO?

They overlap, but they're not the same. SEO gets you ranked in a list of links. AEO gets you named inside an answer. The foundations are shared: good pages, accurate business info, strong reviews. The difference is the finish line. In SEO, position four still gets clicks. In an AI answer, there is no position four.

Which AI platform should I focus on first?

Start with ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews, because that's where your customers already are. Add Perplexity to your weekly tracking since it shows its sources openly, which makes it the easiest one to learn from. You don't need to chase every platform. They pull from similar signals, so fixing your proof once improves your odds everywhere.

Can I just ask customers to mention keywords in their reviews?

No, asking people to stuff phrases into reviews reads as fake to platforms and to humans. Ask for honest reviews instead. If your birthday setups are genuinely good, people will mention birthdays on their own. Your job is to make the experience worth describing, then make asking for the review a habit.

AI mentioned my business, but the information was wrong. What do I do?

Fix the sources, not the AI. Wrong hours, old menu, dead phone number in an AI answer almost always trace back to an outdated listing or an old article somewhere. Find the source the answer cites, correct it there, and update your own website and business profile. AI answers refresh from the web, so clean sources eventually mean clean answers.

How much should a small business spend on an AEO tool?

At the start, nothing. The manual spreadsheet system in this article costs 30 minutes a week. When you outgrow it, entry-level tools run roughly the price of a decent phone plan per month, and that's plenty for a single-location business. If a sales page quotes you enterprise pricing for tracking 20 prompts, close the tab.

• Cloud Rebuild installs a fresh version of Windows straight from... the cloud
• It'll even work on PCs where Windows is damaged or files are missing
• Now available in preview, it's being tested ahead of general availability

Microsoft has introduced a new Windows 11 recovery feature that installs a full version of Windows directly from cloud servers, without users having to rely on separate installation media.

The new tool is designed to work even when PCs have become corrupted, giving users a completely fresh install.

Although existing PC resetting tools can already download Windows from the cloud, recovery can fail if local Windows files are damaged or missing, making this a much more comprehensive tool.

Cloud Rebuild

With Cloud Rebuild designed to work even when Windows won't boot at all, it includes everything from the latest compatible Windows image to device-specific drivers, meaning users can skip the faff of downloading drivers from PC manufacturers.

As for the user experience, it eliminates the need for users to configure bootable USB installers and handle complex ISO files.

The upgrade is currently available as a Windows 11 Insider preview, but Microsoft has plans to extend its reach after testing. "Remote initiation from an enterprise endpoint management solution, such as Microsoft Intune, will be available in a later release," the company added in a support page.

Being a preview product, Microsoft also noted that some features, UX and command-line options may change before it hits general availability.

While the two OSs operate differently, with Apple controlling hardware and software and creating a different driver landscape altogether, Microsoft's Cloud Rebuild does bring Windows closer to a recovery model and user experience that macOS users have enjoyed since the company launched Internet Recovery in 2011.

Microsoft hasn't provided any further timeline information for Cloud Rebuild's full release as yet.

Much of the discussion around agentic AI in commerce has focused on one assumption: that consumers will eventually delegate purchasing decisions entirely to AI systems.

The vision is straightforward enough. A consumer tells an AI assistant they need a new winter coat, a family holiday or a replacement laptop and the agent independently handles everything from product selection to payment and fulfilment.

In this version of the future, traditional ecommerce interfaces become secondary, marketplaces lose influence and consumers gradually surrender active decision-making to software acting on their behalf.

Underlying much of this vision is the assumption of "cognitive surrender" - the idea that consumers will become increasingly willing to defer judgement to AI systems rather than actively evaluating options themselves.

If AI agents can reliably identify the best products, prices and services, the argument goes, consumers may eventually see little value in conducting their own research or comparison.

The reality emerging so far appears more complicated.

Consumers are unquestionably embracing AI-assisted shopping at speed. Generative AI tools are already influencing how people discover products, compare options and navigate increasingly complex and crowded digital shopping environment.

But adoption does not necessarily equal surrender of control. Early behavioral signals suggest that while consumers are willing to use AI to reduce friction in discovery, they remain reluctant to outsource trust.

That distinction matters because it may ultimately define how agentic commerce develops.

AI is accelerating comparison, not replacing judgement

Recent international research across 4,000+ online shoppers in the UK, US, France and Germany found that consumers using AI shopping tools still rely heavily on traditional trust indicators before making purchases.

Price remains the dominant factor when evaluating AI-generated recommendations, but brand familiarity, customer reviews and marketplace reputation continue to exert significant influence over final purchase decisions.

In practice, consumers appear to be using AI as an “accelerated curation” layer rather than a replacement for purchasing judgement.

This is important because many early narratives around agentic commerce implied that AI would fundamentally weaken existing ecommerce structures. The expectation was that autonomous agents would increasingly bypass traditional digital storefronts, reduce the importance of marketplaces and make consumer loyalty less relevant.

So far, the opposite may be happening.

AI is undoubtedly changing where product discovery begins. Increasingly, consumers may start their shopping journey through conversational interfaces rather than search engines or marketplace homepages. But once products are surfaced, familiar mechanisms of trust still shape behavior. Consumers continue to validate recommendations through reviews, recognized sellers, loyalty schemes and established platforms before committing to a purchase.

The research supports this pattern: 89% of consumers say recognizing the seller's brand remains important when acting on an AI recommendation, while 92% say customer reviews continue to influence their final choice. Moreover, 68% say they would only consider purchasing from an unfamiliar seller after first checking reviews and ratings.

This creates a more evolutionary picture of AI commerce than many expected.

Why marketplaces may become more important, not less

Rather than disintermediating marketplaces, AI may actually reinforce them. Large ecommerce ecosystems already possess many of the attributes AI-assisted shoppers still value most: extensive review infrastructure, strong fulfilment capabilities, recognized seller protections and trusted payment environments.

If consumers continue seeking reassurance before completing purchases, those strengths remain highly relevant.

The comparison with earlier ecommerce technologies is instructive.

Social commerce, for example, has become a major channel for product discovery over the past decade, with consumers increasingly encountering products through creators, influencers and algorithmic feeds. However, in most cases the social platform is not the merchant of record.

The transaction, fulfilment, payments and post-purchase support typically still sit with retailers, marketplaces and their payment providers. Discovery has shifted but the underlying commercial infrastructure has largely remained intact.

Trust still closes the sale

Even as ecommerce has matured over the past two decades, trust has remained one of the strongest determinants of conversion. Consumers consistently look for social proof, recognizable brands and transparent pricing before purchasing online, particularly in higher-value or unfamiliar categories.

AI does not appear to be removing those instincts. Instead, it may be amplifying their importance by increasing the speed and scale of product exposure from entities like marketplaces which provide wide choice and a trusted logistics backbone.

If AI tools surface a broader range of sellers than consumers would normally encounter, trust signals become even more important as filtering mechanisms.

This has significant implications for merchants.

In an AI-mediated environment, visibility increasingly depends on structured product data, accurate inventory information and competitive pricing. AI systems can only recommend products they can properly interpret. Merchants with inconsistent catalogues, weak metadata or fragmented pricing strategies risk becoming less visible in AI-generated recommendations altogether.

Loyalty and payments remain part of the equation

One of the more overlooked questions surrounding agentic commerce is how loyalty programs will function inside AI-driven purchasing journeys.

Consumers have spent years building relationships with retailers, airlines, payment providers and marketplaces through points, rewards and membership ecosystems. If AI agents operate outside those structures, friction emerges. The research suggests these relationships remain highly relevant.

In the UK, 36% of consumers say they would be less likely to continue using AI shopping tools if doing so meant losing access to loyalty points and rewards, indicating the existing loyalty ecosystems remain an important part of consumer decision-making.

The likelihood is that loyalty systems themselves will need to become more interoperable with AI-assisted commerce experiences rather than disappearing entirely. Consumers may accept AI recommendations, but many will still expect rewards, protections and account benefits to remain integrated into the process.

The same applies to payments. As AI-driven commerce develops, consumers are unlikely to abandon expectations around payment security, fraud protection and transaction transparency simply because the purchasing interface changes.

In fact, research found that 55% of consumers expect to increase their use of retail marketplaces as AI adoption grows, suggesting that established platforms continue to play an important role in providing the fulfilment, payment infrastructure and operational trust that underpin online commerce. Trust in the payment process itself will remain fundamental to adoption.

The future of AI commerce may be more collaborative than autonomous

This broader pattern points towards a future where AI changes the mechanics of shopping without necessarily changing the underlying psychology of buying.

Consumers are happy to delegate repetitive tasks. They are comfortable automating comparison, discovery and research. But purchasing decisions still carry emotional, financial and reputational considerations that many consumers appear unwilling to fully hand over to autonomous systems.

That may evolve over time, particularly as younger consumers become more accustomed to AI-mediated decision-making. Trust in AI systems will almost certainly increase as the technology improves and becomes more embedded in daily life. But behavioral shifts in commerce often happen more gradually than technological capability alone would suggest.

Importantly, this does not diminish the scale of change AI may bring to ecommerce.

Agentic commerce still has the potential to reshape digital advertising, product discovery, marketplace competition, payments infrastructure and merchant visibility. Entire categories of ecommerce optimization may need to be rebuilt around how AI agents interpret and prioritize products.

But the idea that AI will simply replace trust appears increasingly simplistic.

At least for now, consumers do not seem to want autonomous shopping systems that make decisions entirely on their behalf. They want systems that help them make decisions more efficiently while still preserving their ability to verify, compare and validate.

That distinction may ultimately prove critical to understanding where agentic commerce actually goes next.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

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• 75% have deployed 4+ AI tools in the past six months, 35% have deployed 10+ tools
• This is despite four in five experiencing AI security incidents or vulnerabilities
• Governance and dedicated security budgets could be part of the answer

New DigiCert data has claimed four in five (78%) organizations have either experienced an AI-related security incident or have identified an AI-related vulnerability, despite ongoing AI investments and increased adoption.

Despite uncertainty around security, three-quarters of the companies surveyed have deployed four or more AI tools in the past six months alone, with a third (35%) having deployed more than 10 AI systems in that same period.

With this new data, DigiCert says organizations need to treat AI like any other business system rather than an experimental toy, deeply rooting security into the entire strategy.

AI is causing a security headache for most companies

While discussions are clearly taking place, fixes are slow to roll out. For example, 90% have discussion AI governance at executive or board level, but only 50% have implemented both dedicated AI security budgets and formal AI governance programs.

Following years of pilots, two-thirds (64%) have now started logging AI inventories, implying they're still discovering what AI exists across their business. Currently, nearly half lack centralized visibility into AI systems, and only 53% can fully trace AI outputs back to the underlying models and source data.

"The question is no longer whether organisations should adopt AI. It's whether they can explain, govern and trust the AI they've already deployed," SVP Brian Trzupek explained.

While AI explainability remains pretty consistent, at around half, across multiple regions and countries like the US, the UK and Australia, some sectors see more incidents and vulnerabilities than others. Those include science, technology, banking, telecoms and retail.

Looking ahead, many companies are now trialling giving AI agents their own identities, much like human workers, to improve visibility across autonomous actions. Greater governance and stricter policies to iron out the use of unapproved tools should also help companies address some of the growing security issues as adoption continues to mature.

The Shark ChillPill is one of the best personal fans around, but it's selling out fast, and if you want to grab one for delivery this week you'll have to be quick. Right now the only option available for rapid delivery is the Shark ChillPill in Dragonfruit for £129 at Amazon.

All other colours are back-ordered, with the silver Cloud version not available until the end of July, and more popular options like Matcha green unavailable for at least six months. If you want your fan this side of Christmas, don't hang around.

The Shark ChillPill three-in-one fan has been flying off the virtual shelves this summer, and at the time of writing, the only color available for next-day delivery at Amazon is the hot pink Dragonfruit version.

I've been keeping a close eye on stocks of various fans during this summer's heatwaves, and personal coolers have been especially popular. In fact, according to a report published by the Guardian this morning, Britons are expected to buy eight million mini fans this year. Most of those will be cheap, low-quality devices sold for just a couple of pounds or even given away free, and last year it was calculated that 55% ended up in landfill.

You certainly don't have to spend £129 on a fan to keep yourself comfortable, and there are many cheaper options available. However much you spend though, it's worth taking care of it, and hanging onto it for as long as possible to prevent unnecessary e-waste — and to make sure you're ready when the temperature starts to climb again next year.

Hands-on with the ChillPill

If you do opt for the ChillPill, I think you'll be pleased. It's a compact and lightweight fan with 10 different speed settings, and a choice of three attachments: the standard fan, a misting fan with its own water reservoir, and a cooling plate to place against pulse points when you're getting uncomfortably warm.

I bought a ChillPill myself after trying one out, and it's been very welcome during my daily office commute — particularly when the train is replaced by a bus service. The misting attachment is especially effective, and can be filled from your drinking water bottle, though I recommend using the intermittent mode rather than continuous misting so the reservoir lasts longer between fills.

For more cooling options, take a look at our complete list of the best fans, which includes plenty of desk, standing, and tower fans to keep you comfortable at home.

External cyberattacks, especially ransomware, are now viewed as a matter of when, not if.

It’s no wonder they dominate cybersecurity discussions and make frequent headlines.

IBM’s 2025 Cost of a Data Breach report found that the average global cost of a data breach stands at $4.4million, underscoring why the threat of an attack keeps business and IT leaders up at night.

But they represent only one side of the data risk landscape. What’s less understood and often underestimated are the internal threats that can be just as disruptive and damaging.

From simple employee errors to deliberate insider actions, and even the unintended consequences of generative AI tools, these risks pose serious challenges for every organization’s data security strategy.

Human Error and Malice

Human error remains one of the most persistent vulnerabilities in cybersecurity. In fact, 2024 research found that the human element played a role in 68% of breaches, ranging from simple mistakes to social engineering and misconfigurations. Ignoring this reality leaves a critical gap in any security strategy.

Human error isn’t the only internal risk. Insider threats - both intentional and negligent - represent a growing portion of today’s breach landscape. In fact, 83% of organizations experienced at least one insider-related incident last year. Whether it’s a disgruntled employee exfiltrating data or a staff member mistakenly over-provisioning access, incidents involving trusted credentials are notoriously difficult to detect and recover from.

Whether it’s accidental human error or deliberate insider attacks, the first step to reducing these types of risks is to acknowledge that the weakest link in any cybersecurity chain is people. Even the most advanced internet security infrastructure can be compromised by a single careless mistake or a trusted user with bad intentions. Creating a culture of continuous education mixed with accountability can mitigate some of these threats.

Reducing privileged access to only what is necessary can also significantly lower the risk of employee caused data leaks. However, organizations should always assume that human errors will occur and prepare accordingly. User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) plays a critical role in identifying suspicious activity that may indicate insider threats.

By flagging anomalies such as unexpected data transfers or unusual access patterns, UEBA enables security teams to respond swiftly before significant damage occurs.

Just as important is having strong technical safeguards in place. These act as a critical safety net when human controls fail. For example, it’s important to verify that automated backups are running efficiently and include all data sources, such as cloud applications and endpoints.

This can ensure that no critical data is left unprotected or overlooked in the event of a disruption or breach. These backups need to be immutable and tamper-proof, so that even a rogue insider cannot alter or delete recovery points.

The AI Conundrum

While AI promises a boost to productivity and innovation, it also brings with it new threats. As an example, the rise of AI co-pilots and agents in various workflows such as coding, writing and data analysis widens the attack surface. For AI to operate efficiently, it requires access to sensitive internal data such as documents and proprietary systems, which means that the slightest oversight in access permissions and data governance can severely cost an organization.

This is not going unnoticed. The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) states in its AI Risk Management Framework that AI models may “leak, generate, or correctly infer sensitive information” even data not explicitly included in the input, through memorization, adversarial attacks, or by combining disparate sources.

This concern is echoed in the private sector, with over 80% of security leaders expressing concern that generative AI could leak company secrets, and security experts warning that only 24% of generative AI initiatives are fully secured. Furthermore, a staggering 90% of organizations report a lack of adequate security standards to defend against AI-centered threats. Gartner predicts that by 2027, more than 40% of AI-related data breaches will be caused by the improper use of generative AI.

So how can enterprises continue to implement the evolving world of AI into business processes while ensuring it doesn’t open the door to a bevy of cyberattacks? The first step is to treat AI agents as part of the threat model. The same security principles that are often implemented to traditional IT environments need to be applied to AI implementation - zero trust, data minimization, encryption, segmentation, etc.

AI agents need to be viewed as tools with privileged access, and handled accordingly. The data that is being fed into these AI agents needs to be reviewed and cleaned-up, including removing outdated or overly sensitive files from training sets and ensuring only approved data sources are utilized.

Close monitoring and keeping a log of all AI interactions is also critical. This needs to be detailed enough to enable an audit trail that can help to detect potential abuse or oversharing of confidential data.

To reduce the risk of human error, AI guidelines should also include security awareness training so that employees can understand that AI agents are not sandbox environments, and any sensitive data could be logged, stored, and in the worst-case scenario, shared.

Immutable Backups Delivered as a Managed Service

While the threat landscape continues to expand, the reality is clear - no security stack is impenetrable. Cybercriminals will always search for new angles, whether through ransomware, insider threats, or AI-driven exploits. That’s why true resilience depends not only on prevention but also on the ability to recover quickly and confidently when defenses are breached.

Immutable backups, delivered as a managed service, provide that safety net. Unlike traditional backups that can be corrupted, deleted, or encrypted by attackers, immutable backups are unchangeable and tamper-proof. By layering this with 24/7 monitoring, expert management, and tested recovery processes, a managed service ensures that recovery points remain secure and always available.

This approach dramatically shortens downtime, from days to hours and removes the operational burden from internal IT teams who may lack the time or expertise to manage complex recovery environments.

Looking for the best cloud backup?

This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit

Commentary: Can Valve make a game console? Oh yes it can, but it's an imperfect mix at the moment. Still, there are parts that impress.

OpenAI says its flagship model for ChatGPT should make fewer mistakes.

Envirotech Vehicles, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVTV) (“EVTV” or the “Company”) announced today the successful completion of its merger with Azio AI Corporation (“Azio AI”) on July 2, 2026, paving the way for the company to transform to an AI Datacenter Provider and meeting the growing market demand for artificial intelligence (“AI”) infrastructure, enterprise GPU compute, digital power solutions, data center development, and digital asset infrastructure; a market that the International Data Corporation (IDC) projects will reach $487 billion in global spending in 2026 and exceed $1 trillion by 2029.

The post Envirotech Vehicles (NASDAQ: EVTV) Closes Merger with Azio AI Ahead of Schedule, Positioning Combined Company to Capture $487 Billion 2026 AI Infrastructure Opportunity appeared first on TechRepublic.

It's the end of the sales season for a while now, but that doesn't mean the deals are gone for good. Yes, prices may not be as low across the board as during the recent Prime Day sale, but Amazon UK still has several solid offers if you're looking to shop right now. So, I've looked through the retailer's latest batch of offers and picked out 12 deals that are good buys.

• See all of today's best deals at Amazon UK

There are actually a couple of deals from Prime Day that are still available, including the five-star Nothing Ear (a) for £48.99 (was £69). These are some top-rated buds that offer audio quality, noise cancellation and battery life that rivals Apple's very own AirPods — but at a much lower price.

I also like the look of this HP OmniBook 5 for £529.99 (was £699.98) as a powerful all-around laptop. That offer is ending today, though, so I'd move fast if you're in the market for a new laptop.

Check out all of my top picks below, including fitness trackers, appliances, and more cheap tech.

Today's 12 best deals at Amazon UK

The Fitbit Charge 6 is one of the simplest fitness trackers around, but it works very well and is still at a low price following Prime Day. It has a small screen that shows the time, how many steps you’ve taken, and your current heart rate as well. It’s subtle, so it fits on your wrist well – whether you’re at work or working out. Extensive battery life of up to seven days means minimal hassle, too.View Deal

Can you ever have too many USB cables? The box full of them under my desk would suggest you can. However, if you want a couple more to leave around the house or take with you when out and about, this pair of USB-C to USB-A cables from top brand Anker is now super-cheap.View Deal

These have been some of the most surprising earbuds we've ever tested, scoring a sweet five stars in our Nothing Ear (a) review – and now you can get them for their lowest price ever. Considering the latest AirPods are closer to £100, the fact that these offer massively superior sound and great active noise cancellation for half the price of Apple's popular buds makes these a no-brainer.View Deal

Display - 16 inches
Processor - Snapdragon X
RAM - 16GB
Storage - 512GB

This is a great price for a relatively modern laptop that comes with a well-performing and efficient Snapdragon X CPU. On top of that, you get 16GB of RAM, a 512GB SSD, an impressive battery life of up to 34 hours, and a sharp OLED display, which represents good value for money overall. I like this one if you need a strong and capable everyday machine.View Deal

The Philips OneBlade 360 is a quick, simple and affordable electric razor that's suitable for a wide variety of face and body grooming needs. This jam-packed bundle was a little cheaper over Prime Day, but today's offer is still a solid one. This bundle includes the handle, as well as two spare blades, four combs, a body kit, and a USB-A charging cable.View Deal

The Ninja Foodi Max is the ultimate air fryer for many and it's now down to a great low price at Amazon. It offers six different functions, including Max Crisp, air frying, roasting, baking, reheating, and dehydrating. With two baskets, you get two independent cooking zones with the option to have them sync or match up, depending on your needs. Its extra large capacity is perfect for family cooking or batch cooking as it gives you plenty of room for a 2kg chicken or 1.4kg of fries in each compartment.View Deal

The Nespresso Vertuo Pop is one of the best entry-level coffee machines around and it's now 50% off at Amazon. Use it with the included pods, and it does all the hard work for you with one-touch brewing, with the option of different brew sizes depending on how much you want to drink. As well as the Vertuo Pop machine, the bundle comes with coffee pods, mugs, spoons, and a milk frother.View Deal

If you want a cheap and basic Bluetooth speaker, then you can't go wrong with this Anker Soundcore for almost £25. Sure, it's not going to give you the biggest and boldest audio quality, but it's still a solid option at an affordable price. Battery life is an impressive 24 hours, too, so it's great to use around the home or take it with you when on the go.View Deal

The Ninja Blast Portable Blender is a powerful all-in-one portable blender — and it's now got a small price cut at Amazon. It has a 530ml container with a leakproof lid and sip spout, while the carry handle means you can take it with you to the gym or on your walks. It’s capable of blending ice and frozen fruit, as well as any liquids and powders, while one charge gives you up to two hours of battery life.View Deal

It's not the most exciting deal, but if you need a cheap and reliable iron then this Russell Hobbs Supreme Steam Iron is down to under £20. I own the exact same one and it's perfectly fine for regular use, thanks to its good-sized water tank, long power cord, and stainless steel plate.View Deal

I've got this arm for my dual setup at home and it works really well to hold up both of my monitors, making it easier and more comfortable to work and game across the pair of them. This particular model supports displays from 13 - 27 inches. is height adjustable, can be mounted in two different ways, and supports up to 360-degree rotation.View Deal

Ninja's recent space-saving air fryer is just £15 more than its lowest-ever price, which is still a bit of a steal for the popular and well-rated appliance. We loved it at TechRadar, scoring it full marks in our Ninja Double Stack Air Fryer review and even putting it in our best air fryer buying guide. Well-built and great-looking on any countertop, it offers five cooking levels across two drawers and two racks, while the 9.5L capacity is ideal for medium to big families.View Deal

I actually bought a Levoit Core Mini for myself when moving into a new house that hadn't been lived in for a while to get rid of the dust and debris, and I also think it works as a great option for any allergy problems. What I like most is that it's small and quiet, so it is perfect for all sorts of spaces, such as the living room and bedroom. It's now also very affordable at 20% off.View Deal

• Report claims Sony FX3 cinema camera replacement is launching later this month
• FX5 will come with an all-new sensor offering a much-needed upgrade
• Optional EVF add-on set to arrive alongside the camera

It's been over five years since Sony launched the FX3, and in that time it's become one of the most beloved small cinema cameras around. But it's always had one gap that pro filmmakers have grumbled about: no open gate recording.

According to a new report from SonyAlphaRumors, that's about to change. A story on the site says Sony will officially announce the FX5 on July 22 at 3pm BST, and among the leaked specs is Open Gate 5K recording in a 3:2 aspect ratio.

If you're not familiar with the term, open gate simply means the camera records using the entire surface of the sensor, rather than cropping it down to the standard 16:9. That extra height in particular gives editors far more room to reframe, punch in or repurpose the same shot for square, vertical, or widescreen content in post. That can be a huge deal for anyone making videos for multiple platforms from a single shoot.

The FX3's lack of open gate recording has been a source of frustration for some users, but the FX5 looks likely to remedy this issue. (Image credit: Sony)

It's exactly what TechRadar's Pete Sheath asked for back in 2025, alongside an increase in resolution, when he wrote up his wish list for a next-generation FX3.

That resolution bump is also rumored to be arriving in the FX5, in the form of a new 16.6MP fully stacked sensor. On the surface, 16MP might look modest for a 2026 cinema camera. But for a camera built around motion rather than stills, a lower pixel count may work in the FX5's favor: it can mean better dynamic range, cleaner low-light performance, and space for punchier frame rate options (don't be shocked if 4K at 240fps ends up on the spec sheet).

The trade-off is that 8K recording seems to be off the table, which will likely disappoint anyone hoping the FX5 would leapfrog into that territory.

The Sony FX3 is a favorite among filmmakers, but does leave room for improvement in several areas. (Image credit: Sony)Room for a view

There's also good news for anyone who's missed having a viewfinder on Sony's FX-series cameras. The report points to a new external tilting EVF, which should make a real difference for shooters working outdoors in bright sun or in dim, light-sensitive spaces like concerts and theaters, where a glowing rear screen isn't always welcome. It sounds optional rather than built-in, which may be the best of both worlds: skip it and keep the FX5 almost as compact as the FX3, or clip it on when you need it.

Other rumored additions include the BIONZ XR2 processor with AI autofocus (borrowed from the Sony A7R VI), a triple base ISO system, false color exposure tools, and a Venice-style menu overhaul.

Nothing is official yet, and Sony hasn't confirmed a single spec. But if the leak proves to be accurate, the Sony FX5 looks set to answer several of the loudest requests from the FX3 faithful in one go. We should know for certain in a couple of weeks.

You might also like

• Sony is launching a new RX10 bridge camera — here's what we can learn from the shock teaser
• Camera rumors for 2025: the new gear we're expecting soon from DJI, Sony, Canon and more
• The best video camera 2025: finest choices for filmmakers and videographers

The AeroPress Steel has sold out twice, but now it's back in stock in the UK, just in time for your summer camping trips. It's a super-tough, travel-friendly coffee maker that lets you make a tasty brew with fresh beans on the move, and it's available now direct from AeroPress for £159.99.

I've put the AeroPress Steel to the test myself, and was surprised by how little it weighs considering its all-metal construction. Although it probably won't be your go-to coffee maker for backpacking adventures where every gram counts (for that you'd be better with an AeroPress Go), it's not going to weigh you down unnecessarily.

Its accessories have received the stainless treatment as well; rather than the plastic stirrer and scoop provided with a standard AeroPress coffee maker, the AeroPress Steel comes with metal versions, which should give you many years of happy brewing.

AeroPressAeroPressAeroPress

If you're worried about the metal chamber conducting heat, you'll be pleased to know that it has double-walled insulation that keeps your coffee hot and hands safe. When using the steel brewer, I found that the outside was never more than pleasantly warm to the touch, and never uncomfortable to hold.

The only thing to watch out for is the metal filter cap at the bottom, which will heat up when you're extracting your coffee, so make sure you allow it to cool before unscrewing it and ejecting the used coffee grounds.

Find your grind

The AeroPress Steel is a great partner for the AeroPress Manual Coffee Grinder, which I also had the opportunity to try recently. Unlike most travel-friendly coffee grinders I've tested, which use blades that chop coffee beans into shark little chunks, the AeroPress grinder uses stainless steel burrs that deliver consistent, even results.

You can experiment with different extraction times by adjusting the grind size, with an impressive 60 settings available, and the hopper holds up to 25g of beans at a time, which is enough to prepare two espresso-style drinks on the move.

FutureFutureFutureFuture

The grinder has an easy-turn handle with a large, circular handpiece that's comfortable in the hand, but also comes with an attachment for a power drill (yes, really) if you'd rather spare the elbow-grease. Small magnets hold the handle against the side of the grinder when not in use, and the whole package is compact enough to slide neatly into your AeroPress (whether it's the Steel or a traditional plastic) for easy storage.

The AeroPress Manual Grinder is available direct from AeroPress for £199.99.

I've been living for the episode titles for Rick and Morty season 9, but this week is the first time I've felt genuinely terrified for what I'm about to see.

Episode 8 is called Rickuiem Mort a Dream, which is a play on the Darren Aronofsky film Requiem for a Dream. If you've been brave enough to watch that movie, you'll know that it's so traumatizing, you can never, ever see it again.

What on earth that means for an animated TV series, I have no idea. But when does Rick and Morty season 9 episode 8 arrive on Adult Swim, Hulu, and HBO Max?

What time can I watch Rick and Morty season 9 episode 8 on Adult Swim, Hulu, and HBO Max?

In the US, Rick and Morty season 9 episode 8 will debut on Adult Swim on Sunday, July 12 at 8pm PT / 11pm ET.

Viewers elsewhere, as well as in the US, have two streaming options: Hulu and HBO Max. Episodes should appear on these platforms 24 hours after they've aired on Adult Swim, meaning you can expect episode 8 on Monday, July 13.

These are the timings you need to take note of:

• US – 12am PT / 3am ET
• Canada – 12am PT / 3am ET
• UK – 8am BST
• India – 12:30pm IST
• Singapore – 3pm SGT
• Australia – 6pm AEST
• New Zealand – 8pm NZDT

When do new episodes of Rick and Morty season 9 come out?

(Image credit: Adult Swim)

Rick and Morty season 9 is set to have 10 episodes. As long as there are no unexpected delays, we can expect it to follow the following release schedule:

• Episode 1: out now
• Episode 2: out now
• Episode 3: out now
• Episode 4: out now
• Episode 5: out now
• Episode 6: out now
• Episode 7: out now
• Episode 8: July 12
• Episode 9: July 19
• Episode 10: July 26

• Spotify has quietly updated its Mixed Playlists tools
• You can now fine-tune transitions smoother by amending effect curves
• It's starting to crop up for more users, and it's a smash hit so far

There’s one thing that Spotify does really well, and that’s offering a roster of different playlist-making tools for you to really get creative with. Though some are AI-powered, Spotify’s Mixed Playlists encourages you to use your originality when compiling songs, all while putting you in the DJ booth.

Just as you’d get with music-mixing software, Spotify’s Mixed Playlists allow you to create smooth transitions between songs to ensure your playlist flows like a classic DJ set. Its mixing interface presents you with preset effects, and even tells you the key and BPM of each track — and now users have noticed a new upgrade that gives you even more freedom on the customization front.

A recent post on the r/truespotify Reddit page shows the latest update, revealing that you can now amend the Volume, EQ, and Filter settings even more by simply dragging each effect curve to control how the transition runs. According to a small number of users, this feature has been live for a few months, but the majority of listeners in the replies are only now running into it — myself included.

Spotify first launched Mixed Playlists in August 2025, hot on the heels of Apple’s own AutoMix function. But instead of relying on AI to mix songs, Spotify’s version puts the control right into your hands, and it quickly became one of my favorite new tools.

The effect curves as a preset (right) versus the updated customization version (left) (Image credit: Future)

Prior to the update, you could create song transitions by selecting a preset which would automatically amend the Volume, EQ, and Filter settings, or you could go into each of the three and select your own preset to curate a custom transition. While these are still available, you can fine-tune your song-mixing even more, and after testing things out for myself I can see why listeners have taken to it so well.

For starters, it allows you to clean up the small but noticeable imperfections in your transitions that you can’t achieve by presetting the three audio categories individually. For example, if you go into the Filter category and select the ‘High-pass filter out option’, it’s stuck in one place on the audio track. When you tap the ‘Customize’ button, three points appear on the effect curve which you can move around the audio track display so that your chosen effect comes in at a specific time.

Comment from r/truespotify

However, there are a few small blips (not so much setbacks) with the feature that users have picked up on. When you start off with customizing your transitions, it can feel a little fiddly when trying to find the exact placement for each of the effect curve points but this you’ll get used to.

Additionally, other users have also pointed out that the effect curve points sometimes move back to their original spots after you’ve shifted them. I’ve only run into this a few times, so it’s not a major issue that’s going to put you off for good.

For once, it’s refreshing to see Spotify give one of its existing tools some TLC instead of pumping out new features without a lot of thought behind them. If this is the approach Spotify is taking from here on, just think of what it could do to improve features like this in the future.

A leaked regional chip split could make Samsung’s rumored Galaxy S27 Pro a more complicated choice for global IT teams standardizing corporate mobile fleets.

The post Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro Leak Points to Exynos Split for Global Buyers appeared first on TechRepublic.

I hate buying compressed air in cans. They're expensive, bulky, and they never last as long as they should. But I've found an awesome, affordable alternative that's a lot less wasteful (and a lot more fun).

The Wolfbox MF60 electric air duster is currently discounted to $31 (was $50) at Amazon. This rechargeable electric duster features 110,000 RPM brushless motor delivering that's capable of clearing out dust and debris from keyboards, computers, camera gear, and plenty more.

It's one of those home office gadgets that you never realize you need until you get one. In the UK, the MF60 is also discounted to £37 (was £44) at Amazon, too.

Today's top office accessory deal

A rechargeable cordless air duster with a 110,000 RPM brushless motor and three adjustable speed settings. The lowest speed is gentle enough for delicate components and camera lenses; the highest moves real debris from keyboards, fan grilles, and car vents.

In the UK: now £37 (was £44)View Deal

The three-speed control is more useful than it sounds. A single-speed electric duster forces you to manage the distance from the surface to control airflow intensity, which can get awkward with delicate components. The MF60’s lowest speed lets you safely clean around camera sensors, circuit boards, and laptop keyboards without blasting debris deeper into gaps or risking damage to fragile parts. The highest speed is reserved for the jobs that need it — shifting compacted dust from heatsinks, clearing a fan grille that hasn’t been touched in years, or blasting pet hair from a car seat.

The brushless motor is the component that determines both the lifespan and the consistent performance of an electric air duster. Brushless motors have no physical contact points that wear down over time, which is why the Gadgeteer’s review of the MF100 found it delivered “impressive power” that held up across extended testing. The same brushless motor architecture carries through to the MF60, which means it should perform consistently whether you’re using it for the first time or the five hundredth.

USB-C charging is the practical detail that matters most for day-to-day use. It means the duster charges from the same cable as your laptop, phone, or other devices — no proprietary charger to lose, and it works from a power bank if you’re using it away from a wall outlet. The full charge time is reasonable for a device you’ll use in bursts rather than continuously.

The nozzle kit covers the practical range of cleaning scenarios: a narrow extension nozzle for getting into tight gaps between keyboard keys or fan blades, a wider deflector for broader surface coverage, and a brush attachment for simultaneously scrubbing and blowing on surfaces with caked-on dust. For a PC that’s been neglected for a year or more, the brush attachment on the GPU heatsink makes a noticeable difference over a bare nozzle alone.

One note on expectations: the MF60 at 110,000 RPM produces strong, consistent airflow for the cleaning tasks most people need — keyboards, electronics, camera gear, car interiors. The flagship MF100 at 150,000 RPM pushes more air per second and is the better choice if you regularly clean large surfaces or heavily clogged components. So, the MF60 is the right entry point for anyone who just wants to get off canned air without spending flagship money.

• US: See all PC accessories at Amazon
• UK: See all computer accessories at Amazon.co.uk