Author: Dawn Solano

Google is adding a wave of creator-focused features to Android 17, with the company leaning heavily into AI-assisted content creation both in mobile editing and social media tools. The update, announced ahead of Google I/O 2026, includes upgrades that will be most useful for  creators who shoot, edit, and post directly from their phones, an area long dominated by Apple devices.Here are some of the biggest additions coming to Android 17: 1. Instagram on Android is finally getting more attention Google says Instagram on Android will gain better support for advanced camera features that were previously inconsistent across devices. That…

Microsoft’s Xbox division and Discord have introduced a new bundled subscription offering that gives Discord Nitro members access to a new “Game Pass Starter Edition,” a lower-tier version of Xbox Game Pass aimed at casual and social gamers. The Starter Edition includes a rotating catalog of more than 50 downloadable PC and console games, along with 10 hours of Xbox Cloud Gaming per month. Titles currently included in the lineup include Fallout 4, Stardew Valley, DayZ, Deep Rock Galactic, Overcooked 2 and Grounded. Microsoft said more games will be added over time. Unlike higher Game Pass tiers, the Starter Edition…

Google has introduced the Fitbit Air, a screenless fitness tracker with built-in health monitoring and AI-powered wellness features. Unlike traditional smartwatches and fitness bands, the device has no display and instead connects to the companion Google Health app for workout summaries, health metrics, and wellness recommendations.Priced at $99.99 in the United States, the Fitbit Air is billed as Google’s smallest and lightest fitness tracker to date. The wearable supports continuous health monitoring and includes sensors for heart rate tracking, sleep analysis, blood oxygen monitoring, heart rhythm detection, and automatic workout recognition. Google said the tracker can last up to seven…

OpenAI has introduced an optional “trusted contact” feature in ChatGPT, allowing users to designate a person who may be notified if the platform detects signs of severe emotional distress or possible self-harm.The feature comes as more users increasingly turn to AI chatbots like ChatGPT for emotional and mental health-related conversations.According to OpenAI, users can choose a trusted contact, such as a family member or friend, who could receive an alert if the system determines there may be a serious risk to the user’s safety. The feature is optional and requires consent from both parties.OpenAI said trusted contacts will not receive…

Samsung said its Galaxy Watch6 could warn users of an impending fainting episode up to five minutes before it occurs, based on a joint clinical study with Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital in South Korea. The study, which was published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health, focused on vasovagal syncope (VVS), a common condition in which a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure leads to temporary loss of consciousness. Researchers led by Prof. Junhwan Cho evaluated 132 patients with suspected VVS using induced fainting tests. Participants wore a Galaxy Watch6 equipped with a photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor, which…

Microsoft’s gaming unit is stepping back from plans to bring its AI assistant directly to consoles, Xbox’s newly appointed chief executive officer (CEO) announced. In a post on X, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the company must “move faster” and reduce internal friction as it works to reconnect with players and developers. The announcement came days after Sharma announced that the company will be “refocusing AI efforts to solving player problems” such as graphics and personalization. Sharma cited AutoSR, which uses AI models to reconstruct higher-quality images from lower-resolution frames, as an example of the new direction. Microsoft had previously…

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said services of the government’s eGovPH app have been restored following a temporary interruption caused by a surge in user activity.The DICT said in a statement that the disruption placed “significant demand” on system capacity, affecting access to certain services on the platform. Technical teams immediately responded, allowing affected services to be restored shortly after.To address the increased demand, the agency said it is undertaking enhancements to strengthen system capacity, improve performance and ensure reliability during periods of high usage.The outage comes amid concerns raised during a recent Senate hearing over the…

Music streaming platform Spotify has introduced a new verification system for artists, which will draw a clearer line between official accounts and authentic creators as AI-generated music continues to proliferate online. In a statement, Spotify said the new “Verified by Spotify” badge will appear on artist profiles and in search results, indicating that an account went through additional review and meets the platform’s standards for authenticity. Unlike earlier verification markers, the new badge is designed to indicate that an artist is a legitimate, real-world entity. Spotify said it is prioritizing signals of credibility, including sustained listener engagement, compliance with platform…

Before Facebook, or even LinkedIn, there was Friendster where you added people you actually knew to share stories with, and not just to build a network or collect followers. What made Friendster feel different wasn’t just the smaller, or more personal circles, but also its much simpler and organized interface. Instead of scrolling feeds, you have your profile where friends can check out whenever they want to. It’s just a single page where you can customize and add elements to build your identity. Friendster was founded in 2002 and shut down in 2015. At its peak, it was a dominant…

On Christmas Day 2025, many Viber users who sent holiday greetings to one another were surprised to see a Jollibee advertisement within their chats. It sparked concerns over a possible data privacy violation.The National Privacy Commission (NPC), the Philippines’ data privacy watchdog, has cleared Jollibee Foods Corp. and messaging platform Viber of alleged data privacy violations tied to a viral holiday marketing campaign. It concluded that no personal data was processed and no unauthorized access to user communications occurred. In a press statement, the NPC said its Complaints and Investigation Division (NPC-CID) found that the “Holiday Gems Christmas Campaign 2025”…