Android

A rare discount has dropped the LG 45GX950A-B UltraGear OLED gaming monitor to $1,349.99 at Amazon. That saves you a sizeable $650 off the $1,999.99 recommended retail price, which is a 33% discount. See the deal at Amazon

TL;DR Following its launch in Europe last month, Lenovo has released the Tab Plus 2 in the US. It features a 12.1-inch 2.5K LCD panel and nine JBL-tuned speakers with support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. More interestingly, the speaker can also be used as a standalone Bluetooth speaker by pairing it with your other devices. Customers today have plenty of options for great Android tablets, and we’re regularly including Lenovo among the brands making that list. The company announced the Tab Plus Gen 2 roughly a month ago, though its availability has been limited to Europe. That’s changing now, with Lenovo officially releasing the midrange tablet for US and Canadian customers. Among the key highlights of this tablet are its uniquely designed kickstand and the (giant) JBL-branded nine-speaker system with support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. You can also use the tablet as a dedicated Bluetooth speaker, which is potentially one of its best party tricks.

Amazon has dropped the Hisense 50-inch E7 Cinema Series Fire TV to $397.99, down from its $699 recommended retail price. That saves you $301, which is a 43% discount off the RRP, and is also returns to the all-time low Prime Day price, so this is a strong time to grab it. See the deal at Amazon

TL;DR Google Search’s AI Mode can now connect to third-party apps like Canva, YouTube Music, and Instacart in the US. You can complete real-world tasks from Search, including creating Canva designs, building YouTube Music playlists, and filling Instacart shopping carts with simple prompts. Google plans to add more app integrations, turning AI Mode into a more capable assistant. If you’ve been using Gemini with Gmail or Calendar, you’ll already know how much time it can save by pulling information from the apps you use every day. Google now wants to bring that same idea to Search, except this time it’s not just answering questions — it’s helping you actually get things done. Starting today in the US, you can switch to AI Mode in Google Search and link to supported third-party apps. The initial lineup includes YouTube Music, Canva, and Instacart.

TL;DR NotebookLM has been renamed Gemini Notebook. Platform functionality remains the same under the Gemini brand. Google says notebooks will eventually be accessible via AI Mode in Search, too. Google is folding NotebookLM into the Gemini brand: The company announced today that NotebookLM is now Gemini Notebook. The renamed platform itself isn’t changing, but its new branding does make it clearer that the service formerly known as NotebookLM is a part of Google’s broader AI ecosystem. If this sounds familiar, you may be remembering a feature Gemini picked up in April called Notebooks. That update let users start research projects inside Gemini and then later continue them inside NotebookLM. That’s still possible today; the only aspect of Gemini Notebook that’s changed is the name.

TL;DR Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra owners have been reporting portions of their phones’ screens turning red. Rather than this being a hardware failure, Samsung now confirms this is tied to a software issue. Samsung has developed an update that should fix the problem, but it’s not yet widely being distributed. When you drop hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on a new phone, you expect the hardware to last. And while you can wrap it up in a protective case to help avoid accidental damage, what are you supposed to do if the phone starts degrading, all on its own? Earlier this week we took a look at how the screens on some Galaxy S26 Ultra handsets were slowly turning red, and owners were concerned their OLED panels were prematurely failing. Thankfully, we’ve already got some good news for them. South Korea’s News 1 reports that Samsung has confirmed that this is not a matter of failing hardware, at all. It’s not burn-in, nor the OLED deteriorating. Instead, this is being framed as a software optimization effort gone awry. And the best part about that: It should be totally fixable in software.

The Tapo SolarCam 1080p Outdoor Wireless Security Camera is a cable-free outdoor camera built for basic home monitoring, and there’s a record Amazon deal on it right now. Made by Tapo, this is the C402 Kit, a wire-free camera that comes with a solar panel to help keep it charged with less hands-on upkeep. See the deal at Amazon

Credit: Retroid TL;DR Retroid has shared new images of the Pocket Nova. The handheld is shown off in every available colorway. A recently published video shows off the Pocket Nova in action. Since its launch in late June, retro handheld fans have been patiently waiting to get their hands on the Retroid Pocket Nova. As shipping is expected to begin in late July, the wait won’t be much longer. To help keep you satiated until that time comes, Retroid has provided a new look at the Android-powered gaming device. In a social post, Retroid shared a gallery of new Pocket Nova pictures. These pictures showcase the handheld in every available color option. There are seven colors in total, and going in order of the gallery below, these include Ice Blue, Clear Purple, Watermelon, Crystal, 16Bit, GC, and Black.

TL;DR Health tech startup Vital Signals has announced the Signal Ring, a $399 smart ring claiming to deliver direct systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings without a traditional arm cuff or calibration setup. Launching without a subscription model, this smart ring claims to track continuous fluctuations and overnight trends to compete with established rivals like the Oura Ring 5 and RingConn Gen 3. Pre-orders are currently open and include a sizing kit. Shipments are expected to begin later in October. The smart ring market is expanding rapidly, but a new contender wants to move the needle beyond basic sleep tracking and heart rate monitoring. Three-year-old health tech startup Vital Signals has officially announced the Signal Ring, a $399 wearable that claims to deliver accurate systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings straight from your finger, completely bypassing the need for a traditional, bulky arm cuff. While heavy hitters in the wearable space have struggled to bring cuffless tracking, the Signal Ring aims to set a new benchmark. It targets a space currently dominated by smart ring options like the Oura Ring 5 and the RingConn Gen 3, both of which provide blood pressure trends and vascular trends, but not direct readings.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority TL;DR T-Mobile’s forced migration to Experience plans is causing some customers to lose long-standing free line promotions and pick up unexpected charges. One customer says promotional credits that were supposed to carry over have disappeared, turning some monthly bills from around $50 to more than $300. Some users also report free lines being deemed “ineligible” after the switch. Update: July 16, 2026 (7:03 PM ET): T-Mobile has reached out to Android Authority with this statement: “Our priority is to ensure customers keep the promotions, credits and benefits of their current plan. We’ve identified technical issues affecting a very small number of customers and are working quickly to correct them. For some of those customers, free line promotions were not reflected correctly following migration due to a delay in applying promotional discounts. Those free lines remain free, and we’re restoring the discounts, backdating them where needed, and reprocessing accounts to ensure customers receive the benefits they were promised. We’re also investigating reports that some people were incorrectly billed for Hulu following migration and are actively working to identify the cause. We apologize for the confusion and will make it right for our customers.”

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority TL;DR The European Commission has ordered Google to open Android to competing AI assistants and share anonymized Google Search query data with rivals. The Commission wants to ensure that users can activate their preferred AI assistant via voice commands, similar to the “Hey Google” wake word trigger. Users will also be able to use third-party AI assistants to perform actions in apps on their behalf. Google has fiercely opposed the decision, warning that granting deep, system-level permissions to external apps bypasses hardware safety guardrails and risks a security catastrophe. The ongoing control war between Big Tech and European regulators has reached a boiling point. In a move that could reshape how we use our phones, the European Commission has issued strict new guidance to Google under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), demanding that the company open up Android to third-party AI assistants and share data from its crown jewel, Google Search. The decision is framed as a push for fair competition, but Google has immediately fired back (again), warning that forcing its hand could lead to a privacy and security catastrophe for millions of European users. According to the European Commission’s official press release, the new mandates are designed to foster innovation and break Google’s monopoly over mobile AI and search. By forcing Google to ensure full AI interoperability on Android and share anonymized search click and query data with rivals, the EU hopes to give alternative services (and competing AI models) a fighting chance.

TL;DR Life360 has released limited-edition Mickey and Minnie Mouse-themed Tile and Tile Slim trackers in partnership with Disney. The trackers will cost the same as their vanilla counterparts and are now available on the Life360 website and Amazon. Life360 has previously launched limited-edition trackers featuring elements from Hello Kitty. Life360, the maker of the popular Tile range of smart trackers, is giving its product range another glow-up after releasing the Earthline in April. The company has freshly released visually upgraded versions of the Tile (formerly Tile Mate) and Tile Slim featuring beloved Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse. These Mickey and Minnie-themed trackers will offer the same set of features as their vanilla counterparts, including up to three years of battery life. You also get 350 feet of range from both trackers, making them ideal to keep track of your most valuable items.

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