Author: Geek Planet

There’s new leadership at the industry’s top agency trade association. Starting today, Justin Thomas-Copeland will succeed Marla Kaplowitz as the 4As’ CEO. Throughout this month, Thomas-Copeland will work alongside Kaplowitz, who has been CEO of the 4A’s for the last eight years, to transition the leadership of the association before her departure at the end of the month. Prior to taking the top leadership role at the 4A’s, Thomas-Copeland founded and ran the marketing consultancy Kindrd Global. Before that, he was the CEO of DDB in North America, global CEO of Omnicom’s healthcare agency OPMG Health and president and CEO…

The Galaxy S26 Ultra just landed, Samsung’s most capable phone yet — and it’s walking straight into a fight with the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which has been quietly making Apple fans very smug since last September. One runs Android, one runs iOS, both cost over a thousand dollars, and exactly one of them is right for you. Here’s how to figure out which. Price and availability The S26 Ultra is $1,300 for 256GB and $1,800 if you want the 1TB with 16GB RAM. The base S26 and S26+ both got $100 pricier this year — the Ultra somehow escaped…

As tariffs drive up the cost of imported goods, Amazon shoppers appear to be increasingly curious about one thing: where their products are made. According to new data from e-commerce analytics firm SmartScout, discovery-oriented searches like “made in USA products only” have surged 220% year over year. Similarly, “made in America products only” is up 130%, while more specific terms like “American flag made in America” have jumped 250%. Jason Boyce, a veteran Amazon merchant who now runs Avenue7Media, a consulting business for sellers, also said his agency is seeing five times the search volume for “made in the USA”…

Along with the Galaxy S24 lineup, Samsung launched Galaxy AI, a useful suite of AI-based features for Samsung’s flagship users. At the launch, the Korean giant said that both the on-device and cloud-based AI tools will remain complementary “through 2025.” However, the company has reportedly changed the footnotes on the official Galaxy AI landing page, opening the door to charging for some, if not all, AI features. “Galaxy AI basic features provided by Samsung are free,” the updated footnote reads (via Android Authority). Paid ‘Enhanced’ features could be on the horizon But what are the “basic” Galaxy AI features? Per…

Most of us carry a tiny surveillance device in our pockets, which we call a smartphone. If that bothers you, your options have historically been limited. Buy a Google Pixel, install GrapheneOS, and accept the irony of running a privacy OS on Google hardware.  Motorola just made that calculus a lot simpler. At MWC 2026, the company announced a long-term partnership with the GrapheneOS Foundation, making it the first non-Pixel manufacturer to officially support the privacy-hardened OS. So what is GrapheneOS? GrapheneOS is a privacy and security-focused mobile OS, developed as a non-profit open source project. Think of it as…

Apple’s first big hardware launch of the year could be the new MacBook Pro(s), powered by the purported M5 Pro and the M5 Max chips. According to a Macworld report, the Cupertino giant could unveil the new MacBook Pro models with the Creator Studio. For those catching up, Creator Studio is Apple’s latest service that bundles the company’s pro-grade creative apps, including Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro (along with four others), in a monthly subscription that costs $12.99. It will be available via the App Store from January 28, 2026. Creator Studio could set the stage for the new…

The longer this earnings season drags on, the clearer it becomes: the ad slowdown might be steeper than anyone first thought. It’s not the tariffs themselves spooking advertisers – its the fog of uncertainty they create. And nothing makes a CMO freeze faster than not knowing what’s possibly around the corner. Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun nailed it early in the cycle, telling analysts: “Until there is more clarity, this is not going to get better.” And it’s hard to argue with him. At this stage even a rollback of tariffs might do more harm than good because what goes down…

Apple just dropped the iPhone 17e, and on paper, it looks impressive. It packs several notable upgrades, including faster performance with the A19 chip, MagSafe support, enhanced durability, and double the base storage. In contrast, Google’s latest midranger doesn’t bring as many headline-grabbing changes. The Pixel 10a is largely an incremental update over its predecessor, with a slightly refined design, a brighter and more durable display, and faster charging. But that doesn’t automatically make the budget iPhone the better choice. For me, the Pixel 10a is still the smarter pick, and here are three reasons why you should pick it…

Following a rare stumble in Q4 — its first earnings miss in over eight years — the ad tech giant bounced back with a performance that reminded everyone why it’s long been the industry’s golden child. The Trade Desk on Thursday (May 8) disclosed Q1 revenues of $616 million, up 25% year-on-year, exceeding its earlier guidance of “at least $575 million.” The results likely prove a welcome return to form for the outfit after its disastrous opening earnings call of 2025, where it disclosed its first revenue miss, and its stock price tanked as much as a third in the…

Qualcomm is preparing the next wave of smartphones and connected devices for faster wireless technologies, announcing new platforms that bring Wi-Fi 8, Bluetooth 7, and 5G Advanced closer to commercial reality. At MWC 2026, the company unveiled its FastConnect 8800 mobile connectivity system alongside a new lineup of Dragonwing Wi-Fi 8 networking platforms, while separately introducing the Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF system aimed at powering the next phase of cellular networks. Together, these announcements highlight how Qualcomm is evolving device connectivity to handle higher speeds, longer wireless range, and increasingly AI-driven network workloads. Wi-Fi 8: faster speeds and AI-optimized networks…