Author: Geek Planet

Advertisers will soon be able to own a large chunk of Best Buy’s store footprint as the retailer works to expand its media offerings. Beginning next year, Best Buy will offer “takeover packages” to allow advertisers to appear throughout the in-store shopping experience, the company said Tuesday as part of its first-ever Best Buy Ads showcase event. Separately from the takeover piece, the company also announced new partnerships on campaigns with the NFL, TMRW Golf League and Dude Perfect, though it declined to share any further details on what those campaigns entail. It also said it will roll out new channels…

Losing your smartphone is, without a doubt, one of the most stomach-churning experiences modern life has to offer. In a split second, that panic isn’t just about the expensive slab of glass and metal you’ve lost; it is about the sheer terror of what’s inside. Your banking apps, your emails, your photos, your entire digital identity – it’s all there, vulnerable. Google clearly understands that the stakes have changed, and they are finally rolling out a massive suite of security upgrades for Android that are designed to make a thief’s life an absolute nightmare. The Android Security Team recently dropped…

Hours after the renders of the Galaxy A57 series surfaced on the internet, renders of the Galaxy A37 are here as well. They’re yet another example of how obvious and boring Samsung’s recent smartphones have become, especially in design. It doesn’t take more than a glance to figure out that the purported Galaxy A37 looks awfully similar to the current-generation Galaxy A36 5G. Practically indistinguishable from the Galaxy A36 5G The key design elements, including the centrally located cutout for the front camera, the relatively thicker bezels on the sides (compared to the Galaxy A57), and the broad chin at…

In the span of a week, a late-night host became collateral in a culture war over free speech. A landmark antitrust case challenged how digital advertising has been rigged in plain sight. And TikTok’s imminent fate in the U.S. signaled the geopolitical fault lines now running through entertainment itself.  What was once a stabilizing force – media as a broker of democratic discourse and economic value – is now a fault line. Fragmented, politicized and increasingly treated as a risk rather than a utility, the business of media is being reshaped in real time.   And if that sounds abstract, just…

After affecting retail prices in the PC industry, the ongoing memory crisis in consumer-grade devices is now trickling down to smartphones as well. We already saw its impact on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra’s pricing, with Samsung rumored to be the next in line. Most recently, renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared some thoughts about the higher memory prices and their impact on Apple. Kuo has responded to a TrendForce report claiming that Samsung and SK Hynix are raising LPDDR prices for iPhones by over 80% compared to the last quarter (likely October-November 2025). Tight LPDDR supply puts pressure on Apple’s costs…

Earlier this summer, Matthew Hassett, the founder of lamp and clock brand Loftie, realized he couldn’t depend on the U.S. market like he had in the past. Ninety-five percent of Loftie’s sales were from U.S. customers, but the company was stuck paying tariffs of up to 180% to bring in products from China. That number could change in November, when a trade truce is set to expire — and if costs go up even more, Loftie won’t have the funds to ship to the U.S. for the holidays. Loftie needs components from abroad, and while it looked into operating a factory in Thailand, that…

By now, the contours of the Department of Justice’s antitrust case against Google’s ad tech business are well covered – and deeply complex. Rather than rehash what’s already been parsed to death, here’s a definite (if not exhaustive) rundown of what’s actually in play as the case moves into its next chapter.  InPublishers suing platforms Out Platforms strong-arming publishers In Proposing to buy Google’s ad exchangeOutProposing to buy Google’s browser In Publisher CEOs publicly rebuking Google Out Publisher CEOs privately rebuking Google  In Cloudflare OutAppNexus In Big tech breakup remediesOut Big tech behavioral remedies  In Saying the open web is dyingOut Saying the open web is evolving InPublishers hiring AI negotiators OutPublishers…

If you’re a fan of rocket launches, then you’ll absolutely love these charts created by Flight Atlas. The site launched earlier this year but a recent post on X by Rocket Lab chief Peter Beck has brought it wider exposure. Flight Atlas lets you filter rocket launches in a myriad of ways, including rocket type, date, country, and company. Hover the mouse over each rocket image to pull up the vehicle information and launch details.  Even better, it presents the data using stunning visuals that depict each and every rocket ever used, and presents them in size proportion based on…

Generative AI is taking over the discovery phase, thanks to shoppers starting their online search with AI platforms like ChatGPT, Google Gemini or AI Mode. But as is with all things AI, changes are moving faster than marketers and their tech stacks can keep up with. No doubt, generative AI has become a permanent fixture in marketers’ tool kit. The question is if said tools have advanced enough to close the gap between shopper behavior and marketing infrastructure.  Research and data points paint a picture of marketers struggling with measurement, fragmented ad tech stacks and operational readiness amidst shoppers’ rising expectations…

Engineers at MIT and Stanford University have developed a vine-like robotic gripper that wraps around objects before gently lifting them. The innovative robot consists of a pressurized box that releases inflatable tubes capable of expanding around objects before retracting to lift them. The engineers have designed it to safely handle fragile objects like a glass vase, as well as heavier and awkwardly shaped ones like watermelons. In what could turn out to be groundbreaking development for the care industry, it can even lift a human. Compared to some of the other care-focused robots like the abandoned Robear, this new design…