Author: Geek Planet

For years, the Shortcuts app on the iPhone has remained one of the most frustrating parts of the user experience. On one hand, it’s an utterly powerful app to create automations and perform multi-step tasks in a jiffy. However, the process of creating a shortcut has been pretty complicated and almost a test of patience.  It appears that Apple has finally listened to the feedback of iPhone users and is planning to give a major functional overhaul to the Shortcuts app with the release of iOS 2027. As per  Bloomberg, Apple will finally let users describe the exact shortcut they…

More than half of Gen Zers in the US use generative AI regularly. So you’d think they’d be its biggest cheerleaders. As it turns out, not so much.  According to a New York Times report, a new survey by Gallup, the Walton Family Foundation, and GSV Ventures surveyed more than 1,500 people aged 14 to 29 and found that Gen Z is growing increasingly skeptical of the technology they use every day. Is the excitement wearing off? The numbers are pretty telling. Excitement for AI dropped 14 percentage points since last year, hopefulness fell nine points, while anger rose by…

Samsung’s foldables have consistently led the market in polish and software, but one complaint has followed the Galaxy Z Fold series for years: battery life. Now, a new leak suggests Samsung may finally be addressing that issue with the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8, alongside camera improvements and a thinner design. According to a report from Greek publication TechManiacs, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 could pack a larger 5,000mAh battery – a notable jump from the 4,400mAh cell used in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. If accurate, this would mark one of the most significant hardware upgrades to Samsung’s book-style…

If your Mac has been running for weeks without a restart and it feels sluggish, there is a very specific reason for that. Researchers at Photon have uncovered a macOS bug that functions exactly like a ticking time bomb. After 49 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes, and 47 seconds of continuous uptime, your Mac quietly loses the ability to establish new internet connections. Apps stop working, websites fail to load, and your CPU starts working significantly harder than it should. So what exactly is happening inside your Mac? The bug lives in how macOS tracks time for managing network connections.…

If you’ve ever looked at your Apple devices and thought, “Hmm… maybe I can fix this myself,” Apple is finally giving you the green light — without the side-eye from Genius Bar staff. Apple’s Self Service Repair Store, launched in 2022, has let users in select regions buy or rent the parts and tools needed to fix their devices. And the best part is that these aren’t sketchy third-party knockoffs; they’re the official Apple-approved bits and pieces, complete with manuals that walk you through every twist, screw, and cable. Today’s update is a big one. Apple has added parts for…

Major smartphone brands are racing to turn phones into agentic AI assistants that can do more than answer prompts. Google gave a clear preview of that future at its recent Android show, and Samsung has been moving in the same direction with Galaxy AI. Now, a new leak suggests Samsung may be planning a hardware upgrade that could push more AI tasks directly onto future Galaxy phones. That sounds useful on paper. More on-device AI could mean faster responses, stronger privacy, and fewer features that need to reach out to the cloud. There is also a possible downside. If Samsung…

After months of Copilot showing up everywhere in Windows 11 like an overenthusiastic guest who refuses to leave, Microsoft is finally dialing things back.  The company has started scaling back Copilot integration in core apps like Notepad and Snipping Tool, replacing flashy AI branding with writing tools and, in some cases, removing AI buttons from the interface entirely. So, it’s quite clear that Windows is getting a cleanup, and Copilot is the first thing on the chopping block. Windows 11 Trims Copilot from Notepad and Snipping Tool Let’s start with Notepad, the app that somehow went from barely changed in…

It’s honestly wild how quickly artificial intelligence has gone from being a futuristic curiosity to something people casually rely on every single day. Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are slowly becoming part of everyday digital life — helping people write emails, summarize documents, plan schedules, debug code, and sometimes even think through problems altogether. And now, according to a new report, telecom companies in China are monetizing that shift in a way that feels both fascinating and slightly dystopian: by selling AI token plans almost like mobile data packs. Yes, actual AI usage quotas are slowly becoming a thing.…

This republished article first appeared in New English Review. When you think of all the creatures in the Animal Kingdom, as well as domestic pets, there is only one animal that regularly acts like a human being and displays some of our emotional traits: Dogs. Writing in National Geographic some 10 ago, Maya Wei-Haas said: “It’s likely no surprise to dog owners, but growing research suggests that man’s best friend often acts more human than canine. Dogs can read facial expressions, communicate jealousy, display empathy, and even watch TV, studies have shown. They’ve picked up these people-like traits during their evolution from wolves to…

Some phones have great cameras, while others go for a super-slim design. Red Magic’s latest looks like it wants to boot up a ranked match the second you touch it. The Red Magic 11S Pro series has officially launched in China, marking the brand’s eighth anniversary with a pair of unapologetically gaming-focused phones. The lineup includes the Red Magic 11S Pro in Matte White and Matte Black, along with the Red Magic 11S Pro+ in Transparent Black and Transparent White. And yes, the transparent versions are exactly the kind of over-the-top hardware flex that gaming phones should still be doing.…