Author: Geek Planet

This holiday season, more people are consulting ChatGPT for gift ideas or asking Google’s Gemini to find them the best Black Friday deals.  And naturally, the brands that are seeing the biggest boost from this shift in consumer behavior are some of the biggest retailers.  Profound, a marketing platform that helps brands create AI-optimized content, released a Black Friday Index, a leaderboard tracking which brands and retailers ChatGPT seems to be favoring the most.  According to Profound, the Black Friday Index highlights the 10 most visible brands — that is, the brands appearing most frequently in shopping-related prompts fed to ChatGPT…

The first big tech event of each year is nearly upon us, with CES 2026 starting on January 6 for three days of new hardware and software launches. Expect home tech, TVs, fitness and gaming announcements galore. Hundreds of companies exhibit on the conference’s Las Vegas showroom floor and plenty of those have online unveilings too, so it’s very easy to get overwhelmed by the number of new products and services shown off. To save you from hours of browsing, or crossing your fingers that your news algorithm will feed you interesting news, here are five big announcements to keep…

Creators and the creator economy aren’t going anywhere, given the market has truly embraced just how important they are to the industry, and it’s no longer a nice-to-have.Which is why Digiday has charted how the creator economy is expected to expand in 2026, including revenue, the types of creators brands are planning to work with, along with what platforms will be key for that content. U.S. annual creator economy ad spend set to rise by around 18% The IAB’s latest report noted that this year, the U.S. annual creator economy ad spend is set to reach $37.1 billion. But it…

Microsoft is working on some low-profile but important tweaks to the Windows 11 File Explorer that could finally curb its hunger for system memory. Currently being tested in the latest Windows Insider builds, these changes aim to optimize how the file manager handles searches – specifically addressing the high RAM and CPU usage that often spikes when you’re digging through large folders. This update is appearing in Windows 11 Build 26220.7523 and above For now, it’s only available to those in the Insider preview program. The core of the fix is about working smarter, not harder: Microsoft wants to stop…

The open internet didn’t grow opaque because of a single bad actor or decision. Marketers chased cheap scale, and the ecosystem expanded around that demand. New intermediaries, auction layers and resellers piled on, creating complexity that no one fully intended. Even earnest transparency pushes on the demand side were diluted as the sell side sprawled into a maze of MFA inventory and supply routes no one could reliably audit. That blend of incentives and structural sprawl is now showing cracks. The strain was evident at this week’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in New Orleans, where agency execs said the industry is…

Snap, like the rest of the platforms, has spent the last year nudging marketers further toward automated advertising. Next year, it plans to keep pushing, with creative now squarely in its sights. It’s the next big focus for the mobile messaging app, which has already automated much of the plumbing behind media buying, including bidding and budget reallocation. Now, it’s turning its attention to the ads themselves. “We’re thinking about how we bring the power of AI into that creative production and creative expression on the platform, because that’s where the magic really happens,” said Abby Laursen, Snap’s senior director…

LG is getting ready to show off its latest breakthrough in home robotics, a new bot called LG CLOiD, at CES 2026 in Las Vegas this January. This isn’t just another gadget launch; it marks a huge shift for LG as they go all-in on a future where smart robots aren’t just toys, but a core part of how we manage our homes. The LG CLOiD is basically a multi-purpose indoor helper designed to take the sting out of household chores. It’s the centrepiece of LG’s “Zero Labor Home” vision – a concept that’s all about using automation to free…

A new lending product from Xapo Bank allows qualifying members to access USD loans using their bitcoin holdings as collateral. This enables bitcoin holders to tap into the fiat value of their assets without having to sell. Xapo Bank, a licensed bank focused on bitcoin services, launched bitcoin-backed lending this week. Eligible members can now take out loans up to $1,000,000 secured against their bitcoin. Once approved, the loan funds are instantly deposited into the member’s bank account. The corresponding bitcoin is held in secure storage by Xapo until repayment. This allows members to retain their bitcoin long-term while borrowing…

PMG has taken a swing at one of the knottiest pasts of modern media buying: CTV. The independent agency has built its own buying platform, pulling a crucial layer of programmatic machinery in-house as marketers grow louder about the opacity and nebulous plumbing that define CTV.The platform, called Alli Buyer Cloud, sits inside PMG’s broader operating system Alli. It’s currently in alpha testing with three clients and the agency is intentionally taking its time. At last week’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, PMG’s head of programmatic Doug Paladino said the priority is to demonstrate clear fee reductions and performance improvements before…

Although Samsung has yet to lift the covers off the Galaxy S26 series, leaks about its 2027 flagship have already started surfacing. Last week, a report suggested a major camera overhaul for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, and now a new leak has revealed some details about its camera setup. Trusted leaker Ice Universe recently claimed that the Galaxy S27 Ultra could come with new main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras. While specifics about the ultrawide and selfie cameras are still under wraps, the tipster has now revealed that the device might feature a new Samsung ISOCELL sensor with the model number…