Author: Geek Planet

I just opened ChatGPT, asked it to find me podcasts similar to Urdunama, and it created an entire personalized playlist for me. Interestingly, I didn’t have to open the Spotify app. I didn’t go through the algorithmic recommendations pool, either. And yet, the podcasts recommended by ChatGPT were eerily to my liking.  It’s an experience that will likely keep you from going back to the traditional methods of podcast discovery, and it seems it’s a hit with average podcast listeners, as well. Spotify tells me that a staggering 80% share of recommendations is being routed through the conversational AI experience. …

Today’s marketers spend sleepless nights puzzling over how much of their budget is lost along the mazelike programmatic supply chain, if they can trust CTV middlemen, or whether supposedly epoch-defining AI tools are in fact Mechanical Turks. The disinfectant of sunlight, in theory, provides a means of resolving those concerns. But as more agencies put proprietary software tools and data platforms (like Havas Media Group’s Converged or WPP Media’s Open Intelligence) at the center of their appeal to new clients, agency execs are toying with the shades. How much credibility can they gain from proximity to tech kingpins, when most…

The Samsung Unpacked 2026 event was packed with AI announcements. Apart from the new hardware and AI improvements, two features in particular stood out: Privacy Display and Ocean Mode. Ocean Mode, however, isn’t new. It was first launched with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and was developed for marine researchers, giving them a way to capture more color-accurate visual data underwater and consistently monitor coral reef ecosystems over time. Now, the company is bringing that same feature to consumers with Ocean Mode inside the Expert RAW camera app, rolling out to the Galaxy S26 series. How Ocean Mode improves underwater…

If there’s one thing keeping Zola’s new CMO up at night, it’s search — or rather the messy reinvention of it.Barely two weeks into the role, Briana Severson is already navigating a marketing minefield, where the old playbook is fading fast and the new one is still being written.  “Were someone to ask me to sum up what’s on my mind as a marketer these days, it would be search,” said Severson. AI is uprooting the original search bargain — slowly but surely shifting it away from the familiar model where search engines crawled publisher content, served up snippets and…

Google introduced a new AI-powered feature called Magic Cue with the Pixel 10 series that delivers contextual suggestions and app actions based on your usage patterns. Designed to anticipate your needs, the feature surfaces timely suggestions to help you complete everyday tasks faster and more efficiently. Late last year, a teardown hinted that Google was preparing to expand these AI-driven suggestions beyond Pixel phones. While the expansion has yet to materialize, Samsung has now debuted a similar functionality with its new Galaxy S26 series. Called Now Nudge, Samsung’s alternative is also designed to deliver relevant suggestions based on what you…

Gemini can now help students prepare for the SAT with free, full-length mock tests, giving test-takers a way to practice without paying for expensive prep courses or tutoring. Announced at the BETT 2026 education conference, the update enables students to take on-demand SAT practice exams directly within Gemini. While other AI assistants can generate practice questions, they do not truly replicate standardized tests. What sets Google’s Gemini apart is that its mock exams are not just randomly generated questions, but structured to mirror the real SAT experience. SAT mock tests expand Gemini’s learning tools Google says the tests are built…

Google just gave us a real glimpse of how Android 17 might change the way you use your phone. New developer tools announced Tuesday let AI agents like Gemini dive directly into your installed apps to find photos, manage calendars, or book a multi-stop rideshare while you do something else. The idea is simple. Instead of opening apps one by one, you tell an AI what you need. Google calls this the “agentic future,” and it’s landing in pieces starting now on the Galaxy S26 series and select Pixel 10 devices. A long press of the power button on those…

Picking a flagship in 2026 is genuinely harder than it should be — not because the options are bad, but because they’re good in completely different ways. The S26 Ultra is Samsung doing what its does best: throwing everything at a phone until it sticks. The OnePlus 15 has a battery so large it almost feels like cheating, at a price that makes the other two look overpriced. And the Pixel 10 Pro XL is Google quietly making the case that specs aren’t everything — that software, consistency, and a camera you can trust on the first shot matter more…

DEI might not dominate boardroom agendas like it once did, but for marketers it remains essential. After all, growth doesn’t come from ignoring the audiences who make it possible.That’s why Heineken’s marketers are digging into research from creative data platform CreativeX, looking at how ads featuring people with different skin tones perform across social media platforms. The goal isn’t just to understand the data, said the brewer’s global media lead Joost Hoppe, it’s to turn those insights into action by sharing them with brand teams across the business. But before unpacking why the findings could prove so valuable to those…

Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S26, the latest addition to its flagship smartphone lineup. The new device builds on the foundation of last year’s model, bringing a series of updates across AI, performance, and software, though not much has changed in terms of looks and core hardware chops. But let me get the bad part out first. The asking price of Galaxy S26 has climbed up to $899, while the Galaxy S26 Plus now starts at $1,099 in the US, up from the $999 retail value last year. What’s new? Like the previous two years, Samsung’s main focus is…