Author: Geek Planet

The latest thing keeping marketers up at night about AI isn’t deepfakes or disinformation — it’s SpongeBob. The cartoon character has become an unlikely mascot for the flood of AI-generated videos taking over feeds, blurring the lines between parody, harmless fun, copyright infringement and misinformation. In the ensuing panic, it’s made one thing clear: AI-generated videos like news and user-generated content before them, exist on a sliding scale — from harmless to outright harmful — and people are watching it.  The real question is where marketers draw the line. Because while it’s fashionable to lump everything under the label of “AI…

Over the past few months, rumors about the second-generation iPhone Air have been all over the place. While some reports suggested Apple had scrapped the model due to weak sales of the original, others pointed to a delayed launch in 2027. Last month, a leak contradicted both these claims, hinting that Apple could still launch the iPhone Air 2 this fall. Now, the same leaker has doubled down on this release timeline and offered a few more details. In a recent post on Weibo, leaker Fixed Focus Digital has claimed that information from Apple’s manufacturing supply chain points to a…

Regional department store Von Maur is on a mission to bring more brands to shoppers in the heartland.  The retailer, founded in 1872 in Davenport, Iowa, has been on a slow and steady growth trajectory at a time when other department stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom are closing stores or struggling to grow net sales. Von Maur typically opens one or two new stores per year, but it has been further investing in its footprint and entering new states over the past few years. The retailer now has 39 physical locations across 15 states and most recently opened its first…

Microsoft has rolled out a significant upgrade to its Phone Link system and the “Link To Windows” app for Android, improving cross-platform connectivity with Windows 11. First and foremost, there’s a new “Lock PC” toggle that lets you lock your Windows device remotely from your smartphone (provided the devices are connected). According to a new report by Windows Latest, locking a Windows 11 PC from an Android phone takes a couple of seconds. Once unlocked, the PC reconnects to your phone. Besides that, the app also gets a “Recent Activity” feed that shows file transfers and clipboard history shared between…

The Galaxy S25 series was “Qi2-ready,” so you’d need a magnetic wireless charger to use the handsets with Qi2-compatible accessories such as battery packs and wallets. However, that might not be the case with the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, which is rumored to be fully Qi2-compatible. All the smartphones in the S26 series should feature a built-in magnetic profile (circular in shape), underneath the back panel, that allows a convenient and secure connection with third-party Qi2-compatible accessories. 5,000 mAh wireless powerbank for $70.22 is quite expensive Now, a new report from the German publication WinFuture suggests that Samsung could launch…

Out-of-control new business reviews are placing a burden on media and creative agencies competing for work.According to media agency executives who spoke to Digiday anonymously, client requests for agencies to respond to pitch invitations within punishing deadlines are becoming the new normal. Expectation of quick turnarounds has become “a common theme,” said Charlie Carpenter, CEO of media and creative consultancy Creativebrief. “I’ve gotten RFPs in the last couple of months [with] two weeks to the deadline,” said one media agency executive, speaking under Chatham House rules at Digiday’s recent Media Buying Summit in Phoenix, Arizona. Meanwhile, research published on Thursday (Oct. 23)…

OnePlus has strongly denied a recent report suggesting that the company is being “dismantled” and winding down its business, reaffirming that its operations are continuing normally. The clarification comes after an Android Headlines investigation claimed that OnePlus was effectively collapsing and being absorbed into its parent company Oppo, a narrative that triggered widespread speculation across tech circles and social platforms. According to the report, OnePlus’ global presence and market share have sharply declined, internal teams are allegedly being reduced, and key product launches might have been cancelled as part of an asserted consolidation strategy within Oppo. While no official confirmation…

Holiday shopping (and thus, holiday marketing campaigns) seem to begin earlier every year. But for many content creators, the annual Q4 brand deals this year are increasingly coming together at the eleventh hour. More often than not, deals are struck less than 30 days out from a campaign live date as opposed to the traditional 30 to 60 days, according to two creators Digiday spoke with for this piece.Given this year’s tariffs, economic headwinds and uncertainty around TikTok’s future, brands are likely sitting on their remaining budgets until the last possible moment, said Haley Schluter, head of North America for…

We recently got a peek at the potential color options Samsung may offer for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, that leak appears to have missed a couple of colorways. Now, a fresh leak has revealed the full lineup and their official names. The earlier leak, which showcased the SIM trays for Samsung’s upcoming flagship, pointed to four options: black, white, blue, and purple. But trusted tipster Evan Blass now claims that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could launch in six finishes, officially named Black, White, Silver Shadow, Sky Blue, Cobalt Violet, and Pink Gold. As indicated in the previous leak, the…

The smartphone industry has been under the rubble of rising DRAM and NAND flash prices, and the impact is slowly (but steadily) making its way to the top players. Brands like Apple and Google, which launched their latest flagships a couple of months ago, seem to have temporarily escaped the situation, but it’s the company with the highest market share that’s currently stuck in the crosshairs: Samsung. The Korean tech giant is prepping its international supply chain and retail network to start selling the Galaxy S26 series in less than two months. However, thanks to the launch’s timing, it seems…