Google’s Android head has confirmed that ChromeOS is being combined with the company’s mobile platform. Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem, noted the usage of Apple’s typical ecosystem of products — including a MacBook Pro and an Apple Watch — before finally acknowledging the writing on the wall with ChromeOS. The only real hint comes from Samat’s curiosity over, as he says, how people currently use their laptops to get work done. That could hint at a focus towards providing more robust app support on this combined platform. This move comes with plenty of questions for current ChromeOS users, including how their laptops will adapt to this new platform and if the move to Android will change the typical decade-long support window provided by Google and various Chromebook OEMs. It could also cause plenty of headaches for enterprise users, especially schools, depending on how the rollout is conducted. It doesn’t sound like the move is right around the corner, of course — to reiterate, there’s nothing here that would really constitute real details. But with ChromeOS feeling stagnant at times and ARM laptops having a bit of a moment, it feels like there’s no better time than the present to enact this sort of shift.
Clover’s integration of Homebase’s scheduling, time tracking, and employee management capabilities into its Dashboard to provide SMBs with all-in-one platform to manage hourly teams effortlessly
Clover announced system enhancements with integrated workforce management capabilities from Homebase, the all-in-one platform for small business team management.The enhancements will embed Homebase’s scheduling, time tracking, and employee management capabilities into the Clover Web Dashboard, providing merchants with a single platform to manage their daily operations. Key advantages of Clover’s workforce management solution include: Unified Workforce Management: Clover seamlessly embeds Homebase’s leading time clock, scheduling, and timesheet solution into the Clover Web Dashboard, providing SMBs with a powerful, all-in-one platform to manage hourly teams effortlessly. Optimize Labor & Boost Profitability: By leveraging tools that prevent early clock-ins and proactively manage overtime expenses, small businesses can benefit from more efficient operations that directly impact their bottom line. Empower Your Team & Enhance Communication: Create a more connected and productive workforce with built-in team messaging that’s easily accessible on Clover devices, in addition to employee self-service features for schedules and timesheets. This helps ensure frictionless communication and allows teams to take control of changing or covering shifts. Simplify Payroll & Focus on Growth: Businesses can benefit from automated timesheet generation and easy export. These features eliminate manual data entry and errors, freeing up valuable time for owners and operators.
Amazon’s virtual assistant’s web-based version Alexa.com to be launched this summer; would be vastly more conversational and able to handle significantly more complex tasks
Alexa.com, a new web-based version of Amazon’s virtual assistant, will reportedly be launched “no sooner than July 31.” This version of Alexa was first announced in February and was previously scheduled to launch at the end of June, cites internal Amazon documents. Amazon spokesperson Lauren Raemhild said, Alexa.com is not delayed and “will be available with Alexa+ Early Access this summer.” The company’s Alexa+ Early Access web page said Monday that Alexa.com is “coming soon.” Several million people have early access to Alexa+ and 90% of the features Amazon announced in February. Raemhild said that Amazon is fine-tuning Alexa+ as it expands the new virtual assistant to more customers. “Customers love that Alexa+ is vastly more conversational and able to handle significantly more complex tasks, and this Early Access phase is really important as we learn how they want to use it, and what they expect,” Raemhild said.
Apple’s future devices may feature two-stage displays with a camera and flash embedded within a display that allows the camera to remain completely hidden when not in use
Apple has been granted a newly revised patent that in part describes embedding a camera and flash within a display. “Electronic devices with two-stage displays,” is concerned with producing a screen that has layers of different display technologies. It’s ostensibly for any conceivable device with a screen — and Apple lists the broadest possible range of those — but much of the patent describes the Apple Watch. “An electronic device may be provided with a two-stage display,” it says. “The display may have an inner layer with a pixel array for displaying images and an outer layer formed from a light modulator with an array of cells that can each be placed in a transparent mode or a light-blocking mode.” The patent describes having first a type of fast-reacting display that is capable of showing video. Then on top of that there could be a second display layer that’s typically used to show slow-changing images, such as text. That layer could be effectively turned off to allow users to see the video on the layer below, or it could be turned on to change the appearance of the device. In that case, a camera shutter “may have an appearance that matches the housing of the electronic device.” “When it is desired to capture images, control circuitry in the electronic device may temporarily place the shutter in a transparent mode to allow light from a flash and/or light being imaged by the camera to pass,” continues the patent.
Google adds simplified Unsubscribe feature to Gmail
Google has added a feature to make it easier for Gmail users to unsubscribe from emails. The company’s recently announced “Manage subscriptions” tool lets users view and manage subscription emails, to make it easy to unsubscribe from the ones they don’t want from a single place. “It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of subscription emails clogging your inbox: Daily deal alerts that are basically spam, weekly newsletters from blogs you no longer read, promotional emails from retailers you haven’t shopped in years can quickly pile up,” Chris Doan, director of Gmail, wrote on the Google blog. Google’s move is part of a larger trend, with customers seeking more control, more meaningful content and greater value from their brand interactions. “If email doesn’t meet that standard, people now have a faster and easier way to walk away,” Omar Merlo, an associate professor of marketing strategy at Imperial College London told. “This isn’t the end of email marketing. It is perhaps the end of sloppy email marketing.”
Google adds AI-powered local business calling to search
Google is expanding its AI capabilities in Search by rolling out a new, free feature that lets it call local businesses on the user’s behalf to do things like check pricing and make reservations. The agentic AI tool is designed to help users accomplish tasks faster by eliminating the need for them to make routine phone calls themselves. The automated call feature is rolling out to users and businesses in the United States — except in Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Montana and Nebraska, according to a support page. Subscribers to Google AI Pro and AI Ultra will have higher limits. To use automated calling, users start by searching for local businesses. Once Google displays the results, a horizontal bar appears above the list labeled, “Have AI check pricing.” Google writes a summary of the request for the user to double-check, and then the user clicks “Submit.” Google will then get information from different local businesses to canvas pricing and other data. It will send the options to the user. The feature lets Google Search call local businesses to book appointments, check restaurant wait times, and confirm pricing and availability of services. If a local business like a restaurant uses an online booking partner, Google can use that as well. Calls will be monitored and recorded for quality control. Google is adding “Deep Search” to AI Mode as well.
Mastercard debuts experience-focused World Legend Card to support a growing demand among consumers for a “more intentional way of living, where spending on meaningful experiences is prioritized over material things.”
Mastercard has introduced a new suite of benefits aimed at experience-seeking consumers. The Mastercard Collection is available across the company’s World, World Elite and newly created World Legend Mastercard cards, offering rewards on things like dining, entertainment and travel. The World Legend card is available to banks worldwide now, and will debut to cardholders in the third quarter of this year in the U.S., followed by a larger international launch. Driving this launch, is its in-house research showing a growing demand among consumers for a “more intentional way of living, where spending on meaningful experiences is prioritized over material things.” The vast majority of the company’s cardholders, “feel their best when spending their time on their passions, including culinary exploration, artistic endeavors, and cultural immersion,” while two-thirds “are becoming more intentional with how they spend their time, focusing on the relationships that matter most.”
Apple dials back Liquid Glass look and feel following user complaints of the glassy look making the UI more difficult to read, switching back to less translucent and more solid white background in the Notifications and navigation within first-party apps
The iPhone’s new glassy look has been toned down with the release of the third developer beta of iOS 26. This follows user complaints that the update made parts of the user interface more difficult to read. The update sees Apple taking yet another step to dial things back from an overly glassy look in a number of key areas. While beta 2 addressed problems with the Control Center, beta 3 shifts its focus to other areas of the mobile operating system, like Notifications and navigation within Apple’s first-party apps, like Apple Music. For instance, the navigation bar in Apple’s streaming music app no longer sees the background shining through a bit, opting for a more solid white. Notifications are also less translucent, as the background behind the text is darkened, increasing contrast. While the changes arguably make features easier to read, some users now complain that Apple has gone too far in the other direction with a return to more of a “frosted glass” aesthetic. The point of beta software is to allow Apple to collect feedback, find bugs, and address issues before the software rolls out more broadly. That means Apple could continue to tweak the Liquid Glass look and feel over the coming releases to find the sweet spot for the new glassy look within every app and screen.
Gmail’s new feature lets users manage their subscriptions in one place by offering a view of active subscriptions organized by the most frequent senders alongside the number of emails they’ve sent in the past few weeks
Gmail is launching a new Gmail feature that is designed to help users easily manage their subscriptions and declutter their inboxes. The new “Manage subscriptions” tool is rolling out on the web, Android, and iOS in select countries. With the new feature, users can view and manage their subscription emails in one place and quickly unsubscribe from the ones they no longer want to receive. Users can view their active subscriptions, organized by the most frequent senders, alongside the number of emails they’ve sent in the past few weeks. Clicking on a sender provides a direct view of all emails from them. If a user decides to unsubscribe, Gmail will send an unsubscribe request to the sender on their behalf. Users can access the new feature by clicking the navigation bar in the top-left corner of their Gmail inbox and then selecting “Manage subscriptions.” Google says the new feature will begin rolling out on the web starting Tuesday, with Android and iOS users starting to receive it on July 14 and July 21, respectively. It may take up to 15 days from the start of the rollout for the feature to reach every user, the company says.
Mastercard and Pay4You launch European spend management partnership
Mastercard has teamed with self-service payment portal Pay4You on a spend management solution for European companies. The collaboration employs Mastercard’s Virtual Card Network (VCN) technology, and is designed to guarantee card acceptance, giving corporations a better way to manage their tail spend, which typically accounts for 20% of a company’s total spend, including high-volume, low-value transactions that are often overlooked but can represent a significant portion of the total number of transactions. By melding Pay4You’s platform with Mastercard’s virtual card technology, companies can lower costs, increase process efficiencies and remain compliant while offering employees a better user experience. In addition, the companies say their partnership will help issuers realize new flows on cards that are normally account-to-account (A2A) payments. “This partnership supports Mastercard’s mission to drive innovation and efficiency in the payments ecosystem.” Pay4You will also leverage Mastercard’s latest advances in embedded VCN technology which enables frictionless and simplified on-boarding among banks, platforms, and corporates, to accelerate the adoption of virtual cards.