Google I/O recently announced several updates to its Google Pay payment service, including a redesign of the pay sheet, which appears when transactions are made with stored cards in third-party apps. The pay sheet now displays rich card art and names, enhancing card identification and speeding up selection. The UI has also been optimized for dark mode. Additionally, Pay will now work on Android WebViews, allowing purchases to be made in in-app browsers starting with Chrome version 136. Google Wallet also introduced a new Nearby Passes notification feature, notifying users about tickets or passes when they’re close to a relevant location.
Nord Quantique’s multimode encoding uses bosonic qubit technology that detect leakage errors to remove the qubit from the encoding space to enable building fault-tolerant quantum computers at utility scale
Nord Quantique has successfully developed bosonic qubit technology with multimode encoding, outlining a path to a significant reduction in the number of qubits required for quantum error correction. This provides the system protection against many common types of errors, including bit flips, phase flips, and control errors. Another key advantage over single-mode encoding is that leakage errors, which remove the qubit from the encoding space, can now be detected and corrected. The Tesseract code allows for increased error detection, and it is expected that this will translate into additional quantum error correction benefits as more modes are added. These results are therefore a key stepping stone in the development of this hardware-efficient approach. The core concept of the multimode approach centres on simultaneously using multiple quantum modes to encode individual qubits. Each mode represents a different resonance frequency inside an aluminium cavity and offers additional redundancy, which protects quantum information.
Shopify imagines an interface “where you can quickly shift between talking, typing, clicking, and even drawing to instruct software, like moving around a whiteboard in a dynamic conversation”
Shopify’s new chief design officer Carl Rivera believes that, in the very near future, the e-commerce platform’s user experience is going to feel like sci-fi and designers are at the center of it. His new position directly responds to industry skepticism about design’s relevance in an AI-driven landscape. “Imagine an interface where you can quickly shift between talking, typing, clicking, and even drawing to instruct software, like moving around a whiteboard in a dynamic conversation,” Carl Rivera says. An experience in which users are not presented with a barrage of nested menus, but with a blank canvas that invites creativity aided by an artificial intelligence that knows everything there is to know about online and brick-and-mortar retail and marketing. A fluid interface that adapts and anticipates your needs, automating tasks and recommending actions like the most brilliant partner you could dream of.
CSI partners digital engagement provider WaveCX to enable banks to deliver tailored marketing, tutorials and educational experiences based on user behavior directly within their banking apps
WaveCX, provider of personalized, digital product engagement solutions for financial institutions, announced a strategic partnership with CSI, provider of end-to-end financial software and technology. Through this integration, CSI clients using the NuPoint® and Meridian® core platforms are equipped to increase digital adoption and deliver more dynamic customer experiences directly within their banking applications. The partnership opens new possibilities for customer engagement within digital banking environments, allowing financial institutions to go beyond traditional marketing channels. With WaveCX, CSI clients can now: Deliver tailored in-app marketing and educational experiences based on user behavior; Promote awareness and adoption of underutilized digital features; Proactively guide users with contextual messages, tutorials and announcements at the point of need. Jon Tvrdik, CEO of WaveCX “By reaching users directly inside the app, banks and credit unions can increase adoption, improve education, and ultimately drive stronger engagement and loyalty.”
Chrome 137 for Android rolls out rounded corners to menus; moves out “Open in new tab in group” button
Google is continuing to round the corners of various interface elements in Chrome for Android, with version 137 focusing on menus. With Chrome 136 in May, Google increased the corner radius of the cards in the tab switcher. Chrome 137 brings these rounded corners to menus across the Android browser. The three-dot menu becomes a little bit less blocky as a result, which better aligns with Material 3 across the operating system. The tab switcher’s overflow menu gets the same treatment, while snackbars are no longer rectangular. For example, “Closed [tab]” now floats with rounded corners and colors that better distinguish it from the background. With this change, most menus are unchanged. However, Chrome 137 reorders the interface when you long-press on a link. For whatever reason, “Open in new tab in group” is no longer the first item. This personally breaks my muscle memory for this common action as a heavy user of tab groups.
Uber adds a new type of account with a simpler UI for the elderly with features like ride updates for family members, saved destinations, and the ability to use a family member’s card for payments
Uber revealed a new type of account, called Senior Accounts, for older users that prioritizes a simpler app experience with features like ride updates for family members, saved destinations, and the ability to use a family member’s card for payments. Uber said Senior Accounts present a simpler app experience with larger text and icons, as well as less complex screens. Users can switch this mode on using the accessibility settings in the app. Users in the U.S. can now add older adults to their family account via the “Family” menu under the Accounts tab. Users who manage the family account can add their own payment methods, edit the list of saved destinations, book a ride for older adults, and contact drivers during a ride. People in the family group can also follow senior users’ rides. Uber said senior users can add their Medicare Flex card to pay for eligible medical visits. The company said it plans to make Senior Accounts available worldwide, though it didn’t specify when the feature would roll out to other countries. Uber added teen accounts in a few cities in the U.S. in 2023 and later rolled it out to more regions and countries.
Google Gemini Live is now adding captions so you can read Gemini’s responses in real-time
Google is adding real-time captions to Gemini Live. After ending a Gemini Live session, you already get a text transcript of the conversation. Google is now adding captions so you can read Gemini’s responses in real-time. The top-right corner of the fullscreen Gemini Live interface is gaining a transcript button. (Google is using the same rectangular icon as Android’s Live Caption capability.) Tapping presents a translucent overlay at the center of the screen. At the moment, Gemini Live does not let you start a conversation if the volume is muted or too low. There might be occasions where you can briefly speak to your phone, but can’t have audio playing out loud (like when you are without headphones). The new transcript allows you to go Live in those situations, while some prefer reading instead of listening to responses. For other people, this will be faster. The upcoming Search Live, which is also powered by Project Astra, has a prominent “Transcript” button in the UI to read responses as they come in. Captions started rolling out to Gemini Live on Android earlier this week with more reports today, but it’s not yet widely available.
Apple debuts new user design experience Liquid Glass, which will bring greater focus to content, deliver a new level of quality to controls and keep users more attuned to what’s happening on screen “harmonizing” the user experience across all devices
Apple previewed a slick new software design and powerful software updates, including new features coming to its next-generation operating systems across devices that will receive a unified version 26. The new design features a new material called Liquid Glass, which creates a translucent effect similar to water that sits atop the display, refracting content below it and allowing colors to flow through. The company says this will bring greater focus to content, deliver a new level of quality to controls and keep users more attuned to what’s happening on screen. The new design extends across Apple’s entire device ecosystem, including iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Ventura 26, watchOS 26 and tvOS 26. The company said the idea was to “harmonize” the user experience across all devices so they could expect every device to look and feel the same. It will affect buttons, switches, sliders, text and media in the user interface and shift dynamically according to user needs. Controls, toolbars and navigation within apps have been redesigned with rounded corners and they “float above” content so that they stay out of the way and avoid interrupting content. They also shift into thoughtful groupings, allowing users to find the controls they need. The Preview app, which originally comes from macOS, is coming to iPadOS 26. Preview is a dedicated app for creating a quick sketch, as well as viewing, editing and marking up PDFs and images with Apple Pencil or by touch.
Xactus integrates flood compliance solution with ICE’s mortgage servicing system, to receive automated flood zone determination updates directly into their systems
Logitech’s new Flip Folio makes it easier than ever to turn your iPad into a comfortable, portable workstation. Logitech’s new Flip Folio fuses portability with adaptability. Its case combines a Bluetooth keyboard with a magnetic folio, making it perfect for anyone who wants the freedom to work the way they like. This is especially great if you want to place your iPad on a higher surface than your keyboard to reduce neck strain while working. Logitech also gives you the option to work in portrait mode — perfect for Pages projects. The kickstand adjusts to multiple angles, allowing you to find the perfect position for writing, watching videos, making FaceTime calls, and more. When it’s time to pack up, the Bluetooth keyboard magnetically attaches to the Folio, making it a breeze to stash it in a bag or carry it with a single hand. Unlike Apple’s Magic Keyboard, there’s no passive charging; in fact, there’s no charging at all. The included Bluetooth keyboard is powered by four replaceable coin cell batteries, which Logitech says should last for two years, assuming two hours of daily use.
NiCE-Snowflake partnership to enable enterprises to operationalize customer interaction data at scale through seamless, secure sharing of CX data across the front, middle and back office
NiCE announced a strategic collaboration with Snowflake, the AI Data Cloud company, to unlock the full value of customer interaction data by enabling seamless, secure data sharing across the front, middle and back office through Snowflake Secure Data Sharing. This collaboration combines NiCE CXone Mpower’s AI for customer service automation with Snowflake’s easy, connected, and trusted platform, enabling joint customers to seamlessly access and update data to automate customer service at scale. By working with Snowflake, the two companies will be able to deliver immediate value for customers and unlock new opportunities across the enterprise landscape. NiCE selected Snowflake for its ability to power secure, governed data collaboration and its shared commitment to eliminating operational silos. As a core component of every CXone Mpower bundle, Snowflake provides the foundation for the CXone Mpower data lake, centralizing all interaction data from across the platform and enabling that data to be merged with associated data beyond the front office. This extends the depth and breadth of CXone Mpower, enabling customers to leverage reporting, dashboarding, analytics and AI, from a single, trusted and ecosystem-wide source of truth. By expanding the reach of CX data into middle and back-office systems, organizations will be able to automate processes such as service fulfillment, billing, claims handling, and account updates, dramatically improving speed, accuracy, and efficiency. Customers can leverage CXone Mpower’s built-in integration with Snowflake to securely share and activate customer interaction data across their enterprise, either as part of their current CXone Mpower bundle or through expanded enterprise automation initiatives. With CXone Mpower analyzing hundreds of customer attributes per interaction, Snowflake provides the secure, scalable foundation to store, share, and activate this rich data across the enterprise. This collaboration empowers enterprises to operationalize interaction data at scale, integrate it seamlessly into enterprise ecosystems, and accelerate the development of AI-driven CX innovations.