Mobile News 8 Hours

Last updated: July 8, 2026, 5:30 PM ET

Mobile & Wearable Tech

Apple announced its largest U.S. manufacturing investment to date, partnering with Broadcom for a $30 billion purchase of American-made chips. This investment is part of Apple's American Manufacturing Program launched last year. In contrast, PC shipments fell for the first time in two years, attributed to a memory shortage, although manufacturer revenue continues to rise. Roku remains the most popular streaming TV device, but the company's offerings are reportedly lagging behind competitors in key areas.

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on July 22 in London is generating buzz, with renders leaking for the Galaxy Z Fold8, Fold8 Ultra, Flip8, Watch9, and Watch Ultra2. Reservations have opened for the Z Fold8 and Z Flip8. Meanwhile, a discount of $500 is available on last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7, suggesting a strong value proposition even with newer models on the horizon. Amazon is also offering discounts across the entire Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup, presenting a limited-time deal that rivals Prime Day pricing.

Wear OS 7 has officially rolled out, bringing new features to eligible Pixel Watch models. However, prospective buyers of the upcoming Pixel Watch 5 may face a higher price tag, according to the latest leaks. In mobile software, Google is developing an automatic backup feature to Windows PCs for Android devices, which will operate over Wi-Fi without cloud reliance, though it appears to exclude Samsung devices. The first post-Android 17 update for Pixel phones is also rolling out, focusing on security and bug fixes after its June launch.

Gaming & Entertainment

Microsoft has reportedly canceled the sequel to Avowed, with Obsidian Entertainment now focusing on a Fallout game following Xbox layoffs. Nintendo announced that Mario Kart Tour will on September 30, with no plans for an offline version. The Valve Steam Machine review suggests the gaming console is no longer worth its asking price, with a better fit for the market five years ago.

In streaming news, Apple's horror-comedy series "Widow's Bay" has secured 19 Emmy nominations, the most for any new show this year.

Automotive & AI

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC has reached a settlement that will bring the right-to-repair movement to John Deere farm equipment. Waymo is expanding its fully autonomous operations, preparing to remove human supervisors in San Diego, Las Vegas, Tampa, and Denver.

Meta's Muse Image generator can now utilize public Instagram profiles for AI-generated creations, allowing users to create and share on Instagram and WhatsApp. OpenAI's ChatGPT has introduced a new voice mode that can slow down speech if requested. Amazon is developing a more capable agentic Alexa assistant, codenamed 'Moonraker,' designed to handle multi-step tasks. Google is rolling out its 'Video Remix' feature for Google Photos, which uses AI to allow users to reimagine videos stored in their library using Gemini Omni.

Home Entertainment

A significant discount is available on a 77-inch LG OLED TV at Best Buy, offering $1,500 in savings.