My review of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X is here. It's the most powerful handheld gaming PC — just know that it's not literally an Xbox console in your hands. The union of Steam, Epic, GOG, and Microsoft game libraries is great. #gaming #technology #tech www.extremetech.com/gaming/asus-...

Have an ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X in the house. First takes: it's a beast of a handheld gaming PC (in a good way), and Microsoft has solved some of the issues with Windows on handhelds — but not all of it. More coming soon on ExtremeTech. #gaming #technology

Hot-ish #madebygoogle take: the base Pixel 10 was the star. You get a telephoto cam and new features like Qi2 (aka MagSafe) in the $799 model. This phone makes zoom more accessible to them (and provides a real alternative to the Galaxy S25).

Happy Pixel 10 day to those who celebrate. Any wagers on surprises like Android XR hardware updates? #MadeByGoogle

Wild: @cohere.com just scored a $500 million US funding round based on a $6.8 billion valuation... and it just snagged execs from Meta and Uber for its C-suite. #ai #canada betakit.com/cohere-secur...

The office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections said it's "exploring the use" of AI. Here's what that could mean for the next vote, such as fighting disinformation and handling info requests. #ai #canada betakit.com/commissioner...

We had a great time at Parc Omega between the bears, bison, bighorns… plus the deer and elk window-shopping for carrots. 🥕 #animals #nature

Scoop: @omersventures.bsky.social head Michael Yang is stepping down as the pension fund shifts its focus to investments in Canada. Props to @madisonmcla.bsky.social and Josh Scott for writing like the blazes while Douglas Soltys conducts the orchestra. #vc #technology betakit.com/michael-yang...

The world's in a rough spot with eroding democracy and horrible wars that hurt innocents. So I'm appreciating the new Above & Beyond album (finally, after seven years!) as a reminder that life can get better. #music #edm #dance music.apple.com/ca/album/big...

I reviewed the @samsungmobileus.bsky.social Galaxy Z Fold 7 and... yeah, it's a beast. The slimmer design, bigger screens, and 200MP main camera make huge differences. This is one of the best book foldable phones you can get in North America. #mobile #Technology www.extremetech.com/mobile/samsu...

I finally tried PSVR2 recently. Getting into things is a bit convoluted, but the tracking tech is solid — the feeling of vertigo when you're climbing a cliff ledge is very real. #vr

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are welcome upgrades on multiple fronts, but it's important to note these were necessary — Honor, Motorola, Google, and others have been raising the bar for a while. #technology #samsungunpacked #mobile

In other Canada news: the world’s oldest known rocks have been found near Inukjuak, Québec. They’re 4.16 billion years old, or about 130 million years older than the previous record. That’s deep into the Hadean eon when the Earth had barely formed. www.reuters.com/science/rock...

The next James Bond movie will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, a Canadian. Our mission of infiltrating the movie business is going according to plan.

Shopify's Tobi Lütke told those at #torontotechweek that his company is leaping on AI to keep the company nimble — and that too many companies love their solutions, not the problems they're trying to solve. betakit.com/shopifys-tob...

At #torontotechweek (where @betakit.com is the official media partner!), @cohere.com CEO Aidan Gomez told Canadian entrepreneurs to "say 'no'" to exits with US companies, or leaving for the States. He sees that as failure.

The #torontotechweek Homecoming event is close to starting with big names from Shopify, Cohere and more. Check BetaKit for spicy news, won’t you?

It's @aaron.bsky.team from Bluesky at Most Ambitious — he notes that life at Bluesky and Twitter is/was very different from government. #torontotechweek

At the @betakit.com Most Ambitious event at #torontotechweek where we're seeing great Canadian tech, including NordSpace — homegrown rockets and spaceports!

It’s #TorontoTechWeek time — the @betakit.com Most Ambitious event and party are the highlights, of course, but looking forward to connecting with the TO startup scene and seeing some industry rockstars. Not as exciting: slowly barbecuing in a heat wave. 🥵

I’ll be at the @betakit.com Town Hall at Toronto Tech Week on July 23! Expect Bluesky’s own @aaron.bsky.team along with Sheertex founder Katherine Hormuth and other luminaries. #torontotechweek

Very cool: @xprize.org has picked @ucalgary.bsky.social as its first international hub. betakit.com/university-o...

Been a bit, but here’s my latest: Rivian has elected @cohere.com CEO Aidan Gomez to its board. It comes as the EV company is working on an AI assistant for its cars. #technology #ai betakit.com/electric-veh...

Apple has introduced the MacBook Air M4, and the big deal isn't so much the new chip as the starting price going back to $999.It's simpler, and means you don't feel like you're "settling" if you don't want to spend more. Also: check that sky blue! #macbookairm4 apple.com/macbook-air

Hottest hardware news today was the Nothing Phone 3a series, not even the iPad Air. I like companies that punch above their weight, and the 3a promises to deliver. (I know, the political landscape is more important, but to me this is a balm)

Returned to my Nintendo Switch for the first time in years (parenthood comes first!) and remembered how much sheer fun it offers. It made me that much more hopeful for the Switch 2.

A week on: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is better than it sounded at first, but the S25 Edge is really going to be where it's at this year — if Samsung nails the fundamentals (battery, durability, pricing). That's partly a commentary on a world of highly iterative phones, but still... #android #mobile

Got hands-on time with the @samsung.bsky.social Galaxy S25 lineup. There’s a new design and the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but the real highlights are AI and One UI 7. #galaxyunpacked www.techopedia.com/personal-tec...

It’s dark times for my trans and non-binary friends. I can’t pretend to imagine what you’re going through, but I’ll say this: I want to offer vocal support whenever I can. Staying silent just isn’t an option for the next few years.

Digging the Switch 2 so far. It’s iterative, but for the first time in a long while Nintendo isn’t under pressure to reinvent its star console. It already stands out in a good way. #switch2

Developing a thing for large phones after so long. It's not so much the screen size (that helps) as the battery life — having a phone I know will make it to the end of the day.

Looks like I'll want to have more of a presence here than I anticipated. Not that it's exactly a problem! It's nice here.

Lots going on at CES, but it doesn't get much more ambitious than Toyota dipping its toes into rockets. There shouldn't be only one car company in space, Akio Toyoda says. #ces2025 #space

Bluesky crew: CES is really ramping up, but if you're here I'd be happy to say hello if the opportunity comes up.

This is the OnePlus 13. And all the photos I took during that cruise? They're from the OnePlus 13, too. I'll have a lot more to say before long, but I'd like to think the pictures say a lot. #mobile #android #ces2025

Among Jimmy Carter’s many accomplishments, he was the President whose message of goodwill is onboard Voyager 1. His words might literally outlive humanity.

Honda and Nissan merging seems like almost an inevitability, really. They have to compete against Chinese vendors like BYD, tackle the EV transition (especially with rivals like Hyundai who are all-in), and prep for autonomous driving. #cars

A belly flop competition made for more great photos on this OnePlus trip. #travel #android

On a trip involving OnePlus. I can say why later, but for now here's some views of Coco Cay, which is pretty but definitely a theme park in some ways. #travel #vacation

Unfortunate news: I was laid off today. It was a great run with events at Google, Samsung and more. I'm looking for senior comms, editorial, and PR roles, so please let me know if there's something of interest! #opentowork #jobs

Definitely eager to try the first Android XR headsets and glasses, like Samsung's Project Moohan. #ar #vr #android readwrite.com/google-and-s...

In Miami for reasons, and I’d forgotten how relentlessly pretty it is (and still very warm in the winter).

Google has released its first Gemini 2.0 model, Flash, and there's a big focus on AI agents. That's definitely going to be a theme for AI in 2025. #ai #google readwrite.com/google-intro...

OS 18.2 (and macOS 15.2, and...) is out today, and it brings ChatGPT, Image Playground, and support for English beyond the US. #ios #apple readwrite.com/apple-releas...

OpenAI's Sora AI video generator is available to everyone* (* with a Plus subscription) — glad the company is candid that its tech will make mistakes. #ai #openai

Grammar beef: folks who use "alleged" when they really mean "possible." If someone isn't facing allegations, it's not the right word!

Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired — it comes as the company is lagging in manufacturing and faces stiff competition from AMD, Apple, and Qualcomm. #intel #pc

One of my biggest smart speaker gripes: when your audio requests are “hijacked” by a service other than the default you chose.

I’m being drawn to Bluesky organically. Threads is getting better, but there’s just more sense of control here for now. Let’s just hope there’s some real competition in the short-form social arena for a long while.

Google and Meta veterans (including Android and VR veteran Hugo Barra) have just launched a startup making an OS for AI agents. This could be bigger than you think — they're all very experienced with cutting-edge consumer tech. #ai www.techopedia.com/news/google-...