Samsung has just made on-device AI substantially more practical by unveiling the next-gen UFS 5.0 storage solution, with read and write speeds that are over twice as fast as those of the previous UFS 4.1 standard. Samsung's UFS 5.0 storage solution "delivers a sequential read speed of up to 10.8 GB/s and a sequential write speed of up to 9.5 GB/s" According to Samsung, its UFS 5.0 storage solution "integrates the latest embedded memory interface standard from JEDEC, achieving unparalleled performance levels with the industry’s highest bandwidth of up to 10.8 gigabytes per second (GB/s)." The South Korean tech giant […]
Apple is adopting an atypical, two-pronged display strategy for its upcoming foldable, tentatively dubbed either the iPhone Ultra or the iPhone Fold, achieving an optimal balance between performance and cost. Apple will furnish the iPhone Ultra/iPhone Fold with Samsung's M16 and M14 OLED panels According to the tipster Schrödinger, Apple is now all set to equip the cover screen of its upcoming iPhone Ultra with Samsung's bleeding edge, natively 10-bit M16 OLED screen, while the inner screen will be made up of the older M14 OLED panels. This comes after Samsung's yields for the M16 panels have reportedly stabilized at […]
Elon Musk's Tesla is gearing up to mass-produce its humanoid robots, according to a report from Taiwan's supply chain. Throughout 2025, Musk insisted that he believes Tesla is a robotics company as the trillionaire shifted his focus on robots from electric vehicles. Now, today's report suggests that Tesla is working with Taiwanese suppliers to provide components such as harmonic reducers and joint modules, with production expected to occur in California and Texas. Taiwan's Mirle Automation & Asia Optical Expected To Play Role In Tesla's Humanoid Supply Chain The report, courtesy of Taiwan's UDN, outlines that the robotics supply chain in […]
We're halfway through the year, which also means it's time for the second Steam Next Fest of 2026. In my roundup of the February edition, I got pulled in by several platformers to the point where they were the highlight of my demo fest. This time around, I didn't pull myself away from the genre, but I did make a conscious effort to go beyond my jumping comfort zone. And unsurprisingly, I still came out of Steam Next Fest with several incredibly strong games I'll have my eye on as they near their launch. Before getting into the demos, one […]
In a dramatic development that bodes well for its coffers, but not so for the competitiveness of its Grok AI model, SpaceX has just inked a $6.3 billion compute deal to start renting out Colossus 2 GPUs, raising question marks over its strategy to compete with the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic. SpaceX will collect $150 million per month from July onwards by renting out NVIDIA GB300 GPUs at its Colossus 2 data center to Reflection As of May 2026, SpaceX's Colossus 1 data center supported over 220,000 NVIDIA GPUs, divided between H100, H200, and around 30,000 units of the […]
Steam Machine is here, but it comes at a really high price point, which makes these sub-$1000 PCs a far better value. Valve's Steam Machine Comes In At A Very High Price Tag, Making Pre-Built & DIY PCs A Better Option For Gamers Well, the Steam Machine is officially here. It is the latest hardware launch by Valve, a company all gamers know and love. The creators of the highly successful Steam Deck have now introduced a full-fledged PC that offers the convenience of a console thanks to its compact design. We talked about the specs and initial benchmarks a […]
In Entertainment Weekly's piece about the 25th anniversary of Xbox and the studio's push for Hollywood adaptations (including a Sea of Thieves movie), we also got a few more updates about some of the most interesting Xbox projects, including Kojima's OD, Bethesda's TES VI, and Arkane's Marvel's Blade. Let's start with The Elder Scrolls VI, which is definitely the biggest of these projects in terms of fanbase. Todd Howard, head of Bethesda Game Studios, acknowledged the pressure of having to "get it right", as well as the long wait since 2011's The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. TES VI is our […]
Valve has officially launched the Steam Machine today, revealing its incredibly expensive price tag that we all expected due to the ongoing component crisis. With a starting price of $1,049 for the most basic version of the Machine without a Steam Controller bundled in, it's a big hit to players' wallets, especially when living essentials everywhere are getting more expensive. But that's the way it ought to be, according to Valve, and it's the way that you should want it to be, for the good of the PC ecosystem. That's what Valve is telling players in its launch announcement, and […]
Right now, everyone is watching Microsoft and Xbox with bated breath to see just how severe the reported layoffs will be, and while we wait for that inevitable announcement, Xbox is seemingly doing everything possible to distract from it. Like how Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and other high-ranking Xbox executives spoke to Entertainment Weekly in a new interview, which confirms that a Sea of Thieves movie adaptation is in the works, with Spider-Man: Brand New Day director Destin Daniel Cretton attached to it as a producer. That nugget of information came as part of a larger interview about the ongoing […]
Valve has just kicked off pre-orders for its long-awaited Steam Machine, offering four options: two with 512GB of storage and two with 2TB, with one of each pair bundling a Steam Controller. The prices are indeed quite high, as feared following the storage and memory crisis. The basic Steam Machine (512GB, no controller) costs $1049, while adding a controller to it makes it $1128. The base 2TB version costs $1349, while the 2TB Steam Machine with a controller will set you back $1428. The 2TB versions also include two extra faceplates in red fabric and solid walnut colors. SKU Price […]
SPHBM4 is a new JEDEC standard that aims to solve the high cost and packaging concerns with existing HBM technologies. HBM Demand Keeps on Surging, But The High-Cost Might Make JEDEC's Upcoming SPHBM4 A Better Alternative Almost all AI & HPC accelerators rolling out these days feature some form of HBM memory. The highest-end solutions are leveraging the latest HBM4 designs, and HBM4E is being sampled to the top chipmakers. But as demand continues to rise, and shortages persist in the premium DRAM segment, HBM has become a major bottleneck. The cost is one issue, but price surges are a […]
Google is changing how target-based bid strategies behave when campaigns are constrained by budget, aiming to make performance more consistent with advertiser targets even as budgets fluctuate.
The update will take effect on August 17th, with a new Bid Target Adjustment Tool becoming available on July 6.
What’s happening. Google says campaigns using target-based bidding strategies, such as Target CPA, will more closely align with their configured targets when budget limitations exist.
The company is also introducing a Bid Target Adjustment Tool that will allow advertisers to review and modify targets before the changes take effect.
Why we care. Campaigns that have been outperforming their target CPA or ROAS goals may no longer continue doing so automatically after the update. Google’s changes are designed to make budget-constrained campaigns adhere more closely to their stated targets, which could alter performance and efficiency if targets haven’t been reviewed recently.
For example, a campaign using a Target CPA of $10 that is currently achieving a $5 CPA could see performance move closer to the $10 target unless the advertiser updates the target setting.
The new Bid Target Adjustment Tool gives advertisers a chance to proactively update bidding goals before the August rollout. For some advertisers, failing to adjust targets could mean paying more per conversion or seeing performance shift toward Google’s target rather than the campaign’s historical results.
Why Google is making the change. According to Google, the update is intended to reduce volatility and create more predictable performance when advertisers increase, decrease or otherwise adjust campaign budgets.
The company says the new tool will help advertisers align bidding targets more closely with actual business objectives before enforcement begins.
What advertisers should do. Google is encouraging advertisers to review campaigns that use target-based bidding strategies and evaluate whether existing targets still reflect desired outcomes.
Advertisers will receive notifications in their Google Ads accounts before the rollout and can use the Bid Target Adjustment Tool to identify campaigns that may be affected.
Between the lines. The update could have significant implications for advertisers whose campaigns are consistently outperforming their targets. In some cases, maintaining current performance levels may require lowering target settings rather than leaving them unchanged.
Reddit is rolling out a suite of new advertising products powered by its Community Intelligence engine, betting that authentic user conversations have become one of the most influential forces in consumer decision-making.
What’s happening. Reddit is introducing new ad products designed to help brands tap into the platform’s vast repository of consumer conversations, which now includes more than 25 billion posts and comments.
The company says the new tools will help advertisers create more relevant campaigns, accelerate purchase decisions and improve performance by leveraging insights derived directly from Reddit communities.
Why we care. Reddit is giving brands new ways to turn authentic community conversations into ad creative, shopping experiences and performance signals.
As more consumers use Reddit to research and validate purchase decisions—including AI-generated recommendations—these tools could help brands reach high-intent audiences with messaging rooted in real user sentiment.
New creative tools. Reddit is launching several new AI-powered creative features.
Free-form ad generator (Beta)
The tool automatically combines information from a brand’s website with relevant Reddit conversations to create ads inspired by Reddit’s long-form post format.
The goal is to help advertisers build campaigns that feel more native to the platform.
Tailored creative assets (Beta)
Using AI, Reddit identifies relevant communities and audience segments, then generates customized headlines and image variations designed to improve ad relevance.
The feature is currently available for Max Campaigns.
Redditor Highlights (GA)
Now generally available, the feature allows eligible brands to incorporate real Reddit conversations directly into their ads.
Ads can display summaries of community sentiment alongside related organic posts, helping brands showcase authentic customer perspectives.
Shopping Listing Ads (Alpha). Reddit is also entering the shopping ads space with a new ad type. The new format matches products from participating advertisers to relevant conversations and displays them in a carousel format.
The experience mirrors how users already compare products and seek recommendations within Reddit discussions.
Performance gets an AI boost. Alongside the new ad formats, Reddit says it continues to invest heavily in machine learning across its advertising platform.
They highlighted early testing results from a new six-second engaged video view optimization goal, which delivered:
A 130% increase in view-through rates.
A 71% improvement in video completion rates.
Reddit says its combination of machine learning and Community Intelligence enables more contextual ad targeting and content understanding across the platform.
The features and hardware disparity existing between the Galaxy S27+ and Galaxy S27 Ultra mean Samsung needed to introduce a device that would serve as a middle ground. That middle ground is the Galaxy S27 Pro, which offers the best of both worlds, effectively becoming the company’s fourth flagship. The newest rumor now claims that you’ll have another reason to upgrade next year, and here are all the juicy bits you’ve been wanting to know. Galaxy S27 Pro to inherit the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy Display, making it yet another feature arriving to the flagship If Weibo’s Digital Chat Station’s […]
Apple's planned debut of its iPhone 18 Pro lineup is fast approaching, with mere weeks left until the high-profile launch spectacle kicks off in early September. Naturally, as the proximity to the launch event increases, so does the supply chain's confidence in what the next-gen iPhone Pro duo would look like, and a consensus now appears to be forming around a thicker camera plateau to cater to the lineup's advanced camera sensors. Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro duo will likely sport a heftier camera plateau to house a 48MP ultra-large camera sensor that reportedly comes with a variable aperture optionality […]
Financial firm Jefferies outlined in a fresh report that memory prices will continue their upward momentum in the second half of this year. The global memory industry has been thrown into turmoil due to aggressive demand from the AI sector. As a result, the production shortages and the corresponding price increases have affected consumer electronics as well. However, the prices will continue to rise throughout 2027, believes the expert, with the first signs of easing in 2028. Memory Pricing Pressure Won't Ease Until 2028, Says Expert According to the details, memory prices in the third quarter can rise between 40% […]
NVIDIA's AI prowess is being deployed across Europe with 35 brand new supercomputers offering 800 Exaflops of compute. Europe Is Building 35 All-NVIDIA AI supercomputers, including Hopper, Blackwell & Rubin Deployments That Scale Up To 800 Exaflops European nations are going into a supercomputer-frenzy, and the main driver behind them is NVIDIA's latest AI ecosystem, delivering up to 800 Exaflops of deployed & announced capacities that will deliver record levels of AI compute. Today, at ISC 2026, NVIDIA and its partners unveiled this multi-year collaboration, which will encompass several deployments across 23 countries. With these supercomputers, Europe is aiming to […]
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is the third and final chapter of Square Enix's remake saga for Final Fantasy VII, which has fans chomping at the bit to learn what surprises are in store for this final outing. Some of those surprises, according to director Naoki Hamaguchi, will be the appearance of characters from spin-off titles in Revelation. That comes from a Q&A session Hamaguchi did in Shanghai, where fans had the opportunity to ask the director questions for the upcoming title. Spotted by Genki_JPN on X (formerly Twitter) via Twisted Voxel, while discussing who could appear in Final Fantasy VII […]
Intel's upcoming Refresh of the Raptor Lake will include a new family of HX SKUs, including 6+8, 8+12, and 8+16 variants. Raptor Lake Next HX Mobile Chips to Bring 14-24 Core Configuration; However, Intel is Expected to Remove the vPro Support Intel isn't just launching the Nova Lake before 2026 ends, but is also reportedly preparing for another launch, as we reportedly a few days ago. To fulfill the demands of the mainstream market, Intel is set to release Raptor Lake NEXT, which is expected to arrive in the early part of 2027 and should exist alongside the Nova Lake […]
Final Fantasy VII Revelation is bringing the iconic trilogy developed by Square Enix to a close on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch 2 in Spring 2027, featuring a massive open world to explore with the Highwind airship that promises to redefine the series' scale. If the final entry in the series were to strictly follow the story beats of the original, players wouldn't have much reason to bring Cloud and his companions back to multiple locations that already appeared in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. However, director Naoki Hamaguchi clarified in an interview with TheGamer […]
An M2 Max MacBook Pro owner living in Australia recalls the time when he had to face an ordeal to get this powerful machine replaced because it was under AppleCare+. Fortunately, in less than two months, a brand-spanking-new M5 Max MacBook Pro became his daily driver and, as a gesture of goodwill, Apple threw in store credit of $140 to purchase whatever he liked from the nearest retail outlet. Subscribing to AppleCare+ was necessary for the owner to receive the M5 Max MacBook Pro upgrade Since the M2 Max MacBook Pro stopped working in May, due to an “unexplained cause,” […]
AMD has officially launched FSR 4.1 for Radeon RX 7000 GPUs while confirming support for RDNA 3.5 & RDNA 3 GPUs coming soon. AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPU Owners Can Now Enjoy FSR 4.1 Upscaling Across 300+ Games Last month, AMD announced that it would finally bring FSR 4.1 upscaling to its older GPUs. This was a highly requested feature by Radeon owners who felt left out, especially when NVIDIA was rolling out its latest upscaling models to GPUs that were much older. In the previous announcement, AMD confirmed that Radeon RX 7000 "RDNA 3" and Radeon RX 6000 "RDNA […]
Micron and Anthropic have announced a strategic agreement to scale next-generation AI infrastructure that spans memory and storage for rising compute demands. Micron Signs Supply Agreement With Anthropic While Expanding Claude Adoption Press Release: Micron Technology today announced a strategic agreement with Anthropic that spans memory and storage AI architecture design, supply and demand, enterprise adoption of Claude across Micron, and a strategic investment in Anthropic’s Series H funding round. The agreement directly links the demands of frontier AI models to how infrastructure is designed, supplied, and deployed at scale. AI Memory and Storage Infrastructure Frontier AI models demand uncompromising […]
While the prospects for a tie-up between Google and CXMT were not too encouraging to begin with, a seasoned analyst has just decimated those odds with his less-than-enthusiastic take. Even so, there still appears to be enough room within the language used by the originator of this Google-CXMT tie-up tidbit to warrant continued vigilance. Ming Chi-Kuo states that Google has "no concrete plan to procure memory chips from CXMT" We reported last week that, according to the X account SouthernValue, Google was mulling the procurement of precious DRAM chips from China's CXMT. Also, when asked about their source at the […]
Ubisoft co-founder and Guillemot Corporation chief executive officer Claude Guillemot, brother to Ubisoft's chief executive officer Yves Guillemot, has died in a plane crash. First reported by French outlet Ouest France and later spotted by Bloomberg, the French businessman was one of two passengers on a small, twin-engine Cessna 421 plane. Both passengers died in the crash. Ubisoft is a rarity in the video game industry in that it began as a family business and is still, to this day, as much of a family business as it can be while also being a massive, global corporation. Claude Guillemot was […]
Renowned actress Deborah Ann Woll, best known as Jessica Hamby in True Blood and Karen Page in Daredevil, has spoken with CGMagazine about her lead role in God of War Laufey as the titular character. In an interview conducted during Game Con Canada, Woll confirmed what Game Director Ariel Lawrence had revealed earlier this month: Head of Creative Cory Barlog had this game in mind even before the launch of God of War 2018, and there was already a poster featuring Laufey and Phranque (the cosmic cube). This proves Barlog had a 10-year master plan that included this new title […]
The two versions of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro will be separated by the memory standard they support, with the top-end variant able to get paired with LPDDR6. Qualcomm is also offering the flexibility to bring LPDDR5X into the mix. However, a rumor claims that pairing the slower memory will mean leaving a ton of performance on the table, but that’ll mean phone makers need to make the plunge and purchase the expensive RAM, though offering the best hardware doesn’t necessarily translate into better sales. LPDDR6 RAM will be highly expensive to use with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen […]
Valve accidentally leaked the FSR 4.1.1 INT8 and as per a Redditor, this version of FSR works even with RDNA 3.5. FSR 4.1 Has Already Leaked Via Proton Experimental, and Appears to Work With Radeon iGPUs Based on RDNA 3.5 Architecture Just today, we got to see a big update from Valve, which pushed an early FSR 4.1 build through the Proton Experimental. Right when the file was spotted in the Proton Experimental depot, it was taken down quickly. However, a user managed to download it before Valve removed it. As per the Reddit user u/AtheleteDependent926, the "amdxcffx64.dll" he downloaded […]
Although we are getting closer to 2027, Sony has yet to make any official announcement about the PlayStation 6. Despite the silence on the matter, especially amidst the rising costs of components, a recent report from Embracer Group analysts suggests the next-generation system may release in 2028 or even 2029. However, there's a good chance these fears of delays will remain unwarranted, judging by the reaction of known AMD hardware leaker Kepler_L2. In a reply to a NeoGAF forum thread focused on the analyst report mentioned above, the AMD leaker dropped the iconic Danny DeVito "Nope" animated GIF from the […]
Not everyone can RMA their CPUs, and this user thought a keychain would be an appropriate usage of his $500 processor. User Reports Dead AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D on ASUS Strix X870-A; Turns the CPU Into a Keychain as He Doesn't Have the Invoice AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and other Ryzen 7000/9000 series chips are still getting cooked on AM5 motherboards, particularly on 800-series boards. We have seen a noticeable reduction in such reports, which are usually posted on Reddit. In most cases, users are having success in RMA'ing their CPUs if AMD doesn't find any consumer-induced damage, but […]
Epic Games provided some additional information on Unreal Engine 6 as Unreal Engine 5.8 is set to be the final major update to the current generation engine. The integration with UEFN, the and AI models like Claude and Gemini, alongside the eventual deprecation of the Blueprints visual scripting system and Actors framework, is making more than a few fearful that AI will completely take over game development, and Epic's reassurances that this won't happen are not enough to calm these fears, as the company has lost veteran and legendary level design guru Sjoerd "Hourences" de Jong just as the new […]
Apple has reportedly given Samsung the green light to begin OLED manufacturing of the iPhone Fold, with the exclusive deal churning out 3 million units for this year’s initial supply. Some of the most advanced display technologies, such as Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) paired with M16, are expected to be paired together, but it’ll matter little if the iPhone Fold cannot enter timely production due to its 3D printed hinge issues. Samsung’s exclusive deal with Apple will bring the most advanced OLED to the iPhone Fold, but the launch delay could be exacerbated by hinge issues The liquid metal […]
Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is about to get a Shader Injector mod, courtesy of modder David Matos. This mod aims to inject modified shaders directly into the game's rendering API, thus enabling visual improvements. A few days ago, Matos published a showcase that demonstrates an upgraded version of UE4's Deferred Directional Light Pixel Shader. The shader's BRDFs were upgraded, and the modder also added screen space ray traced shadows and micro shadows to improve the overall graphics quality of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Objects previously excluded from shadow maps can be filled with the aforementioned SSRT shadows, making […]
The first-ever 24.5" OLED gaming monitor to use an OLED panel from LG, which smashes previous expectations that the model will utilize a BOE OLED panel. ASUS ROG Strix OLED XG259QWPG Ace to Use LG Tandem OLED Panel, Offering 540 Hz Refresh Rate at 1080p Resolution Despite reports from last year indicating that Samsung would be the first one to bring a 25" OLED panel to the consumer market, the first-ever 25" OLED monitor we got from ASUS uses an OLED panel from LG Display. If you remember, at Computex, ASUS unveiled its ROG Strix OLED XG259QWPG Ace display, which […]
It has been a while since we heard anything about HLX, the project in development by Valve rumored to be Half-Life 3 which is reportedly featuring some rather advanced features. However, the project's development may not have halted at all. The contrary, actually. While Valve itself is taunting Source 2 dataminers using the engine itself, there are indications that development may have ramped up following the Steam Machine's delay, giving the development team more time to polish up the game. "Codename TF started appearing in the latter half of 2025 around the same time that most were speculating that HLX […]
A truckload of Apple products is expected to launch later this year, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max undoubtedly picking up the highest volume, giving the company’s suppliers a tremendous opportunity to etch their name as a reliable manufacturer while raking in millions. Unfortunately, China will miss out on these deals, with Korean display makers establishing lucrative partnerships with Apple. BOE once more loses out on a golden opportunity for securing Apple OLED orders, with Samsung and LG now catering to 100 percent of shipments Despite receiving multiple chances to get its act together, BOE seemingly cannot […]
AMD's latest upscaling technology won't just be exclusive to RDNA 4 GPUs as we know, and the latest update includes Linux as well. Valve Proton Experimental Reportedly Brings FSR 4 Support to AMD RDNA 3 GPUs AMD isn't just working on bringing its latest FSR 4 branch to older GPUs, but is also working on enabling it on the Linux operating system on a previous-generation GPU family. According to the latest report, Valve's Proton Experimental branch now includes support that enables FSR 4 to run on the RDNA 3 (Radeon RX 7000 series) GPUs through an unofficial implementation. The feature […]
The Last of Us Online might have died once Naughty Dog realized it would have to support it for a long time, but a modder is currently making a multiplayer mod for The Last of Us Part II, aiming to recreate the Factions experience in the newer game. The modder is Speclizer, who previously attempted to reimplement the cut Hold Up feature in the game. Since January 2026, however, he's been busy with this multiplayer project, which started as a modest proof of concept: two independent instances of Ellie, spawned and controlled simultaneously in the same game world, running only […]
Virtually every facet of the consumer electronics sphere is reeling right now from the relentless cost pressures that seem to be emanating from nearly each stage of the production process. Against this hyperinflationary backdrop, MediaTek is apparently gearing up to implement "structural" price hikes for its upcoming flagship Dimensity 9600 series chips. MediaTek's Dimensity 9600 is now expected to cost significantly more than the $180 - $200 per unit price of its predecessor According to a Taiwan-based publication, after implementing price adjustments for some of its more mature products, MediaTek is now gearing up to hike the prices of its […]
SanDisk is looking for more innovative solutions to address memory limitations, such as stacking NAND Flash within chips. Memory Limitations Push DRAM/NAND Maker To Get More Innovative, SanDisk Proposes The Stacking of NAND Flash Within Chips The rapid rise of AI & the proportional demand for compute has led to the exposure of bottlenecks, which are pushing DRAM and NAND manufacturers into going with the out-of-the-box approach. In the past, chipmakers called it a day by introducing new memory technologies, and DRAM was the primary component. But the rise in costs, development/yield drawbacks, & increased power have led to a […]
Qualcomm is working on a new refresh of its existing Snapdragon X2 CPU family, which will feature various options. Snapdragon X2 Refresh Might Be Coming Before Next-Gen X3 Series, As Qualcomm Starts Listing Various Configurations The Snapdargon X2 lineup comes in three flavors: X2 Elite Extreme, X2 Elite, and X2 Plus. The CPU family starts at 6 cores and goes all the way up to 18 cores. This year at Computex 2026, we saw the launch of the entry-tier Qualcomm C-Series chips, but these aren't the same as Snapdragon X2 offerings. While Qualcomm should be working on its next-generation X3 […]
The iPhone Air was always going to be a tough sell because the compromises that accompanied Apple’s slim flagship were always going to break your purchase. The company was reported to make amends by introducing a dual-camera configuration next year, but the latest rumor mentions a hardware downgrade that’s probably not going to sit well with the majority of buyers and may not bode well for this category’s future. Instead of the A20 Pro, Apple is rumored to use the standard A20 on next year’s iPhone Air 2 A rumor on yeux1122’s blog talks about a 48MP + 48MP rear configuration belonging […]
The Linux 7.2 Kernel Patches have seen the addition of a next-gen NVIDIA GPU architecture, cleverly listed as "Blackwell-Next". NVIDIA Ramps Up Support For Next-Gen GPU Architectures, Including Blackwell-Next, For Linux 7.2 NVIDIA's GPU architectures are not a mystery since the company has been outlining them in roadmaps for years now. We knew that Rubin was going to replace Blackwell years before its launch, and now we know that Feynman will replace Rubin. NVIDIA has only started volume production of Rubin, but internally, the company is prepping some big support for its next-generation architectures before they even ship. Phoronix spotted […]
The growing disparity in the relative strength of Samsung's various divisions is now becoming quite extreme, with its mobile division continuing to languish in ultimate purgatory, even as its semiconductor division keeps soaring, living the good life, so to speak. Samsung will earn negligible profits from its mobile division on a relative basis in Q2, establishing a troubling hierarchy of haves and have-nots under the same proverbial roof According to the tipster Ice Universe, Samsung's mobile division is likely to report a quarterly profit in Q2 that is just around 1 percent of that expected to be reported by its […]
The operational efficiency and the ability to generate billion-dollar profits every quarter are a gift that makes Apple the sight of envy for its competitors, but a report states that the company has lost its design “mojo” along the way. Thankfully, incoming CEO John Ternus appears to be the right man for the job, but his responsibilities won’t get any easier as the attribute that once defined the company needs to once again be highlighted in the products, both aesthetically and through the software. John Ternus’ expertise as a product fits perfectly with the task at hand, but the change […]
Samsung has proven that it can develop cutting-edge lithography, with its upcoming Exynos 2700 serving as an excellent example, as the company has been reported to be progressing well with its next flagship SoC. However, as far as its 2nm GAA process goes, a rumor states that when comparing Power, Performance, and Area (PPA) metrics, TSMC’s 2nm N2P is ahead in the race. This may explain why, alongside improving its 2nm process, Samsung is also developing innovative heat dissipation solutions for its top-end chipsets, as it’s a means towards holding its own against the competition. Exynos 2700 to be aided by Samsung’s […]
Marvel's Wolverine is undoubtedly shaping up to be one of the most anticipated PlayStation 5 exclusives in years. Developed by Insomniac Games — the same studio behind the widely acclaimed and best-selling Marvel's Spider-Man games — in collaboration with Marvel Games, it marks the team's first attempt at a Mature-rated, visceral action game built around one of Marvel's most iconic and brutal characters. The last game to be solely focused on Wolverine was 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a fairly mediocre tie-in of the namesake film developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. Needless to say, the expectations for this […]
The pricing question has hounded Grand Theft Auto 6 for the past couple of years, ever since Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter suggested that Rockstar Games could price the game at $100 and get away with it. Several other analysts have since scoffed at the idea, but now that we are mere days from the opening of pre-orders (scheduled for Thursday, June 25) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S and X, the discovery that the Portuguese version of FNAC (a multinational retail chain that operates across France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, and several other markets) has listed the game […]
Yesterday, NC, ArenaNet, and bilibili announced Mistbound, the first collectible card game set in the world of Guild Wars. The game is licensed by ArenaNet, developed by NC, and published globally by bilibili, targeting PC and mobile platforms. Colin Johanson, Studio Head at ArenaNet, said in a statement: We felt it was time to give Guild Wars fans a new way to play together, inspired by the card game roots of the franchise, where they could compete in a competitive PvP arena in a CCG game space. Having all those experiences they love of the characters and creatures and the […]
Ah, the ultimate PC gaming boogeyman: “Is my CPU bottlenecking my graphics card?” It’s the first question we ask ourselves when building a new rig, slapping in a shiny GPU upgrade, or wondering why a game feels like a stuttery mess despite dropping a small fortune on PC hardware. But here is the hard truth, folks: a bottleneck isn’t a permanent stamp on your PC. It is a dynamic, fast-shifting state dictated by the specific game you're playing, the resolution you're running, your graphics presets, and your target framerate. Your system can be completely GPU-bound in a graphically heavy AAA […]
TSMC is aggressively working on CoPoS (Panel-Level) packaging to replace CoWoS for growing compute demand as Glass Core Substrates take center stage. Panel-Level Packaging Is The Next Logical Step for TSMC As It Eyes CoPoS "Glass Core Substrate" Technology Over CoWoS The ever-growing AI and compute demand requires next-generation packaging technologies. Intel and TSMC are aggressively working towards that goal, and glass core substrates are going to be a major part of their trajectories moving forward. In a recent report by Commercial Times Taiwan, it is reported that TSMC is now aggressively moving towards CoPoS (Chip-On-Panel-on-Substrate) as a replacement to […]
The latest update brings NVIDIA's AI upscaling technology to the open-source NVK driver stack, improving the gaming experience on Linux. Valve and Mesa Developers Continue Closing the Feature Gap With NVIDIA's Linux Driver As DLSS Support Lands for Vulkan Games The open-source NVIDIA NVK Vulkan driver has taken a major step forward on Linux as developers merge initial support for NVIDIA's DLSS technology into Mesa 26.2. This enables AI-powered upscaling in compatible Vulkan games running on Linux operating systems. For those not familiar with NVK, it's the community-developed Vulkan driver for NVIDIA GPUs that is built within the Mesa graphics […]
A ton of attention is being focused on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, but only a modicum of it is being diverted to the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. After a torrent of leaks surrounding Qualcomm’s top-end SoC, some fresh information has leaked involving the company’s other 2nm chipset, with details revealing that it’ll share a similarity with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. However, don’t count on this as positive news, because Android phone makers will still be forced to pay a hefty premium for the silicon. Qualcomm to maintain the same package size for Snapdragon […]
NVIDIA's Vera Rubin is entering data centers soon, and the rise of Agentic AI also comes with a mammoth rise in costs. NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI Data Centers Will Be Expensive To Build & Will Consume Lots of Power, A Single GigaWatt Installation Could Cost Roughly $50 Billion The Vera Rubin era is upon us. The first systems are already being shipped to major cloud providers who are validating and testing them before bringing them up on scale. With the full volume production already going on, NVIDIA is eyeing an even bigger success than Blackwell. But as these systems are […]
It's been three years since the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards launched. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies, so AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series. AMD also introduced both X870 and B850 series chipsets for high-end and mainstream AM5 motherboards. Both of these chips provide brand-new designs and brand-new features […]
It was an easy task to upgrade the VRAM on the card, but only TU106-based GTX 1650 can be upgraded. GeForce GTX 1650 Modded With 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM Through Simple VRAM Modules Swap; Results in Double the Performance One of the easiest ways many modders can improve performance is through shunt modding, or by adding more VRAM modules to the GPU's PCB. Adding VRAM modules generally requires some firmware modifications and may or may not be supported by the GPU chip. However, it becomes an easy task when all you have to do is swap the existing memory modules […]
CD Projekt RED famously suffered a major hit to its sterling reputation with the launch of Cyberpunk 2077, mainly because of the major bugs and terribly underwhelming console performance on previous-generation hardware, which forced Sony to remove the game from the PlayStation Store until it was fixed a few months later. The Polish studio worked very hard to resolve all these technical issues and further improve the game's features and content, culminating in the release of Update 2.0 and the Phantom Liberty expansion, both of which were extremely well received and made the game very appealing to gamers once again […]
The company has decided to restore the memory encryption feature on consumer Ryzen CPUs after the backlash. AMD To Restore TSME Feature on Consumer Ryzen Chips After Removing it Silently With a BIOS Update AMD recently removed the TSME aka Transparent Secure Memory Encryption feature from the mainstream consumer Ryzen processors. It was a silent process that AMD didn't mention for the latest AGESA firmware, but was only found out after some users accidentally found that the TSME was "not supported" on their Ryzen chips, even though it was enabled previously. Some users discovered it after the latest BIOS updates, […]
Normally, when writing a review - or almost anything - I would start with a little blurb or story. Maybe it's about the genre, maybe the developer, maybe it's just some random anecdote that the game has made me think of. With The Gate Must Stand, I've got nothing. Possibly something about the Matt Damon film The Great Wall. Why? Because there's a wall in it. That's about it. Anyway, after that random detour to a film I now want to watch again, let's talk about the game. Let's start by saying The Gate Must Stand is the fifty-second game […]
Google Ads is automatically enabling conversion-based customer lists for eligible advertisers starting, with data processing scheduled to begin on Aug. 18.
The update applies to advertisers already using both Enhanced Conversions and Customer Match but who have not yet activated conversion-based customer lists.
Why we care. As privacy changes continue to reshape digital advertising, Google is increasingly encouraging advertisers to rely on first-party data. Conversion-based customer lists provide another way to build audiences using customer data already collected through conversions.
The feature could help advertisers create more relevant audience segments and improve campaign performance without requiring additional implementation work.
The details. Eligible advertisers do not need to take any action. Beginning Aug. 18, Google will start processing data and automatically make conversion-based customer lists available within affected accounts.
Advertisers can then choose whether to attach those audiences to campaigns and ad groups as part of their targeting strategy.
The catch. Advertisers who do not want the feature enabled can opt out before Aug. 18 by disabling conversion-based customer lists within their account settings.
After that date, Google will begin processing data and generating the lists automatically.
First spotted. This update was spotted by JXT Group Founder Menachem Ani, who shared the comms he recevied about it on X.
Google Ads is changing how Smart Bidding strategies are labeled, separating target-based bidding strategies from volume-based bidding strategies.
Starting this month, “Maximize conversions with a Target CPA” will once again be called Target CPA, while “Maximize conversion value with a Target ROAS” will return to Target ROAS.
Why we care. The change is designed to make it clearer whether a campaign is optimising for maximum volume or attempting to hit a specific performance target.
The details.
Maximize Conversions remains available for advertisers focused on driving as many conversions as possible within budget.
Maximize Conversion Value remains available for advertisers focused on generating the highest conversion value possible within budget.
What isn’t changing. The update is purely organisational.
Google says there are:
No changes to bidding behaviour
No changes to campaign performance
No changes required from advertisers
Campaigns will continue to bid exactly as they do today.
For API users. Google is also aligning the interface more closely with how bidding strategies are represented in the Google Ads API.
Developers should review integrations, reporting tools, and campaign creation workflows to ensure they correctly recognise standalone TARGET_CPA and TARGET_ROAS strategy types.
Google is encouraging API users to monitor future updates related to:
The BiddingStrategyType enum
Standalone TargetCpa and TargetRoas messages
Optional target settings within MaximizeConversions and MaximizeConversionValue
One of the hardest lessons in PPC has nothing to do with bidding strategies, keywords, or campaign structure. It’s knowing when to walk away from a client.
On a recent episode of PPC Live The Podcast, performance marketing strategist Laura Abreu shared how taking on the wrong client early in her career became one of her most valuable professional lessons.
When your gut is telling you something
Laura’s first client was launching an ecommerce store selling beauty products from well-known brands. On the surface, it seemed like a great opportunity, but something felt off.
The products were available elsewhere at the same price, giving customers little reason to buy from an unknown retailer. Despite her concerns, Laura ignored her instincts and accepted the project anyway.
Great marketing can’t fix a weak business model
The team tried everything. Search campaigns, Meta ads, seasonal offers, product bundles, PR activity, and customer testimonials.
After three months of testing and optimisation, they hadn’t generated a single sale. The issue wasn’t the marketing. The business simply hadn’t established a compelling reason for customers to choose them over established competitors.
The importance of market validation
Many business owners believe hiring a marketer will automatically create growth. In reality, marketing amplifies demand—it doesn’t create it.
Today, Laura asks prospective clients whether they’ve tested the market, generated sales, and gathered customer feedback before investing in advertising. If the foundations aren’t there, paid media won’t solve the problem.
Pretty creative doesn’t equal performance
One of the biggest mistakes marketers make is judging creative based on personal preference rather than data.
The team invested heavily in creating beautiful visuals, but attractive creative alone wasn’t enough to drive sales. Customers don’t buy because an ad looks good; they buy because the offer resonates with their needs.
The emotional cost of a bad client
The failed project affected Laura far beyond the campaign results. As many marketers do, she tied her self-worth to the outcome.
The experience damaged her confidence so much that she stopped taking PPC clients for a period of time. Looking back, she realised she was carrying responsibility for a business problem that advertising could never have fixed.
Why expectations matter
One lesson Laura now applies with every client is setting expectations early and clearly.
Rather than promising immediate growth, she positions advertising as a way to test assumptions, validate demand, and uncover opportunities. This creates more honest conversations and avoids unrealistic expectations from the outset.
Why Laura doesn’t work with friends or family
Perhaps the strongest lesson from the experience is a rule she follows to this day: she doesn’t work with friends or family.
Maintaining professional distance allows her to stay objective, make decisions based on data, and avoid the emotional complications that can arise when personal relationships and business become intertwined.
Reputation is more valuable than revenue
When campaigns don’t go as planned, Laura believes honesty is non-negotiable.
Whether that means admitting mistakes, offering additional support, or refunding fees where appropriate, protecting your reputation is more important than protecting your ego. In an industry built on referrals, trust is everything.
Common mistakes Laura sees in PPC accounts
Having audited accounts across multiple markets, Laura says one of the biggest mistakes marketers make is treating campaigns as “set and forget” assets. She often finds underperforming creatives left running for months, ad copy that hasn’t been refreshed, and winning ads that aren’t being scaled effectively.
She also sees businesses creating unnecessary friction in lead generation campaigns. Long-form copy, overly complex forms, and sending users to external landing pages instead of testing native lead forms can all reduce conversion rates. In her experience, simpler journeys often deliver better results.
How Laura thinks marketers should use AI
Laura sees AI as a powerful tool for automating repetitive tasks rather than replacing marketers. She recommends using it to monitor performance, automate alerts, and streamline workflows so practitioners can spend more time on strategy and client communication.
At the same time, she warns against relying blindly on AI-generated outputs. Poor-quality ad descriptions and generic messaging can hurt performance, so human oversight remains essential. The marketers who succeed will be those who combine AI efficiency with strong strategic thinking.
OpenAI is quietly expanding its advertising infrastructure, giving UK businesses early access to a self-serve Ads Manager for ChatGPT — a signal that the company is building out the tools needed to scale advertising on its rapidly growing AI platform.
What’s happening. OpenAI has begun rolling out Ads Manager Beta to businesses in the UK, according to an email sent to advertisers announcing availability of the platform.
The self-serve interface allows businesses to create advertising accounts and begin exploring campaign management tools with minimal setup friction.
How it works. The Ads Manager dashboard is organized into four core areas: campaigns, tools, billing and settings.
The interface is designed to be familiar to digital marketers, with user management and campaign controls accessible through a simplified navigation structure.
For agencies. OpenAI is advising agencies and freelancers not to create accounts on behalf of clients.
Instead, clients should:
Create their own Ads Manager account.
Navigate to Settings → Users → Invites.
Invite agency partners with appropriate permission levels.
Once invited, users receive an email prompting them to accept access and can then switch between client accounts within the platform.
The catch. Unlike Google Ads’ Manager Account (MCC) structure, advertisers cannot currently view or manage multiple accounts simultaneously from a centralized interface. Users can switch between accounts, but each account must be accessed individually.
Why we care. Access to Ads Manager gives UK brands and agencies the opportunity to understand the interface, workflows, and account structure before broader adoption begins.
By removing requirements such as upfront billing information and simplifying account creation, OpenAI is lowering barriers for marketers who want to test and familiarize themselves with ChatGPT’s emerging advertising ecosystem.
What to watch. The UK rollout offers one of the clearest indications yet that OpenAI is moving beyond experimentation and toward a scalable advertising platform.
The next questions for advertisers will be less about account setup and more about inventory, targeting capabilities, measurement tools, and how ads ultimately appear inside ChatGPT conversations.
For now, marketers are getting their first hands-on look at the infrastructure that could underpin OpenAI’s future advertising business.
First spotted. The update was spotted by Head of Paid Media at Evoluted, Chris Ridley, when he shared the comms he received on LinkedIn.
The popular free-to-play open world Wuxia action RPG Where Winds Meet, already available on PC, PlayStation 5, Android and iOS, launched on Xbox Series S and X earlier this month, featuring exclusive benefits for Game Pass subscribers. The announcement also included a tease for the game's third major expansion, titled Hidden Mountain and slated for a July launch. Following the news, we had the opportunity to send a list of questions to developer Everstone Studio via publisher NetEase Games to learn more about the development of the Xbox version and the upcoming Hidden Mountain expansion, and to address other pain points […]
Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan discussed his experience working with Elon Musk for the Terafab project and the impact that booming demand for artificial intelligence is having on the semiconductor supply chain. Tan made the remarks during the No Priors: AI, Machine Learning, Tech, & Startups podcast as he praised the trillionaire entrepreneur and commented on the memory shortage. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan Couldn't Stop Praising Elon Musk The discussion started with Elon Musk's Terafab project through which he aims to meet the demand for chips for his cars, robotics and plans for space-based data centers. Intel will manufacture chips for […]
Once again, we are expecting a price hike for the latest Radeon RX 9000 series GPUs as the DRAM market keeps pushing prices of components upwards. AMD to Raise RX 9000 Series GPU Price by 10-15%, While NVIDIA is Expected to Continue With the Current Price Trends AMD might be implementing another price hike soon, as reported by Gazlog. It's not the first time, and it certainly doesn't appear to be the last time we see such a price hike. For the last 6 months, we have been witnessing major GPU manufacturers and AIBs adjusting the prices for their GPUs […]
There is not really much that can be said when your own PR firm, typically populated with people who are most adept at putting a positive spin on even the most cataclysmic of disasters, won't step up to defend your product, as the Poplar Group appears to have just done, leaving Trump Mobile's beseiged T1 Phone in the lurch. Poplar Group has now reportedly abandoned its one-year-long PR-related association with Trump Mobile, leaving the T1 Phone in the lurch Trump Mobile had reportedly entered into a PR services contract with the Poplar Group back in June 2025. Now, just around […]
Imitation remains the highest form of flattery. After Samsung won plaudits for the Exynos 2600's novel Heat Path Block (HPB) thermal technology, Qualcomm, whose recent chips iterations have resembled a veritable inferno when it comes to their runaway heat issues, now appears to be flattering Samsung by copying its HPB tech for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro, albeit sloppily so. Qualcomm appears to be trying to tame the furnace-like credentials of its Snapdragon chips by emulating Samsung's most innovative thermal solution While clarifying that Qualcomm has prepared two and not six versions of its Snapdragon 8 Elite […]
It's been three years since the AMD AM5 motherboard platform and the 600-series motherboards launched. Since its launch, the platform has seen the launch of several CPUs in the Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000, and Ryzen 9000 families. While the 600-series motherboards provide great features & compatibility with newer Zen 5 CPUs, motherboard makers are always looking to enhance user experiences through the latest technologies, so AMD has introduced a new chipset line called the 800-series. Now, AMD has introduced both X870 and B850 series chipsets for high-end and mainstream AM5 motherboards. Both of these chips provide brand-new designs and brand-new […]
Google is bringing generative AI directly into Google Ad Manager with the launch of Ask Ad Manager, a new Gemini-powered assistant designed to help publishers analyze performance, troubleshoot issues and navigate the platform using natural language.
The beta launches this month as Google pushes deeper into AI-powered ad operations.
What’s happening. Ask Ad Manager is a conversational AI agent built specifically for publishers using Google Ad Manager.
Unlike traditional reporting tools, publishers can ask questions in plain language and receive personalized answers, recommendations and reports based on their own Ad Manager data.
Google says the tool is designed to help users move from analysis to action faster by reducing the time spent generating reports, diagnosing problems and navigating the platform.
What it can do:
Troubleshoot delivery issues.
Instead of manually pulling reports to investigate underperforming line items, publishers can ask the AI agent questions and receive guidance on potential causes and next steps.
Generate reports on demand.
Users can request custom metrics, benchmarks and performance reports through a simple prompt rather than building multiple reports manually.
Navigate Ad Manager faster.
Ask Ad Manager can direct users to relevant pages within the platform and automatically apply the appropriate filters and settings based on the conversation.
Why we care. For publishers managing large inventories and complex campaigns, the ability to quickly surface insights and diagnose issues could reduce operational workload and accelerate decision-making.
The feature also reflects a growing shift across ad tech toward AI agents that can perform tasks and streamline workflows instead of simply generating information.
Looking ahead. Google says Ask Ad Manager is just the beginning of a broader move toward what it calls a more “agentic” future for advertising operations.
The company plans to introduce additional AI capabilities throughout the year, including developer tools such as REST APIs and an MCP server to support workflow automation and integrations.
Google is also developing specialized agents that could help publishers and agencies discover inventory, negotiate deals and execute campaigns more efficiently.
Bottom line. Ask Ad Manager brings Gemini-powered assistance directly into Google Ad Manager, giving publishers a new way to access insights, resolve issues and manage advertising operations through natural language prompts.
USA Today Co. is using AI-assisted shell files to publish breaking sports coverage faster. The strategy is designed to capture search traffic before Google’s AI Overviews summarize the news.
The publisher tested the approach during the 2026 Winter Olympics and is now using it for coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Digiday reported.
USA Today pre-writes breaking stories. The USA Today network, which includes the flagship site and more than 200 local publications, creates automated shell files for likely breaking news events. AI pulls subheads, photos, and links from the publisher’s archive. Editors turn that material into ready-to-publish files, allowing reporters to add new details, update the headline, and publish quickly.
“We’re trying not to be as reliant on SEO strategy. Pre-writes are huge,” Alicia DelGallo, USA Today Sports editorial director, told Digiday.
The search window is shrinking. Publishers have long pre-written stories to move faster in Google Search. AI Overviews have increased the pressure.
DelGallo said USA Today wants to publish while search interest is still rising, before Google has enough information to generate an AI Overview.
Barry Adams, founder of Polemic Digital, told Digiday he has seen AI Overviews appear for news events within about four hours and no later than half a day, though he said there is no firm data yet.
Olympics coverage drove 116 million views. USA Today Co. said its national and local network generated 116 million page views from Winter Olympics coverage between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28. The flagship USA Today site drew 91 million page views, up 82% from the 2022 Winter Olympics.
DelGallo said the shell-file system helped the publisher move quickly on breaking Olympics coverage, including Lindsey Vonn’s crash.
Why we care. AI Overviews can compress breaking news into answers within hours. Publishing first improves your chances of capturing search demand before Google answers the query itself.
World Cup gets the playbook. USA Today Co. is now using the system for World Cup coverage, with five shell files ready each day. The publisher is also investing in original reporting. It has reporters in all 16 host cities and a dedicated World Cup hub.
DelGallo said the newsroom wants stories that don’t read like generic search content. That means stronger byline authority, more on-the-ground reporting, and angles readers can’t find elsewhere.
Traffic may still fall short. USA Today Co. has 40 million monthly unique visitors to its sports content and expects a World Cup traffic boost, especially with the U.S. co-hosting the tournament. DelGallo said USA Today still expects “massive audience” spikes from the World Cup. But she said AI Overviews have likely lowered the traffic ceiling compared with a year ago.
Google Ads is rolling out a beta that allows advertisers to connect additional data sources directly to website conversion actions, giving marketers a new way to supplement tag-based measurement with backend conversion data.
The feature enables advertisers to combine conversion signals collected through Google tags with transaction data from systems such as CRMs, order databases and ecommerce platforms.
What’s new. Advertisers can now attach an additional data source to an existing website conversion action through Google Ads Data Manager or the Data Manager API.
The beta is designed to supplement — not replace — website tagging by allowing advertisers to send conversion data from backend systems into the same conversion action used for campaign measurement and optimization.
Why we care. The new beta helps fill conversion measurement gaps by combining Google tag data with first-party data from backend systems like CRMs and order databases. This can recover conversions that may be missed due to browser restrictions, privacy settings, or ad blockers, giving advertisers a more complete view of campaign performance.
Why Google launched it. According to Google, combining tag-based measurement with backend conversion data can help advertisers create a more complete picture of conversions and improve campaign performance.
The company says the feature can help:
Recover conversions that may not be captured by website tags.
Improve measurement resilience.
Provide more comprehensive data for automated bidding.
Simplify data integration through Data Manager.
How it works. The system combines website conversion data collected through Google tags with conversion records uploaded from an advertiser’s backend systems.
To prevent duplicate reporting, Google uses transaction IDs to identify and deduplicate conversions between the tag and the additional data source within the same conversion action.
What advertisers need to know. The beta is currently limited to website conversion actions that use Google tag or Google Tag Manager implementations.
It is not available for:
Google Analytics imported conversions.
URL-based conversion actions.
Google recommends adding an additional data source to an existing conversion action rather than creating a new one to avoid potential double-counting across campaign goals.
Data requirements. Every upload must include:
Transaction ID.
Conversion date and time.
Advertisers must also provide at least one attribution identifier, such as hashed customer information or a Google click identifier.
Google recommends uploading conversion data as quickly as possible and ensuring uploaded conversion values match the same currency format used by website tags.
Bottom line. The beta marks Google’s latest effort to strengthen conversion measurement by bringing backend transaction data directly into Google Ads. As advertisers look for more complete performance data, the new capability offers a streamlined way to supplement website measurement with first-party business data.
AI is changing how Americans search for information. A new Pew Research Center report found that 60% read AI-generated summaries at the top of search results, and about 40% use chatbots to find information.
AI-generated answers now appear across both traditional search results and dedicated chatbot platforms, including tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, Pew found.
AI summaries reach most searchers. Six in 10 U.S. adults said they’ve read AI summaries at the top of search results, Pew found. Three in 10 said they haven’t.
Another 10% were unsure, suggesting some users don’t clearly recognize AI summaries in search results.
Men were slightly more likely than women to report reading them, 63% versus 57%. Adults 65 and older were the least likely age group to read them.
Chatbots are search tools. About half of U.S. adults now use AI chatbots, up from about one-third in 2024. Roughly one in four adults use them daily.
Searching for information was the most common chatbot use Pew measured. About 40% of U.S. adults use chatbots for search, ahead of entertainment, image and video creation, medical advice, fitness information, news, emotional support, and companionship.
Work was close behind. Among employed adults, 38% said they use chatbots for job-related tasks.
ChatGPT dominates. ChatGPT remains the most widely used chatbot by a wide margin. Pew found that 44% of U.S. adults now use ChatGPT, up from 34% last year and more than double the share measured in 2023.
Gemini ranked second, with about a quarter of adults using it. Copilot and Meta AI followed.
Grok, Claude, and Character.ai had much smaller reach. About one in 10 adults or fewer said they had used each tool.
Why we care. People now find information through traditional results, AI summaries, and chatbot answers. A traditional search ranking may not reflect every place people now find answers.
About the data. Pew Research Center surveyed 5,119 U.S. adults from Feb. 17-23, 2026, through its nationally representative American Trends Panel. The full-sample margin of error was plus or minus 1.6 percentage points.
A coalition including Google, Microsoft, and GitHub published Agentic Resource Discovery, an open draft spec for how AI agents find and verify tools online.
Google AI Overviews cited self-promotional “best” listicles while excluding the brands behind them from recommendations in 69% of cases, according to a new analysis of B2B software queries by Lily Ray.
Brands have used self-serving listicles to influence AI search results, but Ray found Google often cited those pages while recommending competitors instead.
By the numbers. Ray analyzed 100 B2B “best [category] software” queries in Google AI Overviews across three dates: April 15, May 15, and June 8.
Of the 80 prompts that triggered an AI Overview, self-promotional listicles were cited 323 times.
In 224 cases, Google cited a brand’s own page but didn’t recommend that brand.
Competitors get recommended. Ray documented several cases where Google cited a brand’s “best” listicle while recommending better-known competitors.
For “best LMS for selling courses,” Google cited Oasis LMS but did not recommend it. Instead, it recommended Kajabi, Thinkific, LearnWorlds, and Teachable — all of which are named in the Oasis LMS article.
Similar patterns appeared in queries for help desk, task management, survey, CRM, and SEO software.
Stronger brands still appeared. Brands that already led their categories, were widely mentioned by third-party sources, and had stronger link profiles were more likely to appear in AI Overview recommendations, according to Ray.
The data showed a consistent split between citations and recommendations. A brand’s page could appear as a source while competitors received the recommendation.
Organic visibility fell. Ray also reported organic search declines for many sites that relied heavily on self-promotional listicles.
The declines began around Jan. 20, across dozens of sites she analyzed. Many also scaled other SEO- and GEO-focused content formats, including AI-generated articles, comparison pages, and large volumes of “best” pages ranking their own brand first.
Those declines continued and accelerated during Google’s May 2026 core update, according to Ray.
Review sites gained citations. Ray found Google relied heavily on third-party and user-generated-content sites for “best” queries, with Reddit citations increasing sharply in recent months.
Forbes, Reddit, and YouTube were among the most-cited domains in AI Overview responses containing “best.”
Why we care. A citation is not a recommendation. Your content can appear in an AI answer while helping competitors capture the visibility that matters most.
Search Engine Land also reported that the tactic may create legal risk under the FTC’s Consumer Review Rule when company-controlled content is presented as independent reviews, reviews are not based on real use, or material relationships are not clearly disclosed.
About the data. Using Ahrefs Brand Radar, Ray collected AI Overview answer text and cited sources for 100 B2B “best [category] software” queries at three checkpoints between April and June. The analysis measured two outcomes: whether a self-promotional listicle was cited and whether the brand behind it was recommended.
Adobe announced a new solution to help businesses ensure their brands are visible, trusted, and chosen across AI surfaces.
Called Adobe Brand Visibility, the product is part of Adobe CX Enterprise, an agentic AI system designed to simplify customer lifecycle management — from acquisition and prospect engagement to conversion and long-term loyalty.
AI traffic is exploding. The use of LLMs to identify and research products and services marks a significant shift for both marketers and consumers. Alongside the announcement, Adobe released data showing substantial growth in LLM usage. AI traffic to U.S. retail sites surged 1,324% between October 2024 and May 2026. In the travel sector, AI traffic increased 2,215% over the same period.
“We used to get back the same thing (a SERP page with links on it). Now, the answers appear to be random, but they aren’t at scale. But companies don’t have tools to do it,” Loni Stark, vice president of strategy and product, Adobe, told MarTech.
Measuring brand visibility in AI search. Adobe Brand Visibility is Adobe’s first generative engine optimization (GEO) product since its acquisition of Semrush in May. It combines Adobe LLM Optimizer with Semrush’s AI Optimization tool.
Adobe Brand Visibility draws on nearly 300 million real-world AI search prompts, which Adobe says is the largest global database of its kind, helping teams identify which prompts they’re winning or losing.
Combined with Adobe’s first-party signals from owned channels, the platform gives marketers a view of how their brands appear across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity. Metrics include mention frequency, audience reach, competitive share of voice, and content gaps. AI agents then surface prioritized recommendations, enabling teams to deploy updates quickly and measure their impact directly in the platform.
Competitive intelligence. Adobe Brand Visibility includes competitive brand comparison tools that let marketers benchmark against competitors, identify where their brands are cited, track brand mentions, and analyze historical trends.
The platform also includes SEO intelligence, reflecting the continued importance of SEO fundamentals in AI search visibility. Powered by Semrush data spanning 28.5 billion keywords and 43 trillion backlinks collected over 17 years, it shows where existing search authority should be generating AI citations and where content investments can close gaps across both channels.
There’s still much to learn about how LLMs work and how brands can improve visibility, but Star is confident Adobe is well positioned to lead in this space.
“Adobe had owned data. Semrush had data and trends. We don’t have all of the answers, but we have the best data,” Stark said.
The UK's CMA introduced two new conduct requirements for Google Search, covering fair ranking of organic results including AI Overviews, and search data portability.
Microsoft Advertising launches Product Explorer, a new Merchant Center tool that helps advertisers analyze feed health, product status, and performance data.
Looking to take the next step in your search marketing career?
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ABOUT NOGIGIDDY NoGigiddy is a digital platform built for gig workers, side hustlers, and anyone building an income outside the traditional 9-to-5. We connect our community with real earning opportunities — remote jobs, surveys, gig platforms, and financial tools — all in one place, free to access, no gatekeeping. We built what we wish had […]
Animalz is a content marketing agency that partners with B2B SaaS companies, venture capital firms, and other tech organizations to drive long-term, sustainable growth through high-quality content. Our fully remote team of strategists and content marketers delivers content strategies tailored to each customer’s goals and context. We pride ourselves on our deep interest and understanding […]
About Veracity: Veracity is the first doctor-developed, clinically proven metabolic health system designed to fix what’s actually wrong—not just patch symptoms. Supported by a team of 11 doctors and our Chief Science Officer with a PhD in cellular biology, previously the creator of Nutrafol, and backed by leading investors including Maveron, Melitas, L Catterton, and […]
Bright Data Ltd. is seeking a results-driven Marketing Manager – Americas to own regional pipeline growth across AI and non-AI offers. This hybrid position requires building and executing country-specific marketing plans, improving lead quality, and collaborating with various stakeholders. The ideal candidate will have proven experience in B2B marketing and a strong understanding of pipeline […]
Zocdoc is seeking a Strategic Finance Senior Manager to support its marketing teams in New York. This role is essential for driving growth and improving investment efficiency through data analytics and actionable insights. The ideal candidate should have over 8 years of experience in finance or analytics, excellent proficiency in Excel, and a strong understanding […]
Mammoth Brands, based in New York, is looking for a Growth Marketing Manager to enhance customer acquisition across Harry’s and Flamingo brands. This role emphasizes data-driven strategies for profitable growth through managing digital marketing campaigns on platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Reddit. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with internal teams and external partners to […]
Mitchell Martin is seeking an E-commerce Advertising Specialist for a hybrid role based in New York, NY. This full-time position involves optimizing advertising strategies for enterprise clients on major eCommerce platforms. The ideal candidate will develop and manage advertising strategies, analyze campaign performance, and collaborate with clients to meet business goals. Candidates should have a […]
Lead organic strategy for a portfolio of clients, building annual and quarterly roadmaps that account for both traditional SEO performance and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) visibility across AI-driven search environments.
Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, guiding strategic conversations around organic growth, AI Overviews, LLM-powered discovery tools, and how evolving search behavior impacts brand visibility and competitive positioning.
Act as the lead interpreter of search performance and visibility quality across both traditional and AI-led discovery experiences
Maintain a broad expertise across the evolving landscape of LLMs and generative engines, including Google Gemini, OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, and other leading frontier models
Write and publish high-quality, search-optimized content on a consistent cadence, including (but not limited to) blogs, thought leadership, comparison pages, FAQs, infographics, and other digital content assets.
Create structured, answer-first content designed to be surfaced in AI-generated responses and LLM-driven experiences.
Own and scale Talkiatry’s paid search program end-to-end, including forecasting, budgeting, pacing, bidding strategies, account structure, and creative testing for Google, Bing, and ZocDoc.
Develop and execute a rigorous testing roadmap, including ad copy, keyword strategy, landing page variants, and automation/algorithmic controls; quantify impact using sound experimental design.
Google's information agents are now available in all AI Mode languages and markets for AI Ultra subscribers, with expansion to more people planned this summer.
Reddit gains ground after the May core update, new zero-click data lands, Google updates its SEO guidance, and Business Profile data comes to Analytics.
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