An overview of Google’s ongoing crisis resilience efforts and mission, shared at the AI for the Planet event.
From the hottest looks to the coolest dessert flavor, our new Summergeist report shows what’s trending for summer 2026.
AI is becoming the biggest selling point in the premium smartphone category. GenAI-capable smartphones are projected to represent 45% of shipments in 2026, up from 36% in 2025, with Apple and Samsung driving the upgrade cycle.
By 2027, that figure is expected to cross 52%, turning generative AI from a premium feature into a mainstream expectation. Samsung and Apple are positioned at the center of this transition.
Both companies are trying to convince users that AI, not another camera upgrade or faster processor, is the reason to replace an existing smartphone.
According to Counterpoint Research, global smartphone shipments are expected to fall 13.9% year over year in 2026 to 1.08 billion units, marking the lowest level on record.
Samsung moved earlier than most competitors with Galaxy AI, building a broader AI experience around features such as generative photo editing, live translation, writing assistance, and more contextual interactions.
Apple is taking a different route. With the iPhone 17 series, Apple expanded its AI capabilities across nearly its entire smartphone lineup. The upgraded Siri has Gemini capabilities at its core, handled by Apple systems.
Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak noted that GenAI capability has already become common in high-end smartphones above the $400 wholesale price point, but the industry still faces a major challenge.
Consumers have already seen AI photo editing, translation tools, and productivity features. The next step is convincing users that these capabilities save time or change how they interact with their phones.
A smartphone that can summarize information, manage daily tasks, understand personal context, and take useful actions without constant input could create a stronger upgrade reason.
Counterpoint Senior Analyst Karn Chauhan highlighted that Google Gemini has become a major foundation layer for premium smartphone AI, supporting experiences across Samsung, Apple, and other global smartphone brands.
Samsung and Apple are both protecting their own advantages. Samsung combines Galaxy AI with its Android ecosystem and hardware portfolio, while Apple relies on its tight software and device integration.
The next phase of the smartphone market will not be decided by who adds the most AI features to a spec sheet. It will be decided by which company can make AI genuinely useful every day while keeping devices affordable enough.
The post Samsung and Apple drive the next smartphone upgrade cycle with AI appeared first on Sammy Fans.
The global smartwatch market keeps growing steadily. Shipments are up modestly, and people are willing to pay a bit more for newer models packed with better health tracking, AI features, and connectivity options.
According to Counterpoint Research, global smartwatch shipments grew 4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026. At the same time, the average selling price jumped 6%, thanks to more advanced sensors, AI capabilities, 5G RedCap, satellite connectivity, and a general shift toward premium devices.
Apple continues to lead the pack worldwide with a 23% market share. The company also saw the fastest growth among the top brands, with shipments rising 21% compared to last year. Analyst Anshika Jain pointed out that the Apple Watch SE 3 has been a big hit, pulling in new users with its more affordable price and upgraded health features like better sleep tracking, mood monitoring, and arrhythmia detection.
China is turning into one of the strongest growth markets, with smartwatch shipments jumping 15% year-on-year. Huawei dominates there with roughly 40% market share, followed by Imoo and Xiaomi. Huawei’s success comes from offering watches across many price ranges, tight integration with its HarmonyOS ecosystem, and a strong focus on health features like sleep tracking, emotional wellbeing, and arrhythmia detection. Government subsidies on electronics have also helped boost upgrades and wider adoption.
Thanks to its strong performance in China, Huawei holds a solid 17% global market share, putting it in second place overall.
As AI and smarter sensors become standard, smartwatches are clearly moving toward more intelligent, health-focused devices. The market still has good momentum, especially in key regions, but companies will have to navigate supply issues and pricing challenges as competition heats up.
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(Source: Counterpoint)
The post Huawei commanded 40% of the Chinese smartwatch market in Q1 2026 appeared first on Gizmochina.
Juneteenth, June 19, is a federal holiday — Emancipation Day for black Americans.
Zim Satcher, a Rio Rancho boxing trainer, is a Black man who studied The Sweet Science with the late Joe Louis Murphy, a Black boxer named for a Black boxer. Murphy, an Albuquerque native, was a boyhood friend of the late Bob Foster, a Black man and New Mexico’s first professional world champion.
When Satcher called the Journal last week, he said it wasn’t really with a story in mind. He was just extending an invitation to come by and see how his boxing club was growing — and how his son, Zimbalist Satcher Jr., was progressing.
But Satcher did reference Juneteenth, in essence extending an invitation to reflect on the Black community’s contribution to boxing in New Mexico.
For Satcher, that begins and ends with Murphy, who died in 2023 at age 86.
“He was a hero to many,” Satcher said, “and he was an African-American hero here.”
For most of us, though, it began with Foster, the undisputed world light heavyweight champion from May 1968 to June 1974 — having successfully defended the title 13 times.
Foster (51-8-1, 46 knockouts) ranks among the fiercest punchers of all time. A charter member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he died in 2015 at 76.
Of New Mexico’s five world men’s world champions — Foster, Johnny Tapia, Danny Romero, Austin Trout and Angelo Leo — two, Foster and Trout, are Black.
Murphy was never a world champion. His record, (13-11-3, four KOs), compiled between 1955 and 1966, may seem unimpressive, particularly in comparison to Foster’s. Murphy’s contributions continued through the decades, however, as a trainer and promoter.
Professional boxing’s U.S. fan base is predominantly Hispanic, especially in the Southwest. As a natural consequence, so are most of the boxers.
Not all.
Trout (37-5-1, 18 KOs), a Las Cruces southpaw, defeated Rigoberto Alvarez for the WBA junior middleweight title in February 2011 and successfully defended four times — one of those against Puerto Rican legend Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden — before losing the belt to Rigoberto’s brother Canelo in April 2013.
Trout continues to campaign in bare-knuckle fighting. Unbeaten (5-0) in BKFC competition, he’s scheduled to face Ben Bonner on July 3 in Philadelphia for that organization’s lightweight title.
He was a USA Boxing national champion and a 2004 Olympic alternate as an amateur.
Foster, Trout and Murphy, then, stand out among New Mexico’s Black fighters and contributors.
There have been others.
Siju Shabazz, Trout’s former training partner in Las Cruces, won a Golden Gloves national title in 2007. Shabazz was 6-3 with five KOs as a pro, campaigning from 2012-17.
It’s in the amateur ranks that lighter-weight Black New Mexicans made the most impact.
Earl Large (119 pounds) and Brooks Byrd (125), both of Clovis, won Golden Gloves national titles in 1967. Santa Fe’s Ray Theragood (119) did so in 1972.
Large boxed professionally from 1968-79, compiling a 38-17 record with 16 KOs. Byrd was 20-8-2 with 15 KOs as a pro from 1971-76. Theragood did not box as a pro.
Other New Mexico Black boxers from the pro ranks: Bruce Sewell (3-2-1, ‘85-86); Jason Bray, a Bob Foster protégé who fashioned a 6-0 (3 KOs) pro record from 1982-86 before moving on in life; Tony Foster (6-2, four KOs, ‘84-88), Bob’s son; Tony McNary (3-2, two KOs,’85-86); Richard Fowler (13-20-1, five KOs, ‘75-95); Bobby Alexander (1-2, one KO, ‘85-03); Jay Murphy (2-4, no KOs, ‘85-86), Joe Louis Murphy’s nephew; most recently, Jordan Gregory (2-3-3, no KOs, 2017-23).
The contribution of Black trainers like Joe Louis Murphy (Albuquerque), Willie Hall (Roswell), Henry Compton (Alamogordo) and Zim Satcher (Rio Rancho) should not go unappreciated.
Research in “Nature” shows our conversational AI system matches primary care physicians in complex disease management.
Read full article: https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/how-independent-hotels-can-improve-ai-travel-visibility-and-direct-bookings-in-2026/
How Independent Hotels Can Improve AI Travel Visibility and Direct Bookings in 2026How Independent Hotels Can Improve AI Travel Visibility...
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