Meta says AI is making it easier to build new apps — and more are coming

Meta is using AI to quickly launch apps, and more are on the way. During this week’s second-quarter earnings call, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the social giant has new apps in the works, following a recent spate of other launches that included an app for Marketplace sellers, one for Facebook Groups, a vibe-coded gaming app, a new photos app from Instagram, and an experiment involving AI bedtime stories.

Google Voice paid subscriptions offer more than just a phone number - Engadget

Here's what you get when you upgrade.

Google Voice is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service that provides individuals and small businesses with a virtual phone number they can use for calls, texts and voicemails. It uses either a web or mobile app, and the advantage is that your personal phone number is kept private. A call or text message is routed through your internet connection or mobile carrier network, so you're able to communicate not only from your smartphone but also from a deskphone or even your computer. There's even the option to make and receive calls directly from the Gmail app. But Google Voice can do a lot more with the right plan.

Maingear introduces a new lineup of hidden-cable 'Zero' pre-built PCs - Engadget

The machines, which move wires to the back of the case for a clean look, now offer NVIDIA's latest GPUs.

Maingear

Nano Banana image generation comes to Google Earth - Engadget

This lets people "visualize the past" via AI-created pictures.

Google just announced that its Nano Banana image generation tool is coming to Google Earth, of all things. What's the possible use case here? The company has offered a few options.

Here's how to switch from ChatGPT to Claude without losing any information - Engadget

A little copy/pasting is all it takes.

OpenAI, Anthropic

If you're moving from ChatGPT to Claude, you don't have to start with a clean slate. Earlier this year, Anthropic added Claude's Import Memory feature, which lets you bring over saved context from other chatbots. Here's how to get the best results.

Framework Laptop 13 Pro review: A repairable notebook at the top of the class - Engadget

But the RAMpocalypse-inflated price makes it hard to recommend right now.

Daniel Cooper for Engadget

RATING : 8.9 / 10

Framework has spent the last six years showing the industry it's possible to build a modular and repairable laptop. But CEO Nirav Patel knows there's a ceiling to its ambitions it needs to smash if it wants to take its place among the giants of the industry. It needs to improve the look and feel of its machines, while boosting performance, to the point where a Framework product isn't seen as a compromise.

Here's why you shouldn't throw away your old iPhone - Engadget

Even if it no longer receives updates, there's plenty it can still do

umitc/Shutterstock

Who doesn't have an old iPhone lying in a drawer somewhere? I have old ones dating all the way back to the iPhone 4S. There will come a time when the device's battery dies completely and it will no longer power on. If the phone still works, however, but software and security support has lapsed, there's still a lot you can do with the device. Consider that iOS 27 can run on iPhones as old as the iPhone 11!