Samsung’s first-ever Galaxy Z TriFold went on sale this past Friday, but it sold out in minutes. This folding phone differs from the 7th-generation Galaxy Z Fold7 in that its screen can expand to a whopping 10 inches, turning it into a proper tablet. That also means it commands an incredibly high price of $2,899. It’s the first device of its kind here in the West, though Huawei has its own version in China.
You’ll have to sign up at Samsung.com to receive notifications of when the next batch of Galaxy Z TriFolds will be available. The company says it has limited units at select Samsung Experience Stores across the US in states such as New York, Texas, California, and Minnesota.
Leak Gives Us a Glimpse at Google’s Aluminium OS
Google hasn’t been quiet about hinting at its future plans of converging Android and Chromebooks into a single operating system, reportedly known as Aluminium OS internally. But now we may have our first peek at what it’ll look like, as picked up by 9to5 Google. Admittedly, the glimpse is a bit limited, but a couple of official images and a video have been pulled from a bug report that reveal the interface, which has since been removed by Google.
The brief look shows that Aluminium OS really does feel like Android and ChromeOS stitched together. The windowing and browser elements feel pulled from ChromeOS, while the rest of the interface seems to take more cues from Android. Specifically, the taskbar and start screen look a lot like the desktop mode in Android 16. The video shows two instances of Google Chrome running in split-screen, a common setup for Chromebooks, before briefly opening the Google Play Store in a separate window. Either way, according to what we’re seeing here, Aluminium OS may not end up feeling like a significant divergence from what’s available. That’ll be important if Google hopes to keep the Chromebook business running in education markets.
While Aluminium OS will reportedly replace ChromeOS in the long run, that may take years, and Chromebooks themselves aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But rumors indicate that we will see an official launch of its cross-platform operating system sometime later this year as Google gradually integrates its platforms. —Luke Larsen
Vivaldi’s New Update Shuns AI
Vivaldi, an alternative web browser, recently released an update to its tab organization tools, but the update is more notable for what it doesn’t include: AI. “While every major browser is racing to cram AI assistants into their products, Vivaldi is dropping a middle finger to that entire approach,” writes Vivaldi CEO Jon von Tetzchner.
Gear Roundup
All the top gear news of the week in one place. Here’s more you may have missed this week:
After 5 Years, Apple Finally Upgrades the AirTagGoogle’s New Chrome ‘Auto Browse’ Agent Attempts to Roam the Web Without YouIntel’s Panther Lake Chip Is Its Biggest Win in Years
With Google’s Chrome browser now integrating the company’s Gemini 3 LLM model to handle tasks like booking flights and finding apartments, Vivaldi is positioning itself as the browser that remains AI-free. Instead, Vivaldi plans to double down on tools for humans because “human intelligence, equipped with genuinely powerful tools, beats artificial algorithmic assistants every single time,” says Tetzchner.
The new “powerful tools” in this release include some improvements to Tab Tiling, Vivaldi’s feature for having two tabs (two web pages, or more) side-by-side in the same window. Vivaldi 7.8 adds a new feature that allows you to tile tabs using drag and drop. Grab any tab in your tab bar and drag it onto the current tab, and Vivaldi will tile the two side-by-side. Where you drag it determines how the tab is tiled, to the left, right, top, or bottom, depending on where you want it.
Other new features in this update include easier access to Vivaldi’s integrated mail client and a user-requested feature that allows you to restrict pinned tabs to a single domain. Vivaldi 7.8 can be downloaded from the Vivaldi website. —Scott Gilbertson
Samsung Makes a Sustainable Screen
Samsung is always experimenting with new display technology, but sustainability fans will be especially interested in its most recent innovation: phytoplankton-based bio-resin in screens. The material is a part of a new color e-paper display from Samsung, where it is used in the housing.
“The display’s housing has been independently verified by global safety and sustainability certification organization UL to consist of 45 percent recycled plastic and 10 percent phytoplankton-based bio-resin,” Samsung says. “This material innovation was developed as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based plastics, which can reduce carbon emissions in the manufacturing process by more than 40 percent.”
The use of advanced modern plastics is on brand for the purpose of these screens; the new display is designed largely for retailers who might use traditional paper signage, allowing folks to change displays and images without printing new paper for every change of season or sale. They’re rechargeable via USB-C and have a 1600 x 1200 resolution in a 4 x 3 aspect ratio. —Parker Hall
Split Launches a Revolutionary Full-Glow Chrono
As a relatively new London-based brand launched in 2024, Spilt’s winning aesthetic has been described (rather whimsically) as a MoonSwatch and Royal Oak mashup. But as a portion of every sale supports mental health charities, thankfully, there’s more to Split than just good-looking timepieces. Until now, my clear favorite piece was the searingly yellow Sub-7. This new In the Skies model, however, might have just replaced it. Why? Well, who doesn’t love an all-white watch? This piece, however, has a particular party trick—one for when things turn dark.
Some 18 months in development, the 42mm In The Skies is the first ever full-glow watch to reach production, beating IWC’s much-anticipated Ceralume chronograph to the punch. And at just £1,800 (about $2,480), it is a safe bet that this watch is considerably cheaper than the IWC will be when it eventually hits stores.
Inside is a bi-compax automatic chronograph movement (allowing two sub-dials at 3 and 9 o’clock) from Seiko, visible through an exhibition caseback. And for protection from the elements, there’s a screw-down crown and 100 meters of water resistance. The all-important, all-over glow is achieved by infusing a “secret ratio” of Japanese luminous powder directly into the strap and case materials during manufacture. If you like this as much as I do, you’d better be quick, as it’s a limited edition of just 250 pieces. —Jeremy White
Frankfurt Airport Tests Auracast for Gate Announcements
If you’ve ever strained to hear gate announcements for your flight (let’s face it, we all have at some point), you’ll be pleased that Frankfurt Airport is trialling Bluetooth Auracast to send gate announcements directly to a passenger’s hearing aids, wireless earbuds, and smartphones. Forget about muffled loudspeaker announcements, because Auracast can send boarding calls, changes, or delays straight to supported smartphones, like Pixels or Samsung phones, and on to connected, Auracast-enabled earbuds or headphones. It also works with apps from Auracast-enabled GN hearing devices.
Auracast is the biggest advancement for the popular wireless connectivity standard Bluetooth in years. It enables multiple people to connect to the same audio stream simultaneously and has many possible uses, from watching a movie together on a smartphone in the back of a car to audio from TVs in public spaces like the gym. It can also enhance accessibility for the deaf and hard of hearing, allowing them to stream audio directly to their hearing aids at public venues.
Initially being trialled at two busy gates in Frankfurt Airport, Auracast has been integrated into the German company, Sittig Technologies’ PAXGuide announcement platform, which could enable it to roll out across the country without airports having to replace their existing systems. It’s exciting to see such a well-known technology evolving to improve accessibility in public spaces. —Simon Hill
The post Gear News of the Week: Samsung’s TriFold Sells Out in Minutes, and a Leak Teases Google’s New OS appeared first on Wired.
