Author: The Tech Guy

I have always been drawn to the hidden layers of the technology we use every day. We spend plenty of time arranging home screens and adjusting surface-level settings, yet there is often an entire lower tier of the operating system that manufacturers keep out of sight. On Samsung Galaxy devices, that curtain is easy to pull back if you know the right sequence. There is no need to root your phone, connect it to a computer, or risk your warranty. All it takes is dialing a short code on the keypad. The code is *#9900#, which opens a utility called…

TL;DR The Galaxy S26 Ultra and S26 Plus have surfaced in official-looking images, giving us the clearest look yet at Samsung’s next flagship. Flat frames, a centered punch-hole selfie cam, and subtly rounded corners keep the S26 Ultra familiar. The leak spotlights a fingerprint-resistant matte black finish, with white, violet, and blue also expected. These new images, shared by YTECHB, show the Galaxy S26 Ultra and its sibling, the S26 Plus, from multiple angles that highlight the changes Samsung is making.As previous leaks suggested, Samsung seems to be moving away from the ring-style cutouts seen in recent models. Instead, it…

Laura Oliveira fell in love with swimming at 70. She won her first competition three decades later. Longevity runs in her family. Her aunt Geny lived to 110. Her two sisters thrived and were mentally sharp beyond a century. They came from humble backgrounds, didn’t stick to a healthy diet—many loved sweets and fats—and lacked access to preventative screening or medical care. Extreme longevity seems to have been built into their genes.Scientists have long sought to tease apart the factors that influence a person’s lifespan. The general consensus has been that genetics play a small role; lifestyle and environmental factors…

TikTok recently launched an app called PineDrama to cash in on the rising popularity of vertical, short-form scripted dramas. Now, Instagram appears to be preparing to follow suit. Unlike TikTok, however, the Meta-owned platform may integrate the feature directly into its main app. According to a recent post from leaker Alessandro Paluzzi on X, Instagram may soon introduce a new feature that will allow creators to publish short dramas on the platform. A screenshot of the in-development feature suggests these episodes would appear in a new tab on a creator’s profile page, alongside the grid, Reels, reposts, and mentions tabs.…

I’ll admit upfront that the headline is an exaggeration. I don’t hate ultra-thin TVs — obviously, in at least one way, they’re amazing compared to what I had growing up. As late as my early 20s, I was still using a 40-inch CRT that was so bulky it took two people to get it into an apartment, even with the help of a dolly. Conversely, the 65-inch version of Samsung’s The Frame Pro is so thin and light that I could hang it high on a wall without a stepladder if my arms stretched that much. What made me think…

In August 2025, OpenAI released its long-awaited GPT-5 AI model, calling it the “smartest, fastest, and most useful model yet.” But what really caught the attention of the company’s most diehard fans was the decision to retire all of its previous AI models, news that was met with a massive outcry among ChatGPT users who’d developed a strong attachment to the outgoing GPT-4o. The backlash was severe enough for CEO Sam Altman to back down in a matter of days, once again reinstating GPT-4o, which was much warmer and sycophantic than its successor. Five months later, OpenAI is finally getting…

Google recently began rolling out the Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2.1 update to eligible Pixel devices. At the same time, the company has confirmed that the first Android 17 beta is coming soon. In a Reddit post, Google revealed that the Android 17 Beta 1 will roll out to users soon with bug fixes and include improved performance and system stability. Users currently enrolled in the Android Beta program will automatically receive the Android 17 Beta 1 update once it rolls out. According to a report from last year, the Android 17 update carries the internal codename ‘Cinnamon Bun.’ Those…

Cleaning up storage on my devices is oddly satisfying. Recently, I managed to recover nearly 5GB of system storage on my Android device using a free open-source tool, and a hidden Android menu helped me free up even more space. My MacBook, however, did not offer the same obvious options. That is when I started digging around and realized just how many duplicate files were quietly piling up. These files do nothing but quietly eat up your storage, and no one wants their laptop running out of storage space because of clutter they did not even know existed. I knew…

If you’ve been looking to upgrade or expand your fleet of kitchen appliances, Ninja has discounted a whole heap of its current product range – including some newly released devices.Ninja’s Amazon page has listed at least 30 items with discounts, ranging from marginal cuts of 5% all the way up to 54% for the Ninja Professional Food Processor, which takes it down to just AU$115.Some of the noteworthy deals include the newly released Ninja Crispi glass-bottom air fryer and the Luxe Cafe espresso machine, and I’ve added a few others below that I think are worth your hard earned cash…

Blue Origins New Glenn’s New Glenn-3 (NG-3) will carry AST SpaceMobile’s next-generation Block 2 BlueBird satellite to low Earth orbit. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than late February from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. AST SpaceMobile cannot provide full continuous service until ~45-60 satellites are in orbit (targeting end-2026), requiring a few months for positioning and testing post-launch. Continuous service by late 2026 in the US, Europe, Japan, and other markets, supporting voice/video calls, texting, and streaming at 120 Mbps per cell for millions of daily connections. Full global rollout needs 90+ satellites. AST…