It’s been clear for a while that Google is working to let Gemini control your Android phone, and we now have some details on how this “screen automation” will work.
About APK Insight: In this “APK Insight” post, we’ve decompiled the latest version of an application that Google uploaded to the Play Store. When we decompile these files (called APKs, in the case of Android apps), we’re able to see various lines of code within that hint at possible future features. Keep in mind that Google may or may not ever ship these features, and our interpretation of what they are may be imperfect. We’ll try to enable those that are closer to being finished, however, to show you how they’ll look in case that they do ship. With that in mind, read on.
The Google app 17.4 beta contains strings about a “Get tasks done with Gemini” feature. This Labs capability is codenamed “bonobo” and the introductory strings explain how “Gemini can help with tasks, like placing orders or booking rides, using screen automation on certain apps on your device.”
Get tasks done with Gemini
This control is also referred to as “screen automation,” with Android 16 QPR3 laying the groundwork. It will be available in “certain apps.”
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Google warns that “Gemini can make mistakes” and “You’re responsible for what it does on your behalf, so supervise it closely.” At any time, you will be able to stop the agent and manually take over the task.
On the privacy front:
“When Gemini interacts with an app, screenshots are reviewed by trained reviewers and used to improve Google services if Keep Activity is on.”
“Don’t enter login or payment information into Gemini chats. Avoid using screen automation for emergencies or tasks involving sensitive information.”
Also of note in this beta are strings about a “Likeness” feature or integration codenamed “wasabi.” Notably, that’s how Android XR refers to 3D avatars that are currently used for Google Meet calls. One string suggests being able to access it for a prompt.
Likeness ready
Retake
Your likeness can only be used by you
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
HOLYOKE — Holyoke police unions are calling for the resignation of City Councilor Israel Rivera after his recent drunken-driving case and arrest video, denouncing what they say was his excessive use of racial “slurs” and overt hostility toward law enforcement.
The councilor, meanwhile, said Tuesday that he’s not going anywhere.
Union leaders say their concern is not Rivera’s arrest itself, but comments he allegedly made during the stop. They say it raises questions about whether he can fairly vote on police‑related matters while serving on the City Council.
Lt. Andrew DiNapoli, president of the Holyoke Police Supervisors Union, said the video from Rivera’s Dec. 21 arrest shows him repeatedly using racially divisive language and threatening police funding. He spoke at the council’s Tuesday meeting.
“The problem is that he’s still sitting on the City Council with voting power over the Police Department,” DiNapoli said. “After making statements about slashing our budget and saying he hates the police, that’s concerning.”
DiNapoli said Rivera used the racial slur at least 19 times in the first 20 minutes of the recording and “dozens upon dozens of times” overall.
“That’s extremely disturbing,” DiNapoli said. “We have African American officers. If I were to say that word even once in uniform, I would be fired immediately.”
DiNapoli said his union and the Holyoke Police Patrolmen’s Union first asked city leaders to prevent Rivera from voting on police matters but did not get the response they wanted. He said the unions later released the Massachusetts State Police video to the media.
“Our first ask wasn’t resignation,” he said. “We were asking for guidance. When no one stepped up, we took it further.”
This still image was taken from an edited Massachusetts State Police video on the arrest of City Councilor Israel Rivera; it was released by two Holyoke police unions last month. The unions are calling for Rivera’s resignation after he used racially divisive language and threatened the local department’s budget during his arrest. Wording on the photos was added by the unions. (Screenshot from video)Screenshot from Massachusetts State Police videovideo
Rivera has stepped down as vice president of the City Council and left leadership roles on several committees. He was not reappointed to the public safety committee. DiNapoli said those steps do not go far enough, noting that Rivera still serves on the ordinance committee, which can influence police policy.
“He still has power over decisions that directly affect the Police Department,” DiNapoli said.
The lieutenant rejected comparisons to past cases involving other city officials arrested for drunken driving, saying this situation is different.
“The difference is that those individuals didn’t use racial slurs or talk about slashing police funding during their arrest,” he said.
He also said Rivera’s Latino ethnicity does not change how the union views the language used in the video. When he was younger, the councilor also served time for drug and gun offenses.
“What’s wrong is wrong,” said DiNapoli, who is white. “There shouldn’t be a double standard.”
If Rivera does not resign, DiNapoli said city leaders should formally require him to recuse himself from police‑related votes.
“If he’s not going to resign, he should at least remove himself from any vote involving the Police Department,” he said.
DiNapoli said allowing Rivera to continue voting on police issues could hurt morale, as officers face staffing shortages and contract negotiations.
At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, Rivera addressed the controversy and said he would not resign.
“The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love,” Rivera said, quoting rapper Bad Bunny.
Rivera apologized to his family, Holyoke residents and his fellow councilors. He said watching the body‑camera footage was difficult, especially for his mother, and acknowledged that he was wrong to drive under the influence.
“Drinking and driving is not OK,” said Rivera. Adding to the pain: He grew up with an alcoholic father., he said.
Rivera called on residents to choose unity, saying the city has long been at a crossroads. He said he hoped the recent election would allow the council to move forward without further controversy.
He credited Massachusetts State Police troopers for using de‑escalation tactics during his arrest and said he is taking steps to address his alcohol use and mental health.
Rivera said he plans to continue serving out his term, holding space for many residents who feel unheard. That’s why he ran for office, he said.
City Council President Tessa Murphy‑Romboletti said her role requires balancing accountability with fairness and due process.
She and Rivera agreed it was best for him to step down from his leadership roles on the council, Murphy‑Romboletti said.
“Holding people accountable matters, but accountability does not require cruelty,” she said.
She said her earlier support of Rivera for vice president came before she saw the body‑camera footage and does not change her disappointment in his actions that night.
Murphy‑Romboletti said police unions have the right to pursue ethics complaints or legal action through state channels, just as Rivera has the right to respond.
“I will respect the outcomes if and when they are pursued,” she said.
Murphy‑Romboletti also said she has received messages related to the controversy that have affected her personally, but she remains focused on doing what she believes is best for the city.
As Intel continues to try to turn itself around, its CEO promised that the company will start producing a new type of chip, one that has been made very popular by rival Nvidia.
At the Cisco AI Summit on Tuesday, Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan announced that the company will start producing graphics processing units (GPUs). These are more specialized processors, compared to the CPUs Intel traditionally produces, and are used for gaming and tasks like training artificial intelligence models.
TechCrunch reached out to Intel for more information.
The project will be overseen by Kevork Kechichian, the executive vice president and general manager of Intel’s data center group, according to reporting from Reuters. Kechichian was hired in September among a slew of new engineer-focused hires.
Intel also hired Eric Demmers for the effort in January. Demmers was previously at Qualcomm for more than 13 years, most recently serving as a senior vice president of engineering.
This initiative seems to be in relatively early stages as Tan said the company plans to develop its strategy around customer demands and needs.
While Nvidia didn’t invent the GPU, that specific kind of chip has played a large role in its success. Its GPUs for AI systems are so advanced and popular, the chipmaker currently holds a commanding market lead.
Techcrunch event
Boston, MA | June 23, 2026
It’s interesting to see Intel expand into this area now as Tan said the company would be consolidating and focusing on its core businesses when he took the helm as CEO last March. While GPUs are still semiconductors, of course, this is still a notable expansion.
Fitbit’s founders have a new startup. Two years after leaving Google, James Park and Eric Friedman announced a new platform that shifts the focus from the individual to the family. They say the Luffu mobile app “uses AI quietly in the background” to collect and organize family health information.
“At Fitbit, we focused on personal health — but after Fitbit, health for me became bigger than just thinking about myself,” Park said in a press release. The app is particularly focused on the “CEO of the family” — the person who manages appointments, prescriptions and other health-related tasks.
But the definition of family isn’t limited to parents raising children. The company sees its tool as especially valuable for caregivers in their 40s and 50s who may be managing the needs of both aging parents and kids. It even tracks pets’ health habits.
“We’re managing care across three generations — kids at home, busy parents in the middle, and my dad in his 80s who’s living with diabetes and still wants to stay fiercely independent,” Friedman wrote. “And the moments that matter most are often the most chaotic: a late-night fever, a sudden urgent care visit, a doctor asking questions you can’t answer quickly because the details are scattered.”
The app’s AI includes a Morning Brief that recaps everyone’s health. (Luffu)
The company claims the app’s AI “isn’t a chatbot layer.” Rather, it serves as a “guardian” — proactively monitoring for changes silently in the background. The AI then provides insights and triggers alerts when something is out of whack. You can also ask the app health data questions using plain language (so, there is some kind of chatbot) and share data with family members.
The company clearly wants to make entering data as easy as possible. Luffu allows family members to log info using voice, text or photos. It integrates with health platforms such as Apple Health and Fitbit. And the company eventually wants to expand into a hardware ecosystem — presumably, devices that make health data collection even easier.
Speaking of data collection, Luffu says, “Users are always in control of exactly what is shared, with whom, and privacy and security are paramount for all family data.” In addition, the company told Axios that users can choose whether their data is used to train its AI. On the other hand, Big Tech has repeatedly shown that its most egregious data-collection practices are always wrapped in comforting language. So, at the very least, I’d take their pitch with grains of salt and, most importantly, make sure each family member knows exactly what they’re consenting to. After all, this is a for-profit company, and we don’t yet know its monetization strategy.
Luffu is currently taking waitlist sign-ups for a forthcoming limited public beta. You can learn more and sign up for the waitlist on the company website.
Update, February 3, 2026, 1:14PM ET: This story has been updated to note that the Luffu public beta hasn’t started yet, but you can sign up for a waitlist to eventually get access when it starts.
Walmart has seemingly lowered the price for good on its Onn Indoor Camera with Google Home support, dropping to just $20.
The Walmart Onn Indoor Camera (wired) launched last year for the measly price of $23. The camera was the first to integrate with Google Home directly, effectively acting as a Google Nest camera for a quarter of the price tag. And it’s been cheaper than that too, having been sold for around $10 back around Black Friday when we published our hands-on coverage.
Now, it seems Walmart has made a price cut permanently for this camera. The price has dropped from the previous $22.88 it launched at, to just $19.87 today. There’s no indication this is a temporary sale, and it just seems like the new going price for this affordable little camera.
The Onn Doorbell, which also works with Google Home, is currently around $5 off, but it’s advertised as a “Rollback” sale rather than a permanent cut.
As a new leader at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, my first priority has been listening to staff, physicians and community partners. What I have heard consistently is a deep pride in the care delivered here and a shared desire to strengthen our foundation for the future.
Our focus is to build on this proud legacy by supporting the people who deliver care, aligning leadership to the work at hand, and strengthening systems that enable excellent outcomes. These efforts are made possible through strong executive partnership. Under the leadership of our hospital president and chief operating officer, Kevin Whitney, Cooley Dickinson remains committed to empowering our nursing and clinical teams and sustaining the structures that allow high-quality, patient-centered care to thrive.
Registered dietitian Stacey Madden receives the COVID-19 vaccine at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton on Dec. 17, 2020. (Cooley Dickinson Hospital photo)
Strengthening nursing leadership structure
To support the increasing complexity of health care, Cooley Dickinson has revised its inpatient nursing leadership structure to better align leadership oversight with the scope and intensity of care delivered across the hospital.
This structure enables leaders to focus intentionally on quality improvement, staff development, patient safety, and workforce engagement, supporting proactive work that strengthens outcomes and sustains excellence at the bedside.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital at 30 Locust Street.
Investing in the workforce and safe staffing
Our people are our greatest strength, and Cooley Dickinson has made meaningful investments to support safe staffing and workforce sustainability.
These include competitive wages, an expanded nursing resource pool, and a weekend enhanced-pay program. This approach rewards staff who prefer weekend work, while offering greater flexibility and fewer weekend commitments for others.
We are strengthening the nursing and staff workforce pipeline through academic partnerships. Earlier this year, the hospital partnered with Greenfield Community College to launch a central sterile processing technician training program taught by Cooley Dickinson’s central sterile supervisor Marlene Gonzalez. All three graduates were hired into full-time roles upon completion.
Additional partnerships include collaboration with Bay Path University to train patient care assistants, with students paid during training and hired upon completion. This fall, Cooley Dickinson will partner with the MGH Institute of Health Professions to bring an accelerated nursing degree program to our campus. Supported by Mass General Brigham tuition reimbursement and hospital grant support, the first cohort will begin in September.
To further support safe staffing, the hospital is using predictive workforce planning tools to anticipate future needs and proactively align resources.
Advancing research, leadership development
Aligned with Mass General Brigham’s commitment to research, Cooley Dickinson is exploring academic partnerships that expand nursing research and evidence-based practices. This ensures that care is guided by the best available evidence while generating new knowledge that benefits our community.
Leadership development aligns with one of Mass General Brigham’s systemwide priorities for 2026. Cooley Dickinson is investing in educational opportunities for front-line and senior leaders. In partnership with the Massachusetts Hospital Association, interdisciplinary teams will participate in the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Healthy Work Environment Clinical Scene Investigator Academy.
A clear vision for quality and the future of nursing
These investments in leadership, workforce and systems are translating into measurable results. Cooley Dickinson is a top-quartile performer on several quality outcome measures, as measured by Vizient. These achievements reflect strong interdisciplinary collaboration and physician partnership, including the leadership of Associate Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sundeep Shukla. The hospital has also achieved Joint Commission certification as a primary stroke center.
Looking ahead, our goal at Cooley Dickinson is to leverage technology and emerging applications of artificial intelligence to support clinical decision-making and promote timely escalation of care. Nursing teams also will engage in strategic planning to shape a three-year roadmap aligned with hospital and system priorities using the Magnet framework. While the professional practice model is still in development, this work will be done collaboratively with front-line nurses and leaders to guide practice, growth and shared accountability.
The future at Cooley Dickinson Hospital is purposeful, people-centered, and grounded in excellence, and we are building it together with our exceptional staff and community.
Chika Anueyiagu is the chief nursing officer at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.
Chika Anueyiagu is the chief nursing officer at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. (Provided photo)Provided photo
Nuclear fusion conjures images of massive reactors or banks of dozens of large lasers. Avalanche co-founder and CEO Robin Langtry thinks smaller is better.
For the last several years, Langtry and his colleagues at Avalanche have been working on what’s essentially a desktop version of nuclear fusion. “We’re using the small size to learn quickly and iterate quickly,” Langtry told TechCrunch.
Fusion power promises to supply the world with large amounts of clean heat and electricity, if researchers and engineers can solve some vexing challenges. At its core, fusion power seeks to harness the power of the Sun. To do that, fusion startups must figure out how to heat and compress plasma for long enough that atoms inside the mix fuse, releasing energy in the process.
Fusion is a famously unforgiving industry. The physics is challenging, the materials science is cutting edge, and the power requirements can be gargantuan. Parts need to be machined with precision, and the scale is usually so large as to obviate rapid fire experimentation.
Some companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) are using large magnets to contain the plasma in a doughnut-like tokamak, others are compressing fuel pellets by shooting them with powerful lasers. Avalanche, though, uses electric current at extremely high voltages to draw plasma particles into an orbit around an electrode. (It also uses some magnets to keep things orderly, though they’re not nearly as powerful as a tokamak’s.) As the orbit tightens and the plasmas speed up, the particles begin to smash into each other and fuse.
The approach has won over some investors. Avalanche recently added another $29 million in an investment round led by R.A. Capital Management with participation from 8090 Ventures, Congruent Ventures, Founders Fund, Lowercarbon Capital, Overlay Capital, and Toyota Ventures. To date, the company has raised $80 million from investors, a relatively small amount in the fusion world. Other companies have raised several hundred to a few billion dollars.
Space-based inspiration
Langtry’s time at the Jeff Bezos-backed space tech company Blue Origin influenced how Avalanche is tackling the problem.
Techcrunch event
Boston, MA | June 23, 2026
“We’ve figured out that using this sort of SpaceX ‘new space’ approach is that you can iterate really quickly, you can learn really quickly, and you can solve some of these challenges.” said Langtry, who worked with co-founder Brian Riordan at Blue Origin.
Going smaller allowed Avalanche to speed up. The company has been testing changes to its devices “sometimes twice a week,” something that would be challenging and costly with a large device.
Currently, Avalanche’s reactor is only nine centimeters in diameter, though Langtry said a new version grow to 25 centimeters and is expected to produce about 1 megawatt. That, he said, “is going to give us a significant bump in confinement time, and that’s how we’re actually going to get plasmas that have a chance of being Q>1.” (In fusion, Q refers to the ratio of power in to power out. When it’s greater than one, the fusion device is said to be past the breakeven point.)
Those experiments will be carried out at Avalanche’s FusionWERX, a commercial testing facility the company also rents out to competitors. By 2027, the site will be licensed to handle tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that’s used as fuel and is crucial to many fusion startup’s plans for producing power for the grid.
Langtry wouldn’t commit to a date when he hopes Avalanche will be able to generate more power than its fusion devices consume, a key milestone in the industry. But he’s thinks the company is on a similar timeline as competitors like CFS and the Sam Altman-backed Helion. “I think there’s going to be a lot of really exciting things happening in fusion in 2027 to 2029,” he said.
The original Switch just became Nintendo’s best-selling console ever with 155.37 million units as of December 31, 2025, overtaking the DS which sold 154.02 million units from 2004-2011. It was part of a holiday surge that saw the company move 7.01 million Switch 2s (and 17.37 million through Q3 of its fiscal year), making it the “fastest-selling dedicated video platform released by Nintendo to date,” the company said in its earnings report.
Despite being supplanted by the Switch 2, the Switch keeps selling decently (1.36 million units in Q3 fiscal 2026), due to its relatively cheap price. Nintendo reported last year that it was just trailing the DS in sales and would likely surpass it after Christmas. The Switch is now just 5.27 million units behind Sony’s PS2, the best-selling console of all time — so Nintendo would have to keep selling it for at least a couple more years to get the record.
The Switch 2, meanwhile, has been a sales machine. With high holiday sales that exceeded expectations, Nintendo should easily reach its 19 million sales goal for fiscal 2026 ending March 31 this year. The company has already (easily) busted through its original sales forecast of 15 million consoles set earlier in 2025.
Game sales were also strong, with Mario Kart World hitting 14 million units and Donkey Kong Bananza selling 4.25 million since the Switch 2’s launch. With all that, the company saw 803.32 billion yen in sales for Q3 ($5.2 billion), up 86 percent over last year but a bit less than expected, and 159.93 billion yen in profit ($1.03 billion), 20 percent higher than the same period last year.
Whether the company can continue that may depend on the strength of its upcoming game lineup. Two of those key titles are Mario Tennis Fever expected on February 12 and Pokemon Pokopia arriving in March.
With Android 16 QPR3, Google is introducing more granular Adaptive Connectivity settings on Pixel phones.
On the stable QPR2 release, Settings > Network & internet > Adaptive connectivity just provides an on/off switch. Google explains how enabling “Extends battery life and improves device performance by automatically managing your network connections.”
As noticed today, Android 16 QPR3 Beta 2 replaces “Use adaptive connectivity” with two toggles that are both enabled by default. There’s also updated artwork that’s a bit more descriptive.
Auto-switch to mobile network: Ensures connectivity when Wi-Fi is poor or unavailable. Data charges may apply.
Optimize network for battery life: Automatically selects the best network connection to extend your battery life
Android 16 QPR2 vs. QPR3
Advertisement – scroll for more content
Being able to ensure that your phone remains connected to Wi-Fi is a good option. The second toggle for battery optimization might be something you’re less likely to disable.
Google also released an update (via System services) to Adaptive Connectivity Services (p.2026.01) in the past week or so.
We’re expecting one more beta for Android 16 QPR3 this month before the stable release in March.
More on Android 16 QPR3:
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
The estimated Powerball jackpot is $65 million. The lump sum payment before taxes would be about $29.4 million.
The Double Play is a feature that gives players in select locations another chance to match their Powerball numbers in a separate drawing. The Double Play drawing is held following the regular drawing and has a top cash prize of $10 million.
Powerball is held in 45 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The Double Play add-on feature is available for purchase in 13 lottery jurisdictions, including Pennsylvania and Michigan.
A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball jackpot champions.
The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern, Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
