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It might be hard to believe, but foldable phones have already been around for the better part of a decade. Granted, the first one I saw back in 2019 which actually predates Samsung's Galaxy Fold was a cobbled-together mess. But since then, phone makers have been steadily iterating and tweaking their designs, and this year, manufacturers have finally addressed all the major issues about foldable phones except one: price.Lets go back to the OG Fold. Even though it was chunky and heavy, had a tiny exterior display and suffered from a hinge that let too much detritus inside (which is probably how The Verges review unit got wrecked), it still showed so much promise. It was a true multitasker a phone that could turn into a small tablet at a moment's notice. What's not to like?This scene would have sent shivers down my spine in previous years, but thanks to an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold isn't bothered. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetFrom there, Samsung upgraded its foldables with water resistance and S Pen support on the Z Fold 3, followed by eliminating the gap between the two halves of a closed Z Fold 5. And as competition grew from OnePlus and Google (not to mention all the Chinese rivals like Oppo, Xiaomi and others), we saw design and software improvement across the category . In 2025, two phones in particular brought major upgrades to foldables as a whole. Even though its shape didn't change much from its predecessor, Google managed to get the Pixel 10 Pro Fold an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance finally putting protection for both dirt and liquid in the same foldable for the first time. Now, for all the folks out there with regular phones, that might not sound like a big deal. But on devices with complicated hinges where you really don't want random garbage getting inside, that's a massive relief and a big improvement to the handset's general usability. If you only look at their dimensions, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (right) and an S25 Ultra (left).Sam Rutherford for EngadgetMeanwhile, with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung achieved what may be an even bigger accomplishment by creating a foldable phone that was essentially the same size and weight as a traditional glass brick handset with a massive 8-inch interior display no less. In fact, if you compared the Z Fold 7 to Samsung's other flagship the S25 Ultra the fold is actually a touch lighter (7.58 ounces vs 7.69 ounces) and practically just as thin (8.9mm vs 8.2mm). That's huge because one of the biggest issues with previous generations of foldables was excess bulk and heft, to the point where often I had to wear a belt just so my pants wouldn't sag when carrying one around. Unfortunately, there isn't a phone maker that has put both of these advancements into a single gadget just yet. But this is still a big deal, and based on how things are trending, I'm sure that won't be the case for long.What about the crease, you say? Yes, even the latest and greatest foldables still have a small depression that runs down the screen where the phone bends in half. Let me be clear: that's not really an issue. Sure, it would be nice if it weren't there, but getting mad about the crease is kind of like being annoyed at a convertible car that has some extra panel gaps because it has a retractable roof. Not only is the crease basically invisible when you are looking at it head-on (which is the vast majority of the time), in reality, people don't touch the dead center of their phone's display all that often especially on a screen the size of a small tablet.The Z Fold 7 has made bulky foldables a thing of the past while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold shows how these phones don't need to be afraid of dirt anymore. Sam Rutherford for EngadgetReally, the one thing the makers of big foldables haven't figured out is how to make them affordable. OnePlus sort of came close in 2023 with the Open, which cost $1,500 after rebates that included trading in literally any phone (even broken ones). In fact, things are actually kind of going backwards. The launch price of the Z Fold 7 ($2,000) is $200 more than what the Z Fold 5 debuted at just a couple of years ago. Even with high prices, I've started seeing more and more foldable phones in the wild than ever before and the data backs up my sentiment. Sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 are up 50 percent compared to the previous generation while global foldable phone sales reached a new high in Q3 of this year, and I'm willing to bet that there are millions of others out there who would be interested in them if only they didn't cost so much. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/foldable-phone-makers-have-solved-every-issue-except-one-130000891.html?src=rss
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Waymo has resumed its robo-taxi service in San Francisco after a power outage stranded vehicles around the city, CNBC reported. The blackout, caused by a Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) substation fire, caused traffic light disruptions that affected Waymo's automated driving systems. "Yesterdays power outage was a widespread event that caused gridlock across San Francisco, with non-functioning traffic signals and transit disruptions," a Waymo spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. "While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events." Following the outage, which began at around 1:09 PM Saturday and peaked around two hours later, Waymo responded by suspending its ride-hailing services in the city. However, images and videos on social media showed the autonomous taxis stopped at intersections with hazard lights on. The company blamed its disruption on the size of the outage. "While the Waymo Driver [automated system] is designed to treat non-functional signals as four-way stops, the sheer scale of the outage led to instances where vehicles remained stationary longer than usual to confirm the state of the affected intersections. This contributed to traffic friction during the height of the congestion," the spokesperson explained, adding that Waymo's actions were "closely coordinated with San Francisco city officials." Still, the service disruption is a black mark for Waymo, as the sudden halt in service exacerbated traffic problems caused by the blackout. Elon Musk bragged on X that Tesla, Waymo's latest robo-taxi rival in the city, was "unaffected" by the power outage. However, Tesla's ride-hailing service is not yet fully autonomous and requires a human driver behind the wheel at all times. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-vehicles-are-operating-again-in-san-francisco-following-a-power-outage-112924838.html?src=rss
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OpenAI gave its AI chatbot a professional makeover with the latest GPT-5.2 release, and some users are already complaining about its tone. For anyone who's finding ChatGPT rude or sassy, OpenAI has some welcome news since it's letting users further customize its personality with extra warmth or enthusiasm. You can now adjust specific characteristics in ChatGPT, like warmth, enthusiasm, and emoji use.Now available in your "Personalization" settings. pic.twitter.com/7WSkOQVTKU OpenAI (@OpenAI) December 19, 2025 In a post on X, OpenAI revealed that users can adjust characteristics under new Warm, Enthusiastic, Header & Lists and Emoji options found in the Personalization settings. Between the four options, you can choose between more, less or default to fine-tune exactly how you want ChatGPT to sound in its responses. These new characteristics come about a month after OpenAI added Professional, Candid and Quirky options to GPT-5.1 under the "Base style and tone" setting that's also found in the Personalization tab. The latest customizations likely stem from the fiasco that OpenAI faced earlier this year when it rolled out GPT-5 to replace GPT-4o. The outcry from users revolved around the latest update sounding less conversational and friendly, leading OpenAI to offer the option to choose between models and promising to make GPT-5 feel warmer.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/you-can-now-tweak-how-warm-and-enthusiastic-chatgpts-responses-are-204003009.html?src=rss
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