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OnePlus has revealed the Plus Key, a new button positioned as a way to access the new OnePlus AI suiteThe Plus Key replaces the Alert Slider found on OnePlus phones since the OnePlus 2The Plus Key will come to all OnePlus phones launching this yearOnePlus has announced OnePlus AI, and while the Chinese company’s vision for mobile artificial intelligence comes mainly via new software, the list of changes includes an update to one of the brand’s most iconic hardware features.The new Plus Key is a physical button that replaces the three-stage Alert Slider. The button can be customized in settings to activate one of several features, like opening the camera or starting a live translation.The new hardware feature will make its debut with the OnePlus 13s, a China-only model previously known as the OnePlus 13 Mini in online rumor circles.OnePlus has confirmed the Plus Key will come to all OnePlus smartphones rolling out this year – at a minimum we’d expect this to include the rumored OnePlus 14 and OnePlus 14R, which based on prior releases we'd expect to launch in China at the end of 2025 for global launch in 2026. Though note that OnePlus might skip the number 14 and call this the OnePlus 15 series instead.By default, the Plus Key activates the new AI Plus Mind capture system, which saves a screenshot, plus an AI summary of the on-screen information, in the new AI Plus Mind app.It’s this, alongside the timing of this hardware announcement, that illustrates OnePlus’ vision of the Plus Key as a part of the company’s AI strategy."It's time for us to evolve"OnePlus revealed its new AI suite on May 27 (Image credit: OnePlus)At the official OnePlus AI reveal event, I spoke with Arthur Lam, director of OxygenOS and AI strategy at OnePlus, about how the Plus Key and AI Plus Mind work together.“The thought process behind it was we wanted to bring AI that can empower you to do different things. And I think one of the biggest things was we live in this digital age where we have a lot of fragmented memories across multiple places” said Lam.“We believe that this is not a software-only solution,” Lam continued, “it's a hardware-software solution; that makes it uniquely OnePlus.”When OnePlus announced the end of the Alert Slider, I wrote that I’d always found it to be a useful and charismatic addition to the brand’s handsets. However, even with the Alert Slider’s fan-favorite status, Lam tells me the company is confident that it’s time for an update.“People ask us, ‘after using the Alert Slider for a decade, why are you changing it?’ Because now is the time, because it's connected with your AI Plus Mind.”“It makes sense for us to make changes. Even though we've been there for the last decade, and many of the users love it, we think it's time for us to evolve it to the next generation.”More than just a buttonOnePlus is keen to market the Plus Key as a versatile, AI-forward feature (Image credit: OnePlus)There’s more to OnePlus AI than just the Plus Key and AI Plus Mind – upcoming features include AI Translation, an AI Reframe tool for cropping photos, and AI VoiceScribe, which automatically transcribes phone calls.With that said, the Plus Key is the most fully-fledged AI hardware feature we’ve seen on a smartphone so far – this AI-first approach could help OnePlus to differentiate the Plus Key from the iPhone's Action Button, which clearly served as inspiration.It's also telling that OnePlus is willing to cut a well-loved feature like the Alert Slider for the AI-focused Plus Key. This suggests that OnePlus AI could be a major priority for the brand going forwards.Personally, I'm a fan of the Alert Slider, but I think AI Plus Mind is a great idea, and a good enough feature to make the Plus Key seem novel and genuinely useful.Be sure to keep up with our phones coverage for the latest updates as the Plus Key comes to more of the best OnePlus phones.What do you think of the Plus Key? Will you miss the Alert Slider? Let us know in the comments below.You might also likeThe next three iPhones could all have big design changes – and one of them might match the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s cameraThe Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 has been benchmarked, and the results are extremely disappointingI was convinced a discounted iPhone 15 was the best ‘budget’ iPhone to buy in 2025 but, after 2 weeks with Apple’s iPhone 16e, I’m a complete convert

The upcoming Harry Potter show, coming to HBO (including streaming on HBO Max), has finally found the crucial part of its cast, having already signed up a combination of Hollywood and British names for its adults cast.Harry, Hermione and Ron have all been cast, and as you'd expect for young kids, they're pretty unknown names.Dominic McLaughlin will play Harry Potter, and is somehow already a veteran of the 'kid attends mysterious school for those with special skills' genre, having played a part in the BBC show Gifted, about kids with superpowers.Arabella Stanton plays Hermione Granger, and also isn't new to acting, having played Matilda in the wonderful Matilda the Musical in London's West End, and followed that up with a role in Starlight Express on stage.Alastair Stout plays Ron Weasley, and is notable among the three for having the name most like a character in the Harry Potter books. He seems to have the least acting experience of the three, but has appeared in a potato commercial – which also somehow feels very appropriate for Ron.Breaking… this story is being added to

Apple’s first smart home hub could launch as soon as later this yearIt will look like a cross between a HomePod and an iPadA more advanced device with a robotic arm may launch a year or two laterIf you’ve been following recent Apple news, you might have heard the rumor that the company is working on a home hub that would look something like a cross between a HomePod and an iPad. Given Apple’s pedigree, it has the potential to become one of the best smart home devices around, and it now looks like the device could launch as soon as the end of 2025.That’s according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who claimed in his Power On newsletter that we could get our hands on this product “by the end of this year at the earliest” (although that’s not yet set in stone). It could mark Apple’s attempt to both dominate the smart home and make further inroads into artificial intelligence (AI) – something it hopes its Apple Intelligence platform will be a key part of.1. A new OS that pulls from tvOSInterested in this device? We’ve heard a few things about it already, and it's certainly shaping up to be an eye-catching addition to Apple’s product roster. That’s due in part to the fact that Apple is allegedly working on an entirely new operating system for the product, potentially named homeOS, that is based on tvOS and will prominently feature Siri and Apple Intelligence.2. The display will be the focal pointSecondly, the key focal point of the so-called HomePad will be its display. Here, rumors have pointed to a 7-inch screen with a thick bezel, with a front-facing camera mounted on the top edge. The latter will reflect an emphasis on using the device for video calling.3. The smart display will support apps, and carry over a popular iPhone featureThe third point is that Apple apps will, of course, be supported. And finally, you can expect some features from other apps, such as the iPhone’s StandBy dashboard. The focus, though, will remain on controlling your connected smart home devices.4. Eyes on the AI prize(Image credit: Amazon)Apple has never really embraced the smart home to the extent that some rivals have. Sure, you can control connected products using HomeKit and the Home app, but these have their problems. Beyond that, there’s also a surprising lack of Apple-branded hardware in this space. That could all change in the next year or two.But the smart home isn’t Apple’s real target here – it’s artificial intelligence. AI is a huge, booming market right now, and Apple has already fallen behind due to its well-documented struggles with its Apple Intelligence platform, with a host of promised features delayed and missing altogether.Like many tech firms, Apple wants to get its AI into as many customers’ homes as possible, so launching a smart home hub makes a lot of sense in this regard: it gives Apple another way to appeal to customers who might not be convinced by Apple Intelligence so far.This isn’t the only smart home product that rumors claim Apple is working on, though. The company also has something up its sleeve that would comprise a screen on the end of a robotic arm, allowing it to be moved around at will. This more advanced product isn’t expected until “a year or two” after the HomePad launches, though, while Gurman adds that Apple has “pulled some bolder features from the device” in order to get it ready faster.Time is of the essence, and Apple is all too aware of that. With its first home hub potentially launching later this year, we’ll soon find out if Apple’s efforts have been worth the wait or need more time in the oven.You might also likeApple’s HomePod hub tipped to be its biggest launch of 2025 – here are 3 things it needs to beat Amazon and GoogleApple's secret, rumored robot project might have one thing going for it – it'll be cheaper than Vision ProApple leak teases homeOS platform that might be a new way to control your smart home

The Browser Company has stopped active development of the popular Arc web browser, according to a blog post from CEO Josh Miller. There will still be updates to fix security issues and the like, but there will likely be no new features added to the product.

Miller says that "for most people, Arc was simply too different, with too many new things to learn, for too little reward." He also said that the browser "lacked cohesion, in both its core features and core value."

Instead, the company has shifted focus to a new product called Dia, which is an AI-powered browser of some kind. Dia was first announced at the tail-end of last year and has been described as "an entirely new environment — built on top of a web browser."

Demos have shown Dia helping users write the next sentence in a paragraph, all while retrieving facts about a subject from the wider internet. It was also shown automatically grabbing Amazon links to insert in an email from a simple description and completing relatively complex actions based on user prompts. Some of this feels like an extension of what the company has already been doing with the mobile version of the Arc browser.

Dia is currently being tested via an alpha build, but will open up to current Arc members in the near future. Miller says that the company has "approached Dia as an opportunity to fix what we got wrong with Arc."

The Browser Company has considered selling or open-sourcing Arc, but won't be doing anything so drastic at this moment. An open-source version of the browser would make a lot of current users happy, but Miller says it'll be a challenge because it's built on top of an internal SDK which is also the core component of Dia. Open-sourcing one would basically open-source the other. "That doesn’t mean it’ll never happen,” Miller said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/the-browser-company-stops-active-development-of-arc-in-favor-of-new-ai-focused-product-153045276.html?src=rss