Check the price tag, Tech Insiders.
Google is making AI cheaper, Apple may turn device ownership into a monthly decision, and Samsung is betting big on robots. Unfortunately, hackers are also discovering that disruption can be surprisingly affordable. |
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Here's what you need to know today: |
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| Google's Gemini Trio Chases Cheaper, Safer Agents |
Google launched three efficiency-first Gemini models yesterday—3.6 Flash, 3.5 Flash-Lite, and 3.5 Flash Cyber—targeting lower-cost agents, high-volume work, and automated software defense.
Gemini 3.6 Flash costs $1.50 per 1M input tokens and $7.50 per 1M output tokens. While the input price is the same as its predecessor, the output is down from $9. Google says it uses 17% fewer output tokens while improving coding, computer use, and knowledge work. Its cutoff is March 2026, up from January 2025.
The model card reports better text and multilingual safety and stronger jailbreak defenses, though tone and unjustified-refusal scores slipped slightly. |
Flash-Lite targets agentic search and document processing at $0.30/$2.50 per 1M input/output tokens and a reported 350 tokens per second.
Flash Cyber lets CodeMender run vulnerability-hunting agents across more code paths as a cheaper rival to Anthropic's Mythos, but the model is limited to governments and trusted partners.
3.6 Flash and Flash-Lite are available in the Gemini app, API, and enterprise tools; 3.6 is also rolling out to GitHub Copilot. Meanwhile, 3.5 Pro remains in testing, reportedly held back because its coding performance missed internal targets. (To console us, Google teased Gemini 4.)
And Google's reported "Frozen v2" chip could deliver 6–10 times more tokens per watt than current chips as early as 2028 by embedding parts of Gemini's architecture into the hardware—if it reaches production.
Why it matters: Cheaper models make production agents practical; Flash Cyber raises the stakes to patch code before AI finds it for the wrong crowd. Google is selling efficiency now, supremacy later; your cloud bill may appreciate the sequencing. |
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What matters most when choosing an AI assistant? |
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Results from Yesterday's Pulse Check |
Should studios use AI in filmmaking? |
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Apple's Next Upgrade May Be a Lease |
Apple reportedly plans to launch "Apple Upgrade" in the US on July 28, letting shoppers lease most iPhones, Macs, iPads, and Apple Watches through Klarna in stores or online.
Terms would run 24 months for iPhone and Watch models and 36 months for Macs and iPads. Following a soft credit check, customers could upgrade or pay off early, return the device, or keep it after the lease; some choices may carry extra fees.
Unfortunately, Apple reportedly will stop new enrollments in its iPhone Upgrade Program and standard iPhone financing. The replacement also won't bundle AppleCare and excludes entry-level device models and business and education purchases. |
Image created with ChatGPT |
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VMware's evolving partner ecosystem is reshaping how MSPs and cloud providers deliver infrastructure services. As requirements continue to change, many partners are looking for ways to expand VMware capabilities without increasing operational complexity or risking customer relationships.
OTAVA, a Broadcom Pinnacle Partner, helps providers scale cloud, disaster recovery, and edge offerings while remaining the trusted face to their customers. With VMware expertise, partner-first support, and promotional migration incentives available for a limited time, now is the time to prepare your VMware strategy for what's next. |
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Hackers Turn WordPress Core Flaws Into Webshells |
Hackers are actively exploiting WP2Shell, a chain of WordPress Core flaws that lets anonymous attackers seize vulnerable 6.9.x and 7.0.x sites—even stock installs with no plugins. Here's the unsettling part: a researcher used an AI model to find and develop this zero-day in about 10 hours for roughly $25.
Attacks include mass scanning, malicious plugin uploads, PHP webshells, and rogue administrator accounts.
Update immediately to WordPress 6.9.5 or 7.0.2, even if automatic updates are enabled; sites on 6.8.x should install 6.8.6 to fix the standalone SQL injection flaw.
Can't patch yet? Temporarily block both /wp-json/batch/v1 and ?rest_route=/batch/v1 via your web application firewall (WAF). Then review logs, plugins, new admin accounts, and /wp-content/cache/ for suspicious PHP files, because patching won't remove an existing backdoor. |
Suno Breach Exposes 55.3 Million Accounts |
Suno's November 2025 breach exposed 55.3 million accounts, Have I Been Pwned confirmed. Most records held email addresses; some used phone numbers instead. A subset of tens of thousands of Stripe transactions also revealed names, physical addresses, purchase histories, and truncated card details.
The hack also leaked source code detailing a massive web-scraping operation, fresh fodder for Sony's and Universal's ongoing copyright lawsuits.
Suno called the incident "limited," claimed no sensitive info was compromised, and decided individual notifications weren't required. No passwords or full card numbers were exposed. Check your email at HIBP, monitor card statements, and beware of targeted phishing messages. Address and purchase details can make scams sound convincing. |
As Industry 4.0 initiatives accelerate, manufacturers are reevaluating whether existing service operations can support future business demands. Join TechRepublic and Freshworks on July 28, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET to explore how AI-enabled service management is helping organizations improve agility, responsiveness, and operational performance. |
Samsung Creates Dedicated Robotics Unit to Speed Humanoid Push |
Samsung is finally dragging its scattered robotics projects under one roof, creating RX, or Robotics eXperience, a dedicated robotics unit reporting directly to CEO TM Roh.
With its smartphone business maturing, the tech giant is looking for a fresh growth story, consolidating strategy, hardware, software, AI, and product planning to accelerate robotics development and commercialization.
Former Hyundai Motor robotics strategist Lee Dongkun, whose remit included Boston Dynamics, will lead strategy. Samsung also recruited specialists in autonomous control and robotic hands and plans research hubs in the US, China, and Japan to tap into local talent.
Factories come first. Samsung will develop manufacturing and logistics robots for its production lines, using a planned data factory in Gumi to train them. It wants all its factories operating as AI-driven facilities by 2030, then plans to expand into business sales, retail, and homes.
Meanwhile, its subsidiary Rainbow Robotics is teaming up with Hyundai Rotem to build four-legged combat robot dogs for the South Korean army by year-end.
The bet builds on Samsung's control of Rainbow Robotics and a planned 19 trillion won ($13 billion) investment in Gumi physical AI infrastructure and humanoid manufacturing.
Reality check: No Samsung-branded humanoid has a price or launch date, while the field is already crowded with Tesla, Hyundai-owned Boston Dynamics, and fast-moving Chinese companies. Samsung wants industrial robots ready to clock in for heavy labor, but its companion-bot track record has the stain of vaporware. Ballie, the notoriously delayed rolling home companion promised for 2025, was quietly downgraded to an "internal innovation platform," which is just corporate PR speak for a gadget gathering dust in a basement lab.
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| Writer/Editor at TechnologyAdvice |
Justin Meyers is an investigative writer and editor who draws on over a decade of meticulous hands-on research to deliver the full, trustworthy story behind consumer and enterprise tech, including cybersecurity. |
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