Firefox is getting a new design
Mozilla is planning to redesign Firefox. The browser’s interface was last refreshed with Proton in 2021. Before that, there were Photon in 2017 and Australian in 2014. Internal mockups that were shared soren hentzel has revealed an upcoming design for the browser, called Nova. Firefox’s tab bar and address bar will have a rounded design, like the sidebar and vertical tabs. This design can also be seen in the speed dial, search box and widgets of the new tab page. Even the edges of the main web content area are rounded in the Nova design. Mozilla is also revising Firefox’s color palette with gradients and subtle changes.
The current design looks like this. It is quite old compared to Chrome, Vivaldi and other browsers.
Firefox is also getting side-by-side tabs, or split-screen tabs, which will allow users to view two web pages in a single tab. Mozilla is also said to be working on bringing back compact mode in Firefox. Although these mockups may not represent the final design planned by Mozilla, they do paint a good picture of what users can expect from Firefox’s Nova design.
Google Play Store fees reduced for app developers
Google has announced that it The fees charged by developers have been reduced Will have to share with this. The announcement comes as part of a settlement in the long-running legal dispute between Epic Games and Google. The lawsuit began in 2020, when Fortnite was kicked out of the Play Store by Google after Epic chose to use third-party payment options to avoid paying a 30% cut to Google.
However, Google lost the case in 2023 when a US court ruled against it. Google appealed against the measures announced in 2024, but failed to win. But, Epic offered a settlement last year. The Mountain View company calls it a new era of choice and openness. This would result in developers having more freedom to offer their own billing systems, or direct users to other websites to purchase in-app content. Google has also introduced a Registered App Store program, which will allow it to verify Android apps distributed by third-party marketplaces, provided they meet certain quality and security standards.
App developers will no longer have to pay a 30% commission fee for transactions made through Google Play. Google says The new system will charge a 5% billing fee, plus a 20% service fee for transactions from existing app installs. New installs will be charged a 15% fee on transactions. These changes will be implemented in the US, UK and Europe by June 2026, but Google will expand them globally next year. It remains to be seen whether this will make apps and games more affordable for users.
HBO Max and Paramount Plus will merge as one service
Paramount has announced that its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery will combine Paramount+ and HBO Max as a single streaming platform. In December 2025, Netflix revealed that it had agreed to acquire Warner Bros. But, after Paramount joined the fray, things did not go as he expected. After some intense rounds of bidding, Paramount offered to pay the $2.8 billion that Warner Bros. Discovery would have owed Netflix if the original deal fell through. Netflix recognized that Paramount’s offer was better than its own, and backed out of the deal, leaving Paramount to swoop in to take the prize, which also included CNN. Paramount CEO David Ellison said that HBO will continue to operate independently Despite the merger.
Paramount+ and HBO Max have a combined total of more than 200 million subscribers in more than 100 countries around the world. This number may go down when the two streaming services merge, as there will be users who are subscribed to both platforms. Paramount has not yet revealed the name of the new streaming service, with it likely to be announced once the acquisition is completed.
Nintendo sues US government over tariffs
Nintendo of America has filed a lawsuit against the US government. The Verge reports that the company is demand for early return and interest on duties paid on account of import duties. The console maker wanted to open pre-orders for the Switch 2 on April 9, 2025. But, on the same day, the government imposed tariffs on imports which affected many countries. This forced Nintendo to delay pre-orders for the handheld by a few weeks. Despite the tariffs, Nintendo did not increase the price of the Switch 2. But, to compensate for the higher import costs, it increased the prices of various goods.
Nintendo is not the first company to sue the government due to increased tariffs, many other companies have also done so, including companies like Toyota, FedEx, Costco. Many gamers were quick to point out that even if Nintendo wins the case, it is unlikely to benefit users, as they will not receive a refund on the prices they paid.
Valve says Steam Machine is still ready to ship this year
Talking about price-driven gaming consoles, Valve is still planning to launch a Steam Machine this year. The hybrid PC, with Steam Frame and Steam Controller, was originally planned for release in early 2026. But, the plans were hit due to the ongoing memory shortage, which has led AI companies to purchase the entire inventory for their servers. This has led to severe shortages worldwide, and prices of RAM, SSD have skyrocketed.
This left Valve with no option but to delay the launch of its gaming devices. The company had changed the date from early 2026 to Q1 2026. A recent announcement suggested that the launch of the Steam Machine may be pushed back. However, this does not appear to be the case. valve is Updated your statement To confirm that all three products will be shipping this year despite the shortage. It is still unclear what the price of the devices will be. On the other hand, the company recently revealed that the Steam Deck OLED would be out of stock intermittently due to the RAM crisis.
