AI, software, security and the apps you use every day, written for business owners and everyday people. New stories through the day, zero clickbait.
Google's Gemini app can now look at your Maps searches and saved places to plan your day, if you allow it. A separate notice hints a reasoning mode may go away.
Read more: Gemini can now use your Google Maps searches and saved placesGoogle, Amazon and Meta are promising towns fewer tax breaks and less secrecy on data centers, as local pushback grows across the U.S.
Read more: Big tech promises towns fewer tax breaks and less secrecy on data centersGoogle says some Android phones in Canada may show the wrong time after British Columbia and Manitoba stop turning clocks back on November 1st.
Read more: Google says Android phones in Canada may show the wrong timeOrange Business is piloting voice AI that runs at several sites on its network, aiming for faster replies, backup if a site fails, and control over where calls are handled.
Read more: Orange tests AI phone helpers that run close to the callerForrester says AI now handles 19% of inbound contact-center calls, up from 6% in 2024, and the errors are harder to spot than in text chat.
Read more: Phone bots are taking more customer calls, and mistakes slip byA tech writer traced months of poor Pixel Watch battery life to three everyday apps, not the hardware. Here is what each one was doing and how to check yours.
Read more: Three everyday apps were quietly draining one Pixel Watch's batteryCanva built its own AI image maker, Canva Craft, and opened it to all users. It aims to get text right and produce designs you can edit.
Read more: Canva launches its own AI image maker, free for all users to tryOpening Bell Ventures released Shelly, an AI that interviews employees and customers, then tests their answers against company records. A phone demo is open to anyone.
Read more: New AI worker named Shelly phones your staff, then checks their answersCalifornia's health department says scammers are posing as its staff by phone, using fake prescription claims and fake police to pull out your personal details.
Read more: Scammers pose as California health officials to steal your detailsLeaked paperwork points to battery details for Samsung's rumored Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra, but nothing is official, so upgraders may want to wait.
Read more: Samsung's next top phones show battery details ahead of launchMillions of Americans are expected to get Amazon settlement checks, and this time the FTC credit names a sitting president, which is a first.
Read more: Amazon refund checks now name "President Trump's FTC" as the senderThe New York Times reports that lawsuits and legal pressure are pushing big tech companies to change course, which could affect the apps and tools you use.
Read more: Court losses are pushing big tech companies to change how they workGarmin often builds heart rate zones from a guess based on your age. Lifehacker says a quick reset can keep your easy days easy and your hard days useful.
Read more: Your Garmin Watch May Be Using the Wrong Heart Rate ZonesAmazon renamed Kindle Unlimited as Kindle+ at the same $12 a month, and some of the audiobooks it adds will be read by AI instead of a person.
Read more: Amazon renames Kindle Unlimited as Kindle+ and adds AI-read audiobooksA security guide lists 14 scams that borrow Amazon's name. Most try to rush you into a fake link, a call or a payment, and the fix is to check inside Amazon.
Read more: 14 Amazon scams to know, and how to spot each oneA Tesla using Full Self-Driving hit and killed a 71-year-old man crossing I-80 in California. Police say the system is not fully autonomous and drivers stay responsible.
Read more: Tesla on Full Self-Driving kills man crossing California highwayAmazon upgraded the computer voices in its Polly service to sound more natural and accurate. Existing users get it automatically, and the price stays the same.
Read more: Amazon's text-to-speech voices get more natural, at the same priceSalesforce may soon charge businesses when outside AI tools like Claude read or change data in its apps. Companies that use both could see a new cost.
Read more: Salesforce plans to charge companies when outside AI like Claude uses its appsTom's Guide asks if a touchscreen laptop is worth it and points to the Dell XPS 13, which Dell says has touch on every model at no extra cost.
Read more: Why a touchscreen can make a slim laptop easier to useBoris Cherny, who created Claude Code, says a good AI prompt needs only three things. XDA tested his approach, and anyone can borrow it.
Read more: Claude Code's creator says a good AI prompt needs just three thingsMicrosoft says its new AI tool diagnosed illness far more accurately than doctors in tests, but only on past cases, not real patients.
Read more: Microsoft says its AI diagnoses illness more accurately than doctorsT-Mobile customers in New York who were hit by price hikes they did not expect may get money back. People in other states are not covered for now.
Read more: Some T-Mobile customers in New York may get money back for price hikesSB Energy, the SoftBank-controlled builder of OpenAI's planned Ohio data center, may go public in December or wait until next year, later than expected.
Read more: SB Energy, builder of OpenAI's Ohio data center, may delay its stock debutScam texts claim your voter registration is missing and push a link to a fake page that collects personal details. Check your status yourself instead.
Read more: Text says you're not registered to vote? It may be a scam
