The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
Apple's new iPad mini starts at $699, but the full A20 Pro chip only comes on the $1,000 model, and the screen and unlock method fall short of some rivals.
Read more: Apple's new iPad mini starts at $699, and the best chip costs $1,000A writer turned a Raspberry Pi into a travel router that links back to his home network, though a dedicated router still wins at hotel Wi-Fi.
Read more: A small Raspberry Pi computer becomes a private travel routerUber says it wants 2,000 driverless cars on the road by the end of next year, which could soon change how you book a ride and what it costs.
Read more: Uber aims for 2,000 self-driving taxis by end of next yearResearchers showed an Apple Watch can learn new hand motions from about a minute of practice, which could someday trigger shortcuts. It is still only a study.
Read more: Apple Watch can learn new hand gestures from one minute of practiceA Wall Street Journal analysis says Apple charges about three times its cost for extra iPhone 18 Pro storage, so the tier you pick can add hundreds of dollars.
Read more: Apple still charges about triple its cost for extra iPhone storageA popular Hacker News post says saved Gemini chats on personal accounts can train Google's AI and be read by people, even if you pay for a subscription.
Read more: Gemini may train on your saved chats, even if you payGoogle Maps now uses the full inner and outer screens of Apple's foldable iPhone Duo after an update, ending the black strip that older versions left on the right.
Read more: Google Maps now fills the whole screen on Apple's foldable iPhoneGoogle Photos may soon let you delete or edit many pictures at once by typing a single request, which could make cleaning up a crowded phone library much faster.
Read more: Google Photos may let you clean up your library by just askingGoogle Maps has built-in settings for fuel-saving routes, gas price checks and multi-stop trips that can trim fuel costs without changing how you drive.
Read more: Google Maps has free tools that can cut your gas spendingA writer stored all of English Wikipedia on a Raspberry Pi, so everyone on the home network can read it even when the internet is down.
Read more: Keep a full copy of Wikipedia at home with a Raspberry PiA New York company has released a free tool that shows whether ChatGPT, Gemini and Google's AI answers mention your business, or send customers to rivals.
Read more: Free tool shows if ChatGPT and Google AI mention your businessAndroid Authority tested the first phone with Qualcomm's newest top chip and found it faster than most people need, but short of what Qualcomm promised.
Read more: First phone with Qualcomm's newest top chip falls short of the hypeNew FCC paperwork suggests Samsung's Galaxy T1 fitness earbuds are close to a US launch, so shoppers may want to wait before buying new workout earbuds.
Read more: Samsung's Galaxy T1 fitness earbuds are heading to the USXiaomi is reportedly building a wide, slab-shaped phone, but there is no price or release date yet, so the report is only a early signal.
Read more: Xiaomi is reportedly working on a wider, squatter phoneA tech writer used Fossify's free Android apps for a week instead of Google's. Privacy improved, but some apps are unfinished and RCS texting is gone.
Read more: A writer swapped Google's phone apps for free, private onesOpenAI says it has fixed the errors that stopped some people from attaching files in ChatGPT, so work documents and homework uploads should go through again.
Read more: OpenAI fixes the file upload errors that hit ChatGPT usersTwo Thai opposition leaders say Apple software flagged attempted attacks on their phones, and they want to know if the state used spyware on political figures.
Read more: Thai opposition leaders say Apple warned their phones were targetedFlowForma now connects its business process software to Claude, ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, so a chat with AI can start approvals and requests.
Read more: FlowForma lets you run company workflows from Claude, ChatGPT and CopilotOne Android Authority writer prefers the iPhone 18 Pro's photo styles over the Pixel 11 Pro's. The two phones handle those built-in looks differently.
Read more: iPhone 18 Pro beats Pixel 11 Pro on photo styles, one reviewer saysAndroid Authority reports that ChatGPT Dots are getting an upgrade, and users reportedly won't need to do anything to get the smarter version.
Read more: ChatGPT Dots are getting smarter without any effort from youOpenAI has added voice chat to its money tool in ChatGPT, so US users can ask about budgets and spending out loud instead of typing.
Read more: ChatGPT now lets you talk out loud about your moneyA treadmill owner used Claude, an AI chatbot, to get out of a subscription trap, and other owners of the machines are paying attention.
Read more: A treadmill owner used Claude AI to get out of a subscription trapA Russian-linked group booby-trapped real and fake websites to attack iPhones and Android phones that are missing updates. The fixes already exist.
Read more: Russian hackers can infect phones just from visiting a websiteWhatsApp is adding a way to see who is behind calls from numbers you have not saved, which could help you spot scam and spam calls.
Read more: WhatsApp adds a way to see who is calling from unknown numbers
