The everyday tech stories our desk judged worth your time, written so anyone can follow them.
A new Google app version suggests Gemini Live will work offline, but only after an online setup, and with fewer features than the regular version.
Read more: Google's offline Gemini Live needs an internet setup firstGoogle's usual November software update for Pixel phones has not arrived, and a bigger Android 17 update may be the reason. Here is what to check.
Read more: Google skips its November update for Pixel phonesAmazon is letting some US customers text an AI shopping assistant to order groceries, get gift ideas and track deals, with millions more to follow.
Read more: Amazon lets you text Alexa to order groceries and giftsA San Francisco startup sent a humanoid robot to clean a reporter's apartment, but a person was steering it from afar. Fully independent home robots are not here yet.
Read more: A robot cleaned a reporter's home, but people were steering itInstagram's free Edits video app now has a Mac version, and it may be built for business clips as well as Reels. Here is what is known so far.
Read more: Instagram's Edits app on Mac is meant for more than ReelsA writer swapped Samsung's home screen for the free Mango Launcher and kept it. It hides apps at no cost, and a trial takes minutes.
Read more: A free Android home screen app beats Samsung's built-in one for someTom's Guide measured nearly 2,000 nits on Apple's new 16-inch MacBook Pro, a lab record among 80 laptops tested this year, with HDR video the big winner.
Read more: Apple's new MacBook Pro has the brightest laptop screen we've testedInc. says a password manager only helps a business if staff use it, and it looks at how to run a campaign that gives people a reason to sign up.
Read more: A password manager only protects your team if they actually use itSamsung's new $700 Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 got about three days of use per charge in Engadget's test, with a brighter screen and a much bigger battery.
Read more: Samsung's $700 Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 lasts three days on a chargeInvestors are using AI chatbots to size up founders before meetings, so what those tools say about you now matters. PR teams are paying attention.
Read more: Investors now ask AI chatbots about you before the first meetingChrome's Memory Saver and Energy Saver settings helped one tester gain about two hours of laptop battery life, with a few trade-offs to know about.
Read more: Two Chrome settings can add about two hours of laptop battery lifeKugelblitz is a new Mac app that shows Earth as a 3D globe using open map data. It needs no account, but it only runs on very recent Macs.
Read more: Kugelblitz is a free-to-browse 3D globe app for Mac, no account neededA How-To Geek writer says free old laptops are fine for learning home server basics, but they fail in quiet ways once you depend on them.
Read more: Old laptops are fine for learning, but risky for home servers you rely onBlotato, a social media scheduling service, is now an official ChatGPT plugin. It can schedule posts and run Instagram and Facebook DM automations, but it needs a paid plan.
Read more: Blotato Lets ChatGPT Users Schedule Social Posts and Send DMs by ChatUsers of the privacy-focused GrapheneOS say Wero payments from ASN Bank now fail on their phones, while Triodos and N26 still work.
Read more: Dutch ethical bank ASN stops working on Android phones without GoogleMany free AI models are sold as open source, but the group that defines the term rejected several big names. Hidden license limits can matter to your business.
Read more: Many AI models called open source fail the test for the termUpLevel Rewards is not a proven scam, but many users say it denies rewards, and its paid trials and ID checks can cost you money and personal data.
Read more: UpLevel Rewards is not proven a scam, but many users say it won't payWhich? says scam messages promise hundreds of pounds in energy help and lead to fake government sites, ahead of the real £100 payment in January 2027.
Read more: Scam texts are using the new £100 energy payment to trick UK householdsA software update lets Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Pixel Buds 2a owners change noise cancellation and equalizer settings by voice, no phone digging needed.
Read more: Pixel Buds now obey voice commands for sound settingsMotorola's Razr Fold has a new software update, but cheaper and older Motorola phones already have Android 17. Here is why that matters if you buy a pricier phone.
Read more: Motorola's Razr Fold gets an update, but not the newest AndroidCode found in a WhatsApp beta for Android points to a long-press preview that shows recent messages without sending blue ticks. It is not released yet.
Read more: WhatsApp on Android may let you peek at messages without telling anyoneMichigan says scammers are using Medicare sign-up season to get Medicare numbers by phone, mail and door knocks, and the deadline is Dec. 7.
Read more: Scammers target Medicare sign-ups to steal personal informationA free open source tool called Android Auto Maker puts games and video players on a parked car's screen, but Google could shut the door later.
Read more: Free tool lets you run any app on your car screen while parkedSamsung Galaxy owners in the US can buy USDC, a digital coin tied to the dollar, inside Samsung Wallet, with Stripe running the process behind the scenes.
Read more: Samsung phone owners can now buy digital dollars in their wallet app
