Latest news, developments and reporting on Products & Applications.
Apple announced the HomePod mini 2, a $149 smart speaker with Siri AI, Sound Glow, and new pink and green colors. Pre-orders start October 13, with in-store availability on October 30.
Longshot Space Technology raised about $20M to fire cargo toward space with large guns and test hypersonics for the U.S. military.
Meta’s $349 camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses are praised by Engadget and The Verge for a lighter, more normal design, long battery life and open-ear audio. Reviewers say privacy concerns ease without a camera, though AI features remain limited and the price is high.
Torvalds used Anthropic's Claude Code to write Linux kernel patches fixing page-cache contention, a shift in his stance.
GamesBeat reports Grand Theft Auto 6 will hit PC in early 2027, months after its November 19 console launch and far sooner than GTA 5's PC release.
The Paris auto show's media day brought new models and concepts from Renault and Stellantis brands including Citroën, Peugeot and Fiat, but Ars Technica reports that none of the vehicles are headed for American showrooms.
LNK Energies, an MIT startup, has developed a compact onboard reactor that releases hydrogen from liquid organic hydrogen carriers to power heavy-duty trucks. It says converted Class 8 trucks can cut total cost of ownership by 13% versus diesel and use existing diesel fueling infrastructure.
TechRadar's October 13, 2026 review of the Uplift 4-leg standing desk praises its stability, construction, materials and 20-minute assembly, while noting blocked grommet holes and limited availability outside the US. The desk has an MSRP of about $960 and offers extensive customization through Uplift.
LFM2.5-24B-A2B is a 24B reasoning MoE with 2B active parameters for fast, private on-device agents and tool use.
Meta is rolling out Your Algorithm on Facebook, allowing users to adjust Feed and Reels recommendations by selecting topics or describing preferences in natural language. The company says changes take effect in real time.
Google Play will host private AI-built personal apps for US adults and add AI game discovery and in-car store updates.
The Xteink X4 Pro e-reader is $84.15 at Amazon, matching its Prime Day price, according to The Verge.
Satlyt, founded by former Google and SpaceX product manager Rama Afullo, has raised $8 million to build software that runs AI models on satellites. Its software is set to launch on a SpaceX rocket alongside Google's Project Suncatcher prototype.
Proximity sensors are not one component but a whole category of hardware inside every modern phone, handling screen shutoff, Face ID, contactless payments and more. Most of them cannot be switched off.
OnePlus 16 keeps the square metal camera module and adds a 185Hz 1.5K display, a sixth-generation Snapdragon 8 processor and a 9,000mAh battery, while raising its starting price to 5,699 yuan. A review by ifanr says it is less radical than earlier OnePlus phones but still carries the brand's focus on speed, grip and battery life.
TechRadar's review of the Braun OptiBrew Pro finds a $199.95 drip coffee maker that brews five styles in seven sizes, froths milk and handles cold brew, but requires pre-ground coffee.
Apple unveiled HomeView, a $299 smart display, plus HomePod mini 2, new Apple TV 4K, and Home Collection accessories.
9to5Mac reported on October 13, 2026, that Apple deals include up to $600 off M5 Pro MacBook Pro models, $50 off AirPods Pro 3, $120 off AirPods Max 2, and a returned $199 clearance discount on the Black Titanium Apple Watch Ultra 3 with Milanese Loop. A mid-range M6 Mac mini is also nearly $150 off.
Apple opened $299 HomeView preorders and unveiled new Apple TV 4K, HomePod mini 2 and Home Collection devices.
Aldi's new home heating range includes a £50 alternative to Dyson and a budget dehumidifier, according to a TechRadar report.
Apple's iPhone Duo and Xiaomi's 18 Fold arrived two days apart with similar passport-style foldable designs, but they differ on price, availability, cameras and software, Engadget reports.
Google Wallet's October update adds receipt scanning, better merchant names, a message center and faster Google Pay checkout.
Consus, founded by a former SpaceX and Castelion engineer, launched an AI gateway that routes model requests through ITAR- and CUI-compliant infrastructure, saying it completed a FedRAMP High equivalency audit. Pricing starts at $40 per seat per month plus tokens at cost.
Engadget says Framework Laptop 12's 2026 upgrade fixes a key thermal flaw with Intel Core Series 3 and adds new features.