Latest news, developments and reporting on Products & Applications.
Meta is testing a full-screen video feed that greets Facebook users in India and an option to open Instagram straight to Reels in several countries, with a possible US rollout as early as 2027.
Claude Haiku 5.5 lifts OSWorld 2.1 to 72.4%, cuts average cost about 75%, adds adaptive reasoning and a 1M-token context.
Natura has announced a $99 smart ring that controls AI agents and tracks health, while Goodfire launched cheaper monitors to detect rogue AI agents inside models. Both were reported Thursday by TechCrunch AI.
Apple has announced a special event for October 13 in New York, teased as "Welcome home." The company is expected to show a HomePad smart display, refreshed Apple TV and HomePod mini, and possibly LG smart home accessories.
Gnomes, starring Asa Butterfield, launches on Stan in Australia Oct. 8, streams free on ZDF Neo in Germany, Austria and Switzerland from Oct. 11, and hits Disney+ in the UK Oct. 16. No U.S. or Canada release is set.
After October Prime Day, Amazon and other US retailers are still offering Apple device discounts and coffee maker deals, including AirPods Pro 3 at $179 and up to $300 off De'Longhi, Breville and Ninja machines.
A builder known as BJ has made the Retro Song Bird, a media player that plays the music and sound effects stored on Game Boy cartridges rather than the games themselves. Only a few prototypes exist so far.
Docusign released Docusign PDF Editor, a desktop app that lets users edit, redact and convert PDFs before sending them for signature, plugged into its Intelligent Agreement Management platform. It goes on sale Nov. 2 in six languages.
Harness said it acquired select assets and the team of Augment Code, including its Cosmos AI development platform, which becomes Harness Cosmos Software Factory and connects code generation with Harness's delivery, security and cost agents.
YouTube Music is testing a redesigned album and playlist layout that uses cover art across the top third of the screen and splits the action bar into circular quick actions, a Play button, and shuffle. The change is rolling out to a small group of users, according to Android Authority.
New York’s updated, unsealed lawsuit alleges TikTok gave thousands of users, including children and teens, nonworking “placebo” versions of safety tools such as Algo Refresh. TikTok says it regularly tests features and provided a statement to The Verge.
IPVanish rolled out a next-gen antivirus for Windows and macOS and split its plans into three tiers as it moves beyond VPN into wider digital security.
TechRadar reports OpenAI has quietly added an Intelligent UI to ChatGPT, powered by GPT-6, that turns ordinary prompts into mixed text, visual and interactive answers. The feature is available in the standard Chat tab to all users, including those on the free tier.
Crunchyroll Manga expands to the UK and Australia, offering 250+ titles to Ultimate subscribers and as an add-on for Fan and Mega Fan plans.
The Verge reported Oct. 8 that most October Prime Day deals remain, including Apple Macs and AirPods, Sony headphones and Google devices. Some need Prime, and many are at Best Buy, Walmart, Target or manufacturers.
Google unveiled a universal Gemini agent for enterprise work, assignable from one interface across Workspace and Slack.
Spotify launched technology.spotify.com on Thursday, offering its internal developer and enterprise tools to outside companies, according to TechCrunch. The move formalizes a business that already includes Backstage, Confidence, Portal and Xirp.
Oppo sets October 21 global launch for Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max; leaks point to higher prices.
TechRadar: 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 RAM is $474.99 at Newegg with code FTTF8289, saving $163.
Kyndryl survey: only 10% of IT chiefs use agentic AI for modernization; former IBM strategist Andy Thurai says AI's economics for legacy IT fixes don't hold up.
TechRadar reviews Maya Mobile and eRoaming, comparing day-based and country, regional and global travel eSIM plans.
Rockstar previews GTA VI radio stations and confirms first in-game podcasts ahead of November 19 launch.
Meta and OpenAI have launched consumer AI agents, Muse and Dots, as always-on assistants that can book reservations, triage email and take on workplace tasks. The Verge reports the race raises questions about trust, privacy and Meta's lack of a frontier model.
Stylophone has reissued its Mini synthesizer for $30 in three colors, including pink, with stylus and built-in speaker.