Tech Briefs
There is always lots of tech news breaking every day. I grabbed some stories that I thought were interesting and added my thoughts.
9to5Google reviewed Walmart’s Onn 4K Pro, a $60 Google TV box with 3GB of RAM, Ethernet, a full-size USB-A port, and a backlit remote with a remote-finder button. Performance is close to Google’s own streamer, which now costs $149. The cheaper $50 Onn 4K Plus drops the Ethernet and USB-A ports.
Read moreMeta removed language from its commercial terms that said it could use any content from a business account’s domains, web pages, or URLs to develop and train its products. Legal experts had flagged the clause as a possible route to scraping publisher sites for AI training. Meta says the terms only apply to its ads and business products and do not change how its web crawlers work.
Read moreMapQuest added a toggle in its app that plots known outdoor surveillance cameras and license plate readers. It covers Flock plus makers, including Motorola Solutions, Genetec, Axis, Axon, Rekor, and Verkada. The layer sits next to the existing traffic and incidents options.
Read moreOpenAI updated its ChatGPT extension for Chrome so it can see your open tabs and answer questions about them, such as comparing couches by size, price, delivery time, and return policy. ChatGPT Work can also fill out forms, send messages, organize tabs, and add calendar events. The sidebar now taps into your full ChatGPT history, and the extension works on every plan and in Edge, Brave, and Opera.
Read moreWithings now requires a Withings+ subscription ($100 a year) for automatic syncing to Apple Health and other third-party apps. The change applies to accounts created after October 13, and existing users appear unaffected. Manual export of your history remains free.
Read moreGoogle’s Universal Cart, first previewed at I/O in May, is now live for US users in Search and the Gemini app. You can save products from different retailers in one cart; it sends alerts for price drops and restocks, surfaces promo codes, and suggests which card to use. Checkout runs through Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol.
Read moreMicrosoft’s October Windows 11 update (KB5127648) restores PDF previews in File Explorer and lets you remap the Copilot key to open Search, an app, or the context menu. It also adds Bluetooth audio fixes, new touchpad scrolling gestures, and phone camera roll backup to OneDrive. PC-to-PC Migration is gone, and Microsoft points people to Windows Backup instead.
Read moreGoogle began testing firmware 3.79.550760 for the Google Home, Home Mini, Nest Mini, and Nest Audio speakers. It includes audio and streaming fixes, Wi-Fi setup and connectivity improvements, a smoother Assistant experience, smarter home controls, and better overall stability. It is in Google’s Preview Program now, and a wider rollout is expected in a few weeks.
Read moreGoogle Play now lets US adults build a personal Android app with Google AI Studio and run it on their own devices without publishing it publicly. For now, only the creator can use the app, and sharing with trusted friends and family is planned in the coming months. Apps must still follow Play policies, and going public requires trust and safety reviews.
Read moreCounterpoint Research says global smartphone shipments dropped 20% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, the lowest point in 14 years. The report blames the ongoing memory chip shortage. A separate report claims Samsung makes no profit selling Galaxy phones at current costs.
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