Today's Consumer Tech Pulse
Apple integrates distilled Gemini AI into Siri, boosting on-device processing
Apple is embedding a distilled version of Google’s Gemini model into Siri, enabling the iPhone’s Neural Engine and custom silicon to handle simpler queries locally while offloading heavier AI workloads to the cloud. The initiative also brings Nvidia’s Confidential Computing platform to encrypt user data during cloud processing.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Airbnb leads $58M Series C in travel startup WeRoad
Windows 11 KB5079391 Update Rolls Out Smart App Control Improvements
Microsoft rolled out the KB5079391 preview cumulative update for Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 in March 2026. The optional, non‑security update adds 29 changes, most notably a toggle for Smart App Control that no longer requires a clean OS install. It also brings display upgrades—including support for refresh rates above 1,000 Hz, native USB‑4 monitor connections, and more reliable HDR—and a suite of performance and reliability fixes. Devices are upgraded to build 26200.8116 (25H2) or 26100.8116 (24H2).
Android 17 Beta 3 Finally Brings the Desktop Multitasking We’ve Been Waiting For
Google’s Android 17 Beta 3 finally delivers the long‑awaited multitasking experience, introducing the Bubbles windowing system that lets users run most apps in floating windows. The update also adds a floating screen‑recording toolbar, separate Wi‑Fi and mobile‑data toggles in Quick Settings,...
New Apple Podcasts HLS Hosts, Targeting Podcasting’s Holdouts, & More
Apple released iOS 26.4, adding HLS video support to Apple Podcasts and onboarding four new hosting platforms—Podspace, Riverside, Ausha and Firstory. A March 25 report shows 48 podcasts already streaming HLS video, though full video remains unavailable on macOS and Apple TV. Research from...
SparkFun Thing Plus – ESP32-C5 Board Offers Dual-Band WiFi 6, Adafruit Feather Pinout, LiPo Battery Support
SparkFun has released the Thing Plus – ESP32‑C5, a Feather‑compatible development board built around Espressif’s dual‑band Wi‑Fi 6 ESP32‑C5 SoC. The board ships with the stable ESP‑IDF v6.0 SDK, OTA‑capable safe bootloader, and comes pre‑loaded with MicroPython while also supporting Arduino IDE....
Accessible Tech Is Getting Better than Ever
The CSUN Assistive Technology Conference highlighted a surge in mainstream accessibility solutions, from LG's Comfort Kit accessories and ThinQ On hearing‑impaired features to Amazon’s broader inclusive initiatives. Startups like Kapsys introduced a simplified phone for blind users, while 360 Direct...
EDC Flashlight: The Small Light That Handles Big Messes
The Rodman ED08 is a coin‑sized, titanium‑built EDC flashlight that offers five LED colors, magnetic mounting, and a 105° adjustable stand. It delivers up to 300 lumens, is IP68‑rated, and charges via USB‑C, providing up to 26 hours of low‑mode runtime. Priced...
I Love It when Apple Makes a Great Budget Device, and the iPhone 17e Is an Affordable Powerhouse – the...
Apple’s new iPhone 17e launches at $599 (about $760 USD in the UK), positioning it as a budget-friendly yet powerful alternative to flagship models. It packs the A19 3 nm chip, 8 GB RAM, and a 6.1‑inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, delivering performance...
Three Talented New Compact Radios for Surfing the Airwaves in Style
Philips introduced the TAR3500, a rugged DAB/AM/FM radio with a 60‑hour lithium‑ion battery, solar panel, hand‑crank charger and built‑in flashlight, SOS siren and beacon, priced at £59.99 (≈ $76). The company also announced the retro‑styled MS60 Roller at €179.99 (≈ $196). Roberts...
AR Glasses Seamlessly Run on HP EliteBoard with 6K Display
Can confirm the @xreal_global and @rayneo_global AR glasses both work on @hp’s new EliteBoard G1a keyboard PC with @amd AI 5 PRO 340. I also connected it to the @dell 52” 6K monitor over TB4 and got power, data and...
Ring Doorbell Unable to Join Network? 7 Proven Fixes (2026)
Ring Doorbells frequently fail to join home Wi‑Fi, prompting a surge in consumer support queries. The article outlines seven proven fixes, ranging from simple router restarts to firmware updates and factory resets. It emphasizes that most connectivity problems stem from...
Apple Watch Accurately Tracks Sleep Apnea, Matches CPAP Data
I'd remind everyone that the Apple watch sleep apnea measurement is an absolute triumph of engineering - it matches very closely what I see from the data on my CPAP machine. (The watch, unlike the machine, scores some events with...
Les Mills Teams with Zing Coach to Launch AI‑Powered Group‑Workout App
Les Mills has partnered with Palta‑backed Zing Coach to embed its flagship group‑fitness programs into the AI‑driven app. The deal follows Zing Coach’s $10 million Series A raise and aims to blend human‑led class energy with real‑time AI coaching for millions of...
Oura Ring 4 Crowned Top Sleep Tracker After Year‑long Test
A Tom's Guide writer who wore the Oura Ring 4 every day for a year rates it the best sleep‑tracking wearable of 2026, citing 90+ sleep scores and deeper insight into sleep stages. The endorsement comes as luxury jewelers launch...
Apple Opens Siri to Rivals, Ends OpenAI Exclusivity
Apple is abandoning its exclusive deal with OpenAI and will now allow other AI services to integrate with Siri and Apple Intelligence if their app is installed. It’s been a rough week for OpenAI.
Nex Playground Console Hikes to $299, First Price Increase Since Launch
Nex Playground announced a $50 price hike to $299 effective April 1, marking the first increase since the console’s debut. CEO David Lee blamed soaring memory and storage component costs, driven by AI infrastructure demand, while the company kept its Play...
Smart Trainers Impress on First Light, Responsive Ride
Got my first run in with these smart trainers… really impressed with the ride. Couldn’t feel anything different at all, super light weight and responsive. They’re still calibrating for the first few runs but the early data is already impressive.
Granola Co‑founder Discusses AI’s Meeting Future
Granola is one of the few AI apps I can't live without. We had co-founder Sam Stephenson join the podcast this week. We discuss the future of Granola and AIs in meetings, the SF vs London tech scene, why...
The $79 Earbuds That Are Making the Audio Industry Very Nervous
Anker's Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds launch at $79.99, delivering premium features once reserved for $200‑plus flagships. They boast adaptive noise cancellation that eliminates up to 98.5% of ambient sound, Hi‑Res audio certification, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. Battery life reaches 10 hours per...
Whoop's Relentless Alerts Test Commitment, but I'm Surviving
Everyone told me to get a whoop but no one warned me about the commitment and aggressive notifications 😂 (Day 5, enjoying it so far though) @whoop
Google Tests Priority Charging to Speed Up Battery
🔋⚡ Android 17 Beta 3 reveals Google is testing a new 'Priority Charging' feature Called 'Priority Charging,' the feature pauses background activity to speed up charging ✅ Details - https://t.co/JCZ5W00w4v https://t.co/Ke3NV12Yqq
Dplus Kia Partners with AndaSeat for Gaming Chair Collaboration and Fan Products
South Korean esports organization Dplus Kia has announced a partnership with global gaming‑chair manufacturer AndaSeat to co‑develop a line of co‑branded chairs and fan merchandise. The collaboration blends Dplus Kia’s design and lifestyle branding with AndaSeat’s ergonomic engineering, marking the...
Ex-BYD, Huawei Engineers Launch Compact 32 Km/H Bike Motor
Turn Any Bike Electric: Ex-BYD and Huawei Engineers Unveil Compact 32 km/h Drive System via @Rainmaker1973 #Innovation #EmergingTech #Technology #Tech https://t.co/z9nN0Ue1kP
Nintendo 3DS Debuts in North America, March 27 2011
#ThisDayInTechHistory. March 27, 2011. The Nintendo 3DS launched in North America, priced at US$249.99. #Gaming #Technology #History @Nintendo https://t.co/pYD9M6PqRT
I Love Sony's Latest Headphones. But Its Older Ones Are Nearly as Good (and Cheaper)
Sony's WH‑1000XM6 headphones deliver top‑tier active noise cancellation and premium sound, but carry a $400 price tag. The older WH‑1000XM5, now discounted to about $225 during Amazon's Spring Sale, offers comparable battery life and solid ANC at roughly $300 regular...
Kindle Scribe Outshines iPad Air in Bright Sunlight
I took the Amazon Kindle Scribe Colorsoft and Apple iPad Air out into the sun for a drawing test. I'd only recommend one in direct sunlight. https://t.co/YA57Zk30Zd
'A Dream Come True': Revolutionary AI Smart Glasses Win $1.4 Million ‘Nobel Prize’ to Combat Dementia
CrossSense’s AI‑enabled smart glasses have captured the £1 million (≈$1.4 million) Longitude Prize for dementia, a prize aimed at practical solutions rather than pure research. The device, equipped with the Wispy assistant, offers real‑time visual and auditory cues to help users with...
M4 Max Mac Studio Outshines Mac Pro for Years
Feeling good about buying a Mac Studio last week. M4 Max, 4TB/64GB. It’s the only desktop I’ll need for years to come. Mac Pro just doesn’t make much sense anymore. (Yes I know an M5 Studio is coming. Who cares. All...
Apple Drops Mac Pro, Pushes Mac Studio as Flagship Desktop
Apple on Thursday discontinued the Mac Pro desktop, its highest-end computer aimed at video editors, photographers and other advanced users, in favor of the Mac Studio. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-26/apple-discontinues-mac-pro-desktop-in-favor-of-the-mac-studio?srnd=undefined
I’ll Never Buy a GPS Watch That Doesn’t Offer Turn-By-Turn Navigation
Runner Jeff Dengate argues that a GPS watch with turn‑by‑turn navigation is essential for travel running, citing his Garmin Fenix 8’s 84‑hour GPS battery, bright AMOLED display, and built‑in maps. He uses Strava to pre‑plan routes, syncs them to the watch,...
Apple Offers Huge Bonuses to Retain iPhone Designers
NEW: Apple this week gave its iPhone product design engineers out-of-cycle bonuses worth several hundred thousand dollars, looking to counter OpenAI, Hark and others aggressively poaching its engineers to build AI devices. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-26/apple-gives-iphone-designers-rare-bonuses-to-fight-openai-poaching
ETA Prime Answers the Question: What if the MacBook Neo Had Thermo-Electric Cooling?
The MacBook Neo, a low‑cost laptop powered by Apple’s A18 Pro, suffers from rapid thermal throttling because it lacks active cooling. ETA Prime first applied a copper plate and thermal pad to move heat to the aluminum chassis, which already...
Razer Launches Blade 16 with Intel Panther Lake, 64 GB RAM, $3,500‑$5,000 Price Tag
Razer unveiled the 2026 Blade 16, now powered by Intel's 16‑core Core Ultra 9 386H Panther Lake processor and up to 64 GB of 9,600 MHz LPDDR5X RAM. The laptop starts at $3,499.99 for an RTX 5080 model and tops out at $4,499.99 for an...
The Galaxy S26 Did Something No Phone Has Done in Years — It Made Me Doubt My iPhone
The Samsung Galaxy S26, launched alongside the S26+ series, distinguishes itself with a 6.3‑inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, and a 4,300 mAh battery. In head‑to‑head field tests against the iPhone 17, the S26 delivered smoother multitasking, sustained performance in heat, and...
RCS 4.0 Finally Fixes the One Thing that Made Me Consider Buying an iPhone
The GSMA unveiled RCS Universal Profile 4.0 on March 26, 2026, introducing native video calling directly within messaging apps. The update also adds rich‑text formatting and enhanced Rich Card video streaming for businesses. By allowing a seamless transition from chat to video, Android...
Apple’s Siri Upgrade: Bigger AI Vision, Delayed Rollout
Two things investors should keep in mind as Apple works to do something unique in AI: 1️⃣ The scope of their AI ambitions is bigger than last year’s WWDC comments. It's now expected to include conversational AI and using Siri as...
Pandemic Sparks Self‑Sanitizing Toilet Innovation
#WhatsNext? The Corona Virus has acted as a catalyst for many new inventions to meet the demands of a #NewNormal. For example I present to you the self-sanitizing toilet. (Cheddar Gadgets) https://t.co/1vZkU72Fk9
Google Brags About Android Web Browser Benchmark Scores on Unnamed Devices; Gullible Reporters Fall for It
Google’s Chromium blog announced that Android flagships have set new records in the Speedometer 3.1 and LoadLine web‑browser benchmarks, claiming the platform is now the fastest for mobile web browsing. The post does not name the devices or software versions, and...
AI Rewrote Canon Webcam App in Rust, Fixing Crashes
Great little story from @danshapiro about how he asked a coding agent to fix the official webcam software from Canon that kept crashing. He woke up to a new, fully functional Rust webcam app that has worked ever since. ...
AI Smart Glasses Secure Funding for Dementia Care, Efficacy Unclear
AI smart glasses win major funding to support dementia care, though real-world effectiveness and long-term impact remain uncertain despite early promising observations. https://t.co/vX7jBV2aJt
Nvidia’s New AI Tool Is Giving Female Game Characters a Makeover – and Gamers Are Pushing Back
Nvidia unveiled DLSS‑5, an AI‑powered upscaling system that promises sharper, more photorealistic game visuals. In demo footage, the tool not only enhanced resolution but also altered the appearance of Grace Ashcroft, a female protagonist in Resident Evil Requiem, giving her...
Accidentally Triggering Apple Intelligence Reveals Its Mystery
I still have no idea what apple intelligence does other than when I accidentally hit the wrong button.
Testing Siri as Sole Controller for All Agents
lol gonna try using siri exclusively to run all my agents to see how that feels
Make the Switch: Bring Your AI Memories and Chat History to Gemini
Google’s Gemini app now lets users import AI memories and chat histories from competing assistants, either by copying a generated prompt or uploading a ZIP file of past conversations. The feature, rolling out today, also renames the “past chats” section...
Android 17 Beta 3 Enables Per‑App Dark Theme Control
Android 17 beta 3 You can now turn on/off expanded dark theme for specific apps https://t.co/LZ99uWTjN8
Vibe Coding XR Frees XR Creation for All
"Vibe Coding XR marks a pivotal step toward a future where spatial computing is limited not by technical expertise, but by creativity." https://t.co/qHpu9QOqfC < what happens when any of us can vibe-code some extended reality apps? Cool @GoogleResearch work. https://t.co/LWJ3LtvHmq
Android 17 Beta 3 Lets Pixel Hide App Names
Android 17 beta 3 on Pixel devices now offers an option to hide app names from Pixel Launcher https://t.co/E7sKAdrGeO
Android Browsing up to 47% Faster than iOS
Google says its Android operating system provides up to 47% faster web browsing speeds than Apple’s iOS. https://t.co/TvFxbOakiP
Check and Update Your Kobo eReader Firmware Easily
Have a @Rakuten @Kobo eReader? Smart choice, it's quite as capable as an Amazon Kindle, with strengths all its own. But is it up-to-date with system software? Here's how to check (and update it, as needed): https://t.co/L67emcu2fa #rakuten #kobo #software...
Speculation: Cryptic Teaser Hints at New Trump Phone
My prediction is this is all just a cryptic way to announce some stupid Trump product like the Trump phone. Bookmark this
Apple Adds Age Checks; Users Consider Android Escape
The impact of the UK's age verification law continues, with Apple implementing age checks for iOS 26.4 users, and some already plan to flee to Android. https://t.co/517EsY3jOJ