GoKawiil
Tech News
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple is widely testing a home hub smart display powered by Siri AI, which could debut as early as next month. The device reportedly uses Face ID for user recognition and will come in both stand-mounted and wall-mounted versions, with its own home screen, widgets and StandBy-like clock faces.
Durabook has launched the Z14I-DX3, a military-grade mobile workstation featuring a central 14-inch display flanked by two additional 14-inch sunlight-readable touchscreens that fold inward for transport. The unit weighs 9.8 kg and measures 5.4 inches thick when closed, far bulkier than the 3.6 kg single-screen version it's based on. It's built to MIL-STD-810H and MIL-STD-461G specifications and targets military, public safety, and industrial field users who need multiple displays at once.
Amazon is discounting mid-range 13-inch M5 MacBook Air configurations by $150, bringing 16GB/1TB models down to $1,449 and 24GB/1TB models to $1,649. Separately, Apple's official refurbished store has 15-inch M5 MacBook Air units marked down by as much as $300. These sit alongside other current promotions including $50 off AirPods Pro 3, $240 off the entry Studio Display, and over $100 off various M4 iPad Air models.
Leaker Ice Universe reports that Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra uses four-way baffles to block screen visibility from top, bottom and both sides, while Huawei's Mate XT 2 and Xiaomi's 18 Pro series only block side views. This makes Samsung's privacy screen more thorough, but the tighter light control brings side effects like dimmer off-axis brightness, blurrier images, and reported eye strain or nausea for some users.
A hands-on roundup highlights Good Lock modules that let Samsung Galaxy owners customize their phones beyond what One UI offers by default. Key examples include Display Assistant, which sets screen timeout and refresh rate per app, and Sound Assistant, which allows individual volume levels for each app.
Morphotonics, a Netherlands-based nanoimprint lithography company that makes waveguide displays for AR glasses, has raised €40 million to scale production and expand into optical components for data centers. The round included 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, BOM, Invest-NL, the European Innovation Council Fund, a Dutch family office, and the European Investment Bank. The funding extends a round that began in 2024 as the company rides growing demand for smart glasses displays.
Ahead of Wednesday's official launch of Apple's M6 Mac mini, M5 Pro mini, and Mac Studio, GoKawiil staff compiled their favorite peripherals to pair with the new machines. Recommendations include Apple's discounted Studio Display, Samsung's M9 OLED Smart Monitor as an alternative screen, and the Logitech MX Master 4 mouse for those skipping Apple's own input devices.
Apple's official refurbished store is now selling the entry-level 2026 Studio Display with a Tilt-adjustable stand for $1,359, down $240 from its $1,599 list price, though supplies appear limited. The deal arrives alongside other launch-week discounts, including AirPods Pro 3 at $50 off timed to iPhone 18 Pro delivery day, early markdowns on the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 and M6 Mac mini, and a $50 discount on the upcoming 2026 Mac Studio ahead of its release.
Amazon has cut the price of Anker's Prime Docking Station to $169.99, a $100 reduction from its $269.99 list price and a match of its previous lowest sale price. The 14-in-1 device merges a laptop dock with a charging hub, supporting dual monitors and up to 160W of combined power output.
Acer has launched the Googlebook 14, one of five inaugural Googlebook laptops from different PC makers, and it's the only model with a 360-degree hinge that converts into tent or tablet mode. It also supports USI 2.0 stylus input, though it lacks the haptic trackpad found on rival models from ASUS, HP and Lenovo.
Apple's latest Mac Mini refresh retains its familiar compact design, port layout, and the awkwardly placed rear power button, while introducing the new M6 chip built on a 2-nanometer process. The chip packs 46 billion transistors, roughly 35 percent denser than its predecessor, and the new model adds two extra CPU cores compared to the M4 version.
Apple is internally testing a smart home hub codenamed J490 that would rival Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The device would feature a camera, microphones, facial recognition to personalize content per user, and an interface blending iOS, tvOS and watchOS elements, all built around the newly launched Siri AI from iOS 27. Gurman also reported Apple scrapped a special Pencil designed for the dual-screen iPhone Duo due to technical issues, opting instead to support the existing iPad Apple Pencil.