GoKawiil
Tech News
An Entrepreneur contributor argues that startups most often waste money not through bad hires or launches but by building products without real validation of customer demand. The piece lays out five principles for product teams, starting with treating internal processes like a product to be prototyped and tested with a small cross-functional group before scaling up.
Waze, the crowdsourced navigation app owned by Google since 2013, includes a 'Drive to friends & family' feature that lets users start directions to a saved contact's address without typing it in manually. The feature requires granting Waze access to a phone's contact list, which can later be revoked through device settings on iPhone or Android.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple experimented with built-in microphones on the next Apple TV 4K, which would let users issue Siri commands without a remote or HomePod. Apple also tested a new Siri Remote with a built-in speaker to help locate it when misplaced. The device is expected to launch alongside a HomePod mini on October 30, ahead of Apple's October 13 'Welcome home' event.
Samsung's One UI 9 update, introduced alongside its August foldable launches, is now widely rolling out to recent Galaxy flagship devices. The update is the first version of Samsung's interface built on Android 17 and includes several new features, including AI tools and a contextual-information feature called Now Nudge.
Apple is reportedly unveiling a new smart home device called 'HomePad' at a 'Welcome home' event next Tuesday. Rumored features include a Photos app face that cycles through Apple Photos images like a digital picture frame, on-screen lyrics during Apple Music playback, and an upgraded Siri AI capable of showing visual responses on its display.
Apple's iOS 27 update introduces four upgrades to the Mail app: a new ranking system for more relevant search results, expanded suggestion cards that now support third-party apps, Smart Reply responses tailored to a user's personal writing style, and new Ask Siri buttons offering AI capabilities throughout the app.
A leaker known as 'pdfu,' who has previously shared accurate Apple and LG smart-home leaks, posted new details suggesting an NFC-based 'Proximity Control' feature for upcoming LG Apple Home accessories. The feature reportedly shows device controls in the iPhone's Dynamic Island when the phone is held near a compatible device, using the Matter protocol but tailored to Apple Home. This follows an earlier leak describing a 'tap to setup without power' pairing feature from the same source.
Meta confirmed it has banned advertising from TikTok's parent ByteDance in the US, Canada, Egypt, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Vietnam, extending to third-party advertisers promoting TikTok campaigns there. A Meta spokesperson said the company has no obligation to run ads for a competitor seeking to draw users away from its apps. The move follows TikTok's earlier removal of Instagram and Facebook profile links.
Apple's iOS 27 update adds major upgrades to the Home app, led by improvements to HomeKit Secure Video. Compatible cameras can now stream and record in 4K, up from the previous 1080p cap, while Apple Intelligence adds AI-generated video descriptions, clip search, and highlighted 'noteworthy clips.' The update also introduces real-time notifications that consolidate related alerts into a single updating message instead of several separate ones.
Razer has released the Basilisk V4 Pro, its new flagship gaming mouse, priced at $170 with a 50,000 DPI sensor, 8,000Hz polling, a second-generation tilt scroll wheel, 14 customizable controls, and up to 275 hours of battery life. The company also introduced the cheaper $110 Basilisk V4 HyperSpeed with a 33K sensor and up to 225 hours of battery, alongside a $70 Mouse Dock V2 Pro that provides magnetic wireless charging.
Google said in a community post that it is discontinuing free cellular access to Safety Signal features—Emergency SOS, Fall Detection, and Safety Check—on the LTE versions of the Pixel Watch 2 and 3. The free access, previously bundled with a Google Health Premium subscription, ends after December 12th, with affected users given a 30-day transition window starting when they receive an email notice.
Amazon has introduced a new series of Alexa Tablets replacing its Fire lineup, featuring aluminum bodies and official Android 16 OS with access to Google Play. The lineup includes three models: 12 Pro, 11, and 8, priced from $230 to $500, with kids' editions available for the smaller devices. Shipping begins October 14, and Amazon commits to four years of software updates.