An investigation by Gamers Nexus, working with Level1Techs and independent security researchers, found that LG OLED TVs including the G5 actively scan home networks to identify phones, smartwatches and other nearby devices, while also capturing microphone audio even when the display appears off. The collected data, including Wi-Fi network names, signal strength and location details, is later uploaded once the TV reconnects to the internet and feeds into LG's advertising arm, LG Ad Solutions.
Meta has remotely disabled photo and video functions on smart glasses that owners modified to hide or disable the recording indicator light. The company's wearables VP told Semafor that under 0.1% of the roughly 7 million glasses sold in 2025 were altered this way, meaning up to several thousand devices were affected. The move follows a wave of complaints about people using the glasses to secretly film others, particularly women, without consent.
A tech reviewer compiled a list of 10 connected gadgets designed to improve backyard spaces, covering categories like entertainment, lawn maintenance, lighting and security. The recommendations span both novel devices and smart add-ons that make existing outdoor equipment more automated.
The guide explains how Windows users can check the condition of their hard drives and SSDs using both built-in Windows tools and free third-party utilities that read SMART diagnostic data. It notes that failing drives can show signs like corrupted files, slow performance, frequent errors, or drives disappearing from the system, though SSDs lack the audible warning signs traditional hard drives can give before failure.
Xiaomi's new $500 Redmi Note 17 Pro Max includes full-resolution 50MP photo capture and a manual/pro camera mode, features absent from Google's $900 Pixel 11. Google reserves these tools for its pricier Pixel 11 Pro lineup, even though the base Pixel has hardware capable of supporting them.
At IFA 2026 in Berlin, several companies unveiled connected home products aimed at everyday consumers, including LG's thin 83-inch OLED EVO AI TV, Govee's under-couch LED lighting strips, iGulu's F1 automated home beer brewing system, and a Xiaomi Mijia refrigerator that can chill water below freezing without solidifying it. A CNET reporter toured the show floor to sample and evaluate these gadgets for a hypothetical dream smart home.
Oura officially filed for an IPO on September 3, reporting revenue nearly doubling to $1.21 billion over nine months and 3.6 million rings sold to about 5 million paid members. The filing comes just after the launch of its slimmer Oura Ring 5, even as competitors like Circular, RingConn, and Ultrahuman roll out rings with tap-to-pay, haptics, and onboard software.
Netskope researchers found over 5,400 compromised small-business websites, mostly running WordPress and PrestaShop, injected with scripts that fetch malicious payloads from smart contracts on the BNB Smart Chain Testnet. Visitors are shown a fake CAPTCHA that tricks them into pasting a PowerShell command via the Windows Run dialog, which downloads and runs the attacker's final payload. Later in the campaign, attackers swapped the ClickFix payload for a stealthier WebRTC data-channel stager that opens a covert encrypted connection without a genuine handshake.
At IFA 2026, Ulefone sub-brand RugOne showed off the Xsnap 7 Pro, a rugged Android phone with a magnetically attached action camera that pops out of its back. The removable module records up to 2.8K at 30fps or 1440p at 50fps, holds 64GB of storage, is waterproof to 5 meters, and connects to the phone over Wi-Fi 6 from as far as 50 meters away.
Anker has introduced the SOLIX E10, a stackable home backup system combining a Power Module, up to five 6,000Wh Battery Modules, solar charging input, and a tri-fuel Smart Generator that runs on gasoline, propane, or natural gas. A separate Power Dock acts as a smart breaker panel, tying up to three Power Modules into the home's electrical system for as much as 90kWh of stored capacity.
ULTRALOQ has released the Bolt Fingerprint smart lock, which the company describes as its first model fully integrated with Apple Home. The device supports fingerprint unlock for up to 50 fingers, 50 passcodes, auto-unlock, physical keys, and voice control via Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant, and connects directly over 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi without needing a separate hub bridge.
Multiple Wear OS users across Pixel Watch, Galaxy Watch, and OnePlus Watch devices say Gemini claims to complete smart home commands—like adjusting lights, AC, or vacuums—without actually executing them. The issue surfaced around the same time Google expanded Gemini for Home's voice command capabilities on phones and speakers, where the assistant continues to work normally. Google has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded publicly.
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