GoKawiil
Tech News
Microsoft has introduced the Surface Laptop Ultra, a high-end Windows laptop featuring Nvidia’s new RTX Spark chip, marking Nvidia’s entry into Arm-based PC processors. The device underwent rigorous testing at Microsoft’s Redmond lab before launch, aiming to compete directly with the MacBook Pro in performance and capabilities. The Ultra also supports gaming and offers a sleek design similar to Apple’s space gray options.
A commentary piece, drawing on the author's own experience using AI tools while designing her book cover, argues that women use workplace AI less than men due to differing expectations, less discretionary time, and harsher judgment when they do use it. The author frames this as evidence of a broader systemic problem rather than simply a technology adoption gap.
Ring announced its first smart lock, which lets owners generate emergency power by manually cranking the thumbturn if the battery dies. The lock supports fingerprint, keypad, and app-based unlocking, costs $249, and ships in three finishes starting Q1 2027. Ring also revealed new 4K cameras with its Retinal Vision standard for improved low-light footage, plus a $69.99 Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam 2K.
Google has made SynthID Detector, previously limited to journalists and media professionals, publicly available at synthid.com. The free tool detects AI watermarks in images, video and audio from Google, OpenAI, NVIDIA and Kakao, requiring users to log in with a Google, OpenAI or Apple account. Support for detecting Apple Intelligence-created images is expected soon.
Ring plans to release a new Smart Lock priced at $249, featuring a hand-crank mechanism that generates emergency power via a small motor and supercapacitor. A few turns of the crank produce about three volts, enough to run the lock's fingerprint reader, keypad or app connectivity for roughly 30 seconds. The device otherwise runs on a battery Ring says lasts a year per charge, and will ship in Black, Silver and Brass finishes sometime in early 2027.
Cisco is rolling out an update to its Webex platform centered on a new tool called Dialog, an "agentic harness" meant to coordinate AI agents handling customer interactions across people, agents and backend systems. The update also lets workspace users invite AI agents directly into meetings, calls and spaces to perform multi-step tasks, such as pulling statistics into a live presentation, and includes onboarding processes that expose agents to employee handbooks and procedures, with Splunk providing monitoring.
Ring, Amazon's video doorbell company, has launched its first smart lock, featuring a manual power dial that lets users crank the device back to life if its battery dies. Founder Jamie Siminoff said he developed the feature after worrying about getting locked out of a rarely used vacation home due to a dead battery. The lock also supports entry via fingerprint reader, touchscreen keypad, the Ring app, or Alexa, and its battery is expected to last about a year.
Google launched a public website that lets anyone check whether an image, video, or audio clip was generated using AI, after testing the tool with journalists and researchers since last year's Google I/O. The site uses SynthID, Google's watermarking technology introduced in 2023, and supports a wide range of image, video, and audio file formats. Google says SynthID is already built into Gemini, Nano Banana, Veo, Lyria, and other generative tools, as well as the Gemini app and Chrome browser.
TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 runs October 13-15 at San Francisco's Moscone West, expecting over 10,000 attendees, 200+ sessions across six stages, and a startup Expo Hall. Online ticket discounts of up to $100 end before doors open, with a 50% second-pass offer and a $75 Expo+ Pass for laid-off attendees. The event includes Startup Battlefield 200, a pitch competition offering a $100,000 prize, with confirmed speakers including Mark Wahlberg, RJ Scaringe, and executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, and NVIDIA.
eth68 is a new Ethernet-based audio interface for Linux offering 6 balanced inputs and 8 balanced outputs on 1/4 inch TRS connectors, DIN MIDI, and 48/96 kHz sampling via a Burr-Brown PCM3168A codec. It runs custom firmware on an STM32H7 microcontroller emulating a netJACK1 master endpoint, and integrates with JACK via a netone backend or directly with PipeWire through a pw-eth68 client, measuring 3.620ms round-trip latency at 48kHz with a 64-sample buffer.
Chip Ganassi Racing and OpenAI collaborated during the 2026 IndyCar season, with an OpenAI researcher working alongside the team to help optimize car setups for driver Álex Palou, who won his fifth championship in six seasons. The partnership, which included OpenAI branding on Palou's car at some races, is documented in a YouTube series, with a second episode released recently.
Users on X are using AI video and image tools to turn Sam Altman and Dario Amodei into recurring characters, producing fake singing, dancing, acting and HBO-style drama clips built around their real-world rivalry. The trend reimagines the two CEOs' public feuding over AI safety and competition as an ongoing fictional storyline rather than reporting any actual statements from either executive.