GoKawiil
Tech News
Bloomberg reports Apple is partnering with LG on a new line of smart home devices, including a smart lock, thermostat and doorbell, designed to work with Apple's rumored smart home hub expected to launch October 13th. The companies are also said to be developing indoor, outdoor and floodlight security cameras, with the products reportedly carrying the LG brand despite joint development.
Amazon has launched the Kindle Click, a Bluetooth page-turning remote, more than a year after Rakuten's Kobo introduced its own Kobo Remote. Both devices let readers flip pages without touching their ereader's screen, useful for reading in bed or while exercising, and both offer an optional wrist lanyard. Despite similar basic functionality, the two accessories differ in price, design, battery setup and device compatibility.
As Amazon runs its October Prime Day sale, other retailers including Best Buy are matching some of its discounts on popular tech products, according to WIRED. One highlighted example is the AirPods Pro 3, discounted to $179, a price also available at Best Buy rather than only on Amazon.
Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days event is offering $200 off the latest MacBook Air (M5), bringing the 512GB/16GB configuration to $1,099, the lowest price since June. The discount applies to all MacBook Air configurations sold on Amazon, including the 15-inch model. Microsoft's 2026 Surface Laptop 13.8-inch is also discounted 25%, to $1,280 from $1,700, its best price since launch.
Amazon has quietly removed the ability to use Alexa voice commands to play or pause audio coming through the 3.5mm aux input on some older Echo speakers. A Reddit user reported receiving a message from Amazon about the change, and an unnamed spokesperson reportedly confirmed it to Ars Technica, but Amazon gave The Verge no on-record explanation. Control of the aux port through the Alexa app's settings menu reportedly still works.
Amazon's October Prime Day sale has begun, running for two days with discounts across various product categories. WIRED is running a live blog where its reviewers highlight deals they consider worthwhile and update a running list of top discounts throughout the event.
Sarina Virk Torrendell left a high-six-figure role at Amazon in September 2025, while pregnant with her third child, to found YouPop. The company builds an AI-powered 'intelligence layer' that pulls creators' cross-platform data together to help them decide what content, products or deals to pursue.
WIRED's vacuum tester has compiled a list of vacuum deals tied to Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days sale, limited to models the outlet has personally tested and recommends outside of sale periods. The roundup spans cordless stick vacuums, including a new Dyson model, as well as several robot vacuums.
Consumer AI agents such as Meta's Muse, ChatGPT's Dots and others promise to complete tasks like booking flights or buying groceries, but users report these agents are frequently blocked mid-task. Amazon has begun intentionally blocking Muse from browsing or purchasing on its retail site, while Walmart says similar complaints from its customers stem from unintentional anti-bot measures rather than a deliberate block, despite being a Muse launch partner.
Amazon maintains a customer-facing page called 'About You' that compiles inferred personal details about shoppers, including physical characteristics, hobbies, favorite brands, and even behavioral quirks drawn from shopping and browsing activity. Users can access this page to see what assumptions Amazon has built about them based on their purchase and interaction history.
Amazon has agreed to pay $309.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging it failed to properly refund customers for returned items between September 2017 and February 2025. The suit argued these practices violated Washington state law, and most eligible customers will automatically receive payouts, while others must submit claim forms with documentation.
Retailers are discounting smart home products for Prime Day 2026, including Eufy outdoor security cameras with local hub storage, on-device AI detection, and solar charging, and Amazon's Echo Spot and Echo Show 11 smart speakers and displays. The Eufy cameras support up to 4K resolution and face recognition without requiring a subscription, though AI accuracy and frame rate remain limited.