GoKawiil
Tech News
Google Maps is now displaying trees in red, orange, and yellow hues along navigation routes in select US metro areas, replacing the usual green foliage. The company confirmed via X that this seasonal visual update will remain active through November 30, appearing within its Immersive Navigation interface for Android Auto.
Reddit users report that Pixel Watch 2, 3, 4 and 5 devices are suffering sudden, severe battery drain, with runtimes dropping from 24-48 hours to under 12 hours. Some users report losing up to 20% charge every four hours even with Always-on Display disabled and background activity minimized. Google has not yet publicly acknowledged the problem.
Amazon announced the Alexa Home Map, a new interface that renders a home as an interactive 3D blueprint with animated icons for connected devices like lights and speakers placed where they physically sit. The map also integrates with outdoor security cameras to depict vehicles, pedestrians and weather conditions like rain or snow in real time, using stylized visualizations rather than photorealistic imagery.
Android Authority writer Megan Ellis describes a workaround using Do Not Disturb settings, Find Hub, and Google Contacts to replicate the Pixel-exclusive VIPs widget on other Android devices. The method lets users build a Do Not Disturb exception list for important contacts and use existing tools for location sharing, though it doesn't fully replicate the single hub-like widget Pixel offers.
A new risk index from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, prepared by the China Strategic Risks Institute, ranks trans-Pacific undersea cables by vulnerability to 'gray zone' sabotage. The September 2026 report finds cables owned by US firms like Google and Meta among the most exposed, citing factors such as cable depth, shipping traffic, ownership, and proximity to China's territorial claims and Taiwan. It follows reports of Chinese research vessels spending unusual amounts of time near cable routes and Chinese commercial ships being investigated for cable-cutting incidents in European and Asian waters.
Alphabet announced that Oracle will offer Google's tensor processing units through its own data centers, marking the first time the custom AI chips are available outside Google's own infrastructure. The move extends a shift that began last quarter when Google opened TPUs to outside data centers, and comes a day before Alphabet's third-quarter earnings report.
Samsung and Google have not detailed how their upcoming Android XR smart glasses will address privacy concerns, even as rival makers introduce features like recording indicator lights and physical camera covers. Raven Resonance's Raven Prism glasses use both a light and a magnetic lens cover to signal when the camera is active, while HTC has pursued its own approach with the Vive Eagle glasses.
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said China's AI capabilities have advanced to within roughly six months of the United States, compared with a two-year gap he previously estimated. Schmidt, who also advises the Pentagon and leads Relativity Space, voiced concern that open-source AI models pose a growing security risk.
TikTok introduced Must Eat, a new in-app feature that compiles restaurant recommendations from roughly 40 million posts, reviews and comments shared on the platform. The tool lets users browse 'everyday eats' and 'elevated dining' categories, filter by rating, distance, cuisine and open hours, call or reserve restaurants, and view a map of nearby spots. It launches first in New York City, Los Angeles and the Bay Area, and TikTok says restaurants cannot pay for placement in the lists.
Google announced Genie 4, a real-time world model that builds on Gemini Omni and can maintain a consistent simulated environment for up to two minutes, double its Genie 3 predecessor. Users can alter scenes in real time with natural language prompts, including weather, camera movement, and new objects or characters, while the model generates ambient sound and adaptive human dialogue. Genie 4 works alongside Gemini 3.8 Flash, which breaks down prompts into steps, and is currently limited to select trusted testers in a research preview.
Discord announced it will let messages from eligible public, discoverable servers—those active at least eight weeks with 1,000+ members—appear in Google and other search engines starting mid-December 2026. Server web pages with AI-generated channel summaries roll out November 16, followed by indexed individual messages. Private servers, DMs, restricted channels, usernames and avatars are excluded, and both admins and users can opt out beforehand, though controls currently require desktop or web access.
Google has rolled out a voice recorder feature inside Gemini Notebook, confirmed in version 1.63.1002728510 for Android and also available on iOS, seemingly to all regions rather than just the US. Tapping the microphone icon in the Sources tab or on the homepage starts recording, with the audio uploaded to Google's servers for automatic transcription and a 'source guide' summary.