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Google Home Speaker owners reported their devices consuming unusually large amounts of Wi-Fi data, with one user citing three terabytes over two weeks and a WIRED writer finding her own speaker had used 487 GB in ten days. Google told WIRED a server misconfiguration caused some speakers to repeatedly re-download a software update, and said the issue has now been fixed.
Amazon is offering a 30% discount on the Ring Outdoor Cam 4K Pro, a wireless security camera that records 4K HDR video and offers enhanced low-light detail. The price cut brings the device down from its standard retail price by $60.
Oura has introduced two new cardiovascular health features for its smart ring: Cardio Effort, which measures exertion during activity, and Automatic VO2 Max, which estimates aerobic fitness without requiring a dedicated test. The features add to the ring's existing suite of health and recovery metrics.
Reporting by Engadget identified consumer gadgets sold under different brand names that are actually identical products from the same Original Device Manufacturers. Examples include a gimbal camera sold as the Ordro UHD-M5, AgfaPhoto Realimove MC3X and Minolta Showtime MN5KG100, and smart rings from Fittr, Qalo and Insix that all appear to be the J-Style X1 under different branding, with the Reebok/F50 ring closely resembling J-Style's X6. J-Style itself advertises a white-label service offering custom packaging and logo placement.
Oura announced two new fitness features for its smart ring: Cardio Effort, which rates weekly activity strain on a five-level scale compared to a user's baseline, and an automatically estimated VO2 Max metric. The VO2 Max feature, previously called Cardio Capacity, no longer requires a six-minute walking test and instead derives estimates passively from GPS-enabled workouts. VO2 Max will be available through Oura Labs for third-generation Oura Ring models and newer.
U.S. authorities have charged members of an alleged Chinese hacking operation accused of breaching Staples' systems to generate roughly $5 million in fraudulent gift cards. Prosecutors say the group converted over $400,000 of those funds into Apple products and other retail goods.
Oura has introduced automatic VO2 Max measurement for its smart rings, eliminating the need for users to perform manual walking tests to estimate this cardiovascular fitness metric. The feature calculates VO2 Max passively using data the ring already collects during normal wear.
Antigravity, the drone maker tied to Insta360, has released a new Follow Me bundle for its A1 drone featuring propeller guards, a watch remote and a ring remote. The accessories enable hands-free flying through gesture controls and improve subject tracking by combining visual tracking with GNSS data from the watch. The bundle is sold with the A1 drone for $799, as a standalone $340 accessory kit, or for $272 for existing A1 owners.
Oura announced two new workout metrics rolling out to Ring Gen3 and later models: Cardio Effort, which measures how much a workout taxes the cardiovascular system relative to a user's baseline, and VO₂ max, which estimates how efficiently the heart, lungs and muscles use oxygen during exercise. Cardio Effort is broken into per-workout and weekly totals, with the weekly score categorized from 'Light' to 'Reaching' based on personalized heart-rate ranges.
A reviewer testing Hatch's contactless Sleep Clock compared its sleep duration and stage readings against an Apple Watch Series 12 and Oura Ring 5, finding duration estimates mostly aligned but sleep-stage data more variable. The device requires precise placement 2 to 4 feet from the sleeper with a clear line of sight, and it only tracks the person closest to it, unlike dual-sleeper systems such as Eight Sleep.
Miles, a $99 OBD-II device from cofounders Matt McGovern and Kit Klein, tracks a vehicle's location, driving behavior, and health, and includes emergency accident response and roadside assistance. It pairs with an app that shows parents and teen drivers the same trip data and alerts, plus an AI chatbot called Miles Mechanic that interprets dashboard warning lights and estimates repair costs.
Ring states its video doorbells have a standard maximum motion detection range of about 30 feet (9 meters), though larger objects like passing cars can trigger alerts from farther away. Other brands publish shorter maximum ranges, and actual performance depends on camera sensitivity, mounting location, surroundings and software settings rather than visibility alone.