AI
Key Takeaways: * Google is replacing the Gemini side panel on the Gmail web interface for US AI Pro and AI Ultra subscribers. * Core features (summaries, suggested replies, drafting) are moving into Gmail’s new in-line AI experiences. * Help Me Write remains, Proofread is upgraded, and AI Overviews can summarize longer
Games
* Budget-friendly Switch picks: curated games regularly priced under $30 (prices listed are regular and exclude tax). * Standouts include Vampire Survivors ($4.99), Among Us ($5), Stardew Valley ($14.99), Hollow Knight: Silksong ($19.99) and more. * Many titles have Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 editions; some are currently discounted (e.
Gadgets
* Key Takeaways: * Clicks launched a sliding Power Keyboard accessory (Qi2 magnetic, Bluetooth) that doubles as a battery pack and keyboard-only power mode. * The Clicks Communicator is a 4-inch Android phone with a physical keyboard, Niagara-style list UI, and a focus on messaging and triage. * Target users: people who carry a
AI
* Key Takeaways: * The iPhone’s 2007 debut crystallized mass tech enthusiasm by solving many everyday annoyances at once. * Incremental updates, subscription bloat and device "kipple" have reduced marginal utility and consumer excitement. * AI hype without clear consumer value is shifting curiosity toward concern: "How will this hurt
Games
* Key Takeaways: * Video Games Chronicle (VGC) has corroborated reports of a "secret" fourth game for the Xbox Developer Direct showcase. * Early reporting described the mystery title as a promising indie from a third‑party publisher; VGC later issued a correction calling it a smaller, original game from a
Software
* Key Takeaways: * Google’s Phone app beta (v204.0.852029473) includes a new "My Calling Card" feature. * Users can set a personal call screen image, font, size, and color, and choose visibility (Everyone or Contacts). * If a contact has already set a calling card for you, that card
Gadgets
* Key Takeaways: * Apple plans to adopt Samsung’s CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) OLED in its foldable iPhone, promising a thinner display stack and higher brightness. * CoE removes the traditional polarizing film by applying color filters directly to the OLED encapsulation, improving light efficiency. * The iPhone Fold could arrive as
AI
• Larian Studios will not use generative AI for any concept art in the upcoming Divinity game. • CEO Swen Vincke clarified the change in a Reddit AMA after earlier comments that caused confusion. • The studio will still experiment with generative AI internally to speed workflows, but any in-game assets would be
AI
* Google is rolling Gemini AI features directly into Gmail for more AI-driven overviews and composing assistance. * The change is being pushed broadly but users retain the ability to disable Gemini features in Gmail settings. * The integration was reported by The Register (Brandon Vigliarolo) on Jan 8, 2026; Google’s rollout
Gadgets
• Robot vacuums that climb stairs and laptops that expand into 23.8" monitors. • A toilet-mounted computer analyzing bowel data and menstrual pads with microfluidics. • Companion robots with removable memory, electric color-changing nails and overclocked pleasure tech. Standout oddities at CES 2026 Dreame Cyber X robot vacuum Dreame’s Cyber
AI
* Key Takeaways: * Google’s Danny Sullivan warns creators not to fragment content into “bite-sized chunks” to game LLM rankings. * He told Search Off the Record engineers and listeners that this approach may work short-term but won’t endure. * The advice: write for users, not for specific ranking systems; systems will
Research
* Key takeaways: * NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says he has "full confidence" in Orion’s heat shield for Artemis II after a half-day review with engineers and outside experts. * Engineers traced the Artemis I char-loss issue to trapped gases in non‑permeable Avcoat and validated fixes through arc‑jet
