Tech News Weekly 417: Smart Home Year in Review

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy from The Verge joins Mikah Sargent for the final episode of Tech News Weekly for 2025! Are AI health coaches the future for wearables? A look back at smart home news and devices in 2025. And how AI image generators have changed over time. Mikah talks about an article written by CNET's Vanessa Hand Orellana about AI health coaches in wearables and how it showcases innovation within healthcare, but also the data concerns if data breaches or unauthorized access to the data occur. Jennifer reflects on the smart home news and smart home devices highlighted in the past year and shares her excitement about news such as IKEA releasing Thread-supported devices, but also laments on companies like iRobot filing for bankruptcy. And Allison Johnson of The Verge joins the show to talk about how AI image generators are improving as various models have learned from their mistakes & fumbles that occurred in their early beginnings. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Allison Johnson Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: auraframes.com/ink outsystems.com/twit

Windows 11 quietly shifted the way we manage apps, protect data, and interact with our devices in 2025. This episode reveals the must-try upgrades tech insiders are buzzing about. Host: Paul Thurrott Download or subscribe to Hands-On Windows at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-windows Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Ever wonder why your iPad keeps popping up surprise notes every time you swipe from the corner? This episode breaks down the Quick Notes feature, why it keeps tripping up users, and the simple settings that put you back in control. • Activating Quick Notes with swipe gestures from screen corners • Quick Notes interface walkthrough: markup, multiple notes, screenshots, sharing • Using Quick Notes while multitasking—making fast notes during other activities • Quick Notes storage and organization in the Notes app • Apple Pencil integration with Quick Notes • How to disable or customize corner swipe gestures in iPadOS settings • Assigning screenshot function to corner swipes instead of Quick Notes • Universal app support for customized corner swipe gestures • Recurring accidental Quick Note activation and practical troubleshooting Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On Apple at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-apple Want access to the ad-free audio and video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Over-the-air (OTA) TV delivers a lot of programming to homes for free. It works when the internet goes down, it's better than cable or streaming in terms of resolution and clarity with no harsh compression, it's immune to corporate disputes that result in blackouts—and did we mention it's FREE? Michael Heiss talks with Scott Wilkinson about the benefits of OTA and how to get it in your home. Host: Scott Wilkinson Guest: Michael Heiss Download or subscribe to Home Theater Geeks at https://twit.tv/shows/home-theater-geeks Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Forget the "AI is killing the planet" panic—this episode unpacks what's actually driving tech's power grab, the financial bubble no one wants to talk about, and why the big models are starting to look eerily similar. CJ Trowbridge - cjtrowbridge.com - https://www.tiktok.com/@cjtrowbridge Gemini 3 Flash: frontier intelligence built for speed The new ChatGPT Images is here | OpenAI Last Week on My Mac: How good is AI at solving Mac problems? Time Magazine's 'Person of the Year': the Architects of AI - Slashdot OpenAI are quietly adopting skills, now available in ChatGPT and Codex CLI "I was forced to use AI until the day I was laid off." Copywriters reveal how AI has decimated their industry Roomba Maker iRobot Files for Bankruptcy, With Chinese Supplier Taking Control Coursera to buy Udemy, creating $2.5 billion firm to target AI training Purdue University Approves New AI Requirement For All Undergrads It's beginning to look a lot like (AI) Christmas Trump Pretends To Block State AI Laws; Media Pretends That's Legal This major cruise line just banned Meta Ray-Ban and other smart glasses — is this category already doomed? Woman Hailed as Hero for Smashing Man's Meta Smart Glasses on Subway Oscars Bolts from ABC to YouTube Starting in 2029 When AI Takes the Couch: Psychometric Jailbreaks Reveal Internal Conflict in Frontier Models Simulating Life Paths with Digital Twins: AI-Generated Future Selves Influence Decision-Making and Expand Human Choice The worst person in tech bracket Banned fonts Subway bagel rats Hosts: Leo Laporte, Jeff Jarvis, and Paris Martineau Guest: CJ Trowbridge Download or subscribe to Intelligent Machines at https://twit.tv/shows/intelligent-machines. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: agntcy.org auraframes.com/ink

We were inundated with new Windows features in 2025, but which ones actually moved the needle? Fortnite isn't just back on iPhone and Android, it's available on Windows 11 on Arm, and it works great! Plus, 2 big mobile wins for Epic Games and some thoughts on the "right" way to roll out AI features.Windows 11 Best Windows 11 updates of 2025, in no particular order... Dark mode improvements to File Explorer Widgets major overhaul with separate widgets and Discovery feed Xbox Full Screen experience - especially good on handhelds, of course, but also any PC you use for gaming with a controller Click to Do (Copilot+ PC only) External fingerprint reader support for Windows Hello ESS -External/USB webcams supported by Windows Studio Effects (Copilot+ PC only) Quick Machine Recovery is the tip of a wave of new foundational features like Admin Protection, Smart App Control (updates), and more that go beyond surface-level look and feel Redesigned Start menu isn't perfect but it's a nice improvement Copilot Vision, though this type of thing may make more sense on phones AI features in Paint, Photos, Notepad, and Snipping Tool Natural language interactions like the agent in Settings, file search, and more (mostly Copilot+ PC only, but you can do this in Copilot as well) Bluetooth LE support for improved audio quality in game chat, voice calls Gaming on Windows 11 on Arm and Snapdragon X: Major steps forward, but the same issue as always Looking ahead to 2026: 26H1, Agentic features that work, potential Windows 12, and AI PCs AI An extensive new interview with Mustafa Suleyman confirms why this guy is special and how confusing it is that Copilot is so disrespected Microsoft Copilot is auto-installing on LG smart TVs and there's no way to remove it GPT-5.2 is OpenAI's answer to Gemini 3 ChatGPT Images is OpenAI's answer to Nano Banana Pro Disney invests $1 billion OpenAI, sues Google Opera Neon is now generally available for $20 per month AI is moving quick as we all know but the bigger issue may be the incessant marketing about features like agents that don't even work now Microsoft is getting pushback on forced Copilot usage, price hikes Google is expanding its use of "experiments" outside of mainstream products with things like NotebookLM, Mixboard, CC, and much more. Maybe this is the better approach: Test separately and then integrate it into existing products Oddly enough, Microsoft does have a Windows AI Lab for this kind of experimentation Many small models vs. one big LLM in the cloud Mobile Fortnite is back in the Google Play Store in the U.S. as Google plays nice Apple loses its contempt appeal, the end of "junk fees" (Apple Tax) is in sight Xbox and gaming Xbox December Update has one big update for the mobile app and one big update for Xbox Wireless Headphones There's a new Xbox Developer Direct coming in January Half-Life 3 may really be happening, but it will be a Steam Machine launch title so it could be a while Tips & picks Tip of the year: De-enshittify Windows 11 App pick of the year: Fortnite RunAs Radio this week: Zero Trust in 2026 with Michele Bustamante Brown liquor pick of the week: Lark Symphony No. 1 These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/963 Hosts: Leo Laporte, Paul Thurrott, and Richard Campbell Sponsors: auraframes.com/ink framer.com/design promo code WW outsystems.com/twit cachefly.com/twit

Australia's nationwide social media ban has put tech's age verification tools under the spotlight, exposing the flaws and privacy risks in today's facial detection systems and sparking worldwide debate about what's coming for the rest of us. Home Depot's puzzling reluctance to close a bad hole. GNOME's shell extension manager is unhappy with AI. How attacks on open source repositories compares in 2025. China's researchers have taken aim at the US power grid. How bad has the React2Shell vulnerability turned out to be. More new React vulnerabilities. Apple moves to iOS 26.2. Let's Encrypt's crosses into one billion servers managed. A DNS Benchmark update. Some interesting listener feedback, then... How things going with Australia's social media ban and what we are learning https://www.grc.com/sn/SN-1056-Notes.pdf Hosts: Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to Security Now at https://twit.tv/shows/security-now. You can submit a question to Security Now at the GRC Feedback Page. For 16kbps versions, transcripts, and notes (including fixes), visit Steve's site: grc.com, also the home of the best disk maintenance and recovery utility ever written Spinrite 6. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zapier.com/securitynow threatlocker.com/twit joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT veeam.com bitwarden.com/twit

Apple releases OS 26.2 right before the holidays! Pluribus becomes Apple TV's most-watched show ever. And why you should consider backing up more of your stuff locally. Apple releases OS 26.2 updates. With iOS 26.2, Apple lets you roll back Liquid Glass again — this time on the Lock Screen. 26.2: Here are the security fixes for all of Apple's operating systems. tvOS 26.2 brings kids mode to the Apple TV app. iOS 26.3 beta reveals how Apple plans to handle EU-required notification forwarding. Apple loses its appeal of a scathing contempt ruling in iOS payments case. Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect. Pluribus becomes Apple TV's most watched show ever. Cadillac and Chevy are getting native Apple Music. Apple buys two new buildings in Cupertino, topping $1B spend. UK to push for nudity-blocking software on devices to protect children. 20 years of digital life, gone in an instant, thanks to Apple. Picks of the Week Jason's Pick: Fosi Audio BT20A Pro Bluetooth 5.0 Amplifier Andy's Pick: "Will Return" Screensaver Hosts: Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and Jason Snell Download or subscribe to MacBreak Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/macbreak-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: framer.com/design promo code MACBREAK outsystems.com/twit auraframes.com/ink

This year's App Store Awards are shaking things up, spotlighting indie apps and clever tools for neurodivergent users, rather than corporate giants. Mikah and Rosemary break down which surprising winners deserve a spot on your home screen. • Timo: Neurodivergent-friendly AI planner wins iPhone App of the Year • Detail: Auto-editing video app takes iPad App of the Year • Essayist: Citation-powered writing app honored for Mac • Explore POV: Immersive video app wins Apple Vision Pro App of the Year • Strava: Fitness tracking app crowned Apple Watch App of the Year • HBO Max: Redesigned streaming app lands Apple TV App of the Year • Cultural Impact Awards: Be My Eyes, Focus Friend, Storygraph recognized • News: Apple leadership shakeups as key execs retire and Apple Fitness+ expands to 28 new markets • Shortcuts Corner: Automating HomeKit switch notifications and safety cutoffs Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard Contact iOS Today at [email protected]. Download or subscribe to iOS Today at https://twit.tv/shows/ios-today Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

Are we witnessing an AI-fueled gold rush or the early signs of an epic crash? Listen to these hard-hitting discussions on bubbles, breakthroughs, and the real impact behind Silicon Valley's AI obsession. Time Magazine's "Person of the Year": the Architects of AI The AI Wildfire Is Coming. It's Going to Be Very Painful and Incredibly Healthy. 'ChatGPT for Doctors' Startup Doubles Valuation to $12 Billion as Revenue Surges Trump Pretends To Block State AI Laws; Media Pretends That's Legal It's beginning to look a lot like (AI) Christmas Amazon Prime Video Pulls AI-Powered Recaps After Fallout Flub Could America win the AI race but lose the war? Google Says First AI Glasses With Gemini Will Arrive in 2026 Border Patrol Agent Recorded Raid with Meta's Ray-Ban Smart Glasses The countdown to the world's first social media ban for children US could demand five-year social media history from tourists before allowing entry Reddit making global changes to protect kids after social media ban - 9to5Mac There are no good outcomes for the Warner Bros. sale Paramount CEO Made Trump a Secret Promise on CNN in Warner Bros. Convo Whatnot's Schlock Empire Shows Digital Live Shopping Can Thrive in America The Military Almost Got the Right to Repair. Lawmakers Just Took It Away Apple loses its appeal of a scathing contempt ruling in iOS payments case Japan law opening phone app stores to go into effect Microsoft Excel Turns 40, Remains Stubbornly Unkillable - Slashdot Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sweeps The Game Awards — analysis and full winners list Microsoft promises more bug payouts, with or without a bounty program An ex-Twitter lawyer is trying to bring Twitter back Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Iain Thomson, Owen Thomas, and Jason Hiner Download or subscribe to This Week in Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-tech Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free audio and video feeds, a members-only Discord, and exclusive content. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: shopify.com/twit NetSuite.com/TWIT ventionteams.com/twit zscaler.com/security helixsleep.com/twit