NerdNews

Amazon has unveiled its redesigned Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 smart displays, featuring custom silicon, advanced sensors, and improved microphones. The devices are built to showcase Alexa+, Amazon's upgraded AI assistant, and offer enhanced features such as negative liquid crystal screens, 13MP cameras, and Wi-Fi radar. The Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11 are available for pre-order, priced at $180 and $220 respectively, and will ship on November 12.

Google's AI Mode update enables the chatbot to better understand visual searches, using a 'query fan-out' technique to run multiple searches and provide more accurate results. This feature is particularly useful for shopping, allowing users to refine their searches with follow-up questions.

Amazon has unveiled its latest hardware lineup, including upgraded Echo devices, new Kindle Scribes with color displays, and refreshed Fire TV models with Alexa Plus built-in. The new devices feature improved performance, design, and AI-powered capabilities.

OpenAI launches Sora app, a TikTok competitor, alongside Sora 2 model, which generates realistic audio and video. The app allows users to create and share videos with 'cameos' of themselves and friends.

Amazon has unveiled a new lineup of Echo devices powered by its AI assistant Alexa+. The devices include the Echo Dot Max, Echo Studio, Echo Show 8, and Echo Show 11, with improved processing power and memory. They feature Alexa+ integrations, allowing for more complex queries and natural language conversations. The devices also include new features like Ominisense, a custom sensor platform for ambient AI, and support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee smart home protocols.

Google is enhancing its Colab Enterprise notebooks to integrate SQL, Python, and Apache Spark, eliminating the need to switch between environments. The update includes native SQL cells, interactive visualization cells, and enhanced Data Science Agent. This move aims to increase productivity in data science and machine learning, and is part of a larger trend of vendors like Snowflake and Databricks trying to bridge the gap between data analytics and machine learning.

Microsoft has launched a new Agent Mode in Excel and Word, allowing users to generate complex spreadsheets and documents with just a prompt. The feature is powered by OpenAI's GPT-5 model and Anthropic models, and is available in the Frontier program for Microsoft 365 Copilot customers.

OpenAI introduces Instant Checkout, allowing ChatGPT users to make purchases within conversations. This feature, available to ChatGPT Pro, Plus, and Free logged-in users, enables frictionless shopping experiences and could reshape the e-commerce landscape, potentially challenging Google and Amazon's dominance.

Microsoft is testing talking avatars for Copilot, offering 40 avatars with synthetic voices. The goal is to make users feel more comfortable interacting with AI. However, the avatars' staring and personalized greetings can be perceived as creepy.

Google has introduced an AI-powered tool in Drive for desktop to detect and limit the damage of ransomware attacks. The tool, trained on millions of real-world ransomware samples, pauses syncing of affected files and sends an alert to the user, allowing them to restore their files. While this adds an extra layer of defense, it's not a silver bullet and won't prevent ransomware attacks outright.

Cisco has launched a software stack to network quantum computers together, enabling distributed quantum computing and accelerating real-world quantum applications. The software includes a network-aware distributed quantum compiler, quantum error correction, and supports heterogeneous quantum compute technologies.

OpenAI has launched Sora 2, a video generator that can create realistic videos. The model is accompanied by a social app that allows users to share their AI-generated videos. Sora 2 focuses on 'world simulation' and can accurately recreate the physics of the real world. The model is available for ChatGPT Pro users and the social app is invite-only for now.

Amazon's Ring cameras now have AI-powered features, including face recognition and a 'Search Party' feature to help find lost pets. The 'Familiar Faces' feature alerts users when it recognizes a familiar face, while the 'Search Party' feature networks with neighboring Ring users to find lost pets.

DoorDash has unveiled Dot, a small autonomous robot designed to deliver food and small packages. Dot can drive on roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks at speeds up to 20 miles per hour. It's currently being tested in the Phoenix area and is expected to be available to 1.6 million residents by the end of 2025. Dot uses a combination of cameras, radar, and lidar sensors to navigate and can optimize its route in real-time using AI.

Nothing has launched Playground, an AI tool that lets users create mini apps with simple text prompts. The tool allows users to build widgets, such as a flight tracker or a virtual pet, and deploy them to the Essential Apps platform. While the technology is not yet mature enough to build full-screen apps, Nothing plans to continue developing the tool to make software iteration faster and more personal.

Roughly 50,000 Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Firewall Threat Defense (FTD) appliances are vulnerable to two vulnerabilities actively leveraged by hackers, enabling arbitrary code execution and access to restricted URL endpoints associated with VPN access.

Disney has sent a cease and desist letter to Character.AI, claiming copyright infringement and brand-damaging behavior from the chatbot platform. The letter alleges that Character.AI's chatbots, based on Disney franchises like Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel, are being used in problematic ways, including sexually exploitative and harmful conversations with underage users. Character.AI has removed the characters in response to Disney's demands.

Ring announces Retinal 4K Vision doorbells with advanced AI tuning, back-side illumination sensors, and 10x zoom. Additionally, Ring introduces Search Party, a feature that uses AI to identify lost pets and send alerts to owners. Other features include Alexa+ Greetings and Familiar Faces, which recognize familiar people and limit notifications.

Nearly 50,000 Cisco ASA/FTD instances are vulnerable to two bugs that are actively being exploited by advanced attackers. The vulnerabilities, CVE-2025-20333 and CVE-2025-20362, affect Cisco's Adaptive Security Appliance and Firepower Threat Defense devices. National security agencies have issued advisories warning of the threat, and CISA has ordered federal agencies to patch the vulnerabilities within 24 hours.

Up to 2 million Cisco devices are vulnerable to a zero-day exploit that can crash or execute code on systems. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-20352, affects all supported versions of Cisco IOS and IOS XE. It can be exploited by sending crafted SNMP packets, and Cisco recommends upgrading to a fixed software release to remediate the issue.