Shows – Tom Merritt .com

DTH-6-150x150 ChatGPT adds a new tab specifically for health, Google and Character.AI are finalizing settlement agreements with families over harms caused by chatbots, and the European Commission orders X to retain data related to Grok.

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Show Notes

OpenAI is adding a tab for health in ChatGPT. Called ChatGPT Health, it enables connecting to sources for personal data from apps like Apple Health and MyFitnessPal. OpenAI states GPT Health data will not be used in model training and there is an option to use a temporary chat, which does not store data. Currently the feature is only testing with a small group, a waitlist for access to ChatGPT Health is now open, and the company expects to push it to wide release on web and iOS in the coming weeks.

Source: Axios

The European Commission ordered the social media platform X to retain all data and internal documents related to AI chatbot Grok until the end of 2026. The order follows widespread multinational condemnation of Grok creating images of undressed women and minors. This extends the retention order X has been under since 2025, which initially focused on algorithms and availability of illegal content, and does not mean it is a new formal EU Digital Services Act investigation.

Source: Reuters

Google and Character.AI are finalizing settlement agreements regarding several lawsuits by families of teens who harmed themselves or died following interaction with the chatbots run by the companies. Suits were filed in states including New York, Colorado, Texas, and Florida, and settlement details are not currently public. Lawsuits against OpenAI regarding ChatGPT and others against Meta chatbots remain ongoing.

Sources: The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal

CES 2026 featured a router from ASUS and a chip from Broadcom using WiFi 8, which is not currently a certified standard. WiFi 7 improved speeds compared to WiFi 6 and WiFi 8 focuses on improving power efficiency and reliability. Products using WiFi 8 may be launched by the end of 2026, still before it is expected to become a certified standard. A large percentage of devices operating today use WiFi 6.

Source: The Verge

Gmail is adding AI features to all personal account users previously locked behind Google AI Pro or Ultra subscriptions. “Help Me Write” drafts an email based on a prompt, with options to refine output with Formalize, Elaborate, Polish, and Shorten. Help Me Write is available on web, iOS, and Android. Suggested Replies will improve from generic responses to following a user’s tone and context. And long email threads can be summarized with an AI Overview card. The rollout begins today in the United States before expanding to the rest of the world.

Source: 9to5Google

Google also announced an AI Inbox view for Gmail, creating a personalized To Do list and presenting summaries of topics from existing emails. The demo video shows AI suggesting tasks like changing an appointment time, paying fees, and sending replies to unanswered emails. Tasks currently cannot be marked as completed, a feature Google is working on. AI features in Gmail can be turned off in settings, though this will also disable spell-checking.

Source: The Verge

Bloomberg’s sources say the Chinese government plans to approve purchases of Nvida H200 chips this quarter for select commercial use, but likely to prohibit purchase or use by military, sensitive government agencies, critical infrastructure, and state-owned companies.

Source: Bloomberg

Ubisoft closed its Halifax game studio, which previously employed 71 people, attributing the closure to ongoing measures to cut costs and increase efficiency. In December 2025 the Halifax studio was the first in North America to form a union. CWA Canada, an all-media union, will pursue Ubisoft for more detailed reasons regarding the studio’s shutdown.

Source: CBC

CES 2026 – WiFi 8, Holographic Desktop Friends and Hands On with the Samsung TriFold – DTNS 5180

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 7th, 2026

Shannon Morse joins us to talk about our favorite things at CES.

Starring Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Sarah Lane, Shannon Morse, Roger Chang, Joe, Amos.

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Show Notes

Lenovo reveals a concept for AI-powered smart glasses at CES
Moto Tag 2 is Motorola’s latest tracker
Motorola expands its Moto Things lineup with a new tracker, stylus, and smartwatch
Lenovo’s AI glasses and wearable concepts steal the show at CES 2026

Motorola announces Razr Fold in a direct challenge to Samsung
Motorola reveals the Razr Fold, a book-style foldable launching this summer
Motorola’s ultra-premium Signature phone promises durability

Well, well, well: another AI wearable

Dreame’s robot vacuum with an arm is back at CES and it can do more than pick up shoes
Dreame’s latest robot vacuum concept has legs that can climb full-size stairs
Roborock announces new robot vacuums at CES 2026

Brands are upset Amazon’s “Buy for Me” feature lists products without permission
Amazon AI tool blindsides merchants by offering products without their knowledge

Roblox will require 9-year-olds to submit a video selfie for age verification

Intel is building a handheld gaming platform with a dedicated chip
Intel’s handheld gaming PC will use a custom Panther Lake CPU
Wi-Fi 8 is coming, with Asus, Broadcom, and MediaTek on board

Here’s when Google plans to release AOSP source code
Microsoft Office isn’t being renamed Microsoft 365 Copilot (again)

Netflix unveils its 2026 TV series slate including Bridgerton and Beef
Next on Netflix 2026: the streamer reveals what’s coming
Netflix’s 2026 film slate includes War Machine and Enola Holmes 3

Segway launches two new e-bikes at CES
Segway’s Navimow brand reveals new robotic lawn mowers
Wheelmove gives manual wheelchairs power and height for rough terrain

Corsair announces a Steam Deck keyboard and new gaming mice
Emerson shows off SmartVoice for connected appliances

Mobileye to acquire humanoid robot maker Mentee for $900 million
Punkt’s MC03 is a secure smartphone made in Germany
Razer Project Ava

Cheerble unveils the world’s first edge-AI visual recognition pet feeder
Samsung introduces the Galaxy Z Trifold
ROG and Kojima Productions team up on a Flow Z13 for Ludens

Clicks
Xander Glasses
CoroFlo breastfeeding monitor

Universal Music Group Partners with Nvidia AI – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 7th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 Universal Music Group partnered with Nvidia to responsibly collaborate on Music Flamingo AI, mandatory age verification for chatting on Roblox rolls out globally, and Discord reportedly confidentially filed for IPO.

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Show Notes

At CES 2026, Bloomberg reports Samsung’s global marketing head Wonjin Lee indicated the tight memory availability due to increased demand from AI companies is causing Samsung to consider “repricing” products to compensate. A Reuters story from November 2025 reported Samsung Electronics raised prices of certain memory chips up to 60% compared to September 2025. As an example, 32GB DDR5 increased to $239, up from $149. Other tech companies, including Dell, Lenovo, Asus, and more also indicated price hikes due to increased memory costs.

Sources: Bloomberg and Android Authority

In 2025 Amazon launched the “Buy for Me” feature, beginning a test with select users of the Amazon Shopping App to complete purchases from third-party retailers not participating within Amazon’s platform. Results from online stores outside of Amazon show up in regular searches and AI handles the ordering process. Modern Retailer reports small businesses are experiencing issues with orders coming in from Amazon, including Amazon listing products never offered by their business. Retailers express frustration the Amazon program requires a manual opt-out request from businesses rather than opt-in.

Sources: Modern Retailer and CNBC

Online gaming platform Roblox is instituting an age check “in all regions where chat is available” after first rolling out the mandatory step in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in December. Facial scan results, processed by Persona, the same company Reddit uses for age checking, can be appealed with verification by ID. Roblox will use the age determination to permit chatting with users in their range as well as a single age group above and below, meaning users 9-12 years old are able to chat with cohorts, the under 9 group, and the 13-15 year old group. Roblox notes 50% of daily active users in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands completed the process so far.

Source: The Verge

On Tuesday, Universal Music Group partnered with Nvidia to “pioneer responsible AI for music discovery, creation and engagement” and for “advancing human music creation and rightsholder compensation”, which includes identifying copyrighted works used in AI. The partnership will collaborate on Nvidia’s ‘Music Flamingo’ AI model, launched in November 2025, which analyzes music with metrics including structure, harmony, lyrics, and elements of music theory.

Source: Billboard

The United States Food and Drug Administration updated guidance regarding wearable tech and healthy lifestyle apps. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary told Fox Business that devices and software offering only information will not require regulation. Wellness tools like fitness apps and trackers not claiming to be able to diagnose or treat health conditions will be considered non-medical. In 2024 the FDA warned WHOOP, a fitness band maker, that the blood pressure insights feature pushed the band closer to a medical device by estimating systolic and diastolic values, generally used to diagnose hypertension.

Source: Reuters

According to Bloomberg, sources say messaging platform Discord confidentially filed for an initial public offering (IPO), but may yet decide not to go forward with plan. In March 2025 Bloomberg reported Discord was working with Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase on the potential IPO. A spokesperson for Discord declined to comment on the matter specifically, only sharing that the company is focused on user experience and building a sustainable business.

Source: Bloomberg

Reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered an in-message game available on an internal prototype of Meta’s Threads. Existence of the game was confirmed to TechCrunch as in-development and not yet available publicly. The in-message Basketball game features a ‘Swipe to Shoot’ screen and friends can compete for high scores. Back in 2024 a secret emoji game was added to Instagram, accessible through direct messages by sending an emoji, then clicking on it. The emoji game is similar to pong; players have to keep a bouncing emoji in play and Instagram keeps track of scores within the DM.

Source: TechCrunch

Cordkillers 582: CES Makes Everything Rounder

Cordkillers/ Shows / January 6th, 2026

CES brings smarter TVs, art-frame screens, and AI baked directly into streaming interfaces, while viewership data, theatrical stunts, and corporate shakeups show how fractured — and oddly resilient — modern TV has become.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/U25kgqxnlbY

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CES 2026 – It’s Cars, Chips, and Making Any Toilet Smart – DTNS 5179

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 6th, 2026

We cover the latest chip announcements from Nvidia, Intel and AMD, the latest health tech including a pee analyzer, a mirror that predicts your future health by looking at you, and loads of new EVs. Plus a keyboard PC, eyeglasses that focus for you, Bosch’s cordless vacuums, personal all-in-one safety device, and Allison and Steve’s CES items that pique their interest.

Starring Sarah Lane, Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Allison Sheridan, Bodie Grimm, Roger Chang, Joe, Amos

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Show Notes

Here you go — plain, clickable links with article titles as the anchor text, ready to paste into Patreon. I’ve used the published titles (or the outlet’s canonical headline where paywalled).

Nvidia launches powerful new Rubin chip architecture
Nvidia wants to be the Android of general-purpose robotics
Nvidia launches Alpamayo open AI models that let autonomous vehicles think more like humans
Nvidia’s G-Sync Pulsar can reduce motion blur for gamers
Nvidia GeForce Now sets its sights on Steam Machines with native Linux support
Nvidia announces DLSS 4.5 and GeForce Now apps for Linux and Fire TV

Intel Core Ultra 3 “Panther Lake” decoded: release date and what to expect
Intel unleashes Panther Lake CPUs
Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 series debuts with Intel Panther Lake at CES 2026
Acer’s Predator Helios Neo 16S packs Intel’s new Core Ultra 9
Acer’s Swift 16 AI and refreshed Nitro and Predator laptops arrive at CES
Dell brings back the XPS 13, 14, and 16 at CES 2026
Asus shows off a new ROG Zephyrus Duo dual-screen gaming laptop

AMD’s Su unveils new tech and talks up AI demand
AMD refreshes Ryzen processors
AMD unveils new chip for corporate data centers, cites strong AI demand
AMD reheats last year’s Ryzen AI and X3D chips for 2026 PCs
AMD unveils new AI PC processors for work and gaming at CES
AMD’s Ryzen AI Halo mini-PC targets Nvidia’s DGX Spark

Qualcomm announces Dragonwing IQ10 humanoid robotics platform
Sony Honda Mobility’s Afeela prototype gets an SUV makeover
Sony Honda’s Afeela SUV concept moves closer to customer delivery
Hyundai unveils a new humanoid robot for its factories
Google and Boston Dynamics show off Gemini-powered Atlas robot

Uber reveals the design of its robotaxi at CES 2026
This is Uber’s new robotaxi from Lucid and Nuro
Mercedes to offer autonomous driving tech for U.S. city streets
Donut Lab’s solid-state battery targets OEMs and Verge motorcycles

HP shows off a keyboard PC
Meta’s EMG wristband expands beyond AR glasses
Meta pauses international expansion of Ray-Ban display smart glasses
Meta demos EMG handwriting and teleprompter features for Ray-Ban glasses
Asus ROG and Xreal unveil the R1 smart glasses

Dell unveils a massive 52-inch 6K ultrawide monitor
Garmin adds food tracking to Connect Plus
Vivoos’ toilet computer tracks your hydration
This longevity mirror predicts your future health in 30 seconds

Autofocus glasses from IXI could change prescription lenses
IXI raises $36.5M to bring autofocus to prescription glasses

Bosch’s new cordless vacuums take on Dyson and Shark
Bosch upgrades its smart coffee machine with Alexa Plus
Timeli launches an all-in-one personal safety device

Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan talks strategy, investment, and AI at CES 2026
SanDisk retires WD Blue and Black SSDs in favor of Optimus drives
HP drops HyperX and Omen naming changes for gaming laptops

HyperShop
Komutr
Strapsicle
Rescue Retriever
HOTO Tools
Daily Tech News Show on Patreon

Nvidia, Intel, and AMD Unveil New Chip Details at CES – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 6th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 Nvidia, Intel, and AMD Unveil New Chip Details at CES 2026, Meta pauses roll out of Ray-Ban Display smart glasses internationally, and Lego announced the Lego Play Engine with new SMART Bricks, tags, and Minifigs.

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Show Notes

At the Nvidia keynote at CES, CEO Jensen Huang announced the Vera Rubin architecture, already in full production, which succeeds the previous Blackwell line. The new chips have 3.5x the training performance compared to Blackwell with 5x the AI performance rating, and use less power. Nvidia also revealed open source models, datasets, and simulation tools for autonomous vehicles called Alpamayo, with the code available on Hugging Face. And Nvidia added a native app for Linux for game streaming service GeForce Now, with an app for FireTV Stick 4K Plus and 4K Max in early 2026.

Sources: TechCrunch (TechCrunch 2) and The Verge

Intel announced details of its Panther Lake CPUs, the first made on Intel’s 2nm 18A process, promising better power efficiency and performance for graphics and AI, specifically in laptops. Officially called the Intel Core Ultra Series 3, the range includes a 16-core 5.1 GHz model on the high end to an 8-core 4.4 GHz version on the low end. The chips support Intel’s Intelligent Display tech, adapting screen brightness and refresh rate according to tasks, lowering refresh rate when working on email and increasing during gaming. Laptops with the new chips will be available on January 27th.

Source: The Register

Also at CES 2026, AMD presented the Ryzen AI 400 series, featuring up to 12 cores capable of boosting to 5.2Ghz and NPU for 60 TOPS, but otherwise same as the 300 series, with systems coming later this quarter.

Source: Ars Technica

A California tool known as DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, became available on January 1st as part of the California Delete act, which was signed into law in 2023. California residents may file a single request with CalPrivacy, instead of making separate requests to send to individual data brokers, which CalPrivacy will then forward to over 500 services holding personal data to sell to marketers and others. Beginning in August, data brokers will have 45 days following a notice to delete data, as well as respond and report the status of the deletion requests, though data may still be kept if necessary under legal exemptions.

Source: Ars Technica

Hyundai announced plans to start using Boston Dynamics’ humanoid Atlas robots in its Savannah, Georgia, plants starting in 2028. The robots will arrange components pre-installation, ramping up for more complex tasks by 2030. Google is also partnering with Boston Dynamics to integrate Gemini, with testing to begin in the coming months. Hyundai expects to construct as many as 30,000 robots annually at a new facility in the US.

Sources: Bloomberg and Wired

On Monday, Mercedes-Benz announced a driver-assistance system for the United States, launching later this year. Vehicles will be able to navigate autonomously under driver supervision, similar to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving feature. The Mercedes-Benz system, MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO, began operating in China in 2025 and will cost $3,950USD for three year access, with prices for a monthly or yearly subscription to be announced. Tesla’s FSD feature costs $8,000 as an upfront purchase for lifetime access or $99/month as a subscription.

Source: Reuters

Meta paused the release of the $799 Ray-Ban Display smart glasses to Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy due to “unprecedented demand and limited inventory”, and will focus on orders in the United States. The smart glasses are only available at select retailers and cannot be purchased online. Interested US customers are required to book a demo through Meta’s website for visiting designated Ray-Ban, LensCrafters, Sunglass Hut, and Best Buy locations to begin the purchase process.

Source: Engadget

Lego announced the SMART Brick, a standard sized Lego block featuring an internal 4.1mm ASIC chip to work with the new Lego Play Engine. Bricks have a built-in accelerometer, able to discern distance and orientation of itself and to other Smart Bricks, with a SMART Tag configuring how each SMART Brick should behave. An integrated speaker can play audio based on reactions by SMART Minifigs, which have individual character traits, like moods and reactions during play, and generate its own sounds, broadcast through the SMART Brick. Pre-orders open later this week.

Source: Wired

CES 2026 – Thin Screens, Cute Robots and a smart Egg you pee on – DTNS 5178

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 5th, 2026

We’re live at CES surrounded by robots, HUGE TVs, and forklifts. We cut through the noise to break down what’s really going on at the biggest tech show going.

Starring Tom Merritt, Robb Dunewood, Jason Howell, Sarah Lane, and Roger Chang, Joe.

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Show Notes

Switchbot’s New Household Robot Can Fold Laundry – DTH

Daily Tech News Show/ Shows / January 5th, 2026

DTH-6-150x150 An OpenAI report claims over 40 million Americans use ChatGPT for health information, Switchbot’s new household robot can fold laundry, and a DoorDash driver gets caught using AI-generated images to fake deliveries.

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Show Notes

OpenAI shared a report with Axios claiming over 40 million Americans use ChatGPT for health information, and that globally more than 5% of ChatGPT messages focus on health care. The AI gets asked to explain medical bills, catch any overcharges, generate appeals for insurance denials, and to self-diagnose health issues, as well as manage existing care. Axios notes ChatGPT can give potentially dangerous and incorrect advice, particularly around mental health, with several states passing laws banning apps and services for offering mental health treatments and that OpenAI is currently facing lawsuits over harms responses have caused.

Source: Axios

The latest Canary and Dev Channel versions of Microsoft Edge are updating the design to be more in line with Microsoft’s Copilot. The context menus, new tab page, and other elements in the browser resemble the look of the Copilot app, with the design changes appearing whether or not Copilot mode is enabled. These changes are not currently on all installations of Canary or Dev; Windows Central reports the preview is likely rolling out in waves.

Source: The Verge

In 2025 Volkswagen told Autocar to expect the return of physical buttons in its vehicles, with Design Chief Andreas Mindt saying “We will never, ever make this mistake any more” and “Honestly, it’s a car. It’s not a phone.” Volkswagen now demonstrated the new ID. Polo EV, with physical buttons on the steering wheel and center console, and under the approximately 13-inch infotainment screen. The infotainment unit continues to feature buttons on the touchscreen.The ID.Polo will launch in European markets later this year, but there are no plans to bring the car to the United States.

Source: Engadget

At CES 2026 Switchbot presented the Onera H1, an AI household robot with multiple cameras in the head, arms, hands, and midsection and is capable of learning tasks. The articulated arms and hands have 22 degrees of freedom, can grasp, push, open, and organize, and the Onera H1 has wheels for mobility. A demo included filling a coffee machine, washing windows, and loading the washing machine. No price yet, but Onero says preorders will open “soon”.

Source: The Verge

Over the past several days, France and Malaysia joined India in beginning investigations following xAI’s Grok posting generated nonconsensual pornographic images including minors on the social platform X. India’s IT Ministry issued an order on Friday to demand X respond or risk losing safe harbor protections. The French digital affairs office reported the “illegal content” to the prosecutors office to obtain “its immediate removal” and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated it is “presently investigating the online harms in X”.

Source: TechCrunch

According to a press release from Samsung at CES, the latest update to the Family Hub smart fridge line adds the ability to open and close the door through the voice commands “Open the door” and “Shut the fridge door”. The door can also be opened by a tap on the door with the back or palm of a hand. Either way, the doors will open the door over 90 degrees. The update also includes Google Gemini integration with AI Vision to recognize what is going in and out of the fridge, aiming to aid meal planning and reduce food waste.

Source: The Verge

XReal announced the Xreal S1 glasses and the Neo dock. Unlike the Pro version, the S1 glasses don’t have the flatter lenses to reduce glare, but features a wider field of view at 52 vs. 50 degrees, and 1200p images vs. 1080p. Brightness is also improved from 600 nits to 700. The S1 glasses are less expensive at $449 vs. $499 and are available now. Also available now is the new Xreal Neo, a DisplayPort hub with a 10,000mAh battery bank, eliminating the need to dock a Nintendo Switch or Switch 2 in order use the glasses. The Xreal Neo is $99.

Source: Engadget

DoorDash banned a driver that faked deliveries using AI. Several customers in Austin, Texas, reported the same DoorDash driver name accepted a drive then immediately marked it as delivered, showing an AI-generated image of a bag placed at the front door. A DoorDash spokesperson told TechCrunch the Dasher’s account was removed and the customers reimbursed, and “We have zero tolerance for fraud and use a combination of technology and human review to detect and prevent bad actors from abusing our platform.”

Source: TechCrunch