AWS has released a new AI coding tool called Kiro in preview. This IDE for agent apps is described by some as a vibe coding platform. However, AWS says Kiro “goes way beyond,” getting prototypes into production systems with features such as specs and hooks. In fact, Kiro was designed specifically to reduce issues common to vibe coding, the process of creating software using AI agents reacting to natural language prompts. This makes it popular among non-coders, resulting in an often chaotic process that Kiro attempts to professionalize. Available for free during preview, Kiro supports most popular programming languages. Continue reading AWS Kiro Agentic AI Developer Tool Now Free During Preview

Xumo, the streaming joint venture formed by Comcast and Charter, has teamed with Westinghouse to launch a new U.S. line of Xumo smart TVs that will initially be sold through Walmart and Amazon. Initial models offer 4K UHD (in 43- and 50-inch versions) that support HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and 2K HD (in 24-, 32-, 40- and 43-inch models). Prices range from $120 to $290. Expected later this year are 55-, 58- and 65-inch 4K models. The new televisions run Xumo OS, featuring a tiled menu interface, voice search and more than 250 built-in streaming apps. Continue reading Streamer Xumo Launching Smart TV Line from Westinghouse

Google scuttled OpenAI’s negotiations to purchase AI coding firm Windsurf (formerly Codeium), by agreeing to pay roughly $2.4 billion to license the startup’s core technology, hire co-founder and CEO Varun Mohan and bring a passel of employees with him to Alphabet. The license is non-exclusive and Google is not taking a stake in Windsurf. Days after the Google deal, AI startup Cognition announced it would be acquiring Windsurf (both startups are backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund). Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen and some members of the Windsurf R&D team are moving to Google to work primarily with DeepMind on agentic coding. The $2.4 billion covers licensing fees and compensation. Continue reading Cognition Acquires Windsurf Following Google Licensing Deal

Meta Platforms has purchased artificial intelligence voice technology startup PlayAI for an undisclosed sum. The entire PlayAI staff will segue to Meta this month, reporting to Johan Schalkwyk, who was recently hired by the social giant from another voice startup, Sesame AI. Co-founded at Y Combinator by Mahmoud Felfel and Hammad Syed, PlayAI launched with a Chrome plugin that delivered audio versions of printed articles, later evolving into a broader AI voice platform. The main product, the Play 3.0 model, supports more than 30 languages and enables the quick creation of voice agents for things like sales and customer support. Continue reading Meta Platforms Acquires Real-Time Voice Tech Startup PlayAI

Google has added photo-to-video capability to its Gemini AI app. Powered by Veo 3, Google’s latest generative video model, launched in May, Gemini AI can now turn images into 8-second videos complete with AI-generated sound including speech, environmental sounds and background noises. Available now via the Web to anyone with a $20 per month Google AI Pro subscription or those on the $125 per quarter Google AI Ultra plan, the new feature is also being released to mobile users this month for both iOS and Android devices. The videos are finished as 720p resolution MP4 files in 16:9 landscape format. Continue reading Google Offers Gemini AI Subscribers Photo-to-Video Function

Nvidia-backed startup Perplexity AI is challenging Google with a new AI-powered web browser called Comet that is built on the company’s proprietary AI search engine. The new browser is initially available to those paying $200 per month to subscribe to the Perplexity Max plan and by invitation to those who register online for the company’s waitlist. The browser also comes with Comet Assistant, an agent that automates routine tasks such as summarizing emails and navigating webpages. Comet Assistant can be opened as a sidebar on any webpage to answer questions about the content being presented. Continue reading Perplexity Launches Comet AI Web Browser for Premium Subs

The OnePlus summer launch event featured five product launches, led by two Nord 5 series smartphones. The game-focused Nord 5 features a 144Hz OLED display that measures 6.83 inches and has three sensors, including a 50-megapixel selfie camera, all powered by Qualcomm’s tier two Snapdragon 8S Gen 3. Slightly smaller, the budget-built Nord CE5 has a slower MediaTek Dimensity 8350 Apex chipset and lesser specs all around. There are also three new products designed to enhance the OnePlus connected experience, including the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, OnePlus Buds 4 and the OnePlus Pad Lite. Currently, only the Buds 4 and Watch 3 43mm are planned for release in the U.S. Continue reading OnePlus Reveals New Phones, Watch, Buds, Android Tablet

Underscoring its commitment to smart glasses, Meta Platforms has reportedly invested $3.5 billion in EssilorLuxottica SA, the world’s largest manufacturer of eyewear. The move gives Meta around a three percent stake in the Paris-headquartered firm, and expands an existing relationship for brand deals that resulted in the casual Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses released in 2021 and an athlete-focused Oakley Meta HSTN AI line announced last month. Neither Meta nor EssilorLuxottica has publicly commented on the equity buy-in yet, though it has been reported Meta may increase its stake to five percent. Continue reading Meta Investing $3.5B in Smart Glass Partner EssilorLuxottica

New ultra-slim Galaxy Z Flip7 and Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphones, three new models of smartwatches, and the debut of One UI 8 were among the highlights of Samsung’s summer Galaxy Unpacked event yesterday. The Galaxy Z Fold7 is just 8.9mm thick when folded (and 4.2mm unfolded, less than three pennies stacked) and features a larger main screen than its predecessor at 8 inches (up from 7.6 inches) as well as a bigger 6.5-inch outer display. A big change to the Galaxy Z Flip7 is the fact that its 4.1-inch cover screen extends around the two camera lenses. Meanwhile, Google has introduced AI updates to Android, delivering new Gemini capabilities for Samsung’s mobile lineup. Continue reading Samsung Reveals Galaxy Phones, Watch 8, AI Features, More

Grammarly — maker of the popular AI productivity tool — says it will acquire Superhuman, an AI-native email app that helps users save time on electronic communications. The purchase price was not disclosed. The acquisition aims to accelerate Grammarly’s evolution into an all-around AI productivity assistant that does more than improve syntax and offers a full complement of apps and agents. The San Francisco-based company, which launched in 2009, last year acquired Coda and its suite of document and spreadsheet software. Grammarly says it now has “an ‘AI superhighway’ that delivers writing agents to users across more than 500,000 applications and websites.” Continue reading Grammarly to Expand Productivity with Superhuman Purchase

Google is making it easier to access its Gems customizable Gemini chatbots by bringing them to the side panel in Google Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, Drive, and Gmail. The task-specific Gems AI assistants are meant to help with common tasks and eliminate what Google calls “repetitive prompting.” Now they’ll be usable without even prompting Gemini to open. While Google offers pre-made Gems, they can also be customized or individually created to meet specific needs. Both custom and templated Gems can be installed in side panels, leveraging capabilities like @-mentioning or accessing files and folders. Continue reading Google Makes Gems Chatbots Available via Workspace Apps

As the U.S. grapples with how to implement its own Internet age verification guardrails for minors, two Big Tech firms on opposite sides of the issue here have thrown their support behind French President Emmanuel Macron’s steps to safeguard EU children. Meta Platforms issued a statement lauding Macron’s idea for a “digital majority age” that requires parents to approve children’s access to services including social media. Simultaneously, Google open-sourced its Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) libraries to help developers with privacy-compliant age verification solutions, a move that coincides with a partnership with German bank Sparkasse on a digital wallet age verification service. Continue reading Google, Meta Support Europe’s Online Age Verification Efforts

China’s Baidu has added AI and voice features to its Ernie search engine and as of June 30 officially made its generative Ernie large language model open source in a direct challenge to OpenAI and Anthropic as well as local Chinese rival DeepSeek. “This isn’t just a China story. Every time a major lab open-sources a powerful model, it raises the bar for the entire industry,” University of Southern California Associate Professor of Computer Science Sean Ren told CNBC. Baidu is also giving the Ernie mobile app more chatbot-like functionality, enabling it to help with drawing, writing and travel tasks. Continue reading Baidu Delivers AI Updates to Search, Open-Sources Ernie 4.5

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has released a new multimodal model called Qwen VLo that can understand and generate images. Available for free in preview through Qwen Chat, it can use image or text prompts to generate pictures, and accepts text in multiple languages, including Chinese and English. It can also edit, change backgrounds and switch styles, handling multiple image edits in sequence. An upgrade over January’s Qwen 2.5-VL release, Qwen VLo uses progressive generation, allowing users to see the image creation in progress, and Alibaba says it’s particularly good at making inline adjustments to fine-tune images. Continue reading Alibaba’s Qwen VLo Generative AI Shows Images in Progress

Google Labs is testing Doppl, an experimental app that uses AI to let you virtually try on clothes. Available on iOS and Android in the U.S., Doppl requires the user to upload a full body photo to which images of outfits can then be applied. It will work with various types of outfit photos, from pictures taken with a smartphone to screen grabs from shopping sites or social media. Doppl can also create AI-generated videos from a static image to give an idea of what the outfit would look like from different angles when worn. While Google hopes Doppl “helps you explore your style in new and exciting ways,” it cautions that the app “is in its early days and it might not always get things right.” Continue reading Google Doppl Lets You Try on Outfits Using Generative Video