News
- Improvements are heading to the Google Home app
- Camera feeds should be more reliable and quicker
- The updates are rolling out for Android and iOS devices
It's not been the best of times for the Google Home ecosystem, what with a crescendo of user complaints rising about buggy devices and apps in recent weeks. Google is now at least bringing some improvements to the Google Home app for Android and iOS, connected to Nest cameras and doorbells.
In a somewhat apologetic post on the Google Nest Community message boards, a member of the Nest team outlines the improvements. While the reported bugs with Google smart home kit aren't addressed directly, they are alluded to.
"We also wanted to take a moment to thank you all," the post reads. "While we may not always hit the mark, we remain committed to listening to our users and building intuitive, reliable, and high-performing camera features for your home."
If you do own a Nest camera of some description, here are five of the most notable upgrades heading your way.
1. Faster previewsCamera previews will now show a cached image from a previous live view: while it means the view might be slightly out of date until it's fully loaded, it does mean you'll be able to identify which camera is which more quickly if you've got several set up in the app.
2. Improved gesturesGestures have been simplified, so you can now switch between the timeline and events views with a single swipe. Expanding and collapsing live views, and dismissing camera feeds, are also now controlled with one swipe, making it easier to get around the app.
Swipe gestures now work more intuitively (Image credit: Google)3. Better notificationsNotification previews have been improved as well, so on both Android and iOS you'll see a static thumbnail together with a large animated preview – the intention is that you get a better idea of what the alert is about without having to open up the Google Home app.
4. Accurate reportingGoogle says that the Google Home app is now better at reporting whether your cameras are online or offline, so you know the status of every camera at all times. The same under-the-hood optimizations should mean live streaming performance is better too.
5. Smoother performanceSpeaking of performance, further tweaks made by the Google Home team are going to reduce latency, reduce the likelihood of "no video available" errors, and ensure camera streams can be recovered more quickly when they're switched off and then back on.
These improvements come on top of previous upgrades added by the Google team, which they also mention in the same post: they include increased clarity for videos, a more seamless timeline experience, and a quick seek feature for jumping through video clips.
As well as these software enhancements, it looks very much like new hardware is on the way, as four new Nest devices have recently leaked. Despite lots of evidence to the contrary, it seems that perhaps Google hasn't forgotten about the smart home after all.
You might also like- NeoLogic raises $10 million to advance CMOS+ CPUs, reducing circuit complexity
- CMOS+ enables 6-32 input gates, reducing power use and die size
- First processors expected in 2026, targeting energy efficient AI data center workloads
NeoLogic has raised $10 million in in Series A funding as it works to change how processors are designed.
Founded in 2021, the Israel-based company (with a US presence planned for the future) is not focusing on transistor scaling, the traditional path of the semiconductor industry, but rather on reducing the complexity of circuits.
Its CMOS+ technology integrates standard CMOS gates with reduced complexity gates, cutting transistor counts by as much as three times at any process node.
Up to 50% lower energy useConventional CMOS is limited by fan-in, with gates typically handling no more than four inputs.
Designers rely on tree structures to handle higher inputs, which increases both chip area and power use.
NeoLogic’s CMOS+ enables single stage gates that handle between 6 and 32 inputs, shortening the critical path while reducing area and energy consumption.
The company says processors built with CMOS+ can lower power use by up to 50 percent and reduce chip area by up to 40 percent while keeping latency on par with current designs.
These improvements are compatible with existing CMOS manufacturing processes, from 130nm down to 2nm, as well as standard EDA tools, so adoption won’t require new infrastructure.
By cutting die size and improving yield, CMOS+ provides cost advantages at advanced nodes, where wafer costs and development expenses rise sharply.
It’s more than just gates, however, as CMOS+ also offers power efficient registers, buffers, and arithmetic blocks. Together, NeoLogic says, these elements give chip designers a new infrastructure that simplifies processor design while achieving better power and area tradeoffs.
“We are backing NeoLogic as they push the boundaries of computing with their breakthrough approach to energy-efficient processors," said Talia Rafaeli, Partner at KOMPAS VC, which led the latest funding round. "The team’s deep technical expertise and innovative CMOS+ technology position them to impact the AI data center space significantly.”
NeoLogic sees CMOS+ as a way to deliver more efficient computing without departing from established tools and processes. It has begun demonstrating its first processors to customers and expects deployment in data centers starting in 2026.
Via eeNews Embedded
You might also likeAsk anyone in the luxury business about what well-heeled Chinese customers demand and the answer is almost unanimously pointed towards technology. But Bentley’s CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser, has just claimed that digital will never be luxurious.
"It will be maybe expensive, but not luxury," Walliser told Newsweek, going on to state that there will be always be a need for good craftsmanship.
While many modern luxury brands will agree, there has been a huge shift in what the next generation of wealthy individuals want, with Istituto Marangoni, a leading private school of fashion, art and design, claiming that China will account for 25% of the global personal luxury goods market by 2030.
Gen Z and Millennials, who account 70% of luxury spending, are looking more towards advanced AI assistants, immersive virtual reality and the latest innovations in technology, rather than overt displays of wealth.
Walliser doesn’t deny the need to embrace new and emerging technologies, seeing as the company is slated to launch its first dedicated EV next year. But he does go on to say in his Newsweek interview that luxury is linked to material and craftsmanship, like art.
"Digital art is not so successful. I will not say that it does not exist, but is it the breakthrough? No, it's not," he goes on to explain.
Bentley has recently been doubling-down on its efforts to deliver hand-crafted and highly bespoke vehicles to those willing to pay for it.
A recent ‘Ombre by Mulliner’ gradient paint finish, for example, is said to take 56 hours of handcraft to deliver and costs around £50,000 / $67,000 / AU$105,000, according to one CarWow configurator.
Similarly, its One plus One Batur convertible features an interior hand-finished by Bentley's Mulliner division with contrasting driver and front passenger seats, complete with a bespoke, two-piece luggage set at the customer’s request.
As a result, three in four Bentleys are leaving Bentley’s Crewe HQ with bespoke Mulliner content. More than ever, according to Newsweek.
Analysis: Ignoring digital is dangerous(Image credit: Bentley)While the luxury automakers continue to lean heavily on their brand history and traditional production methods, the market has seen a significant downturn in China, which was once considered a major source of sales for the likes of Rolls-Royce, Bentley and more.
There have been changes in luxury taxes and financial uncertainty that will have impacted trade, but the boom in the EV industry has also opened up a sizable technological chasm between the east and the west.
What’s more, younger generations across the globe are increasingly looking for the latest digital features, advances in AI and automated driving technology as key reasons to make a purchase.
Xiaomi, for example, sold more than 135,000 SU7 models in China last year, despite being its debut EV, while Porsche managed to shift just 56,887 units of all of its models during the same timeframe.
In fact, most of the major German luxury brands are struggling in China for this very reason. Although it is still to be seen whether the likes of Xiaomi, Yangwang and more will make an impact beyond their domestic market.
Despite the fact that ultra-luxury brands tend to feel the economic impacts to a lesser extent, navigating the digital world remains a tricky task, as they don’t want to lose their identity but also want to avoid alienating new buyers thanks to a lack of technology.
Aston Martin’s recent pairing with Apple CarPlay Ultra is an excellent example of this, as the software proved excellent and arguably what CarPlay users have been demanding for years, but the masses of Apple-controlled screens also made the vehicle feel less special.
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- Nvidia’s H20 chip became collateral in a heated geopolitical clash
- Nvidia’s revenue stream risks serious disruption with the Chinese market tightening
- Chinese tech giants hesitate to abandon Nvidia hardware for weaker alternatives
China’s recent decision to tighten restrictions on Nvidia’s H20 chip sales has drawn attention not only because of the technology involved, but also because of the circumstances which triggered it.
Reports indicate comments made by U. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in mid-July 2025 were viewed as both “insulting” and brash by China's government.
In a televised interview, Lutnick stated Washington’s strategy was to ensure Chinese developers became “addicted” to the American technology stack.
Rising tensions after controversial remarks“We don’t sell them our best stuff, not our second-best stuff, not even our third-best,” Lutnick had told CNBC.
“You want to sell the Chinese enough that their developers get addicted to the American technology stack, that’s the thinking,” he added.
The Chinese considered this remark unnecessarily arrogant, and it is now engineering a move that presents sustained sales headwinds for Nvidia, a company that has long viewed the country as a major market.
The H20 chip, developed specifically for China after export controls restricted access to more advanced models, had become a key product for local AI firms.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang visited Beijing recently, and stressed the firm’s commitment to staying competitive in the region.
Still, with China accounting for at least 15% of Nvidia’s total revenue, any disruption to H20 orders represents a serious challenge.
Washington and Beijing had previously struck a framework agreement earlier in 2025 allowing H20 sales to resume in China while Beijing restored some rare earth exports.
That deal was interpreted as a step toward stabilizing relations. Yet by late July 2025, Chinese regulators such as the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Ministry of Industry and Technology began advising firms to halt new H20 orders.
This guidance, framed as a response to Lutnick’s remarks, highlights the fragility of recent progress.
Alongside the restrictions, Beijing has promoted the use of domestic chips, including those from Huawei.
However, doubts remain about their effectiveness, and DeepSeek had to delay the launch of its new R2 model after difficulties training with Huawei Ascend processors.
Chinese tech giants like Alibaba, Baidu, and ByteDance have also been reluctant to fully switch, citing stronger performance from Nvidia hardware compared with local alternatives.
The episode illustrates how political statements can rapidly alter corporate fortunes, especially when national security and technology leadership are at stake.
While Nvidia has disputed claims of security risks tied to its products, Beijing’s regulators appear determined to limit reliance on US-made chips.
Whether Chinese firms can scale up to fill the gap remains uncertain, but what is clear is that Lutnick’s words have accelerated a process of decoupling that may unfold far quicker than industry analysts initially expected.
Via Financial Times
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As a veteran of covering Apple’s iPhone launches, I can rather confidently say that the iPhone 16 will drop in price when the so-called iPhone 17 is launched and subsequently released.
Judging by previous iPhone launches, my educated prediction is that the iPhone 16 will stick around as Apple’s cheaper alternative to the new phones, with its price likely to be some $100 / £100/ AU$150 cheaper than at launch.
Such a price drop isn’t huge, but it’s not bad either, given the rumors aren’t pointing towards a significant generational upgrade for the iPhone 17. The much-rumored iPhone 17 Air could shake things up if it replaces the standard iPhone and its Plus stablemate, but I’m not so sure that’ll happen.
While I bemoan the lack of a 120Hz display, the current iPhone 16 is still a great phone for most people and has the performance needed for Apple Intelligence and most phone-centric tasks, all slotted neatly into Apple’s ecosystem.
So presuming Apple keeps it in its line-up, it’ll be a good potential purchase if you’re after one of the best phones for a lower price. Expect prices to go from $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 to $699 / £699 / AU$1,249.
Up in the airEqually, there’s the wrinkle of the iPhone 16e. This is already a cheaper take on the iPhone 16, so if it drops in price, it could become a more compelling ‘affordable’ iPhone than it was at launch; see our iPhone 16e review for Lance Ulanoff’s critique.
As such, there’s scope for Apple to discontinue all the iPhone 16 and keep the ‘e’ variant at its mid-range phone.
Speaking of discontinuation, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will very likely be retired; Apple has done this in the past and will surely want to push people who want to go pro to opt for the iPhone 17 Pro.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s game over for finding a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro model, as third-party retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and Currys will very likely have such iPhones in stock and will want to clear their shelves of the phones to make space for newer models.
So, I predict that you’ll be able to find a cheaper iPhone 16 Pro come the end of September and going into the Black Friday period, which now lasts weeks rather than a day. And I’d say the same applies to all iPhone 16 models sold outside of Apple, with deals likely to pop up on them as the Holiday season draws closer.
All of this is why I suggest you don’t by an iPhone until the next Apple event, scheduled for September 9 has come and gone, as even if the new iPhones don’t appeal to you, you’re sure to find a cheaper older iPhone as a result.
As it happens, I head up TechRadar's Deals team along with the phones and tablets division, so my crack crew of bargain-seekers will be keeping an eye out for impressive iPhone deals, among other stuff, to flag to you. So keep a weather eye on TechRadar in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions about the upcoming iPhones, feel free to drop me a line or comment below if you have some burning thoughts on what Apple could do next with its smartphones. So that’s that right? Well, not entirely.
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