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Pixel HiLight should get better, with new colors on the way.

The Pixel 11 Pro light is so far underwhelming, only working for calls from favorite contacts or Gemini interactions. Google always said message support is on the way, but a report from Android Authority suggests new colors are coming too, expanding on the five available now. That’s still behind what other devs have done with it. [Link: Pixel HiLight will soon get these new features, but will they be enough for Pixel 11 Pro users? | https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-11-pro-hilight-colors-messages-apk-teardown-3715955/ | Android Authority]

Gadgets

There may be a way to save your June Oven after all.

Project July replaces June’s cloud server with one that runs on the oven and connects to your phone over your local Wi-Fi network. It brings app control of the oven and live camera streaming to the device, features that went away when Weber shut down the cloud last week. Two June customers are developing it, and while it’s great to see users once again stepping up to save a product — it’s infuriating anyone should have to go to such lengths to keep features they paid for. [Link: The shutdown of June Oven is another reminder that the cloud was never ours to keep. | https://www.theverge.com/column/1000778/smart-home-june-oven-graveyard | The Verge]

Gadgets

Uber removed its branding from its safari vehicles after “outrage” from local tour guides.

According to the Wall Street Journal, local guides were initially concerned Uber would be sending regular drivers out for its tours of Kenya’s Nairobi National Park, rather than licensed guides: > “It got to a point where safety was paramount,” said Uber East Africa General Manager Imran Manji, who helped create the service. He imagined a worst-case scenario where Uber-branded vehicles could be targeted in retaliation. “We don’t want to put the driver or the guide in danger, and we don’t want the passengers in any danger,” he said.

Gadgets

Sony quits CES.

Sony’s keynotes were once a highlight of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. But the company’s presence has shrunk in proportion to its slow exit from consumer electronics. And with Bravia now a TCL brand, and the Afeela EV joint venture with Honda scrubbed, there’s little reason to attend. [Link: Sony Group postpones CES exhibition in 27 years, including affiliated companies (machine translated) | https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUC281W40Y6A920C2000000/ | Nikkei]

Gadgets

Lenovo’s Googlebook is $150 cheaper than we thought.

We’d been told the 15-inch laptop would start at $1,299, but preorders just opened for a much friendlier $1,149.99. It’s the biggest of the first five Googlebooks, with an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 processor inside, 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage, and an HDMI port. It ships from October 4th. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/268755_Google_event_Lenovo_Googlebook_15_ADiBenedetto_0006_83ec0d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/268755_Google_event_Lenovo_Googlebook_15_ADiBenedetto_0002_653489.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/268755_Google_event_Lenovo_Googlebook_15_ADiBenedetto_0008.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/09/268755_Google_event_Lenovo_Googlebook_15_ADiBenedetto_0007.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]

Gadgets

Googlebook OS will be available for some Chromebooks.

Googlebooks will be available at retailers later this week, but you might not need to buy a new device to get Google’s latest laptop OS. “Many of our newest Chromebook devices will be eligible to transition over to Googlebook OS,” says Google in a support note targeted at Chromebook enterprise and education customers. Google hasn’t shared migration paths or device eligibility yet, but it’s encouraging to see the search giant sticking to what it announced earlier this year. [Link: What the Googlebook announcement means for your ChromeOS devices | https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/16634428?hl=en | Google]

Gadgets

What’s the most creative way you misused tech to connect with others?

NPR’s Wild Card comment section was hijacked by middle schoolers. Producer Hannah Chin used Google Docs as a makeshift chat room. Even The Verge was turned into a gathering place for people trying to get around the TikTok ban. Did you use status messages on your 3Ds to chat? Or maybe you took over the comments on a slow-motion deer video?

Sunday, October 11, 2026

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