Author: alex

AI Search Podcast — Top AI Highlights This Week Welcome to the AI Search Podcast. Each week we curate the top AI news, product updates, and tool releases so you get fast, useful highlights without the noise. What’s in this episode Curated AI headlines and short summaries Relevant product links and further reading (we remove RSS-only links) Quick takes and discussion prompts How we handle links We remove links that only point to RSS sources. Important news links are kept. If a product is available on Amazon, we include an Amazon search link with our affiliate tag. We won’t post promotional reviews of a site as the news item on X. Want us to cover something? Reply to the tweet or leave a comment below suggesting an AI topic, tool,…

From Jan 2026: Gmail drops Gmailify and POP support Google has announced that, starting January 2026, Gmail will stop supporting both Gmailify and the POP mail protocol. This affects users who relied on Gmail to fetch messages from third-party accounts via POP or to apply Gmail features (spam filtering, inbox categories, advanced search) to external accounts using Gmailify. What changes POP: Gmail will no longer fetch mail from external accounts using the POP protocol via the Gmail web interface. Users should switch to IMAP or use their email provider's native client if they want continued syncing and retrieval. Gmailify: The feature that applied Gmail’s spam protection, categories, and other Gmail tools to third-party accounts (e.g., Yahoo, Outlook) will be discontinued. Who is affected Anyone using Gmail to access external mailboxes…

Audible: 3 audiobooks for €0.99/month for 3 months — Prime Deal Days (until Dec 16, 2025) Audible (an Amazon company) is running a special Prime Deal Days promotion for new members in Germany and Austria: you can get three audiobooks for €0.99 per month for 3 months. The offer is valid until 16 December 2025 and includes access to a wide selection of audiobooks, Audible Originals and podcasts. Quick facts Who: New Audible members in Germany & Austria What: 3 audiobooks for €0.99/month for 3 months (Audible Premium Plus promotional offer) Until: 16 December 2025 How to get it Sign up via Audible's local landing page: https://www.audible.de/ For broader context on Prime Deal Days and related Amazon promotions, see: About Amazon — Prime Big Deal Days Notes Offers and eligibility…

Affinity iPad apps: trial exists but no confirmed free permanent unlock Multiple users reported a workaround to permanently unlock Affinity Photo 2, Affinity Designer 2 and Affinity Publisher 2 on iPad by installing the app, starting the 7‑day free trial and creating an account. After checking official sources, there is no verified or legitimate method to get a permanent free license that bypasses purchasing. What’s official Affinity offers a 7‑day free trial for its iPad apps. To keep using the apps after the trial you must purchase a one‑time (lifetime/perpetual) in‑app license. Affinity’s official pages describe in‑app licence activation and pricing; no official documentation supports a free permanent unlock via account creation. Why this matters Messages claiming free permanent unlocks may be based on misunderstandings, forum posts, or attempts to…

Spotify expands control over personalized music recommendationsSpotify has added a way for users to exclude playlists from their "taste profile," which is used to generate personalized recommendations such as Discover Weekly, Home suggestions and Wrapped summaries. This helps prevent shared or background listening from skewing your recommendations.Key pointsThe option excludes whole playlists from affecting your taste profile — it does not currently support excluding individual tracks.Excluding a playlist affects both past and future listening data from that playlist.The feature is intended for cases like functional listening (work, sleep, or listening on someone else’s account) so your recommendations stay relevant.How to use itOpen the playlist you don’t want to influence your recommendations.Open the playlist menu (three dots) and choose "Exclude from your taste profile".For more details, see Spotify’s support page: https://support.spotify.com/us/article/your-taste-profile/…

Apple pauses lighter Vision Pro successor to focus on smart glasses According to Bloomberg, Apple has temporarily halted development of a lighter, more consumer-friendly successor to its Vision Pro headset. Internal resources have reportedly been reallocated to accelerate work on a project for smart glasses — a sleeker, more everyday wearable compared with the premium Vision Pro. Key points Apple paused work on a lighter Vision Pro variant. Teams and resources are being shifted toward a smart-glasses effort. Bloomberg is the primary outlet reporting this development. Why this matters Moving focus to smart glasses could indicate Apple wants a more practical, mainstream wearable that consumers would wear daily, instead of a high-end mixed-reality headset targeted at pros and early adopters. Source and further reading Primary report: Bloomberg (search results) What…

Apple pauses lighter Vision Pro successor to focus on smart glasses According to a Bloomberg report, Apple has temporarily halted development of a lighter, consumer-friendly successor to its Vision Pro headset. The company is reallocating internal resources to pursue a project focused on smart glasses — a sleeker, more wearable product than the bulkier Vision Pro. What we know: Apple paused work on a lighter Vision Pro variant. Resources have been shifted toward developing smart glasses. Bloomberg is the primary source reporting this shift. Why it matters: A move toward smart glasses reflects Apple exploring more practical, everyday wearable devices that could appeal to a broader audience than the premium Vision Pro. Source: Bloomberg (search results) What do you think? Would you prefer lightweight smart glasses for daily use, or…

Two Amazon Prime Air Drones Reportedly Collide with Crane in Tolleson, AZ Reports say two Amazon Prime Air delivery drones collided with a crane this morning in Tolleson, Arizona, roughly two miles from an Amazon fulfillment center. Local police were called to the scene; no injuries have been reported. Tolleson Police Sgt. Erik Mendez told local radio that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will take over the investigation. An Amazon spokesperson, Terrence Clark, issued a brief statement: "We're aware of an incident involving two Prime Air drones in Tolleson, Arizona. We're currently working with the relevant authorities to investigate." What we know Location: Tolleson, AZ, about 2 miles from an Amazon fulfillment center. Reported outcome: No injuries reported. Authorities: Tolleson police responded; FAA expected to lead the investigation. Company response:…

Amazon Luna adds GameNight and folds Prime Gaming into Luna Amazon has updated Luna with GameNight, a collection of 25+ smartphone-controlled party games that let friends join via an onscreen QR code — no controller required. The revamp also folds Prime Gaming benefits into Luna, giving Prime members access to a rotating library of games as part of their subscription. Key details GameNight: 25+ multiplayer party games, including reinterpretations of classics and original Amazon titles like Courtroom Chaos: Starring Snoop Dogg. Players join by scanning a QR code and use their phones as controllers. Prime Gaming integration: Prime Gaming benefits are merged into Luna; free PC games redeemed via Prime will be available through Luna where Prime is supported. Controller-required titles coming: Amazon says higher-profile, controller-required games are planned for…

Amazon Courts Law Enforcement for AI & Surveillance — InvestigationForbes and other outlets report Amazon has been actively pitching Amazon Web Services to police departments and partnering with vendors that sell surveillance and AI tools. The outreach includes partnerships or integrations with companies such as Flock Safety (car tracking/license-plate readers), ZeroEyes (gun-detection), C3 AI and Revir Technologies (real-time crime apps), and Abel Police and Mark43 (AI-assisted police reporting).Key pointsAmazon is positioning AWS as an option for law enforcement tech and working with partners to deploy surveillance and AI products.Privacy advocates, including the ACLU, warn these tools can be inaccurate and easily misused, raising civil-liberty concerns.The police tech market is estimated at around $11 billion, and Amazon appears eager to capture part of that business.Concerns raisedCritics say aggressive sales to police…