The Echo Dot Max is a Work in Progress - DTNS 5135

Apple says an Oppo engineer shared Apple Watch trade secrets with the company, and US senators are looking into banning chatbots for underage users.

Starring Jason Howell and Sarah Lane.

JASON: This is the Daily Tech News for Wednesday, October 29th, 2025. We tell you what you need to know, give you the important context, and help each other understand.

SARAH: Today we’re talking speakers and home automation, and how AI is changing the landscape.

I’m Jason Howell,

I’m Sarah Lane.

JASON: Let’s start with what you need to know with the big story.

BIG STORY

The Echo Dot Max is Amazon’s biggest little speaker yet
Google Gemini for Home is rolling out in the US — here’s how to get early access

JASON: The Echo Dot Max was first announced back in March along with the Alexa Plus early access program, and now reviews of the device are out. The Verge review shares that the device delivers improved sound quality and stronger bass, strong smart hub support with Matter, Thread, and Zigbee, and an attractive purple fabric finish. (I admit, that purple color is pretty eye-catching.)

But the review takes it to task for the Alexa Plus performance features, including noticeably slow delays on certain requests, and unreliable routines that required recreating those routines to get them to work. Device controls were inconsistent in the smart home, Alexa Plus often lost track of conversations and context, and it sometimes confirmed that it completed an action when it actually had not.

DISCUSS

On a related note, Google Gemini for Google Home is now available as an early preview that you can opt into within the Home app. We'll see if that device gets better with an updated AI integration throughout the old devices that are gathering dust in our house right now.

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JASON: There’s more we need to know today, let’s get to the briefs.

BRIEFS

OpenAI’s Promise to Stay in California Helped Clear the Path for Its IPO
SARAH: OpenAI is now on the path to an IPO after its transition to a for-profit company was approved by Attorney General Rob Bonta, as we discussed on yesterday's show. Sam Altman shared on X that he is committed to keeping OpenAI in California, and communicated as much to Bonta a few weeks ago when the deal was still in progress. He said "California is my home, and I love it here, and when I talked to Attorney General Bonta two weeks ago I made clear that we were not going to do what those other companies do and threaten to leave if sued."

Meanwhile, Bonta shared in a memo that cases like Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI would likely not affect the restructuring process. The Information says that the court is now unlikely to reverse the changes, since regulatory authorities already approved them, and even Musk's lawyer admits reverting would be a challenge. If Musk wins, OpenAI could still owe him substantial financial compensation.

Apple Says Oppo Engineer Stole Apple Watch Trade Secrets, Gave Presentation to Hundreds
JASON: Apple has accused former employee Chen Shi of stealing Apple Watch trade secrets and bringing them to Oppo. Apple claims Shi downloaded 63 confidential files, learned from Apple's technical team, and then upon joining the Oppo team in the sensing technology department, gave an “Apple Sensors” presentation to a number of employees detailing some of Apple’s technology and future plans. A tagline for the talk was "Are you curious about how Apple's sensors are developed?" Apple alleges that Oppo is withholding some of the requested evidence. Oppo insists that no Apple secrets were discovered upon its own internal search, and that Shi only discussed general engineering topics in his talk. The court has ordered Oppo to submit documentation by October 31.

YouTube looks to improve its TV app with QR codes for shopping, AI-powered upscaling
YouTube will let you opt out of AI upscaling on low-res videos
SARAH: YouTube is rolling out a few major updates to its TV app that you are likely to notice. First, interactive QR codes that let viewers shop for products featured in tagged videos that are linked to creators' stores. Second, an AI-powered upscaling option that automatically converts lower-resolution uploads to full HD along with future plans to upscale to 4K quality. Creators will be given the option of opting out of this upscaling, as will viewers have control over which version they are delivered. Third, thumbnails will get a bit sharper with new support up to 4K resolution. Finally, integrated search will now show even more results on screen at one time.

Senators propose banning teens from using AI chatbots
Character.AI is banning minors from AI character chats
JASON: US Senators Josh Hawley and Richard Blumenthal have proposed a new bill in the US that would ban individuals under 18 from using AI chatbots. The GUARD Act would require AI firms to verify users' ages through government ID, face scans, or other reliable methods. The bill would also require chatbots to regularly disclose that they are not in fact humans, as well as blocking sexual and personal harm-related content for minors. This comes a few weeks after Senate hearings on AI safety that brought attention to the impact of these kinds of chatbots on kids.

On a related note, Character.AI will ban users under 18 from chatting with its AI characters by November 25, 2025. From now until then, teen users will be restricted to two hours of daily chat leading up to the ban. The company is also rolling out an "age assurance model" for detecting and flagging under-age users to direct them to a teen-safe version of the chat service.

And finally, some quick headlines that are just good to know if you want to understand the news in the future.

Grammarly is changing its name to Superhuman
Thanks to rwnash in the subreddit for the heads-up that Grammarly is rebranding its name to Superhuman and merging its writing tools with the full Superhuman suite, available today for all paid Grammarly Pro users.

Google Chrome to warn users before opening insecure HTTP sites
Google announced that Chrome will soon require user permission before opening insecure HTTP sites, making secure HTTPS connections the default beginning with Chrome 154 in October 2026.

Nvidia will build AI supercomputers for US Energy Department, wants to get back into China
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced at the company's first DC developers' conference that Nvidia will build seven AI supercomputers for the US Energy Department, aiming to regain access to China and position itself as a critical partner in building global AI infrastructure.

Italy’s Bending Spoons to acquire AOL, secures $2.8 bln in debt financing
Italian tech company Bending Spoons is set to acquire AOL from Yahoo for $2.8 billion in debt financing, one month after it also announced its acquisition of Vimeo.

‘Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ Soundtrack to Release on Vinyl in U.S. as Nintendo Tests Physical Media Appetite Outside Japan
Nintendo is releasing the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild soundtrack on vinyl in the US for the first time with deluxe and limited edition collections available June 2026.

PROMO

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HELPING EACH OTHER UNDERSTAND

JASON: We end every episode of DTNS with some shared wisdom. And enough time has passed since the AWS outage last week, that maybe we can find a little humor in it. Daniel in Chicago is here to oblige.

SARAH: Daniel writes:

I have a slightly different perspective on the AWS outage. And I’m a little annoyed. When AWS goes down so do the Amazon facilities.

I work second shift at Amazon. I left work Monday morning at 1:30 am and everything was working fine. Later I saw on Reddit that employees were posting that the network was down. Scanners, robots, and almost anything wifi was down, because of course Amazon uses AWS. I wondered if I would have a light work day when I went into work Monday afternoon.

When I got to work at 3 PM everything had just come back online. I was appalled that I completely missed the chaos and it was back to normal work for me. I missed it entirely.

Oh well. Realistically, the day goes by faster doing regular work instead of cleaning the warehouse. So I’m not that upset. Just thought it was funny.

SARAH: What are you thinking about? Got some insight into a story? Share it with us feedback@dailytechnewsshow.com

JASON: Thanks to Daniel for contributing to today’s show. And thank YOU for being along for Daily Tech News Show. You can keep us in business by becoming a patron, atPatreon.com/dtns