Category: 4. Technology

I admit: I’m a fan of magnetic phone accessories that add new features and style to my phone. 

One of my first Android phones was 2017’s Moto Z2 Play. It was from a series of Moto Z phones that touted magnetic accessories called Moto Mods, which included decorative shells, battery packs and — my favorite — a JBL speaker attachment that helped boost the audio for music. Moto Mods didn’t continue past 2019’s Moto Z4. 

Now here’s the good news: The magnetic accessories developed for Apple’s iPhone line could find a new home on Android phones like Google’s Pixel 10.

Apple, Google and other companies that form the Wireless Power Consortium have been evolving the open Qi wireless standard to include magnets and faster wireless charging speeds. With the Google Pixel 10, this newer iteration of Qi — dubbed Qi2.2 — is getting a broad push across both Apple’s iPhone line and Android phones. 

Though Google is branding Qi2.2 as PixelSnap, magnetic accessories won’t be exclusive to that Android device. And accessories first developed for Apple’s MagSafe work perfectly fine on Android devices.

While attending this month’s Made by Google Pixel 10 reveal event, I took my MagSafe wallet accessory off my iPhone and snapped it right on the back of a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. It fit just as securely there as it did on the iPhone. I also quite liked Google’s new Pixelsnap Ring Stand, which serves as a kickstand and grip for the Pixel, and I’m tempted to buy it for my iPhone.

Given this kind of cross-platform support, I’d hope to see more Qi2 magnetic accessories come down in price, since they won’t necessarily need Apple’s MagSafe certification nor a Made for Google badge to work for various devices. Belkin, for instance, just started selling a 2-in-1 Qi2.2 charger with support for 25W wireless charging speeds for $60, whereas its prior MagSafe-certified edition of the stand costs $77.

As we head into 2026, I’m expecting this expansion to continue. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 line and the OnePlus 13 went with the Qi2 Ready designation, which provides magnetic accessory support as long as you place the phone into a case that includes the magnets. It’s a half-step that has been used by third-party case makers for years. 

Adding PixelSnap did come with a small feature casualty, however. The Pixel 10 series no longer includes reverse wireless charging, which turns the phone into its own mini wireless charger. (It’s possible that, for now, including both features is a challenge.) Samsung often touts this as a selling point for its Galaxy phones, which can charge other devices and the Galaxy Watch through this method. 

Alongside USB-C standardization and the potential for universal eSIM, the Pixel 10 could help expand the market for magnetic accessories. Sure, you’ll still likely need to buy new phone cases and screen protectors when you change phones. But let’s hope that a magnetic wallet or wireless charger will last from your next iPhone to your next Android, and vice versa.

Blizzard overhauled Overwatch 2‘s hero progression in Season 18 to include fewer stats and more chances to get free stuff. Ostensibly, the change reduces complexity, but it takes away more than just stats for tracking your progress. It wipes out a valuable learning opportunity and replaces it with what seems like little more than a quick gratification hit.

Previously, each hero in Overwatch 2 had several progression metrics, including some general ones, such as time played and eliminations earned, and more specific stats, like turret kills for Symmetra or Life Grip saves for Lifeweaver. You’d earn badges for ranking these sub-stats up and new hero levels once you leveled them up to a certain point. The idea was that the system required you to learn how to use every part of a character’s kit and change how you play accordingly, instead of just relying on specific strategies in every match. The new version gives you experience points based on how long you play and nothing else; swaps the more subdued progression badges for sparkling, neon-colored replacements; and gives every character a miniature battle pass with banners and other rewards when you reach milestones.

Stats in themselves aren’t that useful, but they did play an important role in learning the game. I’d reached a plateau with Ashe in the old progression system, as my BOB aiming desperately needed work. After playing one full, seven-round match of Stadium mode under the new system, though, I leveled up twice with a new badge and a miniature cascade of rewards just for spending 30 minutes playing as Ashe — with only one additional BOB kill under my belt (yes, I’m that bad with the robo-butler).

Perhaps the amount of experience earned was a glitch, as the bugs in Season 18 have been legion. But either way, it’s hard not to see this new setup as a way to reduce friction and keep people around. You don’t have to learn or improve to progress. You just have to play more and more, then scoop up a bunch of rewards for it regardless of your performance.

You can just completely ignore progression, of course, but for a game that still has no comprehensive means of teaching people how to play, it seems like a missed opportunity to foster a stronger, more lasting type of engagement. Trying to score more long-range eliminations as Ashe pushed me to improve my aim, sure, but it also taught me to think about positioning and angles of approach more carefully. Bumping up ratings for Symmetra’s and Torbjörn’s turret eliminations encouraged me to pay closer attention to how other people moved and played in a bid to figure out the best locations for turrets to do damage without instantly getting obliterated.

Overwatch 2‘s existing hero training regimens pit you against predictable training bots instead of actual people, and they’re only available for a small handful of the game’s 40-plus characters anyway. Yes, I can teach myself how to improve without little badges and rising numbers. However, seeing the result of my effort after a match and charting my improvement over time made me want to keep doing better, far more than being patronized with free loot and “progression” I didn’t earn does.

There’s a potentially more serious issue with how the new progression system works as well. Since Blizzard wants to let people show off their shiny, redesigned progression badges, the overhaul lets everyone see your top three highest-ranked characters and your rank with the currently selected character. I already ran into a few instances where less pleasant party members were using it as an excuse to be toxic — complaining about someone trying a character they weren’t familiar with or griping when someone’s performance didn’t match their character rank. In an ideal world, I’d write those off as isolated incidents. But I’ve already had a couple of people tell me in private that they’re worried about picking up a new hero in case they get piled on for it and probably won’t be playing with comms on anymore.

Prior to publication, Polygon asked Blizzard for comment about why the design team believed the new progression system is more useful for players than the old one and what considerations were given to potential increase in toxicity. However, a representative said the team was busy with the launch of Season 18 (and the Luka Dončić collaboration) to prepare a response.

A community specialist did post on X that Blizzard plans to add a “legacy” version of progression at a later date that includes at least some of the data the old system tracked, though had no other details to share.

I don’t like clichés and adages. I’d be lying, however, if I said my first reaction to learning that Blizzard already wants to re-introduce the old system wasn’t a classic: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

WhatsApp has launched a new feature called Writing Help, designed to help users write messages quickly by providing AI-generated text suggestions. The feature supports different tones, such as professional, humorous, and supportive, and is intended for use in both DMs and group chats.

Users can access Writing Help by tapping a newly introduced pencil icon while writing a message. The tool then offers multiple AI-generated versions of the message, allowing the user to choose one or disregard all suggestions. The feature aims to provide options without altering the messaging process for those who prefer manual input.

Here is what it looks like.

Writing Help operates using Meta’s Private Processing technology. According to the company, this system uses AI without granting Meta or WhatsApp access to either the original message or the generated suggestions. WhatsApp claims that the technology has been tested and validated in collaboration with members of the security community.

The feature is optional and disabled by default. Users who choose not to use Writing Help can continue using WhatsApp without changes to their messaging experience. The company emphasized that using the feature does not compromise user privacy.

Writing Help is initially launching in English, starting with users in the United States and select other countries. WhatsApp plans to expand the feature to additional languages and regions later in the year. It will probably not be long before it arrives in Pakistan.

One of the lesser-known apps in the Google Drive online suite is Google Forms. It’s an easy, intuitive way to create a web form for other people to enter information into. You can use it for employee surveys, for organizing social gatherings, for giving people a way to contact you, and much more. But Google Forms can also be used for malicious purposes.

These forms can be created in minutes, with clean and clear formatting, official-looking images and video, and—most importantly of all—a genuine Google Docs URL that your web browser will see no problem with. Scammers can then use these authentic-looking forms to ask for payment details or login information.

It’s a type of scam that continues to spread, with Google itself issuing a warning about the issue in February. Students and staff at Stanford University were among those targeted with a Google Forms link that asked for login details for the academic portal there, and the attack beat standard email malware protection.

How the Scam Works

Google Forms are quick and easy to put together.

David Nield

These scams can take a variety of guises, but they’ll typically start with a phishing email that will try to trick you into believing it’s an official and genuine communication. It might be designed to look like it’s from a colleague, an administrator, or someone from a reputable organization.

The apparent quality and trustworthiness of this original phishing email is part of the con. Our inboxes are regularly filled with requests to reset passwords, verify details, or otherwise take action. Like many scams, the email might suggest a sense or urgency, or indicate that your security has been compromised in some way.

Even worse, the instigating email might actually come from a legitimate email address, if someone in your social circle, family, or office has had their account hijacked. In this case you wouldn’t be able to run the usual checks on the sender identity and email address, because everything would look genuine—though the wording and style would be off.

This email (or perhaps a direct message on social media) will be used to deliver a Google Forms link, which is the second half of the scam. This form will most often be set up to look genuine, and may be trying to spoof a recognized site like your place of work or your bank. The form might prompt you for sensitive information, offer up a link to malware, or feature a phone number or email address to lead you into further trouble.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 now comes with a free laptop. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Fresh off a triple discount offer that slashed the price of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Samsung is now bundling a free laptop with every purchase of the foldable phone. The deal is one of the company’s more aggressive promotions and it lands just days before Apple unveils its iPhone 17 range, the Fold 7’s chief rival.

This story was updated on August 30th with new Galaxy S25 Ultra deal details.

If you buy the Galaxy Z Fold 7 before October 2nd, Samsung will throw in a free Chromebook Go 14”, which is worth £399 ($539.15). As is the case with almost all of Samsung’s free device giveaways, this deal only applies to shoppers in the U.K. Read on for some U.S.-exclusive deals.

ForbesSamsung Makes New Free Offer To Millions Of Galaxy PhonesBy Janhoi McGregor

Since the foldable phone launched, Samsung has focused on enhanced trade-in prices and voucher codes that drop the device’s price. Handing out a free Chromebook just one month after release shows that the Korean company is serious about the Apple competition on the horizon.

This isn’t the first time Samsung has given away a free Chromebook with a Galaxy phone. In December 2024, another Chromebook Go was bundled with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But that was 11 months after the Galaxy S24 launched. This Galaxy Z Fold 7 deal comes just over a month since the flexible device was released, which tracks with the company’s aggressive sales tactics before and after the Fold 7 was announced.

Alongside the freebie, Samsung is giving away six months of Google AI One Pro (in the U.K. and U.S.) with all flagship device purchases. Read here on how to claim that. In the U.S., Samsung will knock $300 off the Galaxy Z Fold 7 if you have no device to trade-in, or up to $1000 if you do. The trade-in prices are decent, too, with the Galaxy Note 20 being valued at $600. Although iPhone valuations are poor. For example, the iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPhone 14 Pro Max are priced at $300 and $450, respectively.

Samsung Saves The Best Galaxy Z Fold 7 Deals For The U.K.

The best place to buy a Samsung phone is in the UK. The company reserves its most aggressive deals for British shoppers, including the free Chromebook offer above, alongside free tablets, free earbuds, and repeated discount codes.

ForbesYour Samsung Galaxy Phone Is Now Even More ValuableBy Janhoi McGregor

It’s not all doom and gloom for American customers; Samsung saves its best trade-in prices for the U.S. market. The Korean also bundles free subscriptions to U.S. shoppers. In the last year, Galaxy phone buyers have been gifted a year of Perplexity AI Pro, SiriusXM, Adobe Lightroom, and Peacock Premium.

Update August 30th: U.S. shoppers haven’t been left out because the Galaxy S25 Ultra has received its own discount. The price of the flagship has been slashed by $50, bringing the price down to $1,249.99. This is alongside the another $250 off if no device is traded-in. As is standard with all flagship Galaxy phone purchases in the U.S., shoppers get six months of Google AI Pro, two months of Adobe Lightroom and 50% off LumaFusion.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the U.S., too, has received a $50 price cut alongside a further $300 off if no device is traded-in. It’s not a huge discount, especially up against the free Chromebook that comes with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the U.K. But it’s something and the size of the price cut can be extended if the phone is bought through the app using the code “APP5.”

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I went many years without testing Suunto products, but last year’s Suunto Race grabbed my attention and impressed me with its combination of value and performance (in most areas). I’m pleased to say the company’s latest offering, the Suunto Race 2 has improved in the major area of my concern: heart rate accuracy, while adding a few other elements to make it one of the best sports watches available today.

Also: I tested the best sports watches in 2025: Here are the latest and greatest watches, no matter your budget

The next-generation optical heart rate sensor on the back of the Suunto Race 2 provides much more accurate heart rate readings, approaching other watches I compared it to. GPS accuracy remains spot-on, and the battery in the Race 2 has been increased by five hours to a total of 55 hours in performance mode with dual-band GNSS.

The new Race 2 has a slightly larger 1.5-inch AMOLED display, compared to 1.43 inches on the Race. It’s also brighter, with a peak brightness of 2000 nits — easy to see in all lighting conditions. Even with that larger display and longer battery life, the Suunto Race 2 is 0.8 mm thinner and a bit more comfortable on the wrist. If you want the lightest possible watch, the titanium model weighs just 65 grams, but will cost an additional $100.

You can only pin a single widget to a swipe left from the watch face action, but you can add a host of widgets available when you swipe up or spin the digital crown. The top and bottom buttons can also be customized with regular actions; I have mine set to the alarm clock and flashlight utilities, respectively. Simply press and hold to initiate these actions.

Also: I replaced my smart ring with Garmin’s new sleep tracker – my verdict after a week

One reason I like using the Suunto flagship watches is their customizable support that reminds me of Android phones. There are more than 115 sports modes on the Race 2 and with each one you can set up data screens optimized for your training. Suunto has a vast SuuntoPlus Store with watch faces, apps, and services that significantly extend the functionality of the watch. 

The Engo 2 AR sports glasses work very well with the Suunto Race 2 and having key metrics in front of you keeps you focused on the road ahead while reaching your best times. I plan to soon test out the snorkeling metrics of the Suunto Race 2 in Hawaii now that these metrics sync to the video output from the Insta360 X5 camera.

The smartphone application has also been greatly improved, with an awesome new dashboard display on the Home tab that gives you the ability to customize the widgets when you launch the app. Suunto now has my favorite user interface on the smartphone and I plan to continue testing it with more running, hiking, biking, and more.

Similar to Polar, Coros, and Garmin, Suunto has a coaching function called Suunto Coach that provides you with different workout plans. I recommend starting with a few basic running or fitness plans and then step through the personalization options to create a customized one. 

Also: I bought the 2025 version of Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra – here’s the model I’d recommend instead

These options include setting how many hours you want to train in a week, which days you want to rest, which sports you want to focus on, and any days you want to include strength training. I was thrilled with the process and the resulting training plan that was set up for me by Suunto Coach, as this feature is one of the best parts of the watch. 

ZDNET’s buying advice

Suunto impressed me with the Race sports watch in 2024 and improved a key element with the Race 2 while enhancing the experience with a larger, brighter display and increased battery life. 

If you’re looking for a sports watch that’s heavily focused on performance metrics and custom coach plans then the Suunto Race 2 is definitely a watch worth consideration. It is priced below Garmin and Polar watches with similar functionality, but is clearly focused on health and wellness more than smartwatch functions.

Welcome to our latest recap of what’s going on in the indie game space. One very well-known indie found its way to iOS devices this week, though there are other new releases worth highlighting and plenty of other upcoming games to tell you about.

First, though, there was a (paywalled) story in Game File this week that caught my eye. It’s about how Google’s AI Overviews feature offers up false video game tips. That’s a problem the developers of a game called Trash Goblin — a cosy shopkeeping game in which you chip away at junk to unearth trinkets you can restore and sell — have been dealing with.

AI Overviews offered incorrect information about the game to some players, as well as the crew at Spilt Milk Studios when they tested the responses. For instance, AI Overviews suggested that a player could damage a trinket when they were removing debris from it, which is not true. It also in some cases delivered the correct information, but pointed the user to an incorrect source. In addition, AI Overviews offered information about another game entirely. This is obviously not ideal for players or the team behind Trash Goblin.

We’ve seen many cases in which AI Overviews get information blatantly wrong. Like other large language models (LLMs), it guesses what the next word or words should be in its responses based on its training data. LLMs are about generating sequences of text; they’re not designed to deliver facts (one reason why there’s a disclaimer on AI Overviews that reads “AI responses may include mistakes”). They often just make stuff up.

If you’re looking for help with a game, you’re far better off finding a community of players you can chat to. You might be able to find a clear, helpful guide to the game in question on an actual video game website, written by a professional video game guide writer. If, that is, you can evade AI Overviews to get to those websites in the first place (thankfully, it’s easy to turn off AI Overviews for your Google searches).

New releases

IO Interactive is independent, which means Hitman World of Assassination fits within our remit here. This week, the bundle of three core Hitman games from the last decade arrived on iPhone (iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, as well as the iPhone 16 lineup) and iPad. Supported iPad models are iPad Pro and iPad Air (M1 chip or later), as well as the A17 Pro iPad mini.

Hitman World of Assassination is a sandbox stealth game in which you’re given a mission (usually taking out a target) and it’s up to you how to carry that out. Getting to know the layout of each level so you can plan your approach and escape is key. Understanding the route and actions of the NPCs will stand you in good stead too.

The iPhone and iPad versions have touch controls with context-sensitive buttons. You can, of course, opt to use a third-party controller instead. IOI says it tapped into Apple’s MetalFX tech to help ensure the iOS port looks good.

Hitman World of Assassination costs $70 on iOS. That’s fairly steep, but IOI says the game offers over 100 hours of gameplay. Alternatively, you can play the first location for free, and buy any of the 24 levels individually for $3 each.

In addition, the game is coming to Apple Silicon Macs later this year. IOI will also bring the roguelite Freelancer mode to the iPhone and iPad versions down the line with a free update.

Another game landed on new platforms this week as Alawar’s Karate Survivor hit PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch for $6. As the title suggests, this is a survivor-style martial arts beat-’em-up.

You’ll be able to use the environment to your advantage by picking up items to use as melee or projectile weapons, kicking objects toward goons and swinging locker and microwave doors into bad guys’ mushes. You can unlock hundreds of different moves and there are permanent upgrades as well.

First-person action-adventure Davy x Jones has set sail in early access on Steam. Until September 4, you can snap it up for $6.66. After that time, it will cost $10. However, the price will increase ahead of the game’s full release on PC and consoles, which is slated for late 2026.

In this early version, you’ll have access to the main gameplay and combat systems (including legendary weapons), several islands, an array of enemies and some cinematic executions — hopefully involving a kraken. You’ll take command of a half-ship, half-whale vessel called Abby as you attempt to escape the underworld and seek revenge as the legendary pirate.

Regular readers of this roundup will know that I’m a sucker for a game with a great title. Prop Haunt, which riffs on the prop hunt modes in many other games, is definitely one of those (as is another one I’ll mention later on).

This is a spooky 1 vs. 4 multiplayer horror title from Silent Forest Games that just hit Steam early access for $15. The ghost players possess objects and it’s up to the investigator to find and stop them. The ghosties can teleport, blend into their surroundings and so on, while the investigator has cameras and other gizmos at their disposal

Currently, there are four playable ghosts with different haunting styles, two maps and support for public and private lobbies. More maps, ghost powers, investigator tools and procedural prop generation are in the works.

Upcoming

Bye Sweet Carole had flown below my radar until the release date trailer popped up but, goodness, does it look gorgeous. The team at Little Sewing Machine took a hand-drawn approach to the art of this narrative-horror game, which mimics the look of classic animated films. Even the song in the trailer aligns with the type of showtune you’d hear in Disney movies.

You’ll take on the role of Lana Benton, a young girl who sets out to find out the truth about her best friend Carole’s disappearance from an orphanage. It sounds (and looks!) pretty promising. Publisher Maximum Entertainment is bringing Bye Sweet Carole to PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 9.

Rita is an interesting-looking puzzle game from SporkTank (aka solo developer Martin Stradling). You play as a chick that uses letters found in the environment to solve word puzzles, including crosswords, in order to progress. For instance, you might need to fill in a crossword answer for “stairs” in order to spawn a staircase (perhaps there’s a bit of a Baba is You influence here?). There are some platforming elements too.

You’ll follow Rita throughout her journey from exploring as a young chick to becoming a grandparent. It all seems quite lovely. Rita is coming to Steam early next year. A demo will be available on September 18.

Co-op survival game Lost Skies is set to exit Steam early access on September 17. Set on an archipelago of sky islands, you can explore this world with up to five buddies and try to learn exactly what led to this fractured civilization. You have a grappling hook, wingsuits and gliders to help you traverse these landforms and a customizable and upgradeable skyship that you’ll use for both transportation and combat. Players can also create their own islands, which they can share with the community.

I never got around to checking out the demo for Lost Skies, even though I’ve had it installed on my PC for months. Still, this one from Bossa Studios and publisher Humble Games has me intrigued enough to perhaps try out the full game.

Another game I’ve had my eye on for a hot minute is Bloodthief, which will debut on Steam on September 22. This is a Ghostrunner-inspired medieval parkour-slasher game from first-time game creator Blargis (Jake Bedard), who has been sharing development updates on YouTube over the last couple of years.

In Bloodthief, you play as an agile vampire and use the blood of your enemies to enhance your speed, abilities and survival. For example, attacks help boost your momentum. I’m definitely looking forward to watching some speedruns of this because I’m fairly sure that, as with the Ghostrunner games, I’m going to be absolutely terrible at this.

While you’re waiting (im)patiently for the full release of Hades 2, you might like to check out a similar flavor of isometric roguelite action — albeit with the addition of co-op. In Sworn, you’ll set out to save Camelot from a corrupted Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table with the help of up to three other players.

Sworn has been in early access since last year, and you won’t have to wait much longer for the full game. It’ll be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch and Steam on September 25.

Let’s wrap things up for this week with another game that has a fantastic title. The Hero is too Powerful so let’s Pleeeease Settle this Peacefully! is the latest project from Night Stroll Studio (solo developer Trevor Thompson). It’s an RPG in the vein of early Zelda games in which you play as a hero who has exactly one attack.

However, you can level up this attack to the point that it’s obscenely powerful. There’s also the option of talking your way out of sticky situations. This comedy adventure, which has maybe my favorite title of any game this side of I’m Going to Die if I Don’t Eat Sushi!, is slated to hit Steam later this year.

The Google Nest Doorbell has been my video doorbell of choice, based on its snappy performance, sharp AI detection and free video storage. But its last upgrade, with only minor changes, was back in 2022. 

A new generation is long overdue in Nest’s home security line. That’s why I was happy to see reports about a new Nest line that’s bringing major updates to products, from indoor/outdoor cams and doorbells to a brand-new smart speaker option.

Gemini AI, with its conversational AI and other tricks, is already a confirmed upgrade for the new Nest generation, positoned to replace Google Assistant this year in the Google Home ecosystem. Here are the other upgrades I’m pumped about. 

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Higher 2K resolution cams

Google Nest Cams have been stuck at a 1,080-pixel resolution for years, while the Nest Doorbell has a similar resolution with a different field of view to capture more vertical images. The next generation is expected to upgrade all these cams to a 2K resolution. 

This welcome improvement not only adds significantly more detail to your security images and details, but it also brings Nest to the level of many other top security cameras, which have been steadily upgrading their resolution for years, while Nest has fallen behind.

According to reports, Nest cams may also get a new Zoom and Crop feature, though I doubt this rumor is particularly new. While Nest’s devices already come with a 6x digital zoom, this ability may allow them to be more permanently focused.

A new type of Nest subscription

The old Nest Aware subscription, raised to $10 per month in 2025, was confusing. It was hard to figure out the perks of the premium version and which AI or Gemini features you got with the paid subscription, and the whole thing needs streamlining. I was glad to see that Google is replacing the old Nest subscriptions with a new version called Google Home Premium and a higher tier called Google Home Premium Advanced.

It’s the perfect opportunity to clarify what’s offered with the subscription and make it easier for users to understand included detection features, like person versus face recognition, or Gemini video-searching versus long-term video storage. Right now, it’s too muddled for the average person.

Automatic local video storage (for up to an hour)

Technically, automatic local video storage existed on previous Nest Doorbells and similar devices, but Google seems to be highlighting it more in the new Nest generation. Nest cams get 3 hours of free cloud storage, which is very handy. However, there’s a small amount of local storage as well, so if Wi-Fi fails, the Nest devices can record events to local storage.

That local storage is big enough to hold around an hour of footage, and you don’t need to buy any extra hub, USB stick or microSD card to use it. Those features make this storage quite rare in the home security world, and a particularly useful backup without needing to pay a subscription.

If reports are accurate, Google is rephrasing its “3 hours of video history included” to “3 free hours of video previews that last up to 10 seconds.” This may be an attempt to curtail super-long video captures unless users are willing to fork over money for a Nest Aware (soon-to-be Google Home Premium) subscription. Though 10 seconds are enough time to check out most video events, it’s not enough to record the average conversation.

Daily summary video recaps

Daily summaries are one feature I’ve seen before in home security, such as Blink Moments and a variety of similar modes. They give you a recap of everything the camera captured in a day in one bite-sized chunk. Nest cameras and doorbells are now adopting the ability, too, instead of just event histories.

Daily summaries help when you get frequent visitors or when you’re watching a larger area for any unusual activity. If you haven’t looked all day, you can tap into the summary to see who stopped by, knocked on the door or delivered packages. It’s a particularly business-friendly option, since it’ll give you a recap of activity at a construction site or deliveries that came into a storefront.

360-degree sound on a new speaker

Google Nest’s smart home speaker is reported to focus on 360-degree sound, so the design, spacing and angles of the internal tweeters/woofers would spread sound in all directions. That’s not unheard of in smart speakers — Amazon’s Echo Show 10 and latest Echo tout their 360-degree sound, as does Apple’s HomePod line.

Such 360-degree sound features help fill larger rooms and open-floor plans with music or TV sound when connected to your entertainment system. Spatial audio could also become more noticeable. I like this feature in my home, and I’m glad Google is focusing on it for the upcoming speaker, which appears set to replace the old Nest Audio.

Take a deeper look at your home security options with my best list for outdoor security cameras, the top DIY home security systems and why I’m really enjoying AI features in home security.