Tech Roundup: Amazon Alexa+, Lenovo Qira & more

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

• Indian government proposes security rules that would force smartphone makers to share source code as part of broader efforts combat fraud, prompting pushback from companies like Apple and Samsung; comes as China releases draft guidelines for governing online personal data collection amid privacy concerns and companies' data misuse.
• China launches a probe into competition among online food delivery platforms, aiming to curb price wars that have contributed to deflationary economic pressures.
• The E.U. considers designating WhatsApp as a "very large online platform", after WhatsApp Channels' average monthly active users crossed the DSA threshold.
• Disney+ unveils plans to launch a personalised short-form video feed later this year.
• China plots ways to build fences around its AI know-how amid the AI race and is identifying standout companies to add to an export control list; comes as Beijing said it will investigate Meta's $2 billion Manus acquisition to assess compliance with laws on export controls, tech import and export, and overseas investment.
• Apple Music becomes available as an extension within ChatGPT, allowing user to search for songs, create playlists and discover new music through OpenAI's chatbot.
• Samsung says Ballie, a robot announced six years ago but never released, is an "active innovation platform" within the company helping inform other products.
• Nous Research, the open-source artificial intelligence startup backed by crypto venture firm Paradigm, releases a new competitive programming model NousCoder-14B that it claims matches or exceeds several larger proprietary systems such as Anthropic Claude Code.
• Apple announces that JPMorgan Chase will become the new issuer of Apple Card, replacing Goldman Sachs, which has backed the company's credit cards since their launch in 2019; the transition of the $20 billion credit card portfolio is scheduled to take place two years from now.
• Google adds a Gemini-powered tool to Classroom that generates podcast-style audio lessons for teachers to deepen engagement with students.
• Character.AI and Google agree to settle lawsuits with families of teenagers who killed or harmed themselves after interacting with Character.AI's chatbot.
• Meta's WhatsApp rolls out new group chat features, including member tags that show user roles, text stickers generated from any word and custom event reminders.
• Alphabet surpasses Apple in market cap for the first time on January 8, 2026, since 2019.
• Ford plans to launch an AI voice assistant on its apps this year before expanding to its vehicles in 2027; aims to debut Level 3 autonomous driving in 2028.
• Arm creates a "Physical AI" unit to focus on robotics and automotive sectors as part of a reorganisation that includes "Cloud and AI" and "Edge" business units.
• California Senator Steve Padilla (D-CA) introduces a bill that would place a four-year ban on the sale and manufacture of toys with AI chatbot capabilities for kids under 18; to give safety regulators time to develop regulations to protect children from "dangerous AI interactions."
• Spotify launches Listening Activity on iOS and Android, letting users view friends' real-time listening via the sidebar alongside chats, as an opt-in feature.
• Roblox expands mandatory age estimations for chat features to all regions using Persona's tech, after a rollout in Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
• Lenovo introduces Qira, a system-level, cross-device AI assistant for both its computers and Motorola smartphones; Motorola unveils its first side-foldable smartphone, the Razr Fold, with a 6.6-inch external screen and an 8.1-inch flexible main display.
• Universal Music Group partners with NVIDIA to bring a new AI music AI model Music Flamingo, which is designed to mimic how humans understand music by recognising nuanced elements like song structure, harmony, emotional arcs and chord progressions.
• Xreal partners with Asus to unveil ROG Xreal R1 gaming glasses with 1080p micro-OLED displays and a 240Hz refresh rate.
• Google plans to add Nano Banana and Veo support into Gemini on Google TV, letting users generate AI videos, modify family photos and more.
• Amazon unveils a Fire TV UI redesign with rounded corners, 20 app slots and Alexa+ built in; launches a $899+ Ember Artline TV series with colorful frames, and debuts Alexa+ in early access for all users via a new Alexa.com web interface, after launching on Echo, letting users upload docs, emails and images.
• Microsoft prepares a major UI refresh of its Edge browser by bringing the design language from Copilot.
• OpenAI says that more than 40 million Americans use ChatGPT daily for health informaiton, citing an analysis of anonymised interactions and a survey, describing the tool as a healthcare "ally."
• Samsung updates its TVs to add new AI features, including a Sound Controller feature to independently adjust the volume of dialogue, music or sound effects.
• Starlink plans to lower the orbits of roughly 4,400 satellites this year to reduce risk of collisions.