As the first week of December comes to a close, it’s time to check in on what’s happening in the world of tech. From Mirumi’s companion robot to Google Photos’ 2025 Recap and more, we have you covered. Dive into the latest news in this week’s blog!
Garmin’s inReach Mini 3 Plus adds Color Touchscreen and More
Garmin refreshed its compact satellite communicator with the inReach Mini 3 Plus, which now includes a color touchscreen, support for sending and receiving photos via a paired phone, and 30-second voice messages that the device can transcribe when silence is needed. The Mini 3 Plus keeps physical buttons for gloved operation but makes long text and messaging far less tedious than the old scroll-through alphabet approach. Battery life remains strong for an always-on safety tool — Garmin quotes up to hundreds of hours depending on reporting cadence — and satellite features still require a subscription tier. At $499.99, it’s pricier than the Mini 2, but the usability upgrades (and photo/voice tools for rescue or troubleshooting) make it a real upgrade for serious adventurers. For anyone who spends time off-grid, this is a practical commuter-to-wilderness lifeline with much nicer UX than previous generations.
Google Photos’ 2025 Recap shows how many selfies we took
Google Photos’ 2025 Recap tools now offer playful but revealing metrics — like how many selfies you snapped — alongside highlight reels and smart montages that summarize the year in images. The recap leans on Google’s image models to pick standout moments and surface trends from your library, then packages them into shareable stories and suggested edits. It’s a nudge toward reflexive nostalgia (and social sharing) while subtly demonstrating how much personal data these systems already understand about our lives. For creators and casual users alike, the recap is useful for quick year-end edits, but it also raises the perennial question of how much automation you want for curating your memories. If you like a one-click memory movie, Google Photos is doing the heavy lifting — and counting your selfies while it does.
Amazon’s Fire TV / Alexa Plus gains “skip to scene” so you can find the exact moment you remember
Amazon expanded Alexa Plus on Fire TV with a “skip to scene” capability that lets viewers ask the assistant to jump to a particular moment in a show or movie — think “skip to the part where the boat leaves the harbor” — and have the player seek there automatically. The feature depends on richer indexing and caption/timestamp alignment, so it’s as much a search backend improvement as it is a voice trick. For binge watchers and anyone who can never remember which episode had that one line, it’s a practical QoL upgrade that turns vague recollection into immediate navigation. Amazon frames it as part of Alexa Plus’ broader aim to make the assistant proactively useful on big screens, not just reactive. Expect the convenience to be especially welcome in households where multiple people argue about which scene was “the one.”
Mirumi, the furry companion robot, moves from concept to preorder on Kickstarter
Yukai Engineering’s Mirumi — a small, furry companion robot with expressive motions and haptics — is now available for preorder on Kickstarter. The robot aims to be a tactile, petlike presence for people who want low-stakes robotic companionship. Mirumi combines soft fur, articulated motion, and playful behaviors to respond to touch and simple voice cues, positioning itself as a comforting desktop or bedside companion rather than a task robot. Early pricing and preorder terms put it in the accessible gadget range, and the Kickstarter route signals a direct maker-to-community approach for iteration and feedback. For folks craving the warmth of a pet with fewer commitments (and no allergy worries), Mirumi leans into emotional design as the product’s core feature. As always with crowd-backed hardware, backers should weigh delivery timelines and support pledges before pledging.
Indiegogo launches “Express Crowdfunding” to speed delivery for creators and backers
Indiegogo rolled out Express Crowdfunding, a program that lets vetted creators skip long waiting periods and ship products faster by working with pre-approved manufacturers and logistics partners. The goal is to reduce the classic crowdfunding latency — where backers wait months or years for fulfillment — by certifying supply chains and shortening time-to-ship for campaigns that qualify. For creators, that means a faster path from campaign success to revenue realization; for backers, it promises less anxiety and more predictable delivery windows. The program could shift the crowdfunding landscape toward hybrid launches that blend presales with readiness verification, but it also raises the bar for who can participate. If it works, Express Crowdfunding could make crowdfunded purchases feel closer to normal e-commerce — but with the early-adopter premium still attached.
Android beta’s “Call Reason” flags why someone is calling before you pick up
Android’s beta introduced a “Call Reason” feature that asks callers to briefly state the purpose of their call before you answer, then displays that reason on the incoming screen so recipients can triage calls more intelligently. It’s a smartly modest UX tweak that reduces interruption friction: you can decide whether a call is worth picking up right now (or sending to voicemail) based on a one-line reason. The feature is built with privacy in mind — callers type or record the reason and can skip it — and it fits a broader trend of giving users contextual signals to manage attention. For professionals juggling many incoming requests and for anyone tired of unexpected interruptions, Call Reason is a useful filter that keeps real conversations for when they matter most. Expect the feature to evolve (and be tuned for spam filtering) as Android tests user behavior.