The Rundown is reporting that Apple is developing an AI security camera, codenamed J450, that records no video and instead gives users text descriptions of activity in and around the home. It said Bloomberg's Mark Gurman described the device on the Power On podcast, saying it uses a low-frame-rate sensor that cannot pull in real video footage. The Rundown said the camera is part of Apple's rumored smart home ecosystem, uses on-device AI and facial recognition to flag moments such as someone entering a room, and shares technology with Apple's expected camera-equipped AirPods. It said the camera would pair with the J490 smart home hub, which is rumored to launch soon. The Rundown said Apple Home already offers a Detect Activity mode that tracks motion without recording, along with AI clip descriptions announced in June, though those still rely on footage. It said a camera that physically cannot capture video would sidestep long-standing privacy concerns, but it remains unclear whether a text description would be enough if something goes wrong.
Separately, The Rundown is reporting that AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon have launched a joint venture they say will eliminate nearly all mobile coverage dead zones in the United States by pooling spectrum to bring satellite coverage to areas with little or no service. It said the companies agreed in principle in May and have now formalized the venture, starting with better direct-to-device satellite access. The carriers also promise backup connectivity when ground networks fail in disasters and more consistent network performance across providers, it said. The Rundown said Paul Roth, a veteran of AT&T, Cingular and Ameritech, is interim CEO under a board with a representative from each carrier, and that the venture has no name yet. It said each provider's existing satellite deals will remain in place, with shared specifications aimed at easing rollouts for device makers and rural carriers. The Rundown said the venture is real progress but that the benefit remains a promise until a service date is announced.
The Rundown is reporting that Georgia Tech engineers have built a system called SWANS that sends electrical pulses through the body so wearables or implants can communicate without radio. It said the system uses body tissue as the wire, with a hub sending pulses that each implant answers only to its own pulse strength and length, using almost no power. In tests, one pulse reached more than 30 centimeters through pork belly, about 10 times Bluetooth's range, and a front-paw sensor in rats triggered a hind-leg implant to simulate walking, it said. The Rundown said the work is early, has passed only simple signals, requires tuning for each body and has not been tested in large animals or humans.
The Rundown is reporting that Amazon has unveiled a redesigned Kindle lineup built around a flush-front display with touch that adapts to a user's grip, plus its first aluminum-back base Kindle and first Bluetooth page-turn remote. It said the base Kindle at $149.99 and its aluminum version are on sale now, while the Paperwhite at $199.99 and Colorsoft at $289.99 are in preorder and ship Oct. 28. All models get a flush-front display with no raised bezel, and Amazon says grip detection creates a dead zone wherever a thumb rests to prevent accidental page turns, it said. The Rundown said the aluminum Kindle doubles storage to 32GB and drops lockscreen ads, while Paperwhite and Colorsoft display specifications are unchanged, citing The Verge. It said a $34.99 Kindle Click Bluetooth remote works with 2024-or-later models, and a $79.99 cover adds physical page-turn buttons to the Signature Editions.