Meta’s push toward personal AI agents is colliding with Europe’s strict rules on profiling, sensitive data, consent, and cross-platform data use.

The post Meta’s Personal AI Agents Face EU Data and Profiling Rules appeared first on TechRepublic.

Google plans to expand its Play Age Signals API globally, helping Android developers tailor app experiences without collecting exact birth dates.

The post Google Plans Global Rollout of Privacy-Focused Age Signals API appeared first on TechRepublic.

A US study uncovered adversarial software components inside apps marketed to the US military. Similar risks and lessons apply to Australian enterprises reliant on shadow supply chains.

The post US Military App Study Offers a Supply Chain Lesson for Australia appeared first on TechRepublic.

Cursor has patched a high-severity Windows vulnerability that allowed malicious Git repositories to execute code, highlighting security risks in AI coding environments.

The post Cursor Quietly Patches High-Severity Git Vulnerability After Seven-Month Delay appeared first on TechRepublic.

Coca-Cola has confirmed data was stolen in the ransomware attack on Fairlife after the Anubis gang published allegedly stolen files, escalating the incident.

The post Coca-Cola Confirms Data Theft as Fairlife Ransomware Attack Escalates appeared first on TechRepublic.

23andMe will pay $18 million to settle claims from 43 states over its 2023 data breach, which exposed genetic information tied to nearly 7 million people.

The post 23andMe Agrees to $18M Settlement With 43 States Over 2023 Data Breach appeared first on TechRepublic.

The FCC has proposed requiring identity verification for phone activation, a move supporters say will fight fraud while critics warn it threatens privacy.

The post New FCC Proposal Pits Phone Privacy Against Fraud Prevention appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple faces a proposed class action alleging a Hide My Email flaw could expose users’ real addresses despite the company’s privacy claims.

The post Apple Sued Over Hide My Email Privacy Claims appeared first on TechRepublic.

EU rules will make Google share anonymized search data and give rival AI assistants broader access to Android features across Europe.

The post EU Orders Google to Open Android AI Features, Share Search Data With Rivals appeared first on TechRepublic.

New York will ban Meta and other smart glasses from all 1,240 state courts starting July 20 over privacy and recording concerns.

The post New York Bans Smart Glasses Across 1,240 Courts appeared first on TechRepublic.

AI mental health tools may support journaling, reflection and routine guidance, but current evidence does not support using them as replacements for licensed therapists. HR and IT leaders need product-specific evidence, strict data controls and reliable human escalation before deployment.

The post Can AI Replace Therapists? What HR and IT Leaders Need to Know appeared first on TechRepublic.

Leonardo’s SignalTrace adds wireless device detection to ALPR systems, raising new questions about roadside surveillance, privacy, and security.

The post New License Plate Reader Tech Could Track Phones, AirPods, and Smartwatches appeared first on TechRepublic.

See what you missed in Daily Tech Insider from June 22–26.

The post AI Upgrades, Security Breaches, and Industry Shakeups Define the Week in Tech appeared first on TechRepublic.

Android 17 is rolling out to supported Pixel devices first, while non-Pixel users and IT teams face separate OEM timelines, beta programs, and app-testing considerations.

The post Android 17 Is Live on Pixel, but Samsung and Other Android Users Still Have to Wait appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple expanded Limit Precise Location in iOS 26.5, but the carrier privacy feature still requires select iPhones and iPads.

The post Apple’s iPhone Privacy Feature Expands to More Users Worldwide appeared first on TechRepublic.

The FCC’s proposed robocall crackdown could force carriers to verify customer identities, raising privacy concerns over anonymous phone use.

The post FCC Robocall Crackdown Raises Privacy Concerns Over Mandatory ID Checks appeared first on TechRepublic.

Google’s new Gmail AI personalization features are raising privacy concerns. Here’s what users should know and how to review smart settings.

The post 1.8 Billion Gmail Users May Want to Check This AI Privacy Setting appeared first on TechRepublic.

Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods have reportedly reached advanced testing, but Siri readiness and privacy concerns could affect the launch.

The post Apple’s Camera-Equipped AirPods Reportedly Reach Late-Stage Testing appeared first on TechRepublic.

Amazon has spent nearly two decades perfecting the Kindle, turning it into the default eReader for millions of people, and in all that time they’ve steadfastly refused to shrink it down to pocket size or open it up to the broader Android ecosystem. They had every opportunity to merge the best parts of their Kindle line with the form factor of a smartphone, creating a distraction-free reading and productivity device that could actually fit in your jeans pocket and run the apps you already use. Instead, they kept the Kindle locked into its walled garden, kept it at 6 inches or larger, and left a gaping hole in the market for anyone willing to build what they wouldn’t. DuRoBo took that opportunity and ran with it, launching the Krono, a 6.13-inch E Ink tablet running full Android 15 that costs $279.99 and does exactly what Amazon has spent years pretending nobody wants.

The Krono packs an E Ink Carta 1200 display at 300 PPI (matching the sharpness of a Kindle Paperwhite), an octa-core processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 3,950 mAh battery, and a unique side-mounted Smart Dial that controls screen refresh, frontlight adjustment, voice recording, and web browsing through a single rotary knob. It weighs just 173 grams, measures 154 x 80 x 9 mm, and is available in black or white from DuRoBo’s site or Amazon US. The pitch is straightforward: it’s an eReader, a voice note-taker, a podcast player, and a music device all in one, built on an open platform that lets you install whatever reading app, productivity tool, or communication software you actually want to use. It launched in August 2025 and started shipping in September, quietly carving out space in the niche that BOOX’s Palma lineup has been dominating for the past year.

Designer: DuRoBo

Six gigs of RAM in an E Ink device is borderline excessive in the best possible way, especially when most eReaders ship with 2GB or less and struggle the moment you try to run anything beyond the stock reading app. The 128GB of storage means you can load an absurd library of ebooks, PDFs, audiobooks, and whatever else without ever worrying about running out of room. Running Android 15 (not some ancient fork, but the actual current OS) gives the Krono access to the full Play Store ecosystem, which is exactly what Amazon has been allergic to for years. You want Kindle, Libby, Moon+ Reader, Pocket, Instapaper, Obsidian, and Spotify all on one device? The Krono lets you do that. A Kindle will let you read Kindle books and maybe listen to Audible if you’re lucky. That’s the entire difference.

The Smart Dial highlights DuRoBo’s industrial design philosophy most clearly – instead of burying every interaction behind capacitive touch menus (which E Ink refresh rates make tedious), they mounted a physical rotary dial on the side of the device that you can press and rotate to trigger different actions depending on context. It’s a design choice borrowed more from cameras and audio gear than from tablets, and it gives the Krono a tactile, mechanical quality that most E Ink slabs completely lack. The back of the device features what DuRoBo calls the Axis, a strip housing six small breathing lights that glow softly on a schedule to gently nudge you back toward focused reading or work. It’s a wellness-adjacent UX detail that could easily feel gimmicky, but in the context of a device explicitly marketed as a “focus hub,” it at least makes thematic sense. The whole package is clearly designed to feel intentional and calm, a deliberate counterpoint to the dopamine-optimized chaos of a smartphone.

DuRoBo is positioning the Krono hard into the distraction-free productivity and mindfulness lane, framing it as the device you reach for when you want to read long-form content, capture ideas through voice notes, or listen to podcasts without getting dragged into Instagram or TikTok. The dual-tone frontlight (warm and cool adjustment) and the paper-like texture of the Carta 1200 display are meant to make extended reading sessions comfortable in a way that backlit screens never quite manage. The built-in speaker and Bluetooth support let it double as a surprisingly capable audio player for music, audiobooks, and podcasts, which gives it utility beyond just being a reading slab. The open Android platform means you can customize it to fit whatever workflow you actually need, whether that’s Notion for notes, Pocket for saved articles, or Spotify for background music while you write. Amazon would never build this, because opening the Kindle platform would undermine their entire content ecosystem lock-in strategy.

The Krono is available now for $279.99; with a fitted TPU case is sold separately, designed to accommodate both the Smart Dial and the Axis breathing lights without blocking either. At that price point, it’s competing directly with the BOOX Palma (which runs around $280 depending on configuration) and sits well above Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite but below their Kindle Scribe. Whether the Smart Dial, the breathing lights, and DuRoBo’s focus-first branding are enough to justify choosing it over a Palma or just installing a launcher on a Kindle will depend entirely on how much you value that design identity over raw software polish.

The post Someone Made The E-Ink Kindle Smartphone That Amazon Refused To Make first appeared on Yanko Design.