Google Announces New Googlebook Category - DTH

Want to get this show ad-free? Head to DailyTechNewsShow.com slash subscribe to find out how. These are the Daily Tech headlines for Wednesday, May 13th, 2026. I'm Sarah Lane. Google unveiled a new premium laptop category called Google Book, which combines Android and Chrome OS designed to better compete with Apple's MacBook ecosystem. The devices will support tighter Android phone integration, including a Cast My Apps feature that streams apps directly from phones, AI-powered tools through Gemini Intelligence, and broader file-sharing compatibility with Apple's AirDrop-style workflows. Google says Chromebooks will continue alongside the new lineup, with support guaranteed through at least 2034. Partners like Acer, Asus, HP, Dell, and Lenovo are expected to launch Google Book hardware later this year. Speaking of Lenovo, the company announced new ThinkPad X13 Gen 7 and ThinkPad L-Series Copilot Plus PCs, powered by AMD Ryzen AI Pro 400 or Intel Core Ultra Series 3 chips alongside a new ThinkStation P4 workstation The laptops support up to 64 gigs of RAM optional 5G and shipped this month starting around The ThinkStation P4 combines AMD Ryzen Pro 9 processors with NVIDIA RTX Pro 6 Blackwell GPUs, up to 256 gigs of RAM, with expanded storage for AI and workstation workloads. The workstation launches globally in June. North American availability is scheduled for August. WhatsApp announced a new incognito chat feature that lets users interact with Meta AI without Meta being able to access the conversations. The system uses WhatsApp's private processing infrastructure and trusted execution environments to keep chats ephemeral, encrypted, and inaccessible to the company while still running AI models in the cloud. Meta is also launching a side chat with Meta AI, which lets users privately ask AI questions about ongoing conversations without exposing chat contents, though some researchers note the system still relies on users having to trust Meta's cloud security architecture. Amazon is integrating its AI-powered Alexa Plus assistant directly into Amazon.com and its app, replacing the Rufus shopping chatbot. The new Alexa for shopping can answer conversational queries, compare products set price alerts automatically reorder items and purchase products or shop on third sites using agentic AI features The new assistant will work across mobile desktop and Echo devices using customer history and context from interactions to personalize recommendations The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is in talks with SpaceX to collaborate on orbital data centers as part of Google's Project Suncatcher, an effort to explore space-based AI computing infrastructure. Google is also reportedly working with Planet Labs on satellite development, framing orbital computing as a future necessity for AI workloads. Skeptics cite challenges like radiation damage to GPUs, heat dissipation in space, and the environmental risks of deploying massive satellite networks in low Earth orbit. Waymo issued a voluntary recall for around 3,800 robotaxis after software issues allowed some vehicles to drive into flooded roadways or stall during heavy rain. The recall affects vehicles using Waymo's fifth and sixth generation autonomous driving systems and follows an incident in San Antonio where a robotaxi was swept into a creek, though no passengers were inside. Waymo says it's deployed software fixes, added operational limits during extreme weather, and is developing additional safeguards ZTE and MediaTek announced a joint strategy to expand premium tri Wi 7 products in Brazil targeting high residential users and small businesses The companies say Brazil crowded broadband market has created an opportunity for ISPs to differentiate with faster, lower latency connectivity using 2.4, 5, or 6 gigahertz bands, alongside technologies like XG Spawn and Multi-Link Operation. ZTE said upcoming hardware can deliver Wi-Fi speeds up to 4.6 gigabits per second. ByteDance asked Europe's highest court to overturn TikTok's designation as a gatekeeper under the EU's Digital Markets Act, arguing the platform is a challenger rather than a dominant incumbent. The appeal marks the first DMA gatekeeper challenge to reach the Court of Justice of the European Union after a lower court ruled in 2024 that TikTok met the law's thresholds for market influence and durability. A ruling against ByteDance would keep TikTok subject to stricter EU rules around interoperability, data usage, and self-preferencing, with potential fines reaching 10% of global revenue for violations. For more analysis of the tech news of the day, subscribe to DailyTechNewsShow.com. That's where you can find show notes and links to all these headlines there as well. I'm Sarah Lane. Thanks for listening. Talk to you next time.