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 Just a day after Apple announced alternative app marketplace support for iOS users in Japan, AltStore PAL has launched in the country.
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OpenAI has introduced an app directory that's now available right inside ChatGPT, the company announced. "Apps extend ChatGPT conversations by bringing in new context and letting users take action like order groceries, turn an outline into a slide deck or search for an apartment," the company wrote in a blog post. OpenAI also noted in a help document that "connector" apps like Google Drive are now simply called "apps."
The new apps section (on iOS, Android and web) is divided into Feature, Lifestyle and Productivity categories, letting you connect to commonly used apps and sites like Booking.com, Spotify and Dropbox. To use an app, simply click on it, hit "Connect" then authorize the app to access ChatGPT. With that done, you can then start a chat related to that app. In the case of Dropbox, for instance, you'll be able to "gather insights, prepare briefs and summarize reports or internal documents," according to the description. Once connected, any app can be accessed by doing an @ mention of it.
A new addition that came along with the store is an Apple Music app that, like Spotify, helps users find music, create playlists and manage their libraries through a chat interface. Another is DoorDash, which lets you transform recipes, meal planning and staples into "an actionable shopping cart."
Along with the app directory, OpenAI is now allowing developers to submit apps for review and publication in ChatGPT according to the company's app submission guidelines. It also published resources to help developers build such apps, including
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Amazon just introduced a new feature for Alexa called Greetings. This lets Alexa answer the doorbell and converse with visitors, which certainly sounds futuristic in a "gated community as dystopia" kind of way.
There are several caveats here. First of all, it only works with certain newer Ring video doorbell models. Customers also have to pony up for a Ring Premium Plan and have access to the Alexa early access build. It's available in the US and Canada and only in English.
If you meet those criteria, this could be a fairly useful little feature. Amazon says it "transforms your Ring doorbell into an intelligent assistant capable of determining who's at your door, understanding what they need and responding conversationally." The company promises that the tool operates whether people or home or out doing errands.
How does this work? It's an AI algorithm that "determines who's there based on what they're wearing, holding or their actions." It will use "visual context, any information the visitor shares and the instructions it's been given to help manage interactions on your behalf."
Amazon says that it can, for instance, distinguish if a person is wearing a delivery uniform and tell them to leave the package at the back door. Most of my delivery drivers don't come to the door in full uniforms because it's winter and that would be ridiculous. I don't even expect that during the summer. In other words, this is modern AI and mistakes will happen.
The company gives other examples of how this could be used, like gathering messages from friends who stop by and telling door-to-door salespeople to (politely) bug off. Amazon also says Alexa will be able to direct visitors to water and snacks that have previously been laid out. Finally, there's a way to avoid those pesky cute k
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 While it appears that the iMac will not be updated in 2025, rumors indicate that Apple is planning some big changes for the all-in-one desktop computer.
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Google rolls out Gemini 3 Flash worldwide, making its faster, lower-cost AI the default in Search and the Gemini app for millions of users.
The post Gemini 3 Flash: Google's New AI Model Now Available to Millions Worldwide appeared first on eWEEK.
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