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 Spam and cold calls have become such a nuisance that many people simply don't answer their phone unless they recognize the number. In iOS 26, though, you can learn about who's calling before you respond, thanks to a clever feature that intercepts unknown calls and asks the caller to identify themselves before your iPhone even rings.
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Talking to ChatGPT instead of typing feels faster, more human and better suited for how people actually think and work.
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 Perhaps you like the idea of controlling your home appliances with your voice, but aren't super keen on a data center processing recordings of you. Fair enough. The trade-off for most smart home conveniences is relinquishing at least some of your privacy. Today at CES, I saw a line of voice-controlled home appliances from Emerson Smart that adjust power and setting via voice commands. But commands are recognized on the devices themselves, not carried through Wi-Fi and processed elsewhere.
The huge array of smart plugs, fans, heaters and even air fryers require no app for setup and don't need access to Wi-Fi. Instead, I said, "hey Emerson, lights on" or "hey fan, turn on low" and the devices in the demo space acted accordingly. A few of the devices combine the mic with a speaker and can respond when a command is received.
A bit of built-in programing on the air fryers allow them to understand commands for 100 cooking presets, so saying things like, "reheat this pizza" or "cook these frozen french fries" will set the correct mode, time and temp. Of course you can also just say, "cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes" and it'll comply. Most of the commands for the other items are pretty simple but allow you to do things like set a timer, turn on oscillation and set intensity speeds.
Selection of available commands for Emerson Smart devices.
Amy Skorheim for Engadget
Some of the devices allow for a small amount of prog
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