Morning Brief

1. Sennheiser releases CX 80U and HD 400U wired earphones
2. Sonos releases multi-channel power amplifier Amp Multi
3. Bigme unveils B10 color E Ink office notebook
4. Three updates related to Google Gemini
5. Yahoo launches AI Q&A search tool Yahoo Scout
6. Alibaba releases Qwen3-Max-Thinking
7. Anthropic launches interactive Claude app
8. OpenAI releases scientific research AI collaboration space Prism
9. Rumors You Can Just Glance At

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Sennheiser releases CX 80U and HD 400U wired earphones

On January 26, Sennheiser officially unveiled the CX 80U wired in-ear earphones and the HD 400U wired over-ear headphones. As upgraded versions of the CX 80S and HD 400S, both new models replace the traditional 3.5 mm jack with a USB-C connector and feature a built-in digital converter that supports 24-bit/96 kHz lossless audio playback, along with an in-line remote equipped with an integrated MEMS microphone.

The CX 80U uses a dynamic driver with an impedance of 28 Ω and a frequency response of 17 Hz–20 kHz, and comes with three sets of silicone ear tips in different sizes. The HD 400U features a 32 mm dynamic driver with an impedance of 18 Ω and a frequency response of 18 Hz–20 kHz, a foldable closed-back design, and includes a carrying pouch. Both products went on sale on January 26, 2026, with the CX 80U priced at USD 40 and the HD 400U at USD 100. Source

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Sonos releases multi-channel power amplifier Amp Multi

On January 27, Sonos officially introduced its first professional-grade multi-channel streaming power amplifier, Amp Multi, designed specifically for large residential properties and complex custom installation scenarios. Amp Multi features a gallium nitride (GaN) power architecture and Class D post-filter feedback (PFFB) technology, delivering eight channels of 125 W (8 Ω) each in a compact 1.5U chassis, and can be configured as four independently controlled zones. Its hardware configuration includes a quad-core 1.9 GHz A55 processor, Wi-Fi 6, and dual Ethernet ports. It supports Apple AirPlay 2 and Spotify Connect, and each channel can drive up to three Sonos Architectural series speakers. Pricing has not yet been announced, and the product is expected to go on sale in the coming months through authorized installers. Source

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Bigme unveils B10 color E Ink office notebook

On January 27, Bigme launched the 10.3-inch B10 4G color E-Ink office tablet on overseas platforms. The device is powered by a Dimensity 1080 processor and comes with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, and Android 14. It supports 4G connectivity across major bands and is equipped with a 6,900 mAh battery, an eight-microphone array, a 4,096-level pressure-sensitive stylus, and fingerprint recognition. The B10 features a Kaleido 3 color E-Ink display with up to 30 FPS refresh rate and 36 levels of adjustable dual-tone (warm/cool) color temperature. It also includes both front and rear cameras, supporting document scanning, OCR text recognition, and video conferencing.

The Bigme B10 adopts a design with eight customizable touch keys and comes with four built-in AI models, supporting features such as meeting speech-to-text transcription. An optional keyboard accessory is available. The B10 is priced at USD 699, with a pre-sale price of USD 594. Source

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Three updates related to Google Gemini

On January 27, Google announced the introduction of Agentic Vision capabilities to the Gemini 3 Flash model. This feature aims to shift image understanding from static processing to a dynamic process based on a “Think, Act, Observe” loop. By combining visual reasoning with Python code execution tools, the model can autonomously perform actions such as zooming in to inspect details, rotating and cropping images, drawing bounding-box annotations, conducting visual math calculations, and generating charts. Technical tests show that with agentic vision enabled, Gemini 3 Flash achieves a 5–10% quality improvement across most visual benchmarks and partially mitigates hallucination issues in long-form visual tasks. The feature is now officially available via the Gemini API (including Google AI Studio and Vertex AI), where developers can enable Code Execution in the toolbar to use it. Source

At the same time, Google also announced that Gemini 3 has been officially set as the default underlying model for its global “AI Overviews” feature, and that it has introduced a seamless “AI Mode” conversational experience. This allows users to ask follow-up questions directly below AI Overviews, turning search from one-way information display into contextual, streaming conversations. Google said that the model upgrade also improves reasoning quality for complex questions. The new AI Overviews and AI Mode conversation features are now available globally on both mobile and web search, with the basic service offered free to all users. Source

Finally, Google announced that its entry-level AI subscription plan, Google AI Plus, has officially launched in 34 additional countries and regions worldwide, including the United States. Priced at USD 8 per month, the plan is aimed at everyday users and provides access to the Gemini 3 Pro model, Deep Research, and the Nano Banana Pro model. Subscribers also receive 200 GB of Google One storage and unlock AI filmmaking tool Flow, image-to-video tool Whisk, and advanced research features in NotebookLM (including support for up to 100 input sources and audio overviews). Notably, existing Google One Premium 2 TB members will automatically receive all AI Plus features, and new subscribers can enjoy a promotional price of USD 4 per month for the first two months. Source

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Yahoo launches AI Q&A search tool Yahoo Scout

On January 27, Yahoo announced the launch of its AI-powered Q&A search feature, Yahoo Scout, which is supported by Anthropic’s Claude. The feature deeply integrates 50 billion user profiles and 18 trillion consumer behavior signals accumulated by Yahoo over the past three decades. It supports synthesizing information from across the web—including Yahoo’s own channels such as News, Finance, and Sports—using natural language, and presents the results in the form of structured tables, rich multimedia cards, and prominent blue source links. Each answer contains an average of up to nine cited sources. At the same time, the feature has been embedded across Yahoo’s entire product lineup, offering enhanced experiences such as email summaries, real-time financial market analysis, news comment trend extraction, and in-depth breakdowns of sports events.

Yahoo Scout is currently available in beta in the United States, with access via a standalone web version as well as iOS and Android apps. The service remains free to use and is planned to be monetized through bottom-page advertising and affiliate commissions. Source

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Alibaba releases Qwen3-Max-Thinking

On January 26, Alibaba released its flagship reasoning model Qwen3-Max-Thinking, with total parameters exceeding one trillion. The model underwent large-scale reinforcement learning post-training and has enhanced its native agent capabilities for autonomously calling tools across multiple key benchmarks, enabling on-demand use of search engines and code interpreters. It also supports test-time scaling techniques, significantly improving reasoning performance. On major reasoning benchmarks, it surpasses Gemini 3 Pro, while also substantially reducing model hallucinations.

Qwen3-Max-Thinking is now available on Qwen Chat, and its corresponding API (model name: qwen3-max-2026-01-23) has been released via Alibaba Cloud. Source

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Anthropic launches interactive Claude app

On January 26, Anthropic announced the launch of an interactive app for its Claude chatbot, allowing users to directly connect everyday workplace tools such as Slack, Canva, Figma, Box, and Clay within the chat interface. Salesforce integration will be added later. Claude can send Slack messages on users’ behalf, generate charts, or access cloud files within these services, depending on which app permissions are enabled.

In a blog post, Anthropic said that tasks such as data analysis, content design, and project management are inherently better suited to dedicated visual interfaces. When combined with Claude’s intelligence, users can significantly improve efficiency in ideation, revision, and iteration. The new feature is currently available to Claude Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise subscribers, and can be enabled and managed at claude.ai/directory. Source

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OpenAI releases scientific research AI collaboration space Prism

On January 27, OpenAI officially unveiled Prism, an AI-native collaborative workspace designed specifically for scientific research, and simultaneously announced the acquisition of the cloud-based LaTeX platform Crixet as its underlying infrastructure. Prism deeply integrates the GPT-5.2 Thinking model, enabling AI to directly understand paper structures, formulas, and references within project environments. It supports automatically generating TikZ diagrams, retrieving and citing papers from arXiv, auto-formatting bibliographies, and converting handwritten formulas or sketches on whiteboards into LaTeX code. In addition, Prism offers real-time multi-user collaboration and can generate graduate-level course plans and accompanying exercises based on specific research topics.

Prism is currently available for free to all users with a personal ChatGPT account, supporting the creation of unlimited projects and collaboration seats. It will also be rolled out soon to ChatGPT Business, Team, Enterprise, and Education plans. Source

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Rumors You Can Just Glance At

• On January 28, Samsung began teasing a new privacy protection feature that will be introduced on Galaxy devices. The feature is designed to address the risk of “shoulder surfing” in public places through deep integration of hardware and software. It is said to adjust display visibility at the pixel level to selectively obscure password entry, specific app interfaces, and notification pop-ups, allowing only the person directly in front of the screen to clearly view certain content. Source
• On January 26, Meta announced plans to begin testing premium subscription services for its three major apps—Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp—in the coming months. The subscription system aims to unlock more powerful productivity, creativity, and AI-enhanced features through paid plans, while keeping the core basic experience free. Source
• According to reports from several media outlets and a settlement agreement recently submitted to a federal court in San Jose, Google has agreed to pay USD 68 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over illegal recordings made by its Google Assistant voice assistant. The case centers on Google Assistant’s “false accept” mechanism, in which devices are activated and capture sensitive user audio for human review or targeted advertising even without hearing the “OK Google” wake word. This is similar in nature to Apple’s previous settlement of USD 95 million over comparable issues with Siri. The settlement covers U.S. users who, since May 18, 2016, have had accounts associated with devices preinstalled with Google Assistant (including Pixel phones, Google Home smart speakers, and Nest Hub displays). Under the agreement, eligible device purchasers are expected to receive compensation of USD 18 to USD 56, while affected individuals living in environments with such devices may claim USD 2 to USD 10. Source
• According to internal documents obtained by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally led and vetoed a decision to add parental control features to the company’s AI chatbots, instead pushing for looser safety restrictions. The allegations stem from a lawsuit filed by the state of New Mexico accusing Meta of failing to protect children from sexual harassment. A previous investigation by The Wall Street Journal had also pointed out risks that Meta’s AI bots could engage in sexually explicit conversations with minors or impersonate them. As a result, Meta suspended access to AI character features for teen accounts last week while developing relevant parental control tools. Source
• On January 27, Google accidentally leaked screenshots of a desktop interface codenamed Aluminum OS (ALOS) on the Chromium bug tracker. The images came from an HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook powered by a 12th-generation Intel Core processor, running system version ZL1A.260119.001.A1 based on Android 16. The screenshots show a desktop environment optimized for large-screen multitasking, featuring a taskbar, second-level time display, an M3E battery icon, a Gemini AI entry point, and a screen recording control panel. The bundled Chrome browser also supports desktop extensions. This further confirms earlier rumors that Google is testing a deeply integrated version of Android and ChromeOS on Chromebooks. Source