Apple Unleashed, smart home devices, SMS hack, Microsoft Office, Android 12, underwater train, Pixel 6, trademarked sounds and vampires. Lots of new products were announced this week at Apple and Google events and they are listed below along with all the other news. Check out the full list of headlines and click to read the full stories.

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• Digital Design Digest for October 19, 2021!

• Apple Watch 7 review: A slightly better smartwatch than last year’s
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• Nanoleaf Lines are customizable smart light bars
• Roku Streaming Stick 4K review: Small refinements to a winning formula
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• NZXT BLD Kit review: Building a gaming PC doesn’t get easier than this
• First look at Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max
• Apple Unleashed Event: $179 AirPods 3 gain Spatial Audio, sweat resistance, MagSafe charging
• 5 subtle devices that don’t scream ‘smart home’
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• AirPods 3 vs. AirPods Pro: Comparing Apple’s latest earbuds

• Ransomware rises as a national security threat as bigger targets fall
• Company that routes SMS for all major US carriers was hacked for five years
• BlackByte ransomware decryptor released
• A guide to combatting human-operated ransomware: Part 1

• 8 of History’s Most Misguided Anti-Vaxxers

• DuckDuckGo: How to use the private search engine on any browser
• New Microsoft Office rollout: When you’ll get it, pricing and major changes
• MacOS Monterey release date: Apple just announced Oct. 25 for its new OS
• Android 12 vs. Android 11: A few new things you can do with Google’s latest OS
• Windows 11 beta users can start testing Android apps
• Amazon adds 60 more stations to its Fire TV local news app
• Windows 11 available on October 5

• The 10 best things you can do with an Amazon Echo device
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• Amazon reportedly favors its own brands in search results
• China wants to build a $200 billion, 8,000-mile high-speed underwater train network that connects Mainland China to the U.S.
• The MacBook Pro’s Touch Bar is gone after five years. Good riddance
• Canon Sued for Disabling Scanning When Printers Run Out of Ink
• Apple’s M1 Pro chip finally gives MacBook Pro fans what they’ve been waiting for
• 5 things you need to know before installing smart light switches
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• Could small nuclear reactors be the future of energy?
• Is Apple’s M1 Max really the fastest laptop chip ever?

• I switched to the iPhone 13 Mini. Here are 3 things I loved — and 3 I hated
• Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro: Preorders, specs, pricing, features and everything else you need to know
• Android 12 is now available to download on Pixel 3 and up
• Google turns those annoying call center menus into easy-to-navigate screens
• The Pixel 6’s camera will feature larger image sensors and smarter photo editing AI

Each week we’ll share a meme that we find thought provoking or just plain funny.

• 14 Sounds You Probably Didn’t Realize Were Trademarked
• 10 Surprising Facts About HBO’s Succession
• The Curious Case of Norway’s Disturbing Demon Wall
• 13 Inventors Killed By Their Own Inventions
• The Uncanny Rise of the Haunted Doll Market
• Is This the End of Switzerland’s Chimney Sweep ‘Mafia’?
• The Mysterious Disappearance of Masterpiece the Poodle
• 9 Mysterious Secret Societies From Around the World
• Disease, Demons, and Discord—How the Vampire Myth Was Born
• Demystifying the Winchester Mystery House

If you see some important tech news that you feel we should share with our readers, please let us know and we’ll consider including it in our next post.

Photo by Alexandre Debiève