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iOS 26.4 Brings Forth a Fresh Class of Applications for CarPlay

**iOS 26.4 Introduces Voice-Driven AI App Compatibility to CarPlay**

Earlier this month, Bloomberg disclosed that Apple was gearing up to enhance CarPlay with the ability to support voice-driven interactions in AI applications such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. This week’s rollout of iOS 26.4 beta 1 officially brings that capability.

For those who are not aware, Apple restricts the types of apps that can be used in CarPlay. This is implemented for safety considerations, as well as the design constraints of Apple’s CarPlay framework. Unlike iPhone apps, CarPlay applications must be developed using Apple-supplied templates within the CarPlay framework.

In the February 2026 version of its CarPlay Developer Guide, Apple indicates that “voice-driven conversational apps” are now allowed in CarPlay. Here’s the comprehensive list of supported app categories:

– Audio apps
– Communication apps (SiriKit Messaging or VoIP Calling)
– Driving task apps
– EV charging apps
– Fueling apps
– Navigation apps (providing turn-by-turn route guidance)
– Parking apps
– Public safety apps
– Quick food ordering apps
– Voice-driven conversational apps

Apple clarifies that “voice-driven conversational apps must prioritize voice as the main mode upon launch; and subsequently, respond appropriately to inquiries or requests and execute actions.” These applications should “optimize for voice interaction within the driving context” and refrain from showing text and images in response to queries.

The key point is that this will necessitate engagement from app developers. While Apple has provided foundational support for these app types in CarPlay with iOS 26.4, it is up to developers such as OpenAI and Google to modify their applications for CarPlay compatibility.

Furthermore, these applications will not serve as replacements for Siri in CarPlay. Users will be able to access something like ChatGPT in CarPlay only by launching the specific ChatGPT app on their vehicle’s infotainment display.

Whether Google and OpenAI capitalize on this opportunity is yet to be determined. OpenAI currently has native ChatGPT applications for Mac and iPhone, while Google offers a native Gemini app for iPhone.

Besides the introduction of support for voice-driven conversational apps, iOS 26.4 also further establishes the infrastructure for video playback through CarPlay.

Mimiclaw: An OpenClaw-Style AI Assistant for ESP32-S3 Boards – CNX Software

MiniClaw OpenClaw ESP32 S3

MimiClaw is an OpenClaw-inspired AI assistant designed for ESP32-S3 boards, which acts as a gateway between the Telegram messaging application and Claude online LLM to control the hardware by just chatting to it. We’ve just written about PicoClaw, an ultra-lightweight personal AI Assistant for cheap Linux boards that just needs 10MB of spare RAM. It was itself inspired by Nanobot, a lightweight assistant written in Python, that’s 99% smaller, in terms of lines of code, than the original OpenClaw project that started it all. Since most of the processing is done through messaging apps and online LLMs, it was only a matter of time until this type of solution was ported to microcontrollers. MimiClaw highlights: Written in C; relies on the ESP-IDF 5.5 framework System requirements – ESP32-S3 board with 16 MB flash and 8 MB PSRAM, such as the LILYGO T7-S3, FireBeetle 2 ESP32-S3, ESP32-S3-DevKitC-1-N16R8, Seeed Studio’s XIAO ESP32S3 […]

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Avalue EMX-PTLP: Thin Mini-ITX Motherboard Featuring Intel Core Ultra 7 358H Panther Lake-H SoC – CNX Software

Intel Panther Lake-H thin mini-ITX motherboard

Avalue’s EMX-PTLP is an industrial, thin mini-ITX motherboard powered by Intel Panther Lake-H Core Ultra (Series 3) family, up to the 12-core Intel Core Ultra 7 358H SoC delivering up to 180 TOPS for AI and industrial automation deployments. The board supports up to 64GB of DDR5 SoDIMM/CSoDIMM memory, features M.2 PCIe 5.0 and PCIe 4.0 sockets for storage and expansion, M.2 E-Key and B-Key sockets for wireless and cellular connectivity, a PCIe x8 slot, HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C, and LVDS/eDP display interfaces, GbE and 2.5GbE networking interfaces, a range of USB4, USB 3.2, and USB 2.0 interfaces, and more. Avalue EMX-PTLP specifications: SoC – Intel Panther Lake processor with Intel Xe LPG graphics (one or the other) Intel Core Ultra 5 322 6-core (2P + 4LPE) CPU at up to 4.4 GHz with 12MB Smart Cache, 2x Xe core Intel Graphics (18 TOPS), AI accelerator (46 TOPS); PBP: 25 Watts […]

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STMicroelectronics Stellar P3E Quad-Core Arm Cortex-R52+ Automotive MCU with Neural-ART AI Accelerator – CNX Software

Stellar P3E AI automotive MCU Block Diagram

STMicroelectronics has introduced the Stellar P3E, the first automotive MCU with an embedded Neural-ART AI accelerator, designed to simplify X-in-1 Electronic Control Units (ECUs) by consolidating powertrain functions like the inverter, on-board charger (OBC), and DC-DC converter into a single module. The MCU enables smart sensing, predictive maintenance, and virtual sensor applications without the cost and complexity of a separate SoC. The microcontroller features four 500 MHz Arm Cortex-R52+ cores with 19.5 MB of xMemory, which is based on phase-change memory (PCM), offering roughly twice the density of embedded flash. The chip integrates multiple ADC channels for precise sensing, high-resolution PWM down to 102 ps for fine motor control, and 10 timer modules for deterministic real-time operation. Connectivity options include Gigabit Ethernet and CAN-XL, for high-speed, low-latency in-vehicle communication. Stellar P3E (SR6P3EC4/SR6P3EC6) specifications: MCU – SR6P3EC4 / SR6P3EC6 CPU Cores – 4x Arm Cortex‑R52+ cores at up to 500 MHz; […]

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Creality Falcon A1 Pro Review – User-Friendly, Fully Enclosed 20W Laser Engraver with HD Camera – CNX Software

Creality Falcon A1 Pro review

Creality has sent a review sample of the Falcon A1 Pro fully enclosed laser engraver and cutting machine. It’s designed to be easy to use out of the box since it’s mostly pre-assembled. It is equipped with a 20W blue laser and can engrave and cut a wide variety of materials such as cardboard, wood, bamboo, rubber, leather, fabric, acrylic, plastic, and more. It notably supports cutting 10 mm thick basswood and 8 mm thick black acrylic. The machine can engrave materials at a speed of up to 600 mm/s, and offers smart features such as auto focus, real-time flame detection, and an HD camera for accurate workpiece positioning. It’s compatible with a range of laser engraving software, such as LightBurn and LaserGRBL for Windows and macOS, but we’ll use Falcon Design Space in this review. Creality Falcon A1 Pro Laser Engraver Specifications Main laser module Laser power – 20W […]

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LR2021 LoRa Plus Board Integrates Semtech LR2021 and Nordic nRF54L15 for High-Speed FLRC and LoRa Connectivity – CNX Software

Semtech LR2021 LoRa Development Board

Last year, Semtech released the LR2021 LoRa Plus transceiver chip, designed to address the low data-rate issue associated with LoRa, but surprisingly, they didn’t release a development board for the chip. Now, almost a year later, Seeed Studio and Semtech have partnered to introduce the LR2021 LoRa Plus development kit targeting long-range high-speed LoRa and FLRC applications up to 2.6 Mbps. Not only does the board support LoRa Gen 4 technology, providing Sub-GHz, 2.4 GHz ISM, and S/L-band operation, but a XIAO nRF54L15 board also adds dual-core processing (Arm Cortex-M33 + RISC-V) and supports other short-range protocols, including NFC, Bluetooth LE 6.0, Matter, Thread, and 2.4 GHz proprietary protocols. The development board also features a 0.96-inch 128×64 OLED, three Grove connectors for expansion, a USB Type-C for power, SWD debugging, and two Sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz SMA connectors. It is compatible with Arduino Uno, STM32 Nucleo, and Nordic DK boards. […]

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xSDR: Compact M.2 2230 SDR Module with Artix-7 FPGA and LMS7002M RFIC – Crowdfunding on CNX Software

xSDR single sided M.2 software defined radio with 2× RX TX channels up to 3.8 GHz

Wavelet Lab’s xSDR is a tiny, single-sided M.2 2230 software-defined radio (SDR) module designed for integration into laptops, embedded systems, and edge computing devices. A successor to the company’s previous uSDR, the “x” in xSDR stands for “extended,” adding 2×2 MIMO support and a wider frequency range to the same tiny footprint. The module is built around the Lime Microsystems LMS7002M RFIC and an AMD Artix-7 XC7A50T FPGA as found in the LimeNET Micro 2.0 Developer Edition board. This combination allows for a tuning range of 30 MHz to 3.8 GHz and a sample rate of up to 122.88 MSPS, making this SDR suitable for cellular research (LTE/5G), spectrum analysis, satellite tracking, and high-speed data links (with two modules). Wavelet Lab’s xSDR specifications: RFIC – Lime Microsystems LMS7002M programmable RF (FPRF) transceiver IC FPGA – AMD Embedded XC7A50T (Artix-7) with 52,160 logic cells RF capabilities Channels – 2×2 MIMO (2x […]

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Preventing Software Supply Chain Attacks with Feross Aboukhadijeh – Software Engineering Daily

Modern software relies heavily on open source dependencies, often pulling in thousands of packages maintained by developers all over the world. This accelerates innovation but also creates serious supply chain risks as attackers increasingly compromise popular libraries to spread malware at scale. Feross Aboukhadijeh is the founder and CEO of Socket which is a security

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Aviation Cybersecurity with Serge Christiaans – Software Engineering Daily

Aviation cybersecurity is becoming an urgent priority as modern aircraft increasingly rely on complex digital systems for navigation, communication, and engine performance. These systems were once isolated but are now interconnected and vulnerable to cyber threats ranging from GPS spoofing to ransomware attacks on airline infrastructure. As nation-state actors and criminal groups grow more sophisticated,

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Rivals of Aether Featuring Dan Fornace – Software Engineering Daily

Rivals of Aether and Rivals of Aether II are indie fighting games that combine fast-paced platform combat with elemental-themed characters. The game takes inspiration from Super Smash Bros. and emphasizes skillful movement, tight controls, and competitive balance, making it popular in the fighting game community. Dan Fornace is a game director and designer at Aether

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