Perplexity.ai weekly review

Over the past week (October 6–13, 2025), major developments across AI, gadgets, and startups defined the technology landscape. Key innovations came from Amazon’s fall hardware event, Samsung’s upcoming trifold phone, and several billion-dollar startup rounds emphasizing energy storage, reusable rockets, and AI-assisted software tools.

Big Tech Developments

Amazon unveiled a full suite of Alexa+-powered devices at its annual fall event, including the redesigned Echo Studio with spatial audio, new Echo Show smart displays, the Kindle Scribe Colorsoft (its first color e-reader), and upgraded Ring and Blink security systems featuring facial recognition and pet tracking.[1]
Google received top AI awards for its Gemini and Imagen models, reinforcing its dominance in AI-driven creative tools.[2]
Samsung is preparing to launch its first trifold smartphone, along with smart glasses and an XR headset aiming to rival the Apple Vision Pro line.[3]
Microsoft is expected to debut the Surface Laptop 8, built with next-generation chipsets and improved performance, continuing its October release pattern.[3]

Startup and Venture Funding

The latest funding wave highlighted deep investments across AI, energy, and space:

• Base Power raised $1 billion to scale a home battery network for decentralized energy storage.
• Stoke Space secured $510 million to advance reusable rocket technology.
• Supabase, an open-source developer platform, achieved a $5 billion valuation with a $100 million Series E.
• EvenUp raised $150 million to automate personal injury legal claims.
• Coinflow ($25 million) and Juicebox ($36 million) expanded AI-powered fintech and recruiting systems respectively.[4]

Emerging Technology Trends

Data from Exploding Topics shows surging interest in AI video generators, AI agents, and immersive experiences, alongside growth in workflow automation, digital product passports, and AI tools for education. Multimodal AI applications and self-hosted AI agents are seeing rapid adoption across enterprises seeking sovereignty and privacy.[5]

Consumer Gadgets and Audio Tech

October continues to see rapid hardware rollouts ahead of the holiday season:

• Kanto Audio released its first turntable, paired with new hi-fi amps.
• Sennheiser launched updated noise-canceling headphones emphasizing spatial audio immersion.
• Dyson’s V16 Piston Animal debuted as a self-adjusting smart vacuum using real-time particulate detection for adaptive cleaning.[6]
• Portable OLED monitors and AI-driven text-to-audio tools are trending rapidly among digital professionals.[7][5]

Broad Themes

Overall, the week’s tech activity underscores a shift toward AI-embedded consumer devices, sustainable energy infrastructure, and immersive experiential hardware. Consumer-facing AI ecosystems—especially those integrating generative models (Amazon Alexa+, Google Gemini, OpenAI Whisper)—are converging with major advances in smart home and mobility technologies.

Sources
[1] Major Tech News: Oct 1st, 2025 – Future – Forem https://future.forem.com/om_shree_0709/major-tech-news-oct-1st-2025-20d6
[2] NewsThe Daily Tech Digest: 10 October 2025 | by Souren Stepanyan https://programming.am/the-daily-tech-digest-10-october-2025-3810f26aaa38
[3] All Upcoming Tech in October 2025 You Should See – Trends Place https://trendsplace.tech/all-upcoming-tech-in-october-2025/
[4] Top Startup and Tech Funding News – October 8, 2025 https://techstartups.com/2025/10/08/top-startup-and-tech-funding-news-october-8-2025/
[5] Top Trending Topics (October 2025) – Exploding Topics https://explodingtopics.com/blog/trending-topics
[6] 7 Smart Home Tech Gadgets Making Your House Think for You This … https://www.yankodesign.com/2025/10/10/7-smart-home-tech-gadgets-making-your-house-think-for-you-this-october-2025/
[7] The Best New Gadgets and Hi-Fi Releases of 2025 (Updated) https://www.gearpatrol.com/audio/best-tech-audio-hi-fi-releases-2025-updated-october-week-2/
[8] 25 New Technology Trends for 2025 – Simplilearn.com https://www.simplilearn.com/top-technology-trends-and-jobs-article
[9] Here are the week’s biggest tech developments across AI, chips … https://bankwatch.ca/2025/10/06/here-are-the-weeks-biggest-tech-developments-across-ai-chips-startups-and-gadgets/
[10] Top Startups 2025 — Sequoia, Y Combinator, A16Z, Accel https://topstartups.io
[11] Trending Technology Topics (October 2025) https://explodingtopics.com/technology-topics
[12] 25 Fastest Growing Companies & Startups (2025) – Exploding Topics https://explodingtopics.com/blog/fast-growing-companies
[13] Best Useful Tech – October 2025! – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu6ae4BTG98
[14] These are the top 10 emerging technologies of 2025 https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/06/top-10-emerging-technologies-of-2025/
[15] The Week Ahead in AI: BlackRock Sees Shift in AI Investing … https://theaiinsider.tech/2025/10/13/the-week-ahead-in-ai-blackrock-sees-shift-in-ai-investing-microsoft-expands-access-to-lseg-data-ais-role-in-robotics-plus-upcoming-earings-and-conferences/
[16] VC News Daily: Venture Capital Financings and Technology Startups https://vcnewsdaily.com
[17] This Week’s Biggest Tech News and AI Tools Going Into October 2025 https://vavoza.com/this-weeks-biggest-tech-news-and-ai-tools-going-into-october-2025-vz5/
[18] Tech News | Today’s Latest Technology News | Reuters https://www.reuters.com/technology/
[19] BetaKit – Canadian Startup News & Tech Innovation https://betakit.com
[20] Apple October Event 2025: 5 New Products Coming Soon https://apple.gadgethacks.com/news/apple-october-event-2025-5-new-products-coming-soon/