I’ll start this week’s Wired Wisdom with a quick distraction. In the last few editions you may have seen a revised format with new sections. With Analysis, Editor’s Margin, Car Corner, Second Thoughts and the occasional Tech Spotlight my intention is to provide you with more focused arguments and investigations about the week’s developments in the world of personal technology. There are some other things in my mind. Our conversations don’t change, but hopefully feel refreshed and focused. I’d love to know what you feel about this new format. Be sure to send bouquets and bricks and stones.
Opening thoughts. This is definitely a good thing. X is starting a test that will bring some changes to user profiles. That is, more transparency and a genuine effort to bring some authenticity to the conversation. Nikita Bear, head of product at It’s probably too early to say whether these will be permanent elements to profile information, or whether the user will have the option to turn off one or some of these. Expect changes along the way as they discover better implementation methods (and with human nature, turn off bypass methods), but the pursuit of authenticity is only good news for the platform. There is a great need for clarification to bring back the human element in conversation.
Last week on Wired Wisdom: One billion internet users, travel tech and Revolut’s payments proposal
Analysis: Swadeshi app stack
As I write, another ‘swadeshi’ moment beckons Indian tech platforms, which are back in the news. Why do I say ‘second’? Some of you may remember the year 2022. The political scenario of that time understood this. This momentum saw many apps emerge as alternatives to the popular apps we use, such as WhatsApp and Twitter (this later became X). But the nervousness about being in the spotlight was evident in many homegrown apps (despite strong funding, as I’ve noted). Ku is a shining example of this. Fast forward to now, and if you are wondering where this momentum is coming from, it is the Indian government that has started actively adopting the services of Chennai-based Zoho Corp.
What is common in both cases is an attempt to find traction among consumers. But this time in Zoho’s case, there is also a very conceivable enterprise angle – the government’s adoption of Zoho Mail, Writer and Aratai seems to indicate something like this. This could position the company better in the long term, as they will get more enterprises to switch from Google and Microsoft’s services in the coming months. Consumer intent still remains largely stable. Be it Zoho’s Aratai presenting itself as an alternative to WhatsApp, or the very capable MapMyIndia Maps replacing Google Maps as the default navigation app in your phone, or PhonePe’s Indus App Store which is a very viable alternative to the Google Play Store on millions of Android phones (and a good option for developers too). news, who have to give up less of their revenue). It will be interesting to see if this momentum continues. Have you switched to Aratai, Maples or Indus App Store yet?
Editor’s Margin: Apple M5, Power and Intelligence
Apple M5. Quite a few. It’s certainly a silicon generational upgrade, but also a statement from Apple – they’re doubling down on on-device intelligence. Redrawing a blueprint, when AI companies are mostly busy with circular funding and energy consumption obsession? The headline numbers are impressive – a new 10-core GPU, each with a built-in neural accelerator, promises up to four times the AI ​​performance of the M4. The CPU is also faster, by about 15 percent according to Apple, and integrated memory bandwidth increases by about 30 percent to 153 GB/s. But what’s more interesting than the figures is the focus: Apple is clearly designing the M5 to be AI first. The GPU isn’t just about graphics anymore – it’s an AI workhorse. The accelerators inside each core are built to handle propagation models, rendering tasks, and on-device inference without breaking progress.
The 16 core strong Neural Engine seems like a quiet announcement that Apple’s future AI will run where it belongs – on the device, not in the cloud. One challenge that remains is whether the software ecosystem will keep pace? Apple’s silicon has often outstripped what macOS and iPadOS are able to fully utilize. With the M5, that alignment feels closer than ever — the chip, the software, and hopefully the next wave of Apple intelligence will all be on the same wavelength.
What is the power of M5 chip? Here is your answer…
Tech Spotlight: Milagro Coinsucker
There are two very good reasons why this week we’re talking about a simple, but otherwise very useful product. First, I had spent a few years in the industry as a technology journalist when Milago made its big pivot as a consumer-focused robotics brand, which seems premature. Secondly, CoinSucker is quite a name, which perhaps underlines the company’s intention to make a comeback with maximum aura farming. Think of the Milagro CoinSucker as the entry point to their huge line-up that spans a spectrum of relevance – floor cleaning robot vacuum cleaners, window robots, lawn robots, even pool robots for those home use cases.
CoinSucker is for the car, and that’s a big reason I’ll admit, that’s why I’m testing it. While the utility of my vehicle is very limited (passengers are allowed inside only if they strictly accept the guidelines of not eating, not drinking, not littering, and not opening windows), it still gives me a chance to verify its efficiency. It’s powerful enough to suck up even the smallest crumbs (or pet hair – that’s a big use case), between the seat and the car floor, in the corners between mats and body panels, as well as in the crevices of the seat design. If your car has dirty AC vents (don’t blame you, humans don’t usually pay much attention to this), this can help a lot with that too. For example, fabric floor mats will get really clean by the Milagro CoinSucker’s 8200 Pascal, or PA, of suction power, powered by a 120-watt brushless motor.
Keep in mind, this is not a cordless vacuum (it does have a price). Rs 1,999 in true sense – no battery mode, but Milagro gives it a 50-meter cord which should be able to completely cover the cabin from the 12v aux power port (which many people also call the cigarette lighter port). The transparent dust capture compartment lets you know when it needs to be cleaned, and there’s a HEPA filter sitting between that dust and the air coming out of the CoinSucker. I suggest cleaning it regularly, otherwise the suction efficiency will decline. What is worth noting is that Milagro has done a good job with the copper and black design. But after a while of enthusiastic cleaning, you will notice 680 grams or more of weight on the forearms. And you certainly wouldn’t want it to fit even a coin.
Second thought: Realme’s Ricoh Moment
After Xiaomi and Lenovo, Vivo and Zeiss and OnePlus as well as Oppo’s Hasselblad, another camera maker and smartphone maker partnership is about to arrive at a store near you. Chinese phone maker Realme (which calls itself “the most popular smartphone brand among Indian youth”; make of it what you want) is partnering with Japanese photography brand Ricoh, in what they classify as a long-term partnership. At its core will be Ricoh’s GR optical standard. Realme’s GT8 Pro (why do their phones sound like car names?) will be the first phone to bear fruit from this partnership. If you’re wondering what this partnership will bring to the camera app, here’s some of it – fast startup and a Snap mode, two classic Ricoh GR focal lengths (28mm and 40mm) and classic Ricoh GR tones (standard, positive film, negative film, monotone and high-contrast B&W). None of this is unique, if you have experienced the talent provided by Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo as well as OnePlus, with their cameras tuned by professionals who set a high standard. But still, a step forward for Realme, they’ll actually have something important to talk about when a new phone launches.
