Tech and Policy Roundup: Rare Earths, Devices, Retail Crime

A spate of policy shifts and product launches is altering supply-chain calculations and consumer tech strategies.

In Australia, escalating retail crime in Victoria has widened a rift between the Allan government and major national retailers, prompting renewed debate over policing and loss-prevention measures.

In consumer audio and accessories, Edifier unveiled the Huazai New Cyber desktop speaker, adopting bold, gaming-influenced styling, while Tivoli Audio refreshed its PAL BT portable speaker and FM radio for 2025 with improved sound and battery life. Synergy Audio Visual has also expanded distribution of Italian loudspeaker maker Sonus faber into New Zealand.

Navman is positioning dash cams as practical safety gifts for new drivers this holiday season, and Apple entered the crossbody phone-strap market with a $99 accessory aimed at hands-free mobile use.

On the device front, Samsung officially named its mixed-reality headset Galaxy XR and confirmed the Galaxy S26 Pro will return to Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2600 processor. Google has pushed its Gemini AI assistant to Google Home and older Nest devices back to 2015, broadening on-device AI availability.

Geopolitically significant, China tightened export controls on rare-earth elements, spooking global tech and defense supply chains and prompting firms to reassess sourcing, inventories, and potential component constraints.

Repair specialist iFixit issued contrasting assessments of two new wearables, praising Google’s Pixel Watch 4 while offering a less favorable verdict on another recent model.