The Daily Crunch 11/07/16

If Samsung only had a brain, gene editing for dummies and the eyes and ears of your future home could well be your vacuum. All that and more in The Daily Crunch for November 7, 2016. And if you're seeing the new tracker in Pokémon Go, you're one of a very select few.

1. Get smart

How do you follow an explosive smartphone debacle? By replacing power with brains – or so hopes Samsung, which confirmed it's working on a virtual assistant for Galaxy S8, with Viv smarts included from the founders of Siri.

It'll have to be really smart to get consumers to stop thinking about those airport announcements that are now a standard fixture warning about the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, but a virtual assistant with actual intelligence might be able to pull that off.

2. New Chinese cybersecurity laws don't help the prospects of internet companies doing business there

China has new, tougher cybersecurity laws that require companies to divulge more information, including specifics about users, which internet companies may find onerous. The changes aren't surprising, given the prevailing policies the country has regarding internet freedoms, but it could be a sign of a troubling trend towards making things even worse.

3. CRISPR isn't just a subsection of your fridge

More crisp, then? Nope, it's a technique that makes it possible to easily manipulate DNA with a high degree of accuracy, which could theoretically lead to all sorts of improvements in food, the environment and even potentially human health. And it's one of the coolest things you're likely to ever learn about, so click above if you've heard this term floating around and want to actually find out what it means.

4. Sensor-y overload

iRobot is going strong at 26, which is more than can be said for most robotics startups. The Boston-based company sees a bright future for home robotics, too – one in which devices like robot vacuums are roving sensory appendages that help make up the intelligent, connected whole that is the smart home. All of which presupposes tech companies can stop being so territorial as to prevent truly seamless integration across connected devices.

5. WhatsApp deploys a clone

Facebook isn't keeping its Snapchat cloning to just itself and Instagram – WhatsApp is a testing ground for features that mimic the younger social network, too. It's not even vaguely surprising at this point.

6. Pokémon Go's useful updates continue to trickle out agonizingly slowly

The redesigned Pokémon Go tracker that has been exclusive to San Francisco residents for months now is finally expanding its reach, but only to a very small number of new areas, including the wider Bay area. Go really needs to figure out how to hit the gas on the rollout of truly useful features like this one, pronto.

7. Blizzard and Google are making StarCraft more AI-friendly

Stacking the deck for a StarCraft-playing AI seems unfair, but it will probably tell us a lot about how learning computers work and how we can make them better. Plus maybe they can find a surer way to trump a Zerg rush.