App Watch: What’s new, hot & updated in the first half of December

The app world never stays still for long.

The first half of December brought its share of fresh updates and clever improvements, and we’ve been keeping an eye on them.

Time to recap what’s been happening so far this month.

Claude Code is coming to Slack

Anthropic is bringing Claude Code into Slack, letting developers run full coding tasks straight from chat. Instead of just asking for quick snippets, teams can now tag Claude in a thread, spin up a real coding session, and have it pick the right repo, work on the task, and post updates with links to review and pull requests.

This is a big shift in how coding assistants work. Instead of living only inside IDEs, they are moving right into collaboration tools where teams already plan, discuss bugs, and ship features. Slack is positioning itself as the place where conversation turns directly into code.

👉 Learn more about Claude Code coming to Slack.

Figma adds new AI tools for object removal and image expansion

Figma is rolling out new AI image editing features that let you remove or isolate objects, move them around, and even expand an image to fit new formats without leaving the app. The improved lasso tool makes selections more accurate, and you can tweak lighting, shadows, colors, or focus directly inside Figma.

There is also a new image expansion feature that fills in backgrounds automatically, perfect for turning a square asset into a website or mobile banner. All image tools now live in a single, easier to access toolbar. The update is available in Figma Design and Draw, with more tools coming next year.

👉 Learn more about the new AI updates in Figma.

Google launches managed MCP servers for plug and play agent integrations

Google just introduced fully managed MCP servers that make it much easier for AI agents to connect with tools like Maps, BigQuery, Compute Engine, and Kubernetes. Instead of setting up custom connectors, developers can now plug agents into Google services through a simple endpoint.

The goal is to give agents real access to live data and infrastructure, not just model guesses, while keeping everything governed through Google Cloud security tools like IAM, Model Armor, and Apigee. The first servers are in public preview and free for existing enterprise customers.

👉 Learn more about Google’s new managed MCP servers.

Opera opens its AI browser Neon to everyone

Opera has officially opened access to Neon, its AI first browser that blends chat, research, and task automation right into the browsing experience. Neon lets you ask questions about pages, reuse context from what you read days ago, create small apps or videos, and organize work into AI powered spaces called Tasks.

The browser also includes tools for deeper research and repeatable workflows, all designed for people who want to experiment with AI driven browsing instead of switching between tabs and apps.

Full access to Neon comes with a monthly subscription of $19.90, which also includes access to top AI models like Gemini 3 Pro, GPT-5.1, Veo 3.1, and Nano Banana Pro.

👉 Learn more about Opera Neon.

OpenAI drops GPT-5.2 as the AI race heats up

OpenAI has launched GPT-5.2, its newest frontier model, positioning it as a major upgrade for developers and professionals just as competition with Google intensifies.

The model comes in three versions: Instant for fast everyday tasks, Thinking for complex reasoning like coding, math, and planning, and Pro for maximum accuracy on hard problems.

According to OpenAI, GPT-5.2 delivers stronger reasoning, better long-context handling, and more reliable tool use, with fewer errors than previous versions. The company says this makes it a better foundation for production workflows, agentic systems, and enterprise use, especially as Google pushes hard with Gemini 3 across its ecosystem.

👉 Learn more about GPT-5.2.

Google unveils Disco, a Gemini powered tool that turns browser tabs into mini web apps

Google has introduced Disco, a new experiment that uses Gemini to turn your open browser tabs into custom web apps. The idea is simple: based on what you are browsing, Disco can suggest interactive apps called GenTabs to help you organize, explore, or understand information better.

Instead of starting from scratch, GenTabs pull context from your open tabs and your Gemini chat history. You can then tweak or refine these apps using plain language, whether you are planning a trip, studying a topic, or pulling ideas together from multiple pages. Google also says the generated apps always link back to the original sources.

👉 Learn more about Google Disco and GenTabs.

Plenty of updates already, and we’re just halfway through December. Stay tuned to our blog for the next round of highlights at the end of the month.

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