Honda Will Offer Full Google in Accord; TikTok Horns in on YouTube; Apple Will Support Sideloading; Musk Suspends Jet Tracker Account

Honda is jumping in to full Google mode when the 2023 Accord Touring hits the market. Engadget.com reports that the 12.3 inch screen in the Touring will feature the Google suite of apps standard right off the showroom floor. You will have Google Assistant, Maps, and the Play Store all there. In addition you will be able to adjust the climate control, navigate, or download a music app without having to touch your phone. No word on pricing. GM has 3 years of Google built-in access in some models, but then dings you for $15 a month. The new Accord Touring will still support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It stands to reason that Honda will be expanding the Google functionality to the rest of their line in time. 

TikTok is moving in a bit more on YouTube’s turf, with a new horizontal full screen mode. The platform is testing the feature out right now with select users. According to techcrunch.com, users have a new ‘full screen’ button. When you click it, the video changes to a horizontal full screen playback. This, coupled with the increase in video length to 10 minutes is a definite shot at grabbing more YouTube users’ eyeballs. Of course, YouTube offers much longer videos. I have a couple former colleagues who are streaming full two hour shows 5 days a week on YouTube. You won’t find that fare on TikTok…at least not yet.

They aren’t doing it because they want to, but Apple is working on allowing side loading, of apps to iOS devices as well as letting in third party app stores. Arstechnica.com notes that its in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act and other regulations. Apple has claimed (with a degree of truth) that allowing outside apps to be loaded in without going through their app store can pose a security and privacy risk to users. The company is working on a system that would still require outside apps to be ‘verified’ by Apple. This is the way it works on Mac desktops and laptops right now. You can install what you want, but there are a few extra hoops you have to jump through to do it. The new system should be in place by 2024. 

With the dumpster fire that Elon Musk has made from Twitter, this isn’t surprising. He has permanently suspended @ElonJet, the account that tracked his private jet flights. Engadget.com notes that at one time, Musk offered Jack Sweeney, the college student that had the account $5000 to delete it. Sweeney countered and said he’d take $50,000. In retrospect, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, and most experts now assessing it at about $8 billion in value, Elon would have been better off paying the $50 grand to the college guy.

I’m Clark Reid, and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.