Google’s Gemini AI Update; Cross-Chat Facebook & Instagram Going Away; Governments Spying on Apple & Google Users; Exploit Makes Almost Every Windows & Linux Device Vulnerable 

Posted: December 6, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Google is updating its AI, branding it Gemini. Up to now Google’s chatbot Bard has been a distant also-ran to ChatGPT. According to gizmodo.com, the new Gemini AI from Google will come in 3 versions. Gemini Nano is the mildest one, made for mobile devices. Then, there is the mid-level Gemini Pro, which is claimed to beat ChatGPT 3.5. The top level Gemini Ultra is one that Google says will be a paid version of Bard Advanced, and will out perform ChatGPT-4. No pricing has been released, and the top level Ultra version hasn’t been given a public release date as yet. 

For several years now, people on Instagram have been able to message you on your Facebook Messenger app, and vice versa. The cross platform messaging never was extended by Meta to WhatsApp due to its end-to-end encryption. Now, bgr,com reports that Meta is removing the capability. You will still be able to see cross-platform convos that you already have, but only in read-only mode. 

I can remember repeatedly telling the kids…back when they WERE kids…that you may as well consider everything you do on the internet as public. Now, we are finding out that governments are spying on smartphone users via their apps’ push notifications. Reuters.com says the tip about this comes from Senator Ron Wyden, who sent a letter to the Department of Justice warning about it. Most apps have push notifications…which you may enable or disable…to alert you to incoming messages, breaking news, and other updates. These are the audible “dings” or visual indicators users get when they receive an email or their sports team wins a game. What users often do not realize is that almost all such notifications travel over Google and Apple servers. After Wyden’s letter, Apple disclosed that they are aware of the governments nosing around in these, but had been prohibited from letting the users know by those governments. They declined to identify the governments making the requests, but a source described them as democracies allied with the US.

Not a fun thing to report or hear about, but an attack has been identified that affects virtually every Windows and Linux machine. It has been named LogoFAIL, and it allows high infections during the boot sequence that are nearly impossible to detect or remove using current defense mechanisms. Arstechnica.com reports that the vulnerabilities have taken almost a year’s worth of work by Binarly, a firm that helps customers identify and secure vulnerable firmware. LogoFAIL involves logos, specifically those of the hardware seller that are displayed on the device screen early in the boot process…before the main OS even loads.  By replacing the legitimate logo images with identical-looking ones that have been specially crafted to exploit these bugs, LogoFAIL makes it possible to execute malicious code at the most sensitive stage of the boot process. You can be sure that teams at Microsoft and various coders of Linux, in addition to device manufacturers, are working hard right now to fix this mess.

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

Whistleblower-Tesla Autopilot ‘Experiments on Public Roads;’ Cruise Fined for Withholding Crash Info; Lenovo Legion-King Sized Answer to Steam Deck; iOS 17.2 Improves iPhone 15 Pro Telephoto Cam

Posted: December 5, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A former Tesla employee turned whistleblower has called Tesla cars with Autopilot ‘experiments in public roads.’ Arstechnica.com reports that the individual, who leaked thousands of accident reports and other documents expressed his doubts about the safety of Tesla’s Autopilot system in an interview with the BBC published today. “I don’t think the hardware is ready and the software is ready,” ex-Tesla employee Lukasz Krupski said. “It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads. So even if you don’t have a Tesla, your children still walk in the footpath.” 

Krupski was also featured last month in a New York Times article titled, “Man vs. Musk: A Whistleblower Creates Headaches for Tesla.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk once thanked Krupski after the employee “put out a fire at a Tesla car delivery location in Norway, seriously burning his hands and preventing a disaster,” the report said. He was sued by the auto maker last year. Krupski reportedly intends to sue Tesla for compensation over his firing. 

GM owned self-driving company Cruise has been whacked with fines and may also get sanctioned after not disclosing details about a crash on October 2nd in San Francisco. In that accident, the Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian some 20 feet. TechCrunch.com says the California Public Utilities Commission is hauling Cruise in for an appearance on February 6th to defend itself in a hearing…against accusations that it failed to provide “complete information to the Commission” regarding the incident, and “for making misleading public comments regarding its interactions with the Commission.”  Cruise didn’t give the PUC requested video of the crash for some 15 days after it was requested. The fines could end up totaling $2.25 million. 

Valve has just released the latest iteration of its Steam Deck handheld gaming system, with a number of worthwhile updates. Now, Lenovo has released the rival Legion Go…which stretches the concept of ‘handheld’ even more than the Steam Deck. The $700 gaming machine from Lenovo has an 8.8 inch OLED screen, making it the biggest screen on any handheld gaming system around. The controllers attach to the sides like on the Nintendo Switch. Engadget.com notes that it is fairly speedy and works well, and the screen is very good…the real down side comes with it’s size…the thing weighs 1.88 lbs  and it’s 11-3/4 inches across…so more of a laptop than a handheld. It will run between an hour and a half and three hours depending on what gam you are playing. 

Apple has said in release notes that the upcoming iOS 17.2 software update improves focusing speed when trying to shoot small, faraway objects with the telephoto on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. According to 9to5mac.com, the update also enables support for spatial video on those handsets…which is really meaningless for all of us until the Vision Pro headset comes out early next year…and frankly only applies to the few, deep-pocketed early adaptors who buy the pricy thing! At any rate, the software update should be public next week…I will be interested to try the faster focusing on small, distant objects.

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

Spotify Cuts Jobs; Samsung Galaxy S24-Titanium Like Apple; Hyundai & Kia ‘Think Different’ on EV Motors; Apple Card Might Go Global With New Partner

Posted: December 4, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas, Spotify employees! 17% of you are getting an exit package from Spotify Claus. Techcrunch.com reports that it’s the third round of layoffs this year as the streaming platform moves to become ‘both productive and efficient.’ The CEO and Founder, Daniel Ek calls it ‘right sizing,’ and partly blames slow economic growth and rising capital costs. He did point out that Spotify had significantly increased investment in the business in 2020 and 2021. His statement is little consolation to the almost 1400 folks who will be having a blue Christmas after getting the pink slip. 

New leaks appear to show the Samsung Galaxy S24 joining Apple in using Titanium..as well as a new flattened screen design. According to theverge.com, there will also be on-device AI software to translate messaging apps in real time in over a dozen languages. The top line S24 Ultra will have an upgraded 50MP 5X telephoto camera, too, plus a bigger battery. The Samsung Galaxy line may drop in January instead of the usual February, but no firm date yet…stay tuned. 

In a new spin…ok, sorry about the terrible pun…on electric vehicle motors, Hyundai and Kia are working on a Uni Wheel design. Motors in wheels is a concept that was tried years ago, but it increases the ‘unsprung weight’…not a good thing…and was abandoned. Now, arstechnica.com says the two Korean makers (which are really just Hyundai…it absorbed Kia a few years ago) think they have a way to minimize the main issue with the system…that being the motor experiences all the bumps and shocks as the wheel. Up to now, car makers hadn’t figured out how to connect up the motors to the power system…but now they have a CV joint, driveshaft, and reduction gear that will work with a wide range of motion. Moving the motors to the wheels frees up space in the undercarriage of the cars to make room for bigger batteries. The motor-in-wheel system works with wheel sizes ranging from 4 inches like a scooter up to 25 inches. No word on when…or if, the Uni Wheel system will get into production.

As reported here and elsewhere, Apple and Goldman Sachs are splitting the sheets next year…so Apple is talking to other potential financial partners. Bloomberg is reporting that Chase has emerged as a possible partner. Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, points out that Apple already parks some $60 billion of its cash hoard with Chase, and that they were an early and successful Apple Pay partner. Since they are already involved with the MasterCard network, it would be a pretty seamless transition compared to switching to Visa or AmEx. A big draw for Apple…they could get into the 60 some countries where Chase operates…particularly the United Kingdom. 

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

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