Apple- New iPad Mini With A17 Pro Chip; Google Turns to Nuclear Power for AI; Musk’s Optimus Robots- All Human Operated;  Apple Study-LLM’s Really Can’t Reason Yet

Posted: October 15, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple made a surprise announcement today and bowed a new iPad Mini. Macrumors.com reports that the new 8.3 inch Mini will rock the A17 Pro chip and will be able to run Apple Intelligence. Apple claims a 30% boost in CPU performance and 25% boost in GPU performance compared to the older model. It will support the Apple Pencil Pro, and have faster WiFi, faster USB-C data transfer, a better 12MP wide camera, and has 128 Gigs of memory for the base model….double the amount from before. You can preorder today, it delivers October 23rd. $499 for WiFi only and $649 for WiFi plus cellular. Colors include blue, purple, space gray, and starlight. 

Google is going nuclear…well, to power AI anyway. According to mashable.com, Google has cut a deal with California based Kairos Power to build between 6 and 7 mini-nuclear reactors to furnish ‘clean, round-the-clock-power’ to run its AI operations running and carbon free. they expect the first one to go online by 2030. Google is not alone. As we reported here earlier, Microsoft has cut a deal to reactivate the infamous Three Mile Island nuclear plant…which melted down years ago…in Pennsylvania to run Microsoft AI server farms. The plant could power 800,000 homes…but instead will have Microsoft as its sole customer. Not to be left out…Amazon also has a nuclear energy deal!

It had been pointed out by some tech reporters who attended that the Optimus robots at Tesla’s Cybercab and ‘We Robot’ event were human operated. Now, the verge.com says one of those, Robert Scoble, noted that an engineer told him the robots used AI to walk. However, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas wrote  that the robots “relied on tele-ops (human intervention)”. One so-called robot even told an attendee…or the human voicing the robot said… “Today, I am assisted by a human,” adding that it’s not fully autonomous. (The voice stumbled on the word “autonomous.”) The first law of robotics says no harm to humans. Perhaps we need an addendum to the law of robotics…you shall not impersonate a robot and claim it is an actual robot. 

As discussed here fairly often, Large Language Models…or AI, as it has been branded, isn’t really intelligent at this point. Despite OpenAI and Google claiming theirs have advanced ‘reasoning’ capabilities as the next big move for AI models. Arstechnica.com reports that a new study by 6 Apple engineers indicates that  the mathematical “reasoning” displayed by advanced large language models can be extremely brittle and unreliable in the face of seemingly trivial changes to common benchmark problems. The fragility highlighted in these new results helps support previous research suggesting that LLMs use of probabilistic pattern matching is missing the formal understanding of underlying concepts needed for truly reliable mathematical reasoning capabilities. “Current LLMs are not capable of genuine logical reasoning. Instead, they attempt to replicate the reasoning steps observed in their training data.” An example from another article told of an expert witness in a legal case about real estate using Microsoft’s Copilot to figure the money damages in the case. The judge called him out on it…the AI basically faked the damages with its guesstimate. That jurist admonished the attorneys and warned that future AI attempted use has to be disclosed.

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

Apple-Smart Glasses & Air Pod Cams Coming; Samsung Smart TVs Get First One UI Update; Meta Partners on Ray Bans with Be My Eyes; Internet Archive-Back After Hack- Read

Posted: October 14, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Some interesting Apple rumors from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 9to5mac.com reports that the analyst sees Apple working on some smart glasses, similar to Meta’s Ray-Bans, and also on AirPods with cameras….shades of the old Google Glass and the so-called ‘glassholes,’ perhaps. The glasses won’t be full AR glasses with displays, but rather smart glasses with built in cameras, speakers, and mics – similar to Meta’s Ray Ban glasses, which have become pretty popular. Meta sells those glasses for as low as $299, although there are more expensive frames you can pick. Besides these two- possibly in 2027-Apple also may roll out Cheaper Vision Headsets with lower quality than the Vision Pro for around $2000 in 2025. An update to the $3500 Vision Pro, dubbed the Vision Pro 2 may bow in 2026. 

Samsung is starting to roll out and One UI update for its smart TVs, which is intended to unify the software experience across devices. According to androidpolice.com, features include home screen tabs, Watch Later, and the ability to used other devices as a keyboard and mouse…which as anyone who has used the TVs can tell you, is a feature badly needed. Trying to key in passwords on the TV remote is a huge hassle. Samsung is saying they will have 7 years of OS updates for TVs getting One UI, but they haven’t specified which TV models this will apply to. The One UI will be a welcome improvement from the less-than-great Tizan system.

As cool as the Apple glasses may be, they will still be pricy, and not here for at least a year. What about now? Well, Meta is now, and partnering with Be My Eyes on an accessible upgrade to the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses. Mashable.com notes that Be My Eyes provides free human and AI support for users who are blind or have low vision, pairing them with sighted volunteer helpers who can describe a visual field or object, read text, navigate a space, or answer questions in real time. With this new integration, Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses owners can now use the Be My Eyes “Call a Volunteer” experience entirely using voice commands. All they need to do is say out loud, “Hey Meta, Call a Volunteer on Be My Eyes” to be paired with multilingual audio or video support. I have a friend who uses Be My Eyes, and also has the Meta Smart Ray-Bans, and will be interested to know how this works out in the real world. I have no doubt he will give his unvarnished opinion of this partnership!

After a major data breech last week, the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine is back up and running…albeit in read-only mode. Mashable.com says a post from the founder of Internet Archive, Brewster Kahle, claims that it is “Safe to resume but might need further maintenance, in which case it will be suspended again. Please be gentle.” For now, the site will not reinstate its ‘Save Page Now’ feature, which archives the page as it currently appears and generates a permanent URL. 

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

US DOJ May Make Google Spin off Android or Chrome; Amazon Tweaks Ring Subscriptions with AI Video Search; Samsung Drops Support for $2000 Galaxy Fold 2 after 4 Years; Nintendo Motion-Controlled Mario Alarm Clock

Posted: October 9, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The US Department of Justice is weighing asking a federal judge to make Google spin off Android and/or Chrome among other possible antitrust solutions in the aftermath of Google being found to have a monopoly over online search. 9to5google.com reports that Google, to the surprise of no one, is arguing against such moves. Ahead of a deciding trial scheduled for this coming spring, the DOJ offered an outline of what it might recommend: “…considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features—including emerging search access points and features, such as artificial intelligence—over rivals or new entrants.” The DOJ outline continues: “Breaking them (referring to Android and Chrome) off would change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store.” the government might also make Google offer an API that lets competitors access indexes, data, feeds, and models used for Google search, as well as their search results, features, and ads…including underlying ranking signals! Google is arguing that the government’s proposed remedies are much too broad. After a trial this spring, the judge should issue a decision by August 2025. No matter the outcome, expect Google to immediately appeal, with remedies on hold throughout the appeal process. 

Amazon has rebranded the Ring Basic Plan as Ring Home Basic, and it’s $4.99 a month. Not that long ago, it was less than $3 a month. Ring Protect Plus is not Ring Home Standard, and it’s $5.99 a month, while Ring Home Premium is now $19.99 a month with professional alarm monitoring. According to techcrunch.com, all subscribers will get person and package alerts, video preview alerts, and 180 days of event history. Home Standard customers can now see up to 30 minute streams, and there’s a continuous stream for Home Premium. Now, with Home Premium, subscribers will get Smart Video Search, which lets them find specific moments in recorded footage. Coming on the heels of Smart Video Search…AI updates that will bring detailed captions for cam footage and natural language search functionality. Because you know you need that AI to scroll back through the footage from earlier today to see if a porch pirate ripped you off. 

Samsung has outrageously quit updating the Galaxy Z Fold 2. the $2000 folding phone just came out in 2020, 4 years ago. that’s a pretty expensive paperweight. Ok, not a paperweight yet, but will be as more updates leave it behind. Arstechnica.com notes that newer Samsung phones are promised 7 years of updates. I’m sure that some people will keep using the pricy phone and risk hacking and data theft, considering what they paid, but no security updates after 4 years is the height of corporate arrogance and irresponsibility. Apple promises 5 years of security updates, but generally has to go longer…usually 7 years… under California’s ‘legacy’ device law. 

In the product in search of a market department, Nintendo has rolled out a motion-controlled alarm clock, so you can awaken to the sounds of Super Mario and Zelda. It’s complete with chunky low resolution looking display that resembles 8 bit, too. Theverge.com reports that the $99.99 clock…called Alarmo…responds to your movements. That means you can snooze it without getting out of bed. You can order right now, and it will be out in early 2025. Honestly, if they can’t make it jump like Mario when making the sound effect, why make it? It does at least feature sounds from 5 different Switch games: Breath of the Wild, Pikmin 4, Splatoon 3, Super Mario Odyssey, and Ring Fit Adventure. You can connect it to your Nintendo account for even more. The clock is supposed to also track movement so you can check your sleep. 

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

It’s October Prime Days; Fourteen State Attorneys General Sue TikTok; China Hacked Verizon and AT&T; Google-Must Open Android for 3rd Party Stores

Posted: October 8, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s here…Christmas in October for a lot of folks. Amazon’s October Prime Days…or Big Deal Days, as they are trying to re-brand them. Engadget.com reports that as usual, many of the best deals are on Amazon’s own hardware…like an Amazon Echo Spot for $45…$35 off. They are also shaving prices on Apple gear, with AirPods Pro for $169, an $80 discount. You can score and Anker MagGo 3-in-1 charging stand for $72, which is $28 off. Looking for a robot vacuum….well you can buy an iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ vacuum and mop for $799…that’s a whopping $600 off. Oh, and can’t forget Lego…a number of Lego sets are 20% off, including a Star Wars set and a Super Mario set. 

The Attorneys General of 14 states have sued TikTok, claiming it damages young users’ mental health and that the platform collects the kids data without consent. According to NBC, the states say TikTok violated their laws by falsely claiming the service is safe for young people. The suits are all separate, but the Attorneys General of New York and California have taken the lead. TikTok put out a statement saying  “We strongly disagree with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading. We’re proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we’ve done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product.” The states include California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Vermont, Washington state and the District Of Columbia.

Chinese government hackers pierced AT&T and Verizon’s networks and were able to snoop around for months. Arstechnica.com says they were likely able to access information from systems the federal government uses for court-authorized wiretapping requests. The hacking group has been named Salt Typhoon. Investigations are proceeding by the FBI and other intelligence agencies, but they are apparently in early stages. The hackers were able to get some of Verizons data by reconfiguring Cisco routers…which they did without detection. Of course the Chinese Embassy, when reached for comment, claimed this was all false information made up by the US intelligence community and cyber security companies.  

In a final court ruling in the Epic v. Google case, Judge James Donato ordered Google to effectively open the Google Play app store to competition for 3 years. Theverge.com reports that Google will have to distribute rival third-party app stores within Google Play, and it must give rival third-party app stores access to the full catalog of Google Play apps, unless developers opt out individually. These were Epic’s biggest asks. A permanent injunction was also issued blocking Google from other behavior that the court found to be anticompetitive. As you might imagine, Google has said it will appeal.

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

New Macs & iPad Mini November 1st; Android Rolling Out New Anti-Theft Features; Supremes Turn Away Suit Over Special Counsel Demanding Trump X Info; GM Working on Hands AND Eyes-Off Driving System

Posted: October 7, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Last month, we got the new iPhones, Watches, and Apple ear buds upgrades. Now, macrumors.com reports that Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is saying we will probably see updated bigger Apple Hardware as early as November 1st. This will include new M4 low-end 14 inch MacBook Pros, and the higher end 14 and 16 inch models…and also a refreshed Mac Mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips. The iMac will get the upgrade as well. One iPad seems to be in the mix for sure…the Mini. It is due for it, as the Mini hasn’t seen an upgrade in 3 years. Don’t expect Mac Studio or Mac Pro models with more powerful M4 chips quite yet. Those won’t be out until mid 2025 for the Studio and the Pro at the tail end of that year. 

Google is now releasing anti-theft protection features in the US. They had previously only been available in Brazil. According to androidpolice.com, not all US users are seeing all of them even after the rollout. The 3 features are Theft Detection Lock, Offline Device Lock, and Remote Lock. So far, some Pixel users are getting Remote Lock, but not the other two. Other Pixel users are seeing all three protective features. You can check your phone to see what you have…go to the Settings app, and search for ‘theft protection’ to see if the 3 features are available for your phone. Theft Detection Lock determines if the phone is forcefully taken from your hand, and automatically locks it. Offline Device lock automatically locks your phone’s screen when “a thief tries to disconnect your phone for prolonged periods of time.” Remote Lock is for when you know when you phone is gone for good…you can remotely lock the screen with just your phone number and a security challenge. You use the website android.com/lock.

The Supreme Court is back in session, and promptly refused to take a case disputing special counsel Jack Smith’s efforts to get the records of former President Trump from Twitter (which, of course, is now X) and keep that platform from letting him know about the demand for production. In refusing to take the case, the lower court ruling stands that upheld a nondisclosure order, which Elon Musk claimed violated his platform’s First Amendment right to communicate with Trump. Bloomberg says a judge decided the order was valid, and fined X $350,000 for civil contempt. Twitter eventually turned over 32 direct messages, which the special counsel’s office said was a ‘minuscule proportion’ of the information they requested. 

It won’t be a first, but it will certainly be the most widely used when it hits the road. General Motors is working on a hands AND eyes-off driving system. Techcrunch.com reports that this will be a step up from their 7 year old Super Cruise hands-off system that is currently available. This would be what is known as a Level 3 or L3 system…not quite self-driving cars like Waymo is running in several cities or even like GM’s Cruise division has…which are just getting back on the streets of San Francisco after an accident earlier this year where a woman was dragged. Right now, the only L3 system is Mercedes-Benz’ Drive Pilot. Even Tesla’s Autopilot and so-called ‘Full Self-Driving’ system are only Level 2. No word on how soon the Level 3 setup would be available from GM, but since they are teasing it, it should be sooner, not later. GM says Super Cruise will have about 750,000 miles of roads it can use by the end of 2025. 

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

YouTube Goes After TikTok With Longer Shorts; Google Lens Now Lets You Search With Video; Tesla Dropped its Cheapest Model; Amazon to Hire Quarter Million for Holidays

Posted: October 3, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

YouTube has expanded the length of YouTube Shorts. So maybe now they are YouTube Bermuda Shorts? Ok, enough with the snark. Shorts will now be able to be up to 3 minutes long. Techcrunch.com reports that YouTube is hoping to be more competitive with TikTok now. TikTok, though, already allows videos of up to 10 minutes when recording, and uploads of up to an hour. It also makes participating in trends easier for users. YouTube says the new Shorts player is designed to streamline the look of these short videos, making the creator’s content stand out by placing it front and center in the user interface. The addition of templates by YouTube will allow creators to more quickly jump on trends. You will be able to tap a ‘Remix’ option in a Short, then choose ‘Use this template’ to make your own video. The race continues to be trendy. Hey, these tech reports are on YouTube and they are generally short…but trendy….nope…I’m afraid I missed the boat on that! I’ll just try to keep YOU up on tech trends!

Google Lens is now letting you search with video. Previously, you could search with just a picture. In addition, you can use your voice to ask about what you are seeing. According to theverge.com, the new feature will bring up an AI Overview and search results based on the video’s contents and your question. It is rolling out in Search Labs on both Android and iOS today. This is a feature Google promised and previewed at I/O in May. Google Lens is also updating its photo search feature with the ability to ask a question using your voice. To try it, aim your camera at your subject, hold down the shutter button, and then ask your question. Note that the voice part is only available in English for the time being.

With Elon Musk’s lates hype fest coming right up…with more on the robotaxis that have been promised for several years…Tesla has dropped its entry level car. The EV maker has stopped selling the Model 3 Standard Range Rear-Wheel Drive. Engadget.com notes that it had had a price of $39,000. Now, the cheapest Tesla will be the Model 3 Long-Range Rear-Wheel Drive version at $42,500. Tesla gave out their third quarter numbers yesterday, delivering 462,890 units between July and the end of September. This was short of analyst expectations of 469,000 vehicles. 

As brick and mortar stores do for the holidays, and as online retailers also have done for a number of years now, Amazon is gearing up for the holidays….and planning to hire a whopping 250,000 workers. Geekwire.com says this will at least match their hiring effort for the holidays last year, so they expect a robust holiday selling season. The online giant has also announce a buck and a half boost in pay to $22 per hour for US hourly workers, and for seasonal workers, the rate will be $18 an hour or more.  Full time seasonal workers will have health care benefits from day one on the job. Amazon claims that seasonal work is often a path to long-term employment…although long term is relative. Amazon is known for a strong ‘churn’ of employees leaving due to the conditions in the warehouses.

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

Open AI Sets Investment Round Record; Microsoft Sunsets HoloLens 2; iOS Privacy Change May Screw New Social Apps; Threads-More Time to Edit Posts

Posted: October 2, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

OpenAI has wrapped up its latest venture capital round, raising $6.6 billion dollars…that’s the biggest venture capital round of all time. Techcrunch.com reports that now OpenAI is valued at $157 billion. Total VC funds including this latest blast of cash brings OpenAI’s total raised to $17.9 billion. OpenAI has asked investors to avoid backing rival startups in AI like Anthropic and xAI. Trying to get investors to not hedge their bets seems like a fool’s errand. Elon Musk’s xAI raised over $6 billion, and is now valued at $24 billion…a long ways from OpenAI’s valuation. Anthropic has raised some $9.7 billion. 

Mixed reality headsets are all still too expensive, too heavy, and not quite good enough…save for Apple’s ridiculously expensive Vision Pro. Now, according to macrumors.com, Microsoft is dropping the HoloLens2 headsets. They will sell off the remaining stock and then that’s it. Microsoft will support security updates until the end of 2027, then support will end all together too. Right now, there are no rumors of a new HoloLens headset. My take is that Facebook is on the right track…until you can get things miniaturized enough to fit into a pair of Buddy Holly thick glasses, instead of a big headset…and price said glasses at the price point of a top smartphone or less…mixed reality vision gadgets will stay very much a niche item. 

A change in iOS 18 intended to provide better privacy for users may really take a toll on new social apps. 9to5mac.com says contact sharing is more restrictive than ever under iOS 18. Up to now, apps like Instagram or WhatsApp would request access to your contact and you could either grant that access or deny it. Personally, I always deny…I think it is not cool to share your contacts…many of whom are friends in real life…with an app you are on, so that company can pester them to join up.  iOS 18 makes matters a lot more granular than before. If an app requests access to your contacts post-update, you can select exactly which contacts you’re okay sharing….if any. This change will make it harder than ever for new social platforms to grow, compared to giants like Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, or TikTok. I look it this way….it’s like if you buy a car, and they ask you to write down all your friends who might be interested in buying one from that dealer, too…or a credit card that offers you a little cash for referring your friends and family. Go get your own prospects, you lazy bum new social apps!

Meta’s Threads platform has been slow of late at adding features, but has just bowed a nifty one. Theverge.com notes that you will now have 15 minutes to edit posts on Threads…up from 5 minutes. This does mean, however, if you have the fediverse switched on, you won’t see your post on other platforms like Mastodon for 15 minutes. Even though tripling time to edit, 15 minutes is a bit miserly compared to other platforms. X, for example, gives you up to an hour if you have a paid subscriptions. Mastodon lets you edit your posts at any time after they are published for free. Another feature add…Threads will now show you who follows you and likes your posts from other fediverse servers like Mastodon. 

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

Windows Adding New AI Features to Copilot Plus PCs; Epic Sues Google Again & Samsung, Too; Apple Backs Out of Backing OpenAI; Cruise Dinged for $1.5 Million Over Hiding Pedestrian Crash Details 

Posted: October 1, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft has laid out what they are calling the ’next phase’ of Copilot, with a new design and features bowing. 9to5google.com reports that one is ‘Copilot Voice’ which is a new experience on mobile devices that is like Google’s Gemini Live. Another new feature is ‘Copilot Daily,’ which gives a summery of news and weather using the same voice as ‘Voice,’ and grabs from ‘authorized content sources,’ while ‘Personalized Discover’ helps guide users through Copilot features. ‘Copilot Vision’ will help you understand what you are looking at on your screen and let you ask questions. One might be why does Copilot think I’m so stupid, I don’t know what I’m looking at on my screen! Microsoft does say that the controversial Recall will be available starting next month….with new privacy and security measures in place. 

Epic won a case that had dragged on for 4 years against Google last December. Now, they are suing Google again, and also suing Samsung. According to theverge.com, Epic accuses Google and Samsung of illegally conspiring to undermine third party app stores. This suit flows from Samsung’s ‘Auto Blocker’ feature, that now comes on by default in new Samsung phones. While it’s turned on, it automatically keeps users from installing apps unless they come from “authorized sources” — namely, Google and Samsung’s app stores. Epic claims there’s no process for any rival store to become “authorized.” Epic complains that it now takes ‘an exceptionally onerous 21-step process’ to download a third party app store on a Samsung phone…although their own website says there are only 4 steps to do so. Some observers have pointed out that the Fortnite maker hasn’t shown how it has been harmed by the Auto Blocker. 

OpenAI has dropped their supposed altruistic roots, and has gone all in as a for profit company. They have been in the midst of raising some $6.5 billion more to pour into ChatGPT, and Microsoft is expected to pump another billion into the venture. Nvidia is also expected to be a major contributor to the latest round. One major player has backed out of investing in OpenAI though…Apple. Arstechnica.com says Apple still does plan to offer limited ChatGPT integration into an upcoming iOS update, but Cupertino also plans to support additional AI models like Google’s Gemini down the line…think of it as offering a choice of large language models kind of like you have a choice of web browsers. Famously secretive Apple gave no reason for walking away from investing in OpenAI.

Cruise, the self-driving subsidiary of General Motors, has to cough up $1.5 million in fines to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Techcrunch.com reports that the fine is part of a consent order signed that the company agreed to with the NHTSA over a pedestrian crash last year in San Francisco. Cruise left out the little detail in their report that the poor woman was dragged some 20 feet by the robotaxi. Cruise also has to submit a ‘corrective action plan’ outlining changes they will make towards better compliance. 

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

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