Apple Pre-Shipped High End Devices to Beat Tariffs; Google Messages Makes Clearing Spam Texts Easier; Samsung Ballie Robot Out This Summer; Instagram Improves Search to Compete with TikTok 

Posted: April 9, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple took extra pains to avoid the pain of the new Trump tariffs. Macrumors.com reports that Cupertino urgently requested suppliers to ship as many premium devices as possible to the United States by air freight, especially those priced above $3,000. Besides Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Lenovo rushed to accelerate shipments before the tax went into effect today. Trump has now put a total US tariff on Chinese exports of 104%**…that’s the 20% existing tariff, plus the 34% he added last week, and the 50% tacked on after Beijing refused to withdraw a retaliatory tariff on US goods. For its part, Apple will be sourcing more iPhones from India now…maybe accounting for as much as 50% of US iPhone demand this year. **Minutes after recording this, Trump paused all tariffs for 90 days, EXCEPT on China, which he has now jacked up to 125%!

Google Messages is now making it much easier to get rid of automated spam texts. According to androidcentral.com, they have added an ‘Unsubscribe’ button. A new prompt shows up at the end of spammy messages, letting you unsubscribe with a tap. You can then pick a reason for opting out. Afterwards, you will see a ‘request sent’ notice and a ‘start’ button…should you change your mind…yeah, go ahead and laugh…like any of us will change our mind and want spam texts back from some sender. By the way, the opt-out reasons include:  “not signed up,” “too many messages,” “no longer interested,” “spam,” or “other.”

Did you love BB-8, the cute little ball-shaped robot from Star Wars? Boy has Samsung got a deal for you! Engadget.com says Samsung will be rolling out…sorry…a cute little robot called Ballie the summer. Not only is it cute and round, but Ballie will come with Google’s Gemini AI model. Samsung claims the robot has multimodal abilities, which means it can process voice, audio, and visual data from its sensors. It can manage your smart home devices, and even offer health and styling recommendations. Samsung isn’t pricing the little roll-bot yet..what with the Trump tariffs now in effect, but will need to do so before the device hits shelves this summer. 

Instagram is putting more into bulking up their search function, after admitting that they were not competing with TikTok well on this. Techcrunch.com reports that Instagram head Adam Mosseri and his team realize that younger Generation Z users frequently turn to apps like TikTok for answers, in lieu of using actual search engines. Instagram is focusing on content search, not account search. Even mighty Google, the 800 lb. gorilla of search, noticed in 2022 that social apps like TikTok and instagram were getting into their metaphorical drawers when it comes to Search and Maps. Even playing catch up with TikTok, Instagram tops Google Search and other rivals as Gen Z’s preferred search engine. HerCampus research found last year that 51% of Zoomers used TikTok over Google Search.

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

DOGE-Using AI to Monitor Anti-Trump & Musk Chatter in Government Comms; Amazon Enters Real-Time Voice Derby; Framework Pauses Laptop Sales Due to Tariffs; Nintendo Delays Switch 2 in Canada to Match US Preorder Date

Posted: April 8, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Orwell’s 1984 may be a ways in the rearview mirror, but apparently DOGE is trying to catch the US government up with Big Brother’s…and not in a good way. Engadget.com reports that Reuters is saying DOGE is employing tech in its processes, including the alleged use of artificial intelligence to monitor communications. The initiative is said to be keeping an eye out for chatter that’s considered hostile toward Elon Musk or Donald Trump. Some managers at the Environmental Protection Agency have reportedly been told that DOGE is deploying AI to monitor communication apps and software such as the widely used Microsoft Teams for anti-Musk or anti-Trump sentiment. It’s said that DOGE is watching out for individuals whose work didn’t square with the administration’s agenda. One manager reportedly told EPA staffers to “Be careful what you say, what you type and what you do.” Let’s have a warm welcome to the Thought Police. 

Amazon has a new speech-to-speech AI model called Nova Sonic that unifies speech recognition and generation to deliver what Amazon calls more natural voice interactions. According to Geekwire.com, the new model is intended to compete with Google, OpenAI, and others. Amazon says that Nova Sonic picks up on the ton of voice, adapting to the style and emotions of users. An angry customer on a support call might hear a calm, steady voice in return, while someone sounding excited could get a more upbeat response. Amazon’s senior VP of artificial general intelligence Rohit Prasad says ‘I think of intelligence as inseparable from context.’ Nova Sonic is going to be available to third-party developers via Amazon’s Bedrock service. It currently just supports English with a few different voices and accents. Amazon says it’s working on supporting more languages. 

Framework, which sells modular and repairable laptops like the Framework Laptop 13, is temporarily pausing US sales on some configurations due to the new tariffs levied by the Trump administration. Arstechnica.com says models will be pulled from their online store for now. The company said in a statement that the laptops were priced when tariffs were zero percent on goods from Taiwan. With the new 10% tariff, they would be selling at a loss. They had offered pre-built versions of the Laptop 13 with certain options for $899 and $999. Those are gone for now, but you can still preorder the upcoming Rizen AI version of the Framework Laptop 13 for $1099.

Canadian Nintendo fans aren’t happy….the company has delayed Switch 2 preorders to match up with the US preorder date. Originally, preorders were to be live April 9th…tomorrow…and the console would launch June 5th. Bgr.com reports that the dates have been delayed to match the date for US preorders…which is now yet to be determined due to the Trump tariffs. The launch date for the Switch 2 remains June 5th. The price is a little fuzzy now with the tariffs, but since Nintendo has already shipped thousands of consoles to the US, the price may…MAY…stay at $450 for now. 

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

Nintendo On Trade War Switch 2 Effect; Apple-Big iPhone Redesign for 20th Anniversary; Scientists-Present Drug Kills Mosquitoes; Jony Ive Screenless AI Phone Project

Posted: April 7, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

With the Switch 2 just being announced last week…and a fat price of $450, we now find out that the Trump Tariffs weren’t factored into that price…so the Switch 2 could be notably higher. If the tariff is 40% when finalized, you could see a $600 price on the Switch 2! Wired.com reports that the company is ‘actively assessing’ the situation. Of course the tariffs will affect game prices, too. Mario Kart World was already $80…could it touch $99? It’s too early to tell. The Switch 2 is still expected to be in hands of users by early summer.

Apple had a notable re-design for the iPhone 10…called the ‘X’ at the time. Now, word from Bloomberg…by way of appleinsider.com comes that Apple is planning to mark the 20th anniversary of the iPhone in 2027 with a significant redesign, but perhaps not as dramatically different as it did for the iPhone X in 2007. Considering the various meanings of XX, I will be surprised if they call it that…the iPhone Double Cross doesn’t have a good ring to it…and Dos Equis is already a mark owned by the Mexican beer. Back to the iPhone, however. The foldable version is supposed to be out if it hasn’t been introduced in 2026, and the 20 Pro will have ‘more extensive use’ of glass. Many prognosticators are predicting a new layout for the cameras, too…in addition to a better front cam for selfies. 

I know there are birds that rely on mosquitoes for a good portion of their diet…martins come to mind. That said, who else likes mosquitoes? Besides carrying disease potentially, there are the maddening itchy bites. Now, according to bgr.com, researchers at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have found that there is an existing drug used by some people for a medical condition that kill the little blood suckers within hours. The drug is nitisinone, and it is used for a rare genetic condition. Ivermectin has been tried on mosquitoes. The nitisinone has distinct advantages, however. It lasts longer in the bloodstream, and doesn’t target the nervous system. That means less likely to harm bees and butterflies. Because the drug is already approved for humans, testing should take less time. 

Design wizard Jony Ive, who gave us some of the most iconic Apple looks before leaving to start his own company, is working on an AI phone without a screen. Macrumors.com reports that Ive, at the new startup he founded along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, may find the startup being acquired by OpenAI for a sweet $500 million. The startup is called io Products, and they are also working on other AI powered household products, besides the screen less phone…which they insist is ‘not a phone.’ In addition to Ive and Sam Altman, the business has funding from Laurene Powell Jobs via her Emerson Collective. 

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

Nintendo Switch Date, Price, etc; Card Networks Spar Over Apple Card Account; Tesla-Worst Deliveries in 2 Years; Amazon-Last Minute Bid for TikTok US

Posted: April 2, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Nintendo has finally announced a date and price for the upcoming Switch 2. Theverge.com reports that the new handheld gaming system will be available on June 5th. It reportedly will be priced at $499.99. The Switch 2 will ship rocking a bigger 7.9 inch, 1080p screen capable of 120Hz, a 4K dock that upscales games for your TV, and Joy-Con 2 controllers that can work like a mouse. It also has 256GB of internal storage, up from 32GB on the original Switch. A new Mario Kart world game will launch exclusively on the 2 on June 5th…with open-world mode, in-game atmospheric effects that depend on ‘the time of day and weather conditions,’ and up to 24 drivers per race. 

It has been no secret that Goldman Sachs has been itching to disengage from Apple’s Apple Card. The financial giant has reportedly lost money on the deal. Now, according to appleinsider.com, the card may not only be looking to land at a new banking home, but a new network. Apple Card has been affiliated with the Mastercard network since it rolled out. Mastercard would like to keep the deal, but apparently Visa has offered Apple $100 million to take over as payment network. American Express has also recently shown interest in grabbing the account. Apple can’t move from Mastercard until 2026 when their contract expires. If this quiet negotiation continues, Apple Card could see both a new banking home and a new payment network in 2026. I wonder if they will re-issue those titanium cards…they all have the Mastercard logo, so Visa or Amex won’t want that if they take the account!

Tesla recorded its worst deliveries in 2 years, mostly due to backlash over Elon Musk’s involvement in the US government via the so-called Doge. TechCrunch.com says the EV maker delivered 336,681 cars. Analysts had expected 408,000 for first quarter. The car maker delivered 495,570 vehicles in the 4th quarter of 2024, so this is quite a drop. European sales were off 49%, and sales in China were down significantly, with Chinese maker BYD passing up Tesla there. With drops like this, the stock is up almost 5% today. What gives? Well, word has leaked out of the White House that Musk’s days of meddling in the government are nearing their end. Apparently, in addition to his advisors and Cabinet Secretaries, even Trump is getting weary of Elon Musk’s antics. 

Amazon has put in an offer to buy US TikTok, just days before the deadline for the app to be banned or sold to US investors. Bloomberg.com reports that the offer was made in a letter sent to Vice President J.D. Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Details…such as the amount offered…haven’t leaked, and some parties involved aren’t taking Amazon’s bid seriously. That would give credence to it being something of a low-ball offer. President Trump is due to meet with officials to discuss the app’s fate today, with the April 5th deadline looming. Trump has said that a deal with TikTok’s parent company ByteDance to sell the app will be finalized before that April 5th deadline.

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

Samsung Galaxy Edge Launch Imminent; OpenAI Image Generator Now Available to Everyone; Google Messages-Group Chat Upgrade; France Fines Apple For Excessive Rejection of Tracking!

Posted: April 1, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge could be unveiled soon. Androidpolice.com reports that a European retailer, NieuweMobiel, claims the slim profile phone will launch in Europe on April 15th. We don’t know for sure when the phone will actually get into user’s hands. An earlier report from Korea said May. That could still hold…although both Samsung and Apple tend to open preorders on the day devices are shown, with availability coming around a week later. As Samsung is notoriously leaky, we expect the Galaxy S25 Edge to have 256Gigs as base memory, and come in Silver, Black, and Blue. Expected base price should be around $1294. The initial run is only about 40,000 units, so it will probably only be available initially in Korea, parts of Europe, and the US. 

ChatGPT’s built-in image generation feature is now available to everyone. According to engadget.com, OpenAI made the feature available to free users over the weekend. What this means is you can generate images from within ChatGPT and without having to switch to OpenAI’s DALL-E generator. Prior to its rollout to the free tier, the tool was only available to Plus, Pro and Team subscribers. Do be aware that for the freebie users, you have a limit of three images a day. One of the tool’s most popular uses is the creation of Ghibli (Jib’ lee)-style images using real-life photos. These are in the style of a Japanese anime studio of the same name. Users simply have to upload the photo they want to use and then instruct ChatGPT in natural language to create a Ghibli-style version of it. 

Google Messages is considering an update to group chats that could be a biggie. A major feature will be the ability to  “join this group with this unique link or QR code.” So…they are taking a page out of Zoom’s book, it would seem. 9to5google.com notes that the group link and QR code automatically expires after a few days. Also, the USP can be reset at any time. That gives the ability to set a custom group icon, and makes it possible to delete sent messages ‘for everyone.’ No time frame on when or even if the features might drop. 

From the ‘You’ve Got to Be Kidding Department,’ France has fined Apple 150 million Euros over ‘excessive’ pop-ups that let users reject tracking! Arstechnica.com reports that France’s Competition Authority says Apple’s requiring what amounts to double consent harms “smaller publishers in particular since, unlike the main vertically integrated platforms, they depend to a large extent on third-party data collection to finance their business.”  The agency does note that Apple’s own data collection is obtained with a single pop-up. Ok, duly noted France…but what user in their right mind wants to be tracked…ever? Too bad about companies who rely on income from taking and selling my data. Get a better business model!

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

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