Google Bot-in-a-Box; Adele -Spotify Removes Shuffle; Facebook Messenger & IG-No Default End-to-End Encryption Until 2023; Just 21% of Remote Workers Aware of Cyber Threats; Crate ‘V-8’ -EV Conversion of Gas Cars; Ford Chip Shortage Workaround

Google has launched what they are dubbing conversational AI to chatbot interaction. Zdnet.com reports that the ‘bot-in-a-box system is designed to help businesses to get started more easily in setting up chatbots as part of their Business Messages service. The service allows organizations to connect waitpeople via Google Search, Maps, or their own business channels. For most small to medium businesses, it will have a great feature in that it uses Google’s Dialogflow tech to create the chatbots without the business having to write any code (or apparently employ coders, to say nothing of actual customer service PEOPLE!)

In almost every case, the poor artist is at the mercy of big music companies and streaming services…but not all. If you’re big enough, you can get changes made. According to engadget.com, Adele is one of those big shots. She has gotten Spotify to remove the shuffle button from album pages! Adele said in a Tweet that albums ought to be listened to ‘as [artists] intended’ as they tell ‘a story’. The shuffle controls for individual songs remain. Apple Music still has a shuffle button on its album pages. It remains to be seen if Adele can push mighty Apple into making the change, too. 

Facebook now says Messenger and Instagram may not get default end-to-end encryption until 2023! Theverge.com reports that it is part of the unified messaging system FB is trying to build across all its platforms. Facebook (or Meta) already has end-to-end encryption by default on its WhatsApp platform. One reason given for the delay is that they apparently don’t want the encryption to interfere with their ability to help stop criminal activity. 

A scary report indicates that only 21% of remote workers say they are aware of cyber threats. The report from Unisys, picked up by venturebeat.com, says that 61% of hybrid and remote workers fell primarily responsible for maintaining their own digital security…but the headline 21% are actually aware of sophisticated online threats. This will need to be addressed moving forward, since some 83% of employers now say that the shift to hybrid or remote work has been successful and will be made permanent. Most workers prefer to be remote between 1-3 days a week. 

A Chatsworth, CA company is building what they are calling a ‘Crate V-8’ EV motor to drop into older cars to convert to electric. Electric GT will sell single and double electric motor versions, made in the shape of a gas V-8. Motorbiscuit.com notes that you would still need a battery pack, but the cool thing about the crate V-8 EV is that it is designed to bolt right on to existing transmissions. Under what would be the valve covers on a regular V-8 are the DC-DC converter, and onboard charger, coolant lines, and pump. They hope to make models that will fit most common Chevy, Ford, & Chrysler products, and also some Toyota models. 

While the world scrambles with a shortage of computer chips…which has massively affected the automobile industry, Ford…to quote an old ad, ‘had a better idea.’ The Detroit auto maker quietly partnered with US-based chipmaker Global Foundries. According to reviewgeek.com, this should help Ford deliver more vehicles in 2022. In addition, Ford is working to bring chip design in-house…like Apple has done. This will be a boon to their regular chip use, as well as infotainment system use, EV platform, and their self-driving system that’s in the works.

Twitter Rolls out ‘Disappearing Tweets’ Patch; Lucid Bags 17,000 More Orders in Quarter; Substack Hits a Million Paid Subscribers; Adaptive Headlights Finally Legal in US

Twitter is apparently in the middle of fixing the notorious ‘disappearing’ Tweets that have plagued the service for some time now. Tweets would disappear just as you were reading one. Engadget.com reports that a fix is being rolled out. Along with it, there is a Tweet counter bar at the top of the timeline. The fix is just being rolled out on the web client right now, so don’t look for it yet on mobile devices…although Twitter says that is coming. the full suite of patches will be out in a variety of updates over the next couple months. 

Lucid…that ‘other’ electric car maker just starting to get wheels on the road, has picked up an additional 17,000 orders since the end of the third quarter. According to techcrunch.com, they have now delivered about two dozen of the pricey Air Dream Edition ($169,000 a pop) since the end of October. The Lucid Grand Touring is rated at a range of a whopping 516 miles! The company’s reservation bank now adds up to about $1.3 billion worth of EVs. They expect to produce around 20,000 cars next year, and are shooting for 500,00 per year by the end of the decade. BTW, the base model is $77,000…still a bit eye-watering, but a far cry from the top end model at $169,000!

Substack has amassed over a million paid subscriptions as of this week. Nieman Lab says that’s double what they had just 10 months ago, and for times the number of a year ago. Nieman notes that the number of subscribers is more like 500,000, as many people pay for more than one Substack. Also…paid subscribers are a small fraction at this point of the total readership….between 5 and 10%. That would give the platform over 10 million readers at best. Even so, the top 10 writers on Substack generate about $20 million in annual revenue. Substack declined to name the top 10 writers, claiming it changes constantly. 

Full adaptive headlights are finally legal in the US, after President Biden signed the infrastructure bill yesterday. These aren’t just the ones that can ‘see’ around corners. Best known are Audi’s Digital Matrix LEDs, that automatically shut off clusters of LEDs when you are driving. Cnet.com notes that this will prevent blinding oncoming cars. Present LED headlights really only go from blazingly bright to just merely bright…they are never really dim. The cool thing is, the next get adaptive headlights can switch off clusters that would blind the oncoming cars, while keeping plenty of light on the roadway and signs. In the Bay Area, think about the focused LED street lights on the new section of the Bay Bridge. They don’t get in your face, but brilliantly light up the lanes and signage. You will probably see lots of new cars with the adaptive headlights in the next couple years. 

Feds Nixed Intel China Facility; Apple Paying $30 Million to Store Employees for Bag Check Time; Tesla Deploying Starling Satellite Dishes at Superchargers; Google Plays Nice With Free Trial

The White House gave thumbs down to Intel’s plan to build a chip plant in China, citing security concerns. According to Bloomberg, it could have been online by the end of 2022. Intel is already building 2 new plants in Arizona, where TSMC out of Taiwan is also building a semiconductor plant. Intel has been seeking federal assistance to ramp up production and research in the US. 

There has been an ongoing battle between Apple and its retail employees over off the clock bag searches of employee bags before they leave work. Now, apple insider.com reports that Apple has agreed to pay $29.9 million in a settlement. This litigation has been going on for a stunning 8 years! After a stop at the Ninth Circuit, and then the California Supreme Court, the writing was on the wall…as the California Supremes ruled last year that Apple was on the hook for payment for the mandatory searches. The Court pointed out a legal requirement in the state’s wage law that indicates employees should be entitled to compensation during the time they are subject to a company’s control.

Tesla has begun deploying Starlink satellite dishes at some of its Supercharger locations. Engadget.com says that so far, Tesla hasn’t commented on the dishes, and its unknown if they will be available to customers. It’s possible that they are there to replace or supplement the existing connections to handle payments and charger status. Such a setup would allow Tesla to put in stations in remote areas that don’t have broadband. It’s also possible that the might make them available to customers while charging to stream content to their cars…for those who don’t have Premium Connectivity. The chargers themselves don’t need gobs of bandwidth, so it makes sense that some of the connectivity would be available for customers.

Google has committed what has been called ‘a shocking act of decency.’ In a departure from virtually every other firm…tech or otherwise, Google doesn’t automatically turn the 30 day free trial for the Nest Aware into a subscription unless you automatically stop it. Zdnet.com notes that you have to actually have to give them permission, and click a ‘subscribe’ button to continue on after your free trial. While this may not negate all the data mining of everything about you that Google does, it is at least a small baby step towards their old ‘Don’t Be Evil’ slogan.

Meta to Restrict Ad Targeting; Apple Must Allow External App Store Payment Options; $250 Surface Laptop Goes After Chromebooks; YouTube Will Remove Public Dislike Counts

Meta is apparently going to crack down more on potentially harmful ads…removing detailed ad targeting options for ‘thousands’ of sensitive topics on Facebook and Instagram. The changes should start happening by January 19th. Engadget.com reports that The move will bar ads based on interactions with content related to ethnicity, health, political beliefs, religion and sexual orientation, among other hot-button issues. Meta says they will also give users more control over the ads they say…providing options to see fewer ads about gambling, weight loss, and other delicate topics. They already offer limiting by users for ads for alcohol, parenting, pets, and politics. 

Apple has been ordered by the Judge in Epic v Apple, Yvonne Gonzalez, Rogers, to comply with an order to let developers add links and buttons to external payment options, denying Apple’s motion for a stay. According to theverge.com, Apple’s attorneys claim ‘It’s going to take months to figure out the engineering, economic, business, and other issues. It is exceedingly complicated. There have to be guardrails and guidelines to protect children, to protect developers, to protect consumers, to protect Apple. And they have to be written into guidelines that can be explained and enforced and applied.” Apple is expected to appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay, but without such, the injunction will take effect on December 9th.

Microsoft is aiming directly at Chromebooks and their hold on school classrooms. Arstechnica.com notes that the new Surface Laptop SE will run $250. It is a low-end, 11.6 inch laptop designed for basic browsing, document editing, and remote learning. the SE runs Windows 11 SE, a cloud-focused version of the OS that keeps the look and feel of Windows 11, but lets school IT admins control what apps are installed and keeps most files and user settings in the cloud as opposed to on the laptop. Another feature aimed at schools (but one everyone really prefers): “vital components like the display, battery, keyboard—even the motherboard—can be easily repaired onsite, saving time and money for IT admins and schools.” Low end laptops running Win 11 SE are expected from HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Asus, and more makers. Some will start at $219. They should be showing up late this year and through 2022. 

In a move aimed at taking the sting out of  ‘harassment mobs,’ YouTube will remove all public dislike counts. Cnet.com reports that the platform is doing this to protect smaller channels and newer creators that are disproportionately affected by the attacks. The change started rolling out today. Note that the dislike button itself is staying, and that will affect viewers’ guiding their recommendations, and creators will still be able to track the number of dislikes on their own posts. Facebook and Twitter rolled out an  option for users to hide public counts earlier this year, but that is an option…this YouTube count hide will be in effect automatically. 

Amazon Will Take Venmo Payments; Niantic Launches Platform to Build Metaverse Apps; Wind & Solar Could Produce 85% of US Electricity; Lithium-Metal Hybrid Battery-The Future?

Amazon is going to allow people to pay on amazon.com starting next year, using their mobile shopping app via Venmo, PayPal’s mobile payment service. According to geekwire.com, it’s another move to make buying stuff from the online giant even more ‘frictionless,’ no matter where you are or what device you are using. PayPal said Venmo processed $60 billion in total payment volume in the just past quarter….up 36%. Even though Venmo payments will now be accepted, Amazon still doesn’t let customers pay via PayPal. 

Niantic is launching a platform for what it terms ‘real-world metaverse’ apps. theverge.com reports that the platform is called Lightship, and it is “built around the parts necessary to stitch together the digital and the real world.”  Lightship will let mobile apps identify whether a user’s camera is pointed at the sky or water, map the surfaces or depth of an environment in real time, or place a virtual object behind a physical one. A good bit of the tech is based on what Niantic built and from info gleaned via their wildly popular app, Pokemon Go. The CEO of Niantic, John Hanke, previously ran Google Maps.

A paper has been published in Nature Communications that finds wind and solar power could meet about 85% of US electricity needs. Engadget.com says batteries, capacity overbuilding, and other storage options could even increase that figure. The study was done by researchers from UC Irvine, China’s Tsinghua University, Carnegie Institution for Science, and Caltech. The researchers studied 39 years of hourly energy demand from 42 countries. With storage, renewables could provide between 83 and 94% of hourly energy needs. 

There has been an ongoing quest for the ‘holy grail’ of car batteries…one that lasts, charges quickly and easily, doesn’t deteriorate much, and has little fire hazard. Now, a firm called SES has announced a new battery that they say will almost double the energy density of today’s lithium-ion cells. According to arstechnica.com, the solid state lithium metal batteries should give us lighter, longer range EVs by 2025. SES is partnering with GM, Hyundai, Geely, SAIC, and Foxconn, and is building a factory in Shanghai that should be done by 2023. 

Galaxy Note Replacement Date Leaks; Netflix May Make iOS Games Available on App Store; Musk Twitter Poll on Selling Stock; Group Buys McAfee

The Galaxy Note was dropped this year, as Samsung focused on folding phones. Note users are pretty rabid fans, though, and Samsung has a replacement for them. It’s the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Bgr.com reports that YouTube leaker Jon Prosser is touting an unveiling of the Galaxy S21 FE on January 4th, with it available on the 11th. This handset is late, as it was expected last summer. The more interesting leak is for the Galaxy S22 Ultra…that date is February 18th, according to Prosser. The Ultra will have an S Pen that lives on the left side of the Ultra. There are apparently 5 camera openings on the back of the phone. So the net is, Samsung has dropped the Note name, but the device lives on, so Note fans…you only have to wait until just after Valentine’s Day to score the latest version.

Netflix has mobile games available on Android, and there has been a good deal of questioning about when they will follow on Apple’s App Store. It’s a sticky situation since Apple policies ban all-in-one gaming services. According to engadget.com, Netflix is going to release games ‘individually’ on the App Store. The main Netflix app will have access to the game catalog, but you will be launching a separate app with you tap the game. Unless a government or successful lawsuit forces Apple to open things up more, this will remain how Netflix will need to operate when it comes to games on iOS.

Over the weekend, Elon Musk queried his Twitter followers as to whether he should sell off 10% of his stock. “Much is made lately of unrealized gains being a means of tax avoidance, so I propose selling 10% of my Tesla stock,” he tweeted. The followers said ‘sell’ to the tune of 58%. CNBC.com says Musk was going to sell anyway, regardless of the outcome…he will over over $15 billion in taxes in the coming months, so has to sell to pay off his tax bill. Tesla was down 9% earlier today, but now is just off about 3% as this is being written. A question I have is whether the SEC will consider the Twitter poll stunt as stock manipulation. It won’t be the first time Musk has gotten into hot water with the Feds over his off the cuff Tweets. The poll is to say nothing of his snarky Tweet about Senator Ron Wyden’s anatomy!

An investor group has picked up McAfee, the web security company for more than $14 billion. According to zdnet.com, the investors will be able to take the company private. McAfee had been turning to cloud services, but now it appears that they will direct energies and cash towards the consumer side of their business. The deal should close the first half of 2022. 

Facebook Deleting Facial Recognition; Zillow Closing Home Buying Biz; Waymo Comes to NYC; Walmart Snapping up No-Code Voice App Startup

Facebook has been messing around with facial recognition for 11 years now, first dabbling in it in 2010, when they first allowed users to automatically tag people in pictures. Now, according to arstechnica.com, they will be shutting down the facial recognition system, and deleting the facial recognition templates for over a billion people. Besides regulatory scrutiny from various countries, there have been lawsuits that cost Facebook (with their newly branded parent company Meta) hundreds of millions. Don’t think they are giving up entirely of facial recognition, though. They will continue to use it to notify a user if someone uploads a photo of them, and say they will employ it to help with privacy and transparency. 

After deciding they had overbought real estate, Zillow has started shutting down its home buying business. Geekwire.com reports that Zillow Offers, the company’s iBuying program will not only be shuttered, but about 2,000 people will get pink slips. The company will apparently take a $500 million write down in the process. A statement released from the office of Zillow CEO Rich Barton said, “We’ve determined the unpredictability in forecasting home prices far exceeds what we anticipated and continuing to scale Zillow Offers would result in too much earnings and balance-sheet volatility.” Even with algorithms, Zillow couldn’t do what hasn’t been done by anyone else either lately…they couldn’t predict real estate prices closely 3-6 months into the future.

After mapping the San Francisco area to a cat’s whisker, Waymo is sending vehicles to New York City to learn the streets of Manhattan. 9to5google.com says the plan is to have the cars drive from Wall Street and the Financial District all the way up to Carnegie Hall and Central Park. Included will be Chelsea and Union Square. Some of the autonomous vehicles will even take the Lincoln Tunnel over to New Jersey. (Note that the cars will have drivers during this learning stage around NYC.) At first, you will just see the hybrid Chrysler Pacifica vans, but Waymo does plan to add in its Jaguar I-PACE EVs shortly after the Chryslers hit the streets. 

Walmart is picking up Botmock, a startup that makes software which makes it easy to build and deploy conversational apps using a NO-CODE development platform. Venturebeat.com reports that Walmart expects its business divisions to be able to build and launch their own voice and bot apps to give customers a seamless mobile or online grocery shopping experience. While Walmart’s existing conversational platform enables voice shopping via Google and Siri, this will allow them to keep customers in house with their own apps.

Zoom Adds Ads; Sega & Microsoft Partner Up; Tesla Piloting Supercharger Access to Non-Teslas; Generac Buying Ecobee

Zoom Basic free account users will begin to see ads, starting this week in ‘certain countries. Zdne.com reports the ads will be shown on the browser page, and users will see them run after a meeting ends. Zoom says it is adding the advertising program in an effort to cover the cost of free Basic accounts. The company noted that as of ‘right now,’ they don’t plan to “use meeting, webinar, or messaging content (specifically, audio, video, files, and messages) for any marketing, promotions, or third-party advertising purposes.” I have already been getting an ad of sorts at the end of Zoom calls that invites me to use the non-free version or explore their other products, so this is really an extension of that, only with paid ads that can bring in further cash to the meeting platform.

Sega and Microsoft have announced a strategic alliance to develop what they are calling a ‘Super Game’ initiative on Azure. According to geekwire.com, Sega will build new games and overhaul its development process via Microsoft’s Azure platform. Sega will be able to customize to account for different styles of work and infrastructural changes by using Redmond’s Azure cloud services. Both companies see 5G as a supercharging force for cloud gaming in many parts of the world. Sega did not offer a statement as to whether its new Azure-powered titles would involve exclusivity to the Xbox platform or how much money, if any, changed hands as a result of the deal.

Tesla is piloting letting non-Teslas use its Supercharger network, starting out in the Netherlands. Engadget.com says 10 locations are involved in the test. To use them, you will have to have the Tesla app on your phone (v. 4.2.3 or newer). The pilot is only open to non-Tesla cars who’s owners live in the Netherlands, but any Tesla owner from any country can still use the stations when they are passing through. Asked about the future, Tesla said in a statement “Future sites will only be opened to Non-Tesla vehicles if there is available capacity.” 

Generac….the generator maker you have probably seen plenty of ads for…has announced it will buy Ecobee, the smart thermostat maker. Techcrunch.com reports that Generac will drop some $200 million in cash and $450 million in stock. If certain targets are made before the deal closes, they will toss in another $120 million in stock. Wisconsin based Generac has been around some 60 years, while Ecobee came on the scene in Toronto in 2007. Ecobee has expanded beyond thermostats in the smart home arena. Previously, it had been thought Amazon would snap up Ecobee, but Amazon developed their own smart thermostat with help from Honeywell. 

Amazon Kicks Off Early Black Friday on Its Devices; App Tracking Transparency Hits Social Media in Wallet; Chromebook Falloff-Ed Market Saturation; iPhones & Apple Watches May Get Crash Detection

Amazon has dived into Black Friday discounts weeks early, with deep discounts on some of its own devices. Engadget.com reports that you can now pick up a Kindle for $50…a $40 savings! Kindle Kids also gets a nice price slash from $110 down to $60. The Fire HD 8 is half off at $45. You can score a Fire TV stick 4K for $25, and the Echo Glow (Amazon night light) is $10 bucks off at $20. It doesn’t have a mic or speaker, but you can use another Alexa gadget to chose brightness and color. 

Apple’s privacy initiative is costing social media real money. According to appleinsider.com, the bite into revenues for Facebook, Twitter, Snap, and YouTube is off nearly $10 billion in the 2nd half of 2021. No wonder they are all railing against Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature. Apple has made a big deal for years about protecting the privacy of its users, but lest you think the are bing totally altruistic in this, Apple’s ad business helped Apple Services revenue grow to $18.3 billion last quarter. BlueConic COO Cory Munchbach notes ‘Apple has done a great job in turning privacy into a PR ploy, but they wouldn’t be doing this if there weren’t money in it.’

Chromebook shipments took a nose dive in Q3, which is mainly being blamed on a saturated education market. Zdnet.com says IDC is noting Chromebook sales are down 29.8%. Tablet shipments are off 9.4%. Last year was a banner year, with all the remote learning and work from home going on, but IDC notes that schools that schools and governments that ‘blew out their budgets to provide devices for remote learning’ are pulling in their horns now. 

Apple is apparently planning a new feature for iPhones and Apple Watches that could detect a car crash and auto dial 911. This would be similar to the fall detection feature on the Apple Watch. According to macrumors.com, Apple will launch the feature in 2022. The sensors in the devices (like the accelerometer) would measure a sudden spike in gravitational force, or g-force, on impact. As with the Watch’s fall feature, the user would have a bit of time to tap the Watch or Phone to cancel the 911 call, and say they are fine. Personal note: you will have to act fast! I think Apple only gives you 30 seconds or a minute to tap “OK,” or the thing will call 911 and text any emergency contacts you have programmed in. I have never had a hard fall, but a few times when cleaning out the cat boxes, have given one a hard slap on the bottom to dislodge a ‘clump’ of kitty litter, and the Watch goes nuts and thinks I fell!

So It’s the ‘Metaverse’…We Just Live In It