Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Will Regulate Apple Pay, Venmo, and Others; Amazon Shows Huge Echo Show; Over 200 Companies Now Support Passkeys; A Mother Lode of Rare Earth Elements in Spent Coal
Posted: November 21, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cybersecurity, passkeys, password, security, technology Leave a commentThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has had the task of regulating banks, is now expanding. Engadget.com reports that the CFPB will now supervise Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, and other payment apps and digital wallets. The Bureau proposed regulating the apps in 2023, but now the supervision will actually go into effect…with refined policies…in 30 days.
Amazon is supersizing Echo Show, introducing a new 21 inch model for smart home control, organization, and entertainment. According to geekwire.com, the Echo Show 21 smart display features built in Fire TV and Alexa. The screen comes with wall mounting hardware, for $399. If you prefer a counter stand, Amazon will sell you one of those for another $99. The 15 inch Echo Show has also gotten an upgrade with better audio quality. The 15-incher is $299.
We are finally…finally moving to a passwordless future. Now, 9to5mac.com says over 200 major companies are supporting passkeys. For those unfamiliar, passkeys were introduced two years ago, and they replace traditional passwords with more secure authentication using a security key or biometrics. The technology was developed by FIDO Alliance in partnership with companies such as Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Passkeys can use biometrics…like Apple’s FaceID and TouchID, freeing you from having to manage a massive list of passwords…or even using an app like 1 Password. It can’t happen soon enough!
It’s a kind of one person’s trash is another person’s treasure story. Dailykos.com picked up a report from the International Journal of Coal Science and Technology, and apparently there are rare earth elements in coal ash. The amounts are tiny…ordinarily not worth much, but there is a huge supply of the chalky coal ash in the US…maybe 11 million tons of accessible rare earth elements are in that coal ash. That is 8 times what the US has in domestic reserves. Most of our rare earths right now…about 75%…come from China. Ukraine also has a good supply, but this could make the US self-sufficient on these elements that go into batteries, solar panels, magnets, and other energy technologies. It’s likely that some entrepreneurs are active as we write this, looking at ways to efficiently extract those 17 rare elements.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Lower Priced Galaxy Flip Rumor; Bluesky Passes 20 Million Users; GrayKey Police Hack Having Trouble With iOS 18; Starlink Back to Waitlisting Some Places
Posted: November 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: iPhone, Samsung, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentFolding phones are growing more popular, especially with a less noticeable crease on the screens, but they are still really expensive. Now, bgr.com reports that we may be seeing a relatively cheap Samsung Galaxy Z Flip FE sometime in 2025. In addition, Samsung is reportedly working on a thin Z Flip 7 SE. If the rumors are true, Samsung may field 4 Galaxy Z foldable in 2025: the regular Flip 7 and Fold 7, and the cheaper Flip SE, and ultra-thin Fold 7 SE. If they keep making the crease less visible, and can drop prices, folding phones may become relatively mainstream. Since Apple is reported to be working on a folder, you can expect they will join the party just as that mainstreaming occurs!
Bluesky, the app that would replace old Twitter, has now blown past 20 million users. It is now gaining on Meta owned Threads, as well as X, which continues to bleed users. TechCrunch.com notes that Threads still has a massive lead at 275 million monthly active users, but up to the election they had 5 times more daily users than Bluesky. That has not been cut to 1.5 times! Even with the recent exodus from X, the Musk-owned app still has 10 times the users of Bluesky for now. Bluesky has been #1 at the US Apple App Store since the election, while Threads is now #4, and X has ominously dropped to #41!
You may have heard of Graykey…we’ve reported on it here…it’s something law enforcement and government agencies can use to break into locked iPhones. Now, macrumors.com says officials are having issues trying to hack into phones running iOS 18 and 18.01. Apparently, the product can ‘partially’ unlock some phones…in fact iPhone 11 models can be unlocked in full. Newer iPhones are more hack proof. Magnet Forensics, maker of Graykey, had no comment, but Israel-based Cellebrite reportedly can’t unlock iPhones running iOS 17.5.1 and later. Apple has said that the idea is to make the phones worth less and less of a theft item since a locked phone you can’t hack into is not worth much. For some, the fact that governments and police agencies can’t get in either is a plus.
Only about a year after dropping waitlisting, Starlink is back to ‘sold out’ in parts of the US. Arstechnica.com reports that the areas you’ll be waiting in include the areas around Seattle, Spokane, Portland, San Diego, Sacramento, and Austin, Texas. There are also some sold-out areas in parts of Colorado, Montana, and North Carolina. Worldwide, there is still little availability in Africa. If you are so inclined, you can jump the wait list by subscribing to the pricier Starlink Roam tier. Be aware though, that they may block Roam service in specific areas due to lack of capacity.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Rumored iPhone ‘Air’ May Be Slimmest iPhone; DOJ Will Try to Break Up Google; Microsoft Makes $349 Hardware Device for Secure Cloud Connection; Door Dash App-Can Import Grocery Lists Now
Posted: November 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Google, News, technology Leave a commentJony Ive may be long gone, but apparently Apple’s fetish for thinness isn’t. Macrumors.com reports that Apple Analyst Jeff Pu agrees with a recent rumor saying the upcoming ‘iPhone 17 Air’ will be around 6 mm thick. If that turns out to be accurate, it will be the thinnest iPhone ever. Note that no one knows what the handset will be called, but most are dubbing it the iPhone Air. Up to now, the thinnest iPhone has been the iPhone 6 at 6.9 mm. The iPhone Air would be about 3/4 as thick as any of the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models. It is expected to have a 6.6 inch display, A19 chip, and the dynamic island, but only one rear camera.
We’ve been waiting to see what the Department of Justice had in mind as far as its antitrust action against Google. now we have a better idea. According to theverge.com, the DOJ wants Google to sell off its Chrome browser. This after the judge ruled Google had maintained an illegal search monopoly. Chrome is the world’s most widely used browser. Other DOJ requirements include Google separating Android from Search and Google Play…but they don’t intend to make them sell off Android. It remains to be seen what the incoming DOJ will do with regards to keeping or changing these demands after January 20th.
Microsoft has announced the Windows 365 Link. The gadget “enables desk-based users to work securely on a familiar Windows desktop in the Microsoft Cloud with responsive, high-fidelity experiences.” Engadget.com notes that the 365 Link is a small, lightweight device that Microsoft claims can immediately wake from sleep, boot up in seconds and locally process video conferencing solutions like Microsoft Teams. It doesn’t store local data or apps, has security baseline policies enabled and doesn’t allow for individuals to disable security features. Plus, logging in requires Microsoft Entra ID along with the Microsoft Authenticator app or USB security keys. The box should be available in what they are calling ‘select areas’ in April 2025 for $349. Kind of sounds like a larger, more expensive but more secure dongle to me!
Door Dash’s app is now able to import your grocery list for faster shopping. Techcrunch.com reports that you just choose a store where you want to shop and select the button Create a list or Import a list. With the create, you can copy and paste from anywhere on your phone. Import only works with Reminders on iOS at the moment, but Android support is coming. You can also now search for an item across different merchants, displaying prices and estimated delivery times all in one place.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Enters Book Biz; Samsung Making XR Glasses Similar to Meta’s Ray-Bans; Some Bluesky Tips; Trump Names Project 2025 Contributor to FCC Chair
Posted: November 18, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, Microsoft, News, technology Leave a commentMicrosoft is jumping into the book business with their own imprint, 8080 Books. Geekwire.com reports that Microsoft is aiming for the sweet spot between the speed of social media and the lasting impact of books…planning to bring new titles to market much faster than traditional publishing allows. In the charter for the new venture, Microsoft says the goal is “to publish original research, ideas, and insights at the intersection of science, technology, and business, and in doing so, help advance the discourse and debate.” Normally, a publishing house takes 6 to 9 months to get from manuscript to market…Redmond is shooting for 90 days. By the way, why 8080 Books? If you see the logo it’s a hint…it is a hat tip to the 8080 Intel processors that the first Microsoft software ran on.
Samsung has some new XR glasses coming out…looking at the second half of 2025 for a release date. According to 9to5google.com, they are being developed in partnership with Google, and they will share some of the specs with the popular Meta Ray-Ban glasses. OK, sorry about the specs/glasses pun! Samsung expects to sell 500,000 of the smart glasses. They will feature a 12MP camera and 155 mAh battery, about like Meta’s. What is unclear at this point is whether they will have a display or not. We do expect them to use Google’s Gemini AI, however.
Millions have jumped to Bluesky and abandoned X. I cancelled X last week after 14 years on Twitter/X. Find me at clarkreidsf.bsky.social. The fledgling platform has ballooned from 9 to 15 million users just since the election. A lot of it looks like old Twitter…direct messages, ability to pin post and even videos up to 60 seconds. One thing I like is you can basically choose your own algorithm or moderation tools. They have a discover feed, but you can make a Following feed, a Popular with Friends one, and Mutuals…reposts by people you follow. I love the Following feed…it’s just a classic feed of accounts you follow in chronological order. What’s so hard about that, other platforms? It’s what most people want. You can also easily mute and block trolls, and there are these ‘packs’ people have built of accounts you might like to follow. You can pick those accounts a la carte, or choose them as a bundle to bulk up your Following feed quickly. Check it out.
In the parade of appointees Donald Trump has announced…most to the horror of those politically to the left and center, a new one is FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr as FCC Chairman. Engadget.com notes that Carr was the author of the FCC portion of Project 2025, and that he has previously argued in favor of punishing TV networks for political bias and regulating big tech firms like Google and Apple. The appointment doesn’t require the usual senate approval, since Carr has sat on the Commission since 2017. The incoming president always gets to appoint a person from his party as Chairman. Here is a taste of what might be ahead from a post by Carr on X last week: “The censorship cartel must be dismantled. Broadcast media have had the privilege of using a scarce and valuable public resource — our airwaves. When the transition is complete, the FCC will enforce this public interest obligation.” It is worth pointing out out that unless Congress changes some law, the FCC can’t regulate the internet like Carr would like to.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon-Delivery Driver AR Glasses Coming; Massive iPhone Cam Upgrade in ’26; Signal Features = More Like Meet & Zoom; Got $3 Mil-Buy Batman’s Tumbler
Posted: November 12, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Camera, News, photography, Tech, technology Leave a commentThe revenge of Google Glass continues, as everyone seems to be working on smart glasses now. Amazon is apparently working on some for their delivery drivers to use. Engadget.com reports that Amazon thinks using the things can shave ‘seconds’ from each delivery…making productivity even higher…because apparently it can never be high enough for Amazon. The embedded display to guide delivery drivers around and within buildings. They will allegedly also provide drivers with “turn-by-turn navigation” instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses means that drivers won’t have to carry a handheld GPS device. You know what that means. They’ll be able to carry more packages at once. You can bet they will also have a cam in them, so the driver can just look at your porch and take a photo of your delivery. How was it? Was it great? Send back that email!
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says we will be seeing a massive iPhone camera upgrade in 2026. According to mashable.com, Cupertino is working on adding a variable aperture main cam to its iPhone 18 Pros. A variable aperture main camera should bring noticeable improvements; the camera should perform better in low light, as the variable aperture allows the camera to control how much light hits the lens. It could also improve portrait mode, as variable aperture should allow for more precise depth of field control. This will be great for pro photographers who know how to use such a feature. Most of us will probably do the same with the phone camera as we have with a DSLR…leave the thing set to ‘A’ for automatic!
Signal has added some features in order to be more like Zoom and Google Meet. You can now share a link to a call. Theverge.com says up to now you could only initiate a call from a Signal group chat. You can also re-use call links..which ought to be handy for recurring meetings. Signal has also aded a ‘raise hand’ button to indicate you have something to say, and they have added emojis too…so you can express yourself with those little devils. The new features are out now on Android, iOS, and desktop.
So, you’ve got $3 million bucks to burn, and Christmas is coming. You want something extra special for yourself. Why not contact Wayne Enterprises and buy yourself a Batmobile ‘Tumbler’ from ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight?’ There are 10 of them available for a mere $2,990,000 each. Oh…by the way…you had better be rich enough to have private roads, ‘cause these babies aren’t street-legal! Go to Brucewaynex.com. They are being sold by invitation only. The Tumbler is made of kevlar, carbon fiber, and sheet metal as well as fiberglas, and it has a 6.2 liter engine. The gun turrets and jet engine are fakes. If you buy one, send me a picture of yourself terrorizing the Joker in it.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Pre-Black Friday Deals; Apple Vision Pro Fall 2025; TSMC Cuts Advanced Chip Shipments to China; Researchers-Harvest Electricity from Styrofoam
Posted: November 11, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, News, Tech, technology, vision-pro Leave a commentThe Google store has dropped some nice pre-Black Friday deals. 9to5google.com reports that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is now $1499, a $300 discount. You can pick one up at that price for now at Amazon and Best Buy. The base Pixel 9 has been cut $150 to $649, from those same sources. You can pick up a Bluetooth Pixel Watch 3 for $70. Hurry…the bargains are only in effect until midnight tomorrow night, November 12th.
Although we reported last week that Apple has all but flushed the cheaper headset…at least for now, the Vision Pro 2, successor to Apple’s pricy mixed reality headset, is still in the works for release either by next fall, or by spring of 2026. This according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg. The Vision Pro 2 is expected to get the M5 chips…at virtually the same time the Macs get that next system. Expect the 2.0 version to look virtually identical to the original, with all the updates coming to internals. Don’t expect a cheaper price…it’s Apple, are you kidding?
At the request of the US Department of Commerce, Taiwan Semiconductor has halted advanced chip shipments to Chinese customers. TechCrunch.com says this will particularly hurt Huawei, which already faced significant trade restrictions from the US. The feds are now checking to see if other companies are diverting chips to Huawei. The advanced chips are most often used on artificial intelligence systems. Nvidia had already been under chip export restrictions to China.
Researchers at RMIT University have found a way to generate electricity from Styrofoam. Bgr.com reports that they capture the static electricity generated by the stuff when it is exposed to flowing air…thereby converting an environmental headache into useable power. The scientists put the Styrofoam near places air was flowing…like HVAC systems, and a continuous stream of small current was generated…helping offset the energy draw of the HVAC units themselves. If it scales up well, this could be yet another way to ween ourselves off fossil fuel power.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Notepad Getting AI Editing; Gemini Drops Utilities Extension for Android Phones; Pixel 9 Sales Improve; Zillow up 17%
Posted: November 7, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentLike an invasive species, AI is getting into everything. Now, Microsoft is adding AI powered text editing to Notepad, the venerable, bare-bones text editor that dates back to 1983! Theverge.com reports that the feature is called Rewrite, and Redmond has released a preview to Windows Insiders that will let you use AI to “rephrase sentences, adjust tone, and modify the length of your content.” To use it, just hi light the text you want the AI to alter, right-click, and select Rewrite. The dialog box pops up and will show you 3 rewritten versions you can use if you wish. Note that Rewrite is cloud based, so users have to be signed into their Microsoft account.
Google is rolling out a Gemini Utilities Extension that can ‘control your Android mobile device and apps.’ According to 9to5google.com, here are some things it can do for you when using Gemini right from your lock screen: Set and quiet alarms, set and stop timers, turn Flashlight, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and Battery Saver on or off, check your device’s volume and battery level, turn off or restart your phone, shoot a picture or take a screen shot, and control media…like pausing or replaying videos. Have fun seeing how accurately Gemini really does all these things!
Year after year, Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone market. Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel phones are gaining a bit of ground. Android Police notes that it isn’t enough to worry the big boys yet…Google only sold 10 million Pixels in 2023 while Apple sold 235 million iPhones and Samsung was close behind Apple. That all said, Google has recored its highest quarter ever for Pixel sales. StatCounter found that Pixel users now account for almost 15% of the US market. That is not an insignificant number! Google may not catch or pass up Samsung or Apple, but if they can become a strong number 3, that’s a pretty big success story.
Zillow group beat estimates for third quarter, with Revenue of $581 million and adjusted earnings of $127 million. Geekwire.com says the rentals business was up 24% year over year and mortgage revenue grew 63%. If you are one of those folks, like me, that just check it to see where prices of your property and others are, it’s kind of a surprise that they are doing that much actual business. Thanks to all those folks…who generate enough Zillow revenue for the rest of us to check prices for free!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Leak Reveals AI That Web Surfs for You; Nintendo’s Next Gen Switch-Backward Compatible for Gaming; EU Will Fine Apple For App Store DMA Violations; Amazon Kicks off Drone Deliveries in Phoenix
Posted: November 6, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Gaming, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Switch, Video Games Leave a commentWe reported about Google’s next iteration of its AI, called Jarvis, last week. Now, bgr.com is reporting that a leak has given us more information about it. Apparently the AI Chrome extension will be able to “take over” your Chrome browser, performing tasks on your behalf like booking a flight or purchasing a product. Apparently, Google accidentally posted an internal preview of the product on the Chrome extension store. Listed as a “helpful companion that surfs the web with you,” Google quickly took it down. Apparently, some Chrome users did download it, but it didn’t work…as the prototype lacked some specific access permissions it needed. Honestly, if you are on the web, and can’t book a flight or buy something without help, I’m not sure AI is the answer for you….even if it ends up being called Jarvis.
We know Nintendo is planning a newer version of the Switch, but don’t have a date or name…but now, thanks to their mid year policy briefing, we know that it will be able to play current Switch games, and have carryover for your Nintendo Switch Online services and account. According to theverge.com, Nintendo said that there was a drop of 31% in Switch sales the last 90 days…with some 4.72 million sold. Still, Nintendo crowed that ‘More software has been played on Nintendo Switch than on any other Nintendo hardware.’ Backward compatibility is a big issue, because systems haven’t tended to be 100% on it…although Xbox Series X and the Sony PS5 are mainly backward compatible. The Switch 2 or whatever they name it will be out before March 2025, according to Nintendo.
Apple did not make changes that allowed developers to steer users to cheaper prices outside of the App Store. Macrumors.com says the EU is now planning to fine Apple. I know…hard to imagine Apple not directing users to other, cheaper alternatives besides them! Apple did make some changes in August, but it apparently wasn’t good enough for European regulators. The fine amount hasn’t been disclosed, but the EU fined Apple $2 billion for anticompetitive behavior against third party music services earlier this year so that kind of gives us an idea. They could be fined up to 10% of their global annual sales.
After ending its drone delivery experiment in Southern California, Amazon has kicked off deliveries in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area. Techcrunch.com reports that people will be able to order relatively small stuff including household, beauty, office, health, and tech supplies. By relatively small, we’re talking 5 pounds or less…but that does include some 50,000 items Amazon sells. Most deliveries will be at your location in an hour or less. Note that these deliveries are only going to be available during daylight hours and ‘favorable’ weather conditions…no heavy winds or heavy rain. Amazon has been testing prescription deliveries for over a year in College Station, Texas, and now they will expand to products like are being offered in the Phoenix area.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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