Recap of Apple iPhone, Watch & AirPods Event
Posted: September 9, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, iPhone, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentApple remarkably kept this presentation to under an hour and 15 minutes. No, there wasn’t a surprise amazing ‘one more thing.’
Starting out, they bowed new Air Pods Pro 3
New ANC noise reduction and new ear tips give twice the ANC of previous ones, 4X better than original Air Pods Pro.
The new models have Live Translation to your ears, so you can understand the person speaking in your native language, and then the iPhone can show them on screen or tell them in a voice what you say in their language.
Apple analyzed 10,000 ears and now have 5 sizes of tips to stay in ears in all conditions. They claim better sweat protection too for workouts.
Heart Rate sensing is now built in.
New obnoxious and obsequious ‘Workout Buddy’ that has been available on iPhone now cheers you on in the ear buds. Good job, buddy! Rah, rah, you are great.
The Pro 3 has longer battery life….8 hours at a time…up from 6. It has 10 hours for hearing aid use….not bad, but actual good hearing aids have 30 house of battery life.
The price stays $249 no increase from the previous model… preorder today, and they’re available Sept 19th.
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Apple Watch…
First, Series 11…it’s thinner, and the screen is twice as scratch resistant.
Watch 11 has 5G if you get the one with its own phone…you should get better coverage and lower power consumption than the previous model.
For heart health, it tracks for high blood pressure. As predicted, it will look for higher blood pressure and will notify you of possible hypertension. It will NOT give you actual blood pressure readings.
Like other smart watches, Watch 11 will score quality of sleep. This was touted as a big deal, but competitors have had this feature for years.
Series 11 will have 24 hours of battery life…ok, that really is a big deal. With fast charging, you can almost wear it day and night.
Watch SE3…The cheapie. It gets an always on display now. It will also play media through the speaker. The Se gets 18 hour battery life, and new fast charging…charging twice as fast as the old model.
Watch Ultra 3-New display is brighter and has thinner borders. Largest display of all Apple Watches. (This corrects the embarrassment of last year’s Ultra 2 not having a bigger display than the Watch. It has the Workout Buddy and Satellite connectivity. You get Emergency SOS & Messages, and
42 hours battery life.
Base Pricing:
$249 for the SE3
$399 for the Series 11
$799 for the Ultra 3
Preorder today, all are available Sept 19th
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iPhone—4 models…
Apple said 4 new models, but really it is one new model and 3 freshened ones.
iPhone 17 gets alarger 6.3 inch display, and has pro motion like the pro models. It now has always on display, and a More readable brightness for the display outdoors in bright light.
The display has new Ceramic Shield 2….three times harder and better anti-glare than before.
The 17 is powered by the A19 chip…it’s faster and more efficient that last year’s phone.
Apple Intellegence runs on the 17 with iOS 26…including Live Translation.
The phone has 8 more hours of battery time and faster charging.
48MP dual fusion cams …a main and 2x telephoto.
The front selfie cam has Center Stage, as well as a sensor that is is twice size of last model. a new Square picture aspect ratio for the selfie cam gives higher resolution shots in any orientation. It will automatically adjust the picture field if you have a couple friends step into the frame so no one is cut off.
iPhone Air–
This is the actual new model. It is insanely thin. Titanium super thin edges, and ceramic shield 2 on both sides. The phone is a svelte 5.6mm thick, and has a 6.5 inch display
It runs on the A19 Pro chip. Each GPU core has MacBook Pro levels of computing in a phone.
It also has the new N1 chip…WiFi and Bluetooth designed by Apple.
As expected, you get the new C1x modem chip which is faster than the iPhone 16 Pro and is more power efficient.
The cam system: 48MP Fusion camera, but it has two cams with one lens. 24 MP default photos, portrait control, and basically 4 focal length lenses built in. The selfie cam is 18 MP.
As rumored, new Dual capture video uses both back cam and selfie cam at same time. You can insert yourself in a box on screen basically doing play by play of what’s being videoed on the main camera.
The Air has an eSIM…no physical SIM card, and it works worldwide.
Battery life…It has new Adaptive Power Mode to intelligently manage power. They claim all day batter life. New low profile Mag Safe battery pack will allow 40 hours total with phone when attached.
iPhone 17 Pro–
It has a new aluminum case and interior structure. It’s unibody, and allows for biggest battery ever. Apple says they went to the aluminum from titanium in order to get better heat dissipation, which they say is needed when you use the on device AI or are doing heavy duty gaming. The A19 Pro chip does generate more heat, so in addition to the aluminum unibody to help dissipate it, the phone also has a vapor chamber to help with temperature management.
The aluminum unibody has 20 times the thermal performance of the titanium.
Like the Air, the antennas are in the bump. They claim 40% better performance than 16 Pro…for gaming and for AI.
Like the Air, the both the screen and the back are Ceramic Shield 2 so you get better protection than the glass that’s on on older phones.
The Pro Max has the biggest battery ever, it can do 39 hours of video playback.
Cameras- The Selfie Cam is 18 MP like the Air.
The Rear main cam system ….all 3 cams are 48 MP. All are fusion cameras. New 4x zoom at 100 mm or 8x zoom tele at 200 mm focal length. That is a huge jump from before…and about time. Both zoom powers use machine learning to help reduce noise and get better color. The fusion system is the equivalent of 8 different lens focal lengths! It’s like carrying around 8 different lenses with your old DSLR in your camera bag, but in your hand.
For video, Apple has added Pro Res Raw Capture, and Also Gen Lock, which lets you move between video and graphics, among other things like switching seamlessly between shooting angles without doing hours of editing.
The Pro models come with 256 Gigs base storage, and you can order up to 2 TB. Apple didn’t hit us with predicted $50 price bump…
$599 16e
$799 17
$999 Air
$1099 Pro
$1199 Pro Max
Preorders start Friday, available Sept 19th.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Anthropic Endorses California AI Transparency Bill; Google-‘Open’ Web in Rapid Decline; Nintendo Wins Suit Against Switch Modder; Signal Bows Free & Paid Backup Plans
Posted: September 8, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, digital-marketing, marketing, seo, technology Leave a commentA programming note— we will post a little later tomorrow, in order to report on the new iPhones and other devices revealed at the Apple event. The event is scheduled to start at 10 AM Pacific time.
In a win for actual open artificial intelligence, Anthropic, makers of the Claude AI large language model, have endorsed SB 53, the so-called AI Transparency bill. Theverge.com reports that the bill would require leading AI companies to publish safety frameworks with details about how they manage “catastrophic risks,” as well as provide certain whistleblower protections. Anthropic’s support comes after weeks of negotiations with the AI industry on the bill’s specifics.
Google has continued to claim for months that the web is ‘thriving,’ and that AI isn’t hosing traffic, and that its search engine is sending people to a wide variety of websites…wider than ever. Well, that’s what they are saying publicly. According to theverge.com, Google admitted in a court filing last week that “the open web is already in rapid decline.” Keep in mind that Google wants to appear weaker and less monopolistic in court, but a number of digital publishers and independent website owners have reported experiencing a decline in traffic following changes to Google Search’s algorithm and the rise of AI chatbots. The net net is, that people are ‘less likely’ to click on links when presented with Google’s AI Overview. Google still insists that it continues to ‘send billions of clicks to websites every day.’
Nintendo has just won a big battle in court, scoring $2 million in a lawsuit against Modded Hardware. Engadget.com notes that the site was known for selling devices that allowed users to get around Nintendo’s piracy protections, including the popular MIG Switch flashcart that lets buyers play official Nintendo games without the need for a physical cartridge. The court win also requires Ryan Daly to shut down the website and forfeit the domain to Nintendo. Nintendo had previously settled a similar suit against the makers of the Yazu emulator. They extracted $2.4 million from them.
Signal, the messaging app that claims to give you serious privacy is ruling out a feature for storage. One of the selling points of the app has been that it didn’t let users store any type of backup of conversations on the platform. Well, that was then and this is now. TechCrunch.com reports that Signal will now give users a free tier of 100 MB of storage for text messages and the last 45 days worth of media. They store the messages after compression, so that amount of storage will handle quite a number of messages. For users that want to store more than the last 45 days worth of media, there is a $1.99 a month paid plan, which gives up to 100 Gigs of storage. Signal is using zero-knowledge technology to secure its backups, so they’re not linked to a particular user or a specific payment method. Users will receive a 64-character recovery key that is generated on the device to unlock their backups. Amid Signal rivals, WhatsApp offers end-to-end backup through an optional feature that users have to enable. Still…you are trusting your supposedly secret messages to their cloud storage, so buyer beware. There is probably already software out there or will be soon that can tie you to your messages.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Will Bow Gemini for Home Oct 1; Apple Plans AI-Powered Web Search for Siri; Samsung Health App Will Give Access to Licensed Docs; Adobe Brings Premiere Video Edit App to iPhone
Posted: September 4, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, technology Leave a commentA Google event is slated for October 1st, and it looks like there will be a number of announcements. Engadget.com reports that we should see new Nest devices, including a new Nest camera and Nest speaker. In addition, more will be revealed about Gemini for Home, Gemini for Home will replace Google Assistant and enable natural language commands, as well add easier to use controls. There will be both free and subscription versions, much like Amazon has Alexa and Alexa +.
Apple has been working overtime, playing catch-up when it comes to AI. They have talked to OpenAI, and have a present deal with them that adds some muscle to the puny Siri. Now, according to gizmodo.com, Apple will launch a new AI-powered web search tool for Siri next year. Reports have the improved AI search being powered by a custom version of Google’s Gemini. Internally at Apple, the system is being called World Knowledge Answers…and besides Siri, it may be available in Safari and Spotlight. It is expected that even if Gemini is used for some functions such as summarizing, that the system will run on Apple’s Private Cloud Compute servers, to protect user privacy. Expect this all to come together next spring, not next week when the new iPhones are rolled out.
Medical plan apps can let you access a doctor or a PA or nurse. Now, Samsung has announced that it is bringing virtual physicians to its Health App. Androidpolice.com notes that the medical service comes by Samsung partnering with HealthTap, an online service provider that has been around a while. Using the app, you can meet virtually with a doctor the same week, or in some cases, the same day. Besides doctor access, the app claims to give better management of prescription medication using a new system that integrates with Walgreen’s. You won’t be able to submit or renew prescriptions via the app, though.
Adobe will bring its Premiere video editing software to the iPhone. TechCrunch.com reports that the software will let users edit videos and export them without watermarks. Some features will be the same as the desktop version…the ability to trim, layer, and fine-tune frames. Automatic captions are also available as is support for 4K HDR. The app is free use, but users will have to pay for using AI credits and cloud storage. An Android version is in the works.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Court- Google Can Keep Chrome, But No Exclusive Search Deals; Waymo Expands to Denver & Seattle; iPad Gets Instagram App That Fits Screen; Starbucks Getting Automated Counting Tech for Inventory
Posted: September 3, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, productivity, Tech, technology Leave a commentIn what can only be described as a victory of sorts for Google, a court has ruled that Google doesn’t have to spin off Chrome. It also doesn’t have to divest of its search business…although it will have to make some changes there. Engadget.com reports that Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the government had ‘overreached’ in its request for the sale of Chrome. What the search giant will have to do though is give up exclusive deals around the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini, and Chrome. They will no longer be able to require device makers to preload Google apps in order to get access to the Play Store. They WILL still be able to continue to pay partners like Apple to pre-load search and other apps into their products. I’m sure Apple is relieved about this too, as they take in over $20 billion a year in such a deal!
Waymo is moving into a couple of new markets…Denver and Seattle will get the self-driving cars this week. Techcrunch.com notes that both the Jaguar I-Pace SUVs and the Zeekr vans will be showing up in the two cities. For now, the vehicles will be manually driven. Waymo hopes to start offering robotaxi trips in Denver next year and in the Seattle metro area quote: ‘as soon as we’re permitted to do so.’ Waymo has a fleet of over 2,000 vehicles on the streets now…800 in the San Francisco Bay Area, 500 in LA, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and several dozen in Atlanta. Miami and Washington, D.C. are in the future plans. We just reported days ago that Waymo has a permit to test in New York City…although that one is for driver-operated cars only for now.
Anyone that uses an iPad knows that there are numerous apps that just show up on the iPad with a little box in the middle…displaying the iPhone version of the app. They are hard to use, and very frustrating. Now, after a mere 15 years, Meta has finally released an optimized Instagram app for the iPad. According to theverge.com, effective today, you can download the new app that is actually made for the iPad. There are a couple of notable differences…first, the app opens directly to a feed of Reels…the short form videos Meta desperately wants to compete with TikTok. Other features will be there, though…at the top of the home page, you can switch to a ‘following’ tab where you can swipe between feeds that look like that on the phone. The DMs page will have your inbox alongside chats, much like Messenger looks like on your desktop version.
I would bet a few of you who are watching or reading this have had to do inventory in some sort of retail establishment. It is a task that truly sucks. I had to do it as a kid and teen, then later as an adult at my family’s car dealership. Nothing more fun than handling and counting greasy car parts! You just wore old clothes, then pitched them afterwards. No washing was helpful! Now, Starbucks is getting help from a startup called NomadGo to streamline how employees take inventory in the stores. Geekwire.com reports that Starbucks is setting employees up with mobile devices and NomadGo’s software that uses computer vision technology, spatial computing, and augmented reality to automate inventory counting. The system is already deployed in more than 11,000 Starbucks locations across North America and will be live in all company-operated stores by the end of September. The company’s tech runs on-device and counts each item within rows. It displays results on the device and syncs data with existing inventory management platforms. How I wish I had had that tech when counting a box of automotive widgets years ago!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Samsung Galaxy Glasses; OpenAI Adding Parental Controls-ChatGPT; YouTube Flagging Premium Family Plans-Different Homes; Amazon Ending Prime Free Shipping Sharing Outside Your Home
Posted: September 2, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Amazon, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, Samsung, technology, YouTube Leave a commentThe smart glasses battles heat up, as now Samsung is expected to bow ‘Galaxy Glasses’ this month…specifically, at an Unpacked event on September 29th. The offering from Samsung will be powered by Android XR. Zdnet.com reports that the smart glasses are expected to be a direct competitor with Meta’s Ray-Bans. Besides the glasses, Samsung is expected to roll out an XR headset and a tri-fold smartphone. Back to the glasses, though. They are expected to be audio only, and focus on features like faster and more convenient access to an AI assistant, cameras, and audio…for calls, music, and podcasts. The glasses will also feature navigation, real time translation, and situational awareness. The glasses will be powered by A Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip…the same chip as in the Meta Ray-Bans.
OpenAI is now promising to release parental controls for ChatGPT. Once in place, the controls will allow parents to link their personal ChatGPT account with accounts of their teen kids. According to engadget.com, parents will be able to decide how ChatGPT responds to their kids, and disable select features, including memory and chat history. Additionally, ChatGPT will generate automated alerts when it detects a teen is in a “moment of acute distress.” According to OpenAI, “expert input will guide this feature to support trust between parents and teens.” While parental controls are nice as ‘eye-wash,’ or cover your butt acts for companies, expect most teens to figure out a way around the controls nearly instantly.
It appears to be the season for crack downs on sharing by tech companies. YouTube is starting to flag accounts on Premium family plans that aren’t in the same household. Androidpolice.com notes that YouTube’s Premium Family Plan lets you add up to 5 family members to your plan for the $23 a month subscription.The requirement that people all reside at the same address has actually been around since 2023, but YouTube has just started really enforcing it. They are presently testing out a new two-person Premium plan, too. One pain in the neck…YouTube is going to conduct an ‘electronic check-in’ every 30 days, to make sure each family member resides at the same address. If a member fails the check in, and isn’t at the same place as the ‘family manager,’ their access is paused for 14 days.
Amazon will end allowing Prime members sharing of free shipping outside their household, starting October 1st. Theverge.com reports that after that date, Amazon will let invitees who don’t live with the account holder to sign on for their own subscription at just $14.99 for the following year…but then the rate will go up to $14.99 a month. Amazon is replacing the program with Amazon Family. The new program will let account holders share Prime benefits, but just with people who live with them at their address. You can add one additional adult, up to 4 teens, and up to 4 child profiles.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple Event Announced; Google Gemini AI Image Model Upgrade; AT&T Picks Up Spectrum from EchoStar; Farmers’ Insurance Data Breach
Posted: August 26, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, technology Leave a commentApple has put out the invite to their next event, with the tease ‘Awe Dropping.’ The rollout of the new iPhones will be Tuesday, September 9th at 10 AM Pacific at the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park in Cupertino. Macrumors.com reports that we will see the expected thin profile iPhone 17 Air, in addition to the iPhone 17, the 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max. Also expected…the Apple Watch Series 11, and a further refreshed Watch Ultra 3, and the Watch SE. Don’t be surprised if there is an updated AirPods Pro 3 as well, and maybe a new HomePod mini. We’ll have a full recap here, of course.
Google is upgrading its Gemini chatbot with a new AI image model that is supposed to allow finer control for users over editing pics…a move intended to catch up with the popular ChatGPT image tools from OpenAI. The more precise edits to images require the usual natural language requests from the users, and are aimed at preserving the consistency of faces, animals, and the like. Google is hoping to close the gap with ChatGPT, which gets over 700 million weekly users. Right now, google Gemini has 450 million MONTHLY users.
AT&T is picking up $23 billion worth of spectrum licenses from EchoStar, the parent of Dish Network, Sling TV, and Boost Mobile. EchoStar had been under the gun from the FCC for not building out anything on the spectrum. The FCC has a ‘use it or lose it’ policy on spectrum licenses. The licenses cover over 400 markets in the US, and AT&T says it plans to start work as soon as possible. The licenses are for low-band and mid-band spectrum, which are used for 5G and LTE networks.
Farmers Insurance says it was hit by a data breach that exposed information of over a million policy holders. Mashable.com reports that the third party attack came via a vishing scam that was related to a series of SalesForce associated attacks. According to Farmers, the compromised data includes names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and in some cases, the last four digits of Social Security numbers. Reports indicate that around 1,111,386 people were affected across 10 states: California, Washington D.C., Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
iPhone Fold Next Year-5 Cams; xAI (Musk) Sues Apple and OpenAI; YouTube Secretly Edited Videos With AI, Waymo Can Test Self-Drivers in NYC
Posted: August 25, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, Google, grok, technology, Waymo, YouTube Leave a commentEven though the new iPhones are due out in just weeks, including the anticipated iPhone Air…or whatever they actually end up calling the new ‘skinny’ iPhone, tidbits are already leaking out about next year’s Folding iPhone. 9to5mac.com reports that the Cupertino folder will feature 5 cameras, and will have Touch ID…and will use and Apple cellular modem. A number of these new details come from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and his Power On newsletter. As already reported, the iPhone folder will use the book style, not the flip phone style. Expect one cam on the front screen, one on the inside, and two on the back. The phone will use Touch ID, and will run on Apple’s in-house designed cellular modem…as Apple switches its entire line to the new modems. The camera setup will allow the phone to be used much like a regular iPhone when closed…with a selfie cam on one side and the two main cams on the back. When you open the phone up, the inside cam takes over as the selfie cam. Why no Face ID? In a word, space. Touch ID doesn’t require as much room, and since the folding phone will be notably thicker than a regular iPhone, every millimeter counts.
Elon Musk’s xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI, claiming that their deal to build ChatGPT into the iPhone is stifling competition in the AI industry. According to theverge.com, Musk-owened X Corp, the parent of xAI, accuses Apples App Store of “deprioritizing” rival chatbots and “super” apps, including Grok and X. Musk’s companies claim that iPhone users “have no reason” to download third-party AI apps because the company “force[s]” users to use ChatGPT as their default chatbot app when enabling Apple Intelligence. “Apple and OpenAI have locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing,” the companies allege. “This latest filing is consistent with Mr Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood said in a statement. As for Apple, it had already put out a statement saying that the App Store is “designed to be fair and free of bias.”
YouTube has, in recent months, secretly used AI to tweak some creators’ videos without letting them know or asking permission. Bbc.com notes that one content creator noticed that his hair was different and that he seemed to be wearing makeup. In another case, wrinkles in a shirt were more sharply defined. Some ears appeared to be warped. YouTube has finally at least come clean on admitting the AI changes. Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s head of editorial and creator liaison, posted on “X: We’re running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise, and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video). YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible, and will continue to take creator and viewer feedback into consideration as we iterate and improve on these features.” YouTube hasn’t answered media questions as to if it will now seek user permission before using AI to tweak their videos. I, for one, would really rather they didn’t use AI to give me Vulcan pointy ears like Mr Spock!
Waymo can now go forward and test its self-driving cars in New York City. The word came from the office of Mayor Eric Adams. Engadget.com said the company has a permit to operate the autonomous vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. Right now, a small fleet of 8 vehicles will be able to operate until late September 2025. At that point, Waymo will be offered the opportunity to get an extension if all goes well. Right now, human operators will be on board…New York state law prohibits operation of vehicles without a driver behind the wheel. Waymo is lobbying to get this regulation changed.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
UK Backs Down on Apple Back Door; T-Mobile Says Selling Location Data Without Consent Legal; SoftBank Puts $2 Billion into Intel, Gates Backed AI Competition to Speed Alzheimer’s Research
Posted: August 19, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Health, Intel, marketing, News, SoftBank, T-Mobile, technology Leave a commentOfficials in the UK are no longer planning to compel Apple to give back door access to user’s data. Engadget.com reports that earlier this year, the UK government issued a secret order after amending the Investigatory Powers Act of 2016. The law gives the UK government the right to compel companies to turn over data to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Reports about the mandate started to come out in February, however, and Apple pretty much confirmed it when it disabled iCloud’s Advanced Data Protection feature in the UK. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard posted on X that she, President Trump, and Vice President Vance had all worked with the Brits to get the back door demand rescinded. A bipartisan group of lawmakers had pushed the US government to oppose the back door, fearing it could open up foreign cyber attacks.
A federal appeals court panel from the DC Circuit has rejected T-Mobile’s attempt to overturn an $92 million fine for selling customer location information to third party firms without consent. According to arstechnica.com, the court also slammed T-Mobile for not taking reasonable measures to protect that sensitive data against unauthorized disclosure. The issue dates back to 2018. All 3 major cellular carriers were fined, and all appealed in different courts. The 3 judge DC panel ruled unanimously against T-Mobile and its subsidiary Sprint.
SoftBank, the Japanese conglomerate, is pouring $2 billion into Intel. The chip firm has been scuffling as competitors Nvidia and AMD have gotten a lead on them with chips used for AI. Techcrunch.com reports that SoftBank put out a statement about the deal, saying “strategic investment reflects our belief that advanced semiconductor manufacturing and supply will further expand in the United States, with Intel playing a critical role.” This is a continuation of investment in the US by Softbank, which recently bought a factory in Lordstown, Ohio owned by Foxconn aimed at building AI data enters.
Bill Gates and some others are offering a million dollar prize to accelerate Alzheimer’s research using AI. Geekwire.com notes that the Contest is organized by Alzheimer’s Disease Data Initiative, and is specifically aimed at the innovative use of agentic AI. Gates lost his Dad to the disease at age 94 back in 2020. Gates has noted that more than 7 million people in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s, which works out to 1-in-9 people over the age of 65. He commented, “As life expectancies continue to go up, those numbers will only increase.”
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Workday Hacked; Meta Smart Glasses With Display Coming; AI Stuffed Animals for Kids; Judge Blocks FTC Probe into Media Matters
Posted: August 18, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a commentWorkday, the HR giant, has been hacked via good old-bad old social engineering. The data breach affects its third-party CRM platform. Engadget.com reports that the bad actors posed as IT and HR, and unfortunately managed to trick employees into sharing account access and personal info. Workday says that the info gathered is all ‘commonly available’ stuff like names, email addresses, and phone numbers. They haven’t disclosed what third party Customer Relationship Management firm was affected at this point.
Meta’s next-gen smart glasses with built in display may be out as soon as this fall. According to digitaltrends.com, the display will only be in the right eye. Meta had originally been looking at over $1000, but now is expected to sell the specs for around $800. The headset sounds a lot like the old Google Glass. The glasses are code-named Hypernova. The user will have to look down with the right eye to see the display the clearest. They run on Qualcom silicon, and will have apps for capturing photos, viewing media, launching maps, and checking notifications.
We had Furby, Teddy Ruxpin, and have had Tamagotchi. Now, AI chatbots are apparently the latest, greatest…or worst, depending on your viewpoint….kiddie toy. Techcrunch.com notes that startup Curio has introduced Grem, a talking plush toy powered by AI. They also make one called Grok…no connection to the Elon Musk AI offering, apparently. The gadget seems to be designed to pull kids in, not unlike a social platform on a smartphone. If you really think this sounds good, they start at $99. Having recalled seeing an entire store front in a mall in Foster City jammed with discounted, unwanted Teddy Ruxpin toys a number of years ago, I would advise caution on this!
A US District Court judge has blocked an FTC investigation into liberal watchdog Media Matters. Mashable.com reports that the inquiry started in May, but it dates back to 2023 when the watchdog reported on X ads next to new-Nazi and white supremacist content. Elon Musk sued Media Matters, claiming they were deliberately scaring off advertisers. The group fired back, suing the FTC and claiming the inquiry was a ‘campaign of retribution’ orchestrated on behalf of Musk. The judge, Sparkle Sooknanan called it a ‘straightforward First Amendment violation.’ The court ruled that it was a retaliatory act. Considering the difficult separation between Musk and Trump, this is likely the last of government attacks that might tend to help Musk.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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