More Meta Trial; Bluesky Feed Builder Graze; Apple ‘Vision Air’ Headset; AI Action Figure Fad-Creating Unsustainable’ GPU Demand

As the Meta antitrust trial brought by the Federal Trade Commission continues, gizmodo.com reports that CEO Mark Zuckerberg thought President Trump would help keep the suit from happening. Apparently, Zuck offered to settle the case for some $450 million. The FTC for its part wanted $30 billion initially…then dropped that to $18 billion and a consent decree. Zuck’s confidence was apparently a reference to the fact that the Meta CEO’s company had donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and settled a lawsuit with the president for $25 million in a move that was largely seen as a gift to Trump. Zuck was on the stand for some 7 hours Tuesday, his second day of testimony. The CEO reiterated that even now, Instagram doesn’t come very close at all to competing with TikTok. The government wants Meta to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp. 

One unique feature of Bluesky is that you can make your own custom feeds. That’s all cool, but doing so can be complicated for non-developers. Now, according to TechCrunch.com, a startup called Graze has raised cash including from a division of Salesforce called Ventures to build software tools to customize, publish, and manage Bluesky feeds. With Bluesky, you aren’t limited to their algorithm for the feed. You can create or just follow custom feeds, and even pin one to be your default feed…I haven’t created a feed myself, but do use the default sometimes, as well as ‘Popular With Friends’, ‘Mutuals,’ and my pinned feed ‘Following.’ Graze users have already build around 4,500 custom feeds. If you are into politics, that’s cool, but you can follow a range of topics like gaming, art, sports, fitness, hobbies, and more. By the way, Graze also allows feed operators to choose if they want to let the platform serve ads or now. You may not want to, but if you do, you can make some money. Right now 200 feeds built with Graze are running ads at $1 per 1,000 impressions. Graze takes a 30% cut. 

We have been hearing about Apple working on a cheaper headset…now we have a rumor that it will also be lighter, and may be called something like the ‘Vision Air.’ Macrumors.com says that the thinner, lighter design could come in a ‘Midnight Blue’ finish, too. The rumor comes from a leaker called Kosutami. This leaker has a mixed record, but did nail the Fine Woven Apple Watch bands and also called the Thunderbolt 4 cable. Back to the headset, though. It will still be mainly aluminum, but internals will be more titanium to reduce weight. It will also have a new style 12-pin Lightening connector. The 2nd gen Vision pro is expected either this fall or next spring, but not date range yet on the cheaper…and now apparently lighter Vision Air. 

If you have been on any Social media lately…especially Facebook and LinkedIn, you haven’t been able to avoid all the ‘action figures’ people have been making of themselves. Well, the cute trend has a big downside, according to thenextweb.com. Apparently, the GPU demand it is creating is unsustainable. Using AI to generate text takes some 20-30 times more energy than a traditional search…but AI generated images from written prompts uses at least double THAT amount! Energy use at data centers is expected to double over the next 5 years to 3% of total globe energy use…almost half that power is expected to come from burning fossil fuels. Then there is Microsoft, which wants to reactivate a nuclear plant on the East Coast just to power AI data centers…with enough power to light hundreds of thousands of homes. Yeah, your action figure is cute…now, take a screenshot of it and don’t do it again!

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


Zuck Considered Wiping Your Facebook Friend List; OpenAI Building a Social Network; Startup Aims to Detect Deepfakes; Detailed iPhone Fold Predictions

As the DOJ vs Meta trial moves forward, an interesting…and honestly wacky idea of Mark Zuckerberg’s came to light. Techcrunch.com reports that Zuckerberg sent an email in 2022 proposing the strategy of  “wiping everyone’s graphs and having them start again” as a possible solution to Facebook’s declining significance in the social networking space. The idea was that forcing everyone to re-create their friend graphs could encourage users to reconnect with the social network as they rebuild their social connections. A number of other Facebook execs, including the head of Facebook Tom Alison pushed back hard. Fortunately, the idea was never implemented. Just in the last few weeks, Facebook has nudged users towards their Friends tab…which mainly just shows posts from friends, without the proposed pages and all the other crap they have loaded up the main feed with. 

OpenAI is developing its own X—like social network. According to theverge.com, there is already an internal prototype focused on ChatGPT’s image generation that has a social feed. CEO Sam Altman has been privately asking around for feedback on the project. Right now, it’s not clear if OpenAI would release the social network as a separate app or integrate it into ChatGPT. Putting out an X-like product would just up the bad feelings between Elon Musk and Altman…Elon was originally involved in ChatGPT but left a number of years ago. Besides the obvious of having a social platform, a social app would also give OpenAI its own unique real-time data.

Public figures, especially actors and voice people have been concerned for some time about the ability of generative AI to clone their likenesses or voices. Now, geekwire.com says a startup called Loti is aiming to help celebrities, politicians, and other high profile folks protect their digital likeness and sound. Loti’s advanced facial and voice recognition software analyzes real photos, video and audio from customers and then scans the internet for infringing media — such as fake social media accounts, fake endorsements, or deepfakes that misuse their likeness. The company can then put out takedown requests. The company has support from the re-introduction of the No Fakes Act…that bill is supported by Google, Amazon, and others. A couple of major talent agencies are partnering with Loti, and they have raised a fresh blast of $16 million. 

More on the upcoming iPhone Fold from mashable.com and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The folding iPhone is supposed to drop in the last quarter of 2026. The folder will have a book type design like the Samsung Galaxy Z Folds have. It should have a 7.8 inch allegedly crease-free inner screen, and a 5.5 inch outer display. Kuo expects a dual rear camera, and and added selfie cam…which will work when the phone is folded or unfolded. It should be notably slimmer…9 to 9.5mm thick folded, and 4.5 to 4.8mm thick, compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6…at 12.1mm folded and 5.6 mm unfolded. The hinge…nearly as crucial as the crease or lack of it, will be stainless steel and titanium, with the case titanium like the present iPhone 16 Pros. It will have a Touch ID button and high density battery. The price is expected to be between $2000 and $2500. 

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


Meta Will Resume AI Training on Public Content; Meta Antitrust Trial; Nvidia To Start Chipmaking in Arizona and Texas; Tariffs-On Again, Off Again-Apple Increases Non-China Production

Meta announced today that they will start using publicly available content from European users to train its AI models…something it paused last year after an outcry about data privacy. The training will be on public posts and content shared by adult users in the European Union. Meta says it will not use private messages, but noted to the EU regulators that it will be doing nothing different from Google and OpenAI. The social giant said it will begin notifying users in the EU about the training…and will include a link to a form where they can object at any time. Meta says “We’ll honor all objection forms.”

In other Meta news, the big antitrust case the FTC has brought against Meta is under the gavel in Washington, D.C. According to NPR, it comes after a 6 year investigation over whether the social media giant broke competition laws when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. It would put quite a dent in the $1.4 trillion dollar ad business, if the government prevails and makes Meta spin off those series into separate companies. It is being compared as a corporate breakup to the one that the government forced on AT&T some 40 years ago. The trial before Judge Boasberg is expected to last up to 8 weeks. Meta is expected to present a vigorous defense. 

Nvidia has announced it has commissioned over a million square feet of space to build and test AI chips in Arizona and Texas. Techcrunch.com says production of its Blackwell chips has already started at TSMC’s plants in Phoenix, and Nvidia is building ‘supercomputer’ manufacturing plants in Texas…partnered with Foxconn in Houston and Wistron in Dallas. Mass production should ramp up in the next 12-15 months, and within 4 years, Nvidia is aiming to make as much as a half trillion dollars worth of AI infrastructure in the US. The plants in Arizona were started by the Chips Act under the Biden Administration. 

Another roller coaster on tariffs over the weekend. First, a cave, exempting smartphones, and computers, and processors from the 145% tariff on Chinese imports. After that, it was just a temporary pause on SundayThen, yesterday, 9to5google.com, among many others, reports that Trump flip-flopped again, and said no exemptions. This is playing havoc with tech companies. Apple, for one, began ramping up production in India, and now makes 20% of iPhones there. They also increased production in Vietnam and Thailand. Look for other electronics makers other than do likewise to avoid the ridiculous tariffs Trump is trying to impose on China. For its part, China is not caving, and is putting on matching tariffs on imports from the US.

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


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 

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

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

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

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!

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.


Amazon Rolls Out Nova Act AI Agent; Apple-MacBook Pro Refresh This Fall, “Overhaul” Next Year; Google Bows Gemini 2.5 Pro to All Gemini App Users; DOGE to Quickly Rebuild Social Security Databases-Eeek

Amazon has rolled out Nova Act, a general purpose AI agent that can  take control of a web browser and independently perform some simple actions. Techcrunch.com reports that Nova Act will also power major features of the upcoming Alexa Plus upgrade. The version out now isn’t a bit less ready for prime time…Amazon calls it a ‘research preview.’ What it can do, according to Amazon, is automate basic actions on behalf of users, such as ordering salads or making dinner reservations. With the Nova Act toolkit, developers can pull together tools that allow an AI agent to navigate web pages, fill out forms, or pick dates on a calendar.

This Fall’s MacBook Pros will just get a refresh it looks like. Apple will upgrade the laptops to their new M5 chip. According to 9to5mac.com, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claims in his PowerOn newsletter that there will be a larger overhaul of the MacBook Pro in 2026. That update will bring the M6 chip, an OLED display, and a thinner design. Having dealt with the ’thinner design’ concept in an earlier MacBook Pro myself…and hassled with the infamous ‘butterfly’ keyboard, I am a bit less excited about the 2026 model than I might have been. I still have the old rig as a backup…and it is always a challenge to use it and see if I will get no letter when I hit a key or 11 repeats of that letter. Great for entering passwords!

Google announced over the weekend that it is rolling out the latest Gemini 2.5 model…which is experimental…to all free Gemini app users. 9to5google.com notes that this is the one that  integrates thinking capabilities rather than offering it as a separate variant. It is currently in the “experimental” phase, but has support for a number of features. Previously, Google had just made it available for Gemini Advanced subscribers, with Google One AI Premium at $19.95 a month…but the decision was made to push it out to all Gemini users. 

The Department of Government Efficiency…so-called, is getting a team to work on trying to migrate Social Security’s computer systems completely off COBOL in the next few months. If that doesn’t scare you after they didn’t understand the dating system and thought there were 200 year old recipients getting checks, I don’t know what will! Wired.com reports that normally a migration of this size and scale…some 65 million peoples’ accounts involved….should take much longer. One technologist told Wired “one of the big risks is not underpayment or overpayment per se but [it’s also] not paying someone at all and not knowing about it. The invisible errors and omissions.” In 2017, Social Security got funding to try to move off COBOL, calculating it would take 5 years…but when COVID-19 happened, they took the foot off the gas on that to focus on helping people by phone and web, since offices were closed for a bit. 

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


Android Risk of Sideloading-According to Google; Amazon No-Shock New AI Search Angle-Suggesting Products; Rivian Births Micromobility Startup; Military Vehicles Getting Mixed Reality Windshields

Google has dropped a number on the risk of side loading Android apps, and it is a bit jaw-dropping. Androidpolice.com reports that Google says apps downloaded from places outside the Google Play Store are 50 times more likely to contain malware than apps from the Play Store. Google says its ‘stronger privacy policies’ and ‘AI-powered threat detection’ has prevented some 2.36 million suspicious apps from getting into the Play Store. Sometimes you can get some really cool apps from outside Google….or even by skirting Apple’s App Store…which Apple makes much more difficult. As always, just be extra careful of the source when you do so. 

Amazon…like all Big Tech…is going full bore on AI. They even have an AI assistant they call Rufus in the Amazon app now. Well, geekwire.com says now Amazon is using generative AI for a new feature called “Interests” that turns natural language queries into product recommendations — and updates shoppers when new items match their prompt. If you thought Amazon was really ‘sticky’ before as far as getting you to spend time on their platform and buy more, just wait! At present, the feature is only available to a small subset of US users on the website and mobile, but the online giant plans to roll it out to more people in the coming months. If that isn’t enough…well, according to CNBC, they are also testing a new chatbot for health and wellness questions. 

Rivian has spun off a division that has been something of the CEO’s baby since before he even founded the auto company in 2009. The focus will be on so-called ‘micro mobility.’ According to TechCrunch.com, the new firm is called Also. The team comes from Apple, Google, Specialized, Tesla, REI, and Uber. Although they haven’t been totally specific, the ‘micro mobility’ vehicle admittedly has a bike-like profile. Rivian’s CEO Scaringe will serve on the new spin off’s board, and Rivian holds a minority stake in the company. They plan to leverage Rivian’s tech, retail presence, and economies of scale. They hope to have a flagship product in production by next year. Scaringe has made it clear that they want to make a micro mobility product at affordable prices. The vehicle will have a screen, computers, and a battery. He has complained that nice e-bikes can run $6-8,000, or even $10 grand. It looks very much like they are aiming to make an e-bike or similar vehicle with top shelf performance for a fraction of the price, leveraging Rivian’s tech. 

A Finnish startup called Distance Technologies has come out of stealth with a tech it says can turn any transparent surface into a Mixed Reality Display. Thenextweb.com notes that the startup has the deep-pocketed backing of Google. Further, they are partnering with Patria to try out the tech on that defense firm’s armored vehicles. The partners will jointly develop a heads-up display for Patria’s six-wheel drive armored personnel carrier. The system will display 3D tactical data, terrain mapping, and AI-driven military insights directly onto the windshield, allowing military personnel to see in low-visibility environments like darkness and smoke. While Mixed Reality windshields on military 6 wheeled vehicles may not excite you, the thing is…this sort of tech always finds its way into commercial civilian use. With actual self driving still years away (and always promised within months…for at least the last 10 years), think about this tech making it easier to drive at night or through thick fog…hopefully not smoke, like on a battlefield! An unique feature of the display is that it isn’t static like on your car- if it has one. This tech tracks the user’s eye movements and then displays the correct light field to match where they are looking! The system is allegedly capable of ‘infinite’ pixel depth…that should mean indistinguishable from natural light.

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