TomTom & Microsoft In-Vehicle  AI Voice Assistant; FTC Bans Rite Aid from Facial Surveillance System; Playstation 5 Sales over 50 Million; Tesla Blamed Drivers for Parts Failures

Posted: December 20, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

TomTom has partnered with Microsoft to develop an AI voice assistant for vehicles. Thenextweb.com reports that the automotive assistant enables voice interaction with location search, infotainment, and vehicle command systems. This means that drivers can “converse” with the vehicle, ask questions about navigation directions or route stops, and use voice control to regulate the temperature, for instance, or open the windows and change radio stations. The assistant works across multiple Microsoft products, including its Azure OpenAI Service, Azure Kubernetes Services, Azure Cosmos DB, and Azure Cognitive Services. It’s already built into TomTom’s Digital Cockpit, the company’s own in-vehicle infotainment platform, but can also be integrated into other automotive infotainment systems.

The Federal Trade Commission has banned Rite Aid from using facial surveillance systems for 5 years. According to engadget.com, this comes as part of a settlement with the FTC, which had accused Rite Aid of “reckless use of facial surveillance systems.” The FTC said in its complaint that the drugstore chain deployed an artificial intelligence-powered facial recognition technology from 2012 to 2020 to identify customers who may have previously shoplifted or have engaged in problematic behavior. Apparently, the company had created a database with “tens of thousands” of customer images, along with their names, dates of birth and alleged crimes. Those photos were of poor quality, taken by its security cameras, employees’ phones and even from news stories. As a result, the system generated thousands of false-positive alerts.

Sony’s PlayStation 5 has passed a big milestone…as of today, the company has announced that it has sold over 50 million of the gaming consoles since it launched in late 2020. Theverge.com notes that as recently as last July, they had sold 40 million, so sales are really picking up. Supply chain issues had held back sales for a while, but Sony says this is the first holiday season where anyone who wants to buy a PS5 can get hold of one. Even with supply chain issues, the PS5 hit 50 million in only one week less that the PS4 did. Meanwhile, Nintendo Switch sales dipped 18% this year, and Xbox sales were off 15%. 

A Reuters review of Tesla documents has found that tens of thousands of owners have been the victims of premature failures of suspension or steering parts. Internally, Tesla engineers called part ‘flaws’ and ‘failures,’ yet the company has denied some of the suspension and steering problems in statements to U.S. regulators and the public– and, according to Tesla records, sought to shift some of the resulting repair costs to customers. The company has alleged that owners abused the cars. The automaker charged customers with out-of-warranty cars to replace parts that Tesla engineers internally called flawed or that they knew had high failure rates. Engineers ordered repeated redesigns for several parts and discussed seeking money back from suppliers because of the defects. Unsurprisingly, neither Tesla nor top executive Elon Musk responded to detailed questions for this article by Reuters. 

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

Update: Apple Trying to Avoid Watch Ban in US; Google Tab Over Epic Court Loss-$700 Million; Breakthrough Towards Making Artificial DNA; Tesla Driver Owes $23 Grand Restitution From Crash

Posted: December 19, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple software engineers are working overtime on a possible software solution to get around the pending International Trade Commission ban on the Apple Watch that will go into effect on Christmas. Appleinsider.com reports that Apple believes a last minute software update may be able to circumvent the patents they have been accused of violating from Masimo. Without the update or other change, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be unavailable after Christmas in the US. For its part, Masimo claims that the patent violations can only be resolved with hardware alterations in a future Watch Model. Apple thinks a software update will satisfy US Customs. 

We reported earlier that Epic Games won a suit claiming Google has an illegal monopoly with its Play Store. According to theverge.com, all 50 state attorneys general settled a similar lawsuit in September, and now we know what Google’s tab is. Google will cough up $700 million and make several small concessions to the way they operate the Play store in the US. So for a brief moment in time, it will become the Google PAY store. The biggest change? Google will need to let developers steer consumers away from the Google Play Store for several years, if this settlement is approved.

A group of scientists have figured out how to create truly artificial DNA. Bgr.com notes that the study published in Nature Communications indicates that this may enable the tech to create new medicines for certain diseases by creating DNA with new nucleotides that can create custom proteins. The scientists were led by Dong Wang Ph.D. Wang helped lead the study alongside Steven A. Benner, Ph.D., and Dmitry Lyumkis, Ph.D.. Together, the three authors have shown that you can not only create artificial DNA but that the artificial nucleotides may also be able to help create custom proteins we could use to target specific diseases that are hard to combat.

A Tesla driver from LA owes over $23,000 in restitution for killing two people in a crash in 2019. The AP says he pleaded no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Despite facing more than seven years behind bars, a judge sentenced him to probation in June. Kevin Riad is a limo driver who was behind the wheel of a Tesla that ran a red light while on Autopilot and hit another car in an intersection. Coincidentally, the judgment against Riad came the same day that a recall was announced for most Tesla cars over Autopilot. 

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

Apple Stops Watch Sales-Patent Dispute; EU Investigating X Over Israeli-Hamas War Content; Britain’s NHS to Deliver Med Supplies via Drone; Tesla Model 3 May Sues $7500 Credit-New Battery Rules

Posted: December 18, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

A long simmering patent dispute is stopping Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales later this week. 9to5mac.com reports the action is coming due to an ITC ruling over the dispute between Apple and Masimo, a medical tech company about the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen sensor tech. The International 

Trade Commission  announced its ruling in October, upholding a judge’s decision from January. This sent the case to the Biden administration for a 60-day Presidential Review Period. During this process, President Biden could veto the ruling, although this has not yet occurred. The Presidential Review Period expires on December 25, and Apple is making this announcement today to “preemptively” take steps to comply with the ITC’s decision. Existing Apple Watches, including the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models, and older models with blood oxygen sensors which have already been sold will not be affected. 

The European Union has started a formal Digital Services Act investigation into X, with regulators saying the platform may have broken the EU’s rules. The major issue is quote “the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel.” According to theverge.com, the commission said it will look at X’s attempts to counter the spread of illegal content on its platform and will examine X’s efforts to stop “information manipulation” via its Community Notes system and other policies. It’s also looking into matters beyond content moderation, including “deceptive design” relating to “the so-called Blue checks,” advertising transparency, and data access for researchers.

The UK’s National Health Service is launching a drone delivery program across 30 medical facilities in the north of the country. Thenextweb.com says the aim is to cut costs, while improving service to hundreds of thousands of patients. The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been experimenting with autonomous drone deliveries for a while now, in partnership with UK-based Apian. While the healthcare trust’s drone trials have been pretty small-scale to date, it just teamed up with San Francisco-based Zipline — the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery company. Zipline’s fixed-wing drones can travel up to130 miles and parachute packages onto hospital landing zones.

Tesla’s model 3 is about to lose the $7500 federal subsidy the first of the year. Arstechnica.com reports that this is due to the new battery rules that came with the IRS clean vehicle tax credit starting in 2024. The Model 3 Performance may retain elgiblity. An additional wrinkle that comes to into effect involves materials from so-called ‘foreign entities of concern.’ One of those is China. Tesla isn’t the only maker to get a cut in subsidy….Ford thinks the Mustang Mach-E will lose its $3750 tax credit the first of the year, too.

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

Amazon Reveal About Project Kuiper Satellites; Threads Launches in Europe; Cruise Lays off 24% of Workforce; Humana Using AI Tool With 90% Error Rate to Deny Coverage

Posted: December 14, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It has been speculated about, and now Amazon has admitted that its Project Kuiper satellites will communicate with each other via laser-based links. According to geekwire.com, the system has already been successfully tested in orbit. The laser satellite- to-satellite communication moves data much more quickly than when data has to be sent to ground stations, and then back up to other satellites. Amazon is calling it something akin to a mesh network in space. Amazon is using infrared lasers to make the links, and says that the tests produced a 100% success rate. They plan to launch about half their satellites, some 1600 of them, by 2026. It is a lot more satellites in low orbit, but nice to see something competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Threads is finally available in the European Union. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted the announcement: “Today we’re opening Threads to more countries in Europe.” The service was already available in the US and over 100 other countries worldwide, including the UK. Theverge.com reports that this will open up the service to almost half billion more people. Meta users in the EU will be able to browse Threads without needing a profile…which was an issue holding up its availability in the EU. Actually posting or interacting with content will still require an Instagram account, though. 

The fallout continues after a crash in San Francisco where a Cruise self-driving vehicle dragged a pedestrian as it tried to pull over after the collision. After getting banned from San Francisco streets and the launch of investigations, engadget.com notes that Cruise had canned 9 executives earlier this week. Now, the company is laying off 24% of its workforce…some 900 employees. An email says the layoffs primarily target non-engineering roles, including field workers, commercial operations, and corporate staffing. The layoffs weren’t a total shock as GM CEO Mary Barra had called for cuts of millions of dollars last month. 

A suit was filed this week claiming that Humana is using an AI model with a 90% error rate to override doctors’ medical judgment and wrongfully deny care to elderly people on the company’s Medicare Advantage plans. Arstechnica.com reports that it is the 2nd suit field over an insurers use of the artificial intelligence tool nH Predict from NaviHealth. A suit is also proceeding against United Health…also asserting that they are using the nH Predict AI to wrongfully deny care. Until AI gets much, much more accurate…and doesn’t ‘hallucinate,’ as the current jargon says…a nice way of saying that the AI doesn’t just make stuff up, there will be more of this. AI needs to be more like 98% right all the time, not 90% wrong!

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

Threads Is Getting Fact-Checking; Apple Is Adding More Stolen Device Protection; Google Workspace Enables Name Pronunciation So Folks Don’t Mangle Your Name; Meta Ray-Bans Gets AI That Sees What You See

Posted: December 13, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

In some good news as Threads continues to grow and get more users, Meta has announced they will be adding more moderation to user-generated content. Engadget.com reports that  Threads is going to “match fact-check ratings from Facebook or Instagram to Threads.” Currently, fact-checkers can’t rate content on Threads, so instead when something gets flagged as being false on Instagram or Facebook, a fact-checker’s ratings will also roll over onto the app. The fact checking should be live early next year.  Meta said third-party fact-checking partners will flag and review the content that circulates on Threads. The app’s users will be given the choice to increase, lower or maintain the default level of “demotions on fact-checked content” in personal feeds. Meta says if a user decides to see less sensitive content on Instagram, those settings will roll over into their Threads view.

A new security feature has shown up in the latest beta of Apple’s iOS, version 17.3. According to macrumors.com, it’s ’Stolen Device Protection,’ and it will add another layer of protection for people who have their phone stolen, and the thief also has the passcode. Bad guys can just eye people in public places, and can watch for you to enter your passcode, then grab the phone and they have…as a lot of people feel…your ‘entire digital life.’ With Stolen Device Protection, either Face ID or Touch ID will be required for additional actions, like looking at passwords or passkeys stored in iCloud Keychain…or for actions like applying for a new Apple Card, turning off Lost Mode, erasing content or settings, or using payment methods stored in Safari. The feature will kick in when you are in a location you don’t normally visit…a slight hassle, but nice to protect your info. When iOS 17.3 is released to the public, Apple says it will share additional info on how to use Stolen Device Protection to secure your devices. 

If people are always mangling your name when they meet you or chat on the phone or over video, Google has added a feature that should help. It’s a new part of Google Workspace apps…including Google Docs and Gmail. On your profile card next to your name is a circle with an arrow in it. When they click on that, it will play back a recording of your name being pronounced. Zdnet.com says the feature is on by default. Some other workplace apps, like Microsoft’s LinkedIn and also Slack already have a pronunciation feature. Nice to have, since clobbering a person’s name right out of the box makes a lousy first impression.

Meta has added some AI tech to its Ray-Ban glasses to assist you with what you are looking at. Cnet.com reports that this might include ingredients on a package for example. You can look at the package and ask about an ingredient…like caffeine in tea, and the AI will tell you if it has it and how much. It is somewhat less than instant at this point…the glasses take a picture of the item then it is a few more seconds before you get an answer from the AI about your query. Be aware that at this point the AI can…as they say…hallucinate. In other words, it makes some stuff up! This is an ongoing problem with all generative AI that developers say will be solved…at some point, anyway. 

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

Most Popular App Store Apps 2023; Jury Finds Google Has Monopoly in App Store Battle; Ford Cutting Production on F-150 Lightning EV Trucks; Microsoft Agrees to Union Position on Use of AI

Posted: December 12, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

As we near the end of the year, there are always a myriad of lists that come out. Here’s one that is interesting I think. Apple has revealed the most popular App Store apps and games of 2023. Macrumors.com has details on the top free and top paid apps. We’ll just cover the top free apps here. Topping the list is Chinese shopping app Temu. In 2nd place is CapCut Video Editor. #3 is Max, the streaming app for HBO. 4th place is Threads, the barely 6 month old Meta answer to what Twitter used to be before Elon Musk changed it to X and mucked it all up. TikTok is holding down 5th place, and as we reported, it has become the first non-game to top $10 billion in revenue. Instagram is #6…probably getting some growth from people who had to sign up for it like I did in order to sign up for Threads. Google is the 7th place app, and Alphabet—or Google-owned YouTube is close behind at 8th. In 9th place is WhatsApp Messenger…also owned by Meta. 10th place is Gmail. It’s worth noting that 3 of the top ten apps are owned by Meta, and 3 are owned by Google parent Alphabet…so 60% of the top ten apps are owned by two companies…and two apps…Temu and TikTok…come from China. 

It’s being called an Epic win…typical of reporters who love such plays on words…but a jury found in favor of Epic games vs Google over their claimed illegal monopoly battle about Google’s App Store. According to theverge.com, the jury found  that Google turned its Google Play app store and Google Play Billing service into an illegal monopoly. This case was much different from the one Epic lost vs Apple. Here, the issue turned on secret revenue sharing deals between Google, smartphone makers, and big game developers, ones that Google execs internally believed were designed to keep rival app stores down. The damages and remedies are yet to be decided, and you can bet on Google appealing, but for now, Epic as the boss of the level has beaten mighty Google.

Earlier in the year, Ford announced it was dramatically increasing production of the then hot selling F-150 Lightening electric pickup. Now, the Blue Oval company is halving production as sales have slowed. Arstechnica.com says production will drop from 3200 trucks a week to 1600. Ford has said they weren’t making money on the truck, and goosed the base price considerably earlier…from $39,974 before tax credits up about $10 grand to $49,995. Guess what, Ford? You are out of the ‘sweet spot’ for regular joe buyers at that price point. Battery packs are expensive, but with so many less components…like big engines and transmissions, and the like…it seems like they could actually have been making some money at the lower figure…maybe just not what they wanted to make. 

Not an historically union friendly employer, but Microsoft has agreed to union contract language about the use of artificial intelligence. The deal gives workers a voice when challenging how the tech is employed. Engadget.com reports that this is the first time ever Microsoft has done collective bargaining. The Communications Workers of America contract language pretty well echoes Microsoft’s previously announced AI principles, including that AI systems will “treat all people fairly” and “empower everyone.” To that end, it will give employees covered under the contract an avenue of recourse should they feel that Microsoft isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. Principles are fine, but now, it is memorialized in a written contract, which should offer employees more security when it comes to future AI tech.

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

Beeper Mini’s Android iMessage App is Back; TikTok-1st Non-Game App to hit $10 Billion; FTC Scrutinizing Microsoft OpenAI Investment; Google Working on Editing Support for Google Messages

Posted: December 11, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

After rolling out its app for using Apple’s iMessage over Android, suddenly last week the Beeper Mini app was apparently quickly killed by Apple. Apple had said in a post that the app was basically faking credentials to get in. Now, 9to5google.com reports that Beeper Mini is back. Right now, it has to be side-loaded as it is still under review by the Play store. The update removes phone number support and leaves users to continue with iMessage using their Apple ID. For a lot of users, this is still a bummer, as they probably don’t have an Apple ID if they are all-Android. Beeper is working on a way of using your phone number again, without having Apple swat them down. Some good news though…the app is now free to use for the time being, instead of charging a $2 per month subscription. Apple’s position is unchanged…anything they deem to compromise user privacy and security will be blocked. For its part, Beeper says the app doesn’t compromise either…and it gives Android users that precious blue bubble in chats, instead of the green one Apple assigns to all non-iMessage messages on its platform. 

TikTok has passed a real milestone. The app had hit a billion monthly active uses back in 2021, and now has become the first non-game mobile app to generate $10 billion in consumer spending across the Apple App Store and Google Play Store combined. According to TechCrunch.com, the data was pulled together by app intelligence provider data.ai. The only other apps to have achieved this are all games, including Candy Crush Saga from King/Activision Blizzard, the top earner at over $12 billion, plus Tencent’s Honor of Kings, XFLAG/Mixi’s Monster Strike and Supercell’s Clash of Clans.

Apparently it’s not just regulators in the UK that are looking into Microsoft’s some $13 billion investment in OpenAI. Now, engadget.com says the FTC here in the US is also making a preliminary inquiry. It should be noted that this isn’t a formal investigation yet. A bit of a fly in the ointment for government investigations…OpenAI is a non-profit, and transactions involving non-corporate entities aren’t required by law to be reported. Of course, OpenAI has established a for-profit..basically subsidiary, so the structure will be a bit of a challenge for the FTC and other governing agencies. In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority press release noted that  “The CMA will review whether the partnership has resulted in an acquisition of control — that is, where it results in one party having material influence, de facto control or more than 50% of the voting rights over another entity.” Does Microsoft have such de facto control with its investment and two new board seats? Stay tuned. 

Apple brought text editing support to iMessage with iOS 16….if you  are quick…and now, Google is working on doing the same for Google Messages. Bgr.com reports that code has been spotted that points to editing support showing up soon. It’s a real boon to be able to quickly jump in and edit a typo or goof if you are quick on iMessage…beats the hell out of having to type an additional message correcting what you just sent. Since iMessage got editing, WhatsApp got it, and it is coming soon to Facebook Messenger, too. None of this matters for those who don’t care about bit about capitalization or punctuation, or who are cool with sending out typo and error-laden texts…but for those of us who are a bit more particular about what we send off into the ether, Google Message editing will be great to have.

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

Google’s Gemini AI Update; Cross-Chat Facebook & Instagram Going Away; Governments Spying on Apple & Google Users; Exploit Makes Almost Every Windows & Linux Device Vulnerable 

Posted: December 6, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Google is updating its AI, branding it Gemini. Up to now Google’s chatbot Bard has been a distant also-ran to ChatGPT. According to gizmodo.com, the new Gemini AI from Google will come in 3 versions. Gemini Nano is the mildest one, made for mobile devices. Then, there is the mid-level Gemini Pro, which is claimed to beat ChatGPT 3.5. The top level Gemini Ultra is one that Google says will be a paid version of Bard Advanced, and will out perform ChatGPT-4. No pricing has been released, and the top level Ultra version hasn’t been given a public release date as yet. 

For several years now, people on Instagram have been able to message you on your Facebook Messenger app, and vice versa. The cross platform messaging never was extended by Meta to WhatsApp due to its end-to-end encryption. Now, bgr,com reports that Meta is removing the capability. You will still be able to see cross-platform convos that you already have, but only in read-only mode. 

I can remember repeatedly telling the kids…back when they WERE kids…that you may as well consider everything you do on the internet as public. Now, we are finding out that governments are spying on smartphone users via their apps’ push notifications. Reuters.com says the tip about this comes from Senator Ron Wyden, who sent a letter to the Department of Justice warning about it. Most apps have push notifications…which you may enable or disable…to alert you to incoming messages, breaking news, and other updates. These are the audible “dings” or visual indicators users get when they receive an email or their sports team wins a game. What users often do not realize is that almost all such notifications travel over Google and Apple servers. After Wyden’s letter, Apple disclosed that they are aware of the governments nosing around in these, but had been prohibited from letting the users know by those governments. They declined to identify the governments making the requests, but a source described them as democracies allied with the US.

Not a fun thing to report or hear about, but an attack has been identified that affects virtually every Windows and Linux machine. It has been named LogoFAIL, and it allows high infections during the boot sequence that are nearly impossible to detect or remove using current defense mechanisms. Arstechnica.com reports that the vulnerabilities have taken almost a year’s worth of work by Binarly, a firm that helps customers identify and secure vulnerable firmware. LogoFAIL involves logos, specifically those of the hardware seller that are displayed on the device screen early in the boot process…before the main OS even loads.  By replacing the legitimate logo images with identical-looking ones that have been specially crafted to exploit these bugs, LogoFAIL makes it possible to execute malicious code at the most sensitive stage of the boot process. You can be sure that teams at Microsoft and various coders of Linux, in addition to device manufacturers, are working hard right now to fix this mess.

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

Whistleblower-Tesla Autopilot ‘Experiments on Public Roads;’ Cruise Fined for Withholding Crash Info; Lenovo Legion-King Sized Answer to Steam Deck; iOS 17.2 Improves iPhone 15 Pro Telephoto Cam

Posted: December 5, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A former Tesla employee turned whistleblower has called Tesla cars with Autopilot ‘experiments in public roads.’ Arstechnica.com reports that the individual, who leaked thousands of accident reports and other documents expressed his doubts about the safety of Tesla’s Autopilot system in an interview with the BBC published today. “I don’t think the hardware is ready and the software is ready,” ex-Tesla employee Lukasz Krupski said. “It affects all of us because we are essentially experiments in public roads. So even if you don’t have a Tesla, your children still walk in the footpath.” 

Krupski was also featured last month in a New York Times article titled, “Man vs. Musk: A Whistleblower Creates Headaches for Tesla.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk once thanked Krupski after the employee “put out a fire at a Tesla car delivery location in Norway, seriously burning his hands and preventing a disaster,” the report said. He was sued by the auto maker last year. Krupski reportedly intends to sue Tesla for compensation over his firing. 

GM owned self-driving company Cruise has been whacked with fines and may also get sanctioned after not disclosing details about a crash on October 2nd in San Francisco. In that accident, the Cruise vehicle dragged a pedestrian some 20 feet. TechCrunch.com says the California Public Utilities Commission is hauling Cruise in for an appearance on February 6th to defend itself in a hearing…against accusations that it failed to provide “complete information to the Commission” regarding the incident, and “for making misleading public comments regarding its interactions with the Commission.”  Cruise didn’t give the PUC requested video of the crash for some 15 days after it was requested. The fines could end up totaling $2.25 million. 

Valve has just released the latest iteration of its Steam Deck handheld gaming system, with a number of worthwhile updates. Now, Lenovo has released the rival Legion Go…which stretches the concept of ‘handheld’ even more than the Steam Deck. The $700 gaming machine from Lenovo has an 8.8 inch OLED screen, making it the biggest screen on any handheld gaming system around. The controllers attach to the sides like on the Nintendo Switch. Engadget.com notes that it is fairly speedy and works well, and the screen is very good…the real down side comes with it’s size…the thing weighs 1.88 lbs  and it’s 11-3/4 inches across…so more of a laptop than a handheld. It will run between an hour and a half and three hours depending on what gam you are playing. 

Apple has said in release notes that the upcoming iOS 17.2 software update improves focusing speed when trying to shoot small, faraway objects with the telephoto on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. According to 9to5mac.com, the update also enables support for spatial video on those handsets…which is really meaningless for all of us until the Vision Pro headset comes out early next year…and frankly only applies to the few, deep-pocketed early adaptors who buy the pricy thing! At any rate, the software update should be public next week…I will be interested to try the faster focusing on small, distant objects.

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

Spotify Cuts Jobs; Samsung Galaxy S24-Titanium Like Apple; Hyundai & Kia ‘Think Different’ on EV Motors; Apple Card Might Go Global With New Partner

Posted: December 4, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Merry Christmas, Spotify employees! 17% of you are getting an exit package from Spotify Claus. Techcrunch.com reports that it’s the third round of layoffs this year as the streaming platform moves to become ‘both productive and efficient.’ The CEO and Founder, Daniel Ek calls it ‘right sizing,’ and partly blames slow economic growth and rising capital costs. He did point out that Spotify had significantly increased investment in the business in 2020 and 2021. His statement is little consolation to the almost 1400 folks who will be having a blue Christmas after getting the pink slip. 

New leaks appear to show the Samsung Galaxy S24 joining Apple in using Titanium..as well as a new flattened screen design. According to theverge.com, there will also be on-device AI software to translate messaging apps in real time in over a dozen languages. The top line S24 Ultra will have an upgraded 50MP 5X telephoto camera, too, plus a bigger battery. The Samsung Galaxy line may drop in January instead of the usual February, but no firm date yet…stay tuned. 

In a new spin…ok, sorry about the terrible pun…on electric vehicle motors, Hyundai and Kia are working on a Uni Wheel design. Motors in wheels is a concept that was tried years ago, but it increases the ‘unsprung weight’…not a good thing…and was abandoned. Now, arstechnica.com says the two Korean makers (which are really just Hyundai…it absorbed Kia a few years ago) think they have a way to minimize the main issue with the system…that being the motor experiences all the bumps and shocks as the wheel. Up to now, car makers hadn’t figured out how to connect up the motors to the power system…but now they have a CV joint, driveshaft, and reduction gear that will work with a wide range of motion. Moving the motors to the wheels frees up space in the undercarriage of the cars to make room for bigger batteries. The motor-in-wheel system works with wheel sizes ranging from 4 inches like a scooter up to 25 inches. No word on when…or if, the Uni Wheel system will get into production.

As reported here and elsewhere, Apple and Goldman Sachs are splitting the sheets next year…so Apple is talking to other potential financial partners. Bloomberg is reporting that Chase has emerged as a possible partner. Mark Gurman in his Power On newsletter, points out that Apple already parks some $60 billion of its cash hoard with Chase, and that they were an early and successful Apple Pay partner. Since they are already involved with the MasterCard network, it would be a pretty seamless transition compared to switching to Visa or AmEx. A big draw for Apple…they could get into the 60 some countries where Chase operates…particularly the United Kingdom. 

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

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