Elon’s Twitter CEO Poll; Apple-New MacBook Pro Models-Gurman; Google Lens Getting Ability to Read Bad Dr Handwriting-Prescriptions; Tesla Plans $10 Billion Mexican Gigafactory

It’s been widely reported that Elon Musk ran a poll over the weekend asking if he should stay on as CEO of Twitter. CNBC.com reports that 57.5% of the some 17 million voters said he should go. There have been rumblings that Saudi interests, which are one of the largest backers of his Twitter takeover, demanded he step aside. There are also calls by Tesla shareholders for him to step down, as that stock has dropped about 60% this year. Even if Musk appoints a New CEO, that person will report to him, so it remains to be seen if such a move will be meaningful. In the meantime, lots of high profile Twitter users have been popping up on several other new social media platforms that are rubbing their hands together at the thought of picking up a huge mass of users escaping from Twitter.

Apple is on track to roll out new 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pro models ‘early next year,’ according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. They will likely be a relatively minor upgrade, but will get faster processors…the M3 chip to replace the MacBook Pros that came out in the fall of 2021, which feature the M1 chip. Disclosure-this report is written and recorded on an M1 MacBook Pro. It’s very fast, so the M3 should be amazing. Apple is also reportedly working on a couple of monitors. Lots of tech watchers are hoping for something less pricey than their cheapest present model, the Studio Display, which starts at $1599.

Google Lens is getting an interesting feature soon…the ability to decipher prescriptions written in your doctor’s terrible handwriting. 9to5google.com reports that the feature was announced at an event in India. you can either take a picture directly in Google Lens or it can translate from an imported photo, too. An interesting side note—India is the home to the largest number of Google Lens users in the world. 

Tesla has a new $10 billion dollar plant on the drawing board, to be built in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. Reuters says the new Gigafactory would be the most expensive one yet…the one in Berlin coming in at around $5.5 billion. The plant would be just outside the city of Monterrey, and initially would just build components for current vehicles. Tesla plans for it eventually start producing a cheaper Tesla model…something promised for years by Elon Musk. If built, this would be the company’s 6th Gigafactory. 

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

Google Teases Find My Network; Apple’s SOS Already Saves People; Swiss Scientists Master Stopping Glasses from Fogging; Instagram New Hacking Mitigation Tools

Apple’s Find My network has been quite a useful feature…in spite of some issues with stalkers that required Cupertino to make changes to mitigate that sort of creepiness. Personally, I like it, but have only needed it once…when I got several blocks from home and it pinged my phone that I left my wallet behind. Since my building key card was in that, it meant a quick turn around to pick it up. Now, Google is teasing something like Find My for the latest Play System update. According to androidpolice.com, it looks like the long expected Find My Device will be out in the next update. It supports encrypted last known location reports. With the massive number of Android devices, being able to use them as beacons for lost devices will be a huge help to those who have ever lost or misplaced their phone…or had it ripped off. 

It has just been live a matter of weeks, but Apple’s Emergency SOS satellite service has already helped rescue some folks. The service lets owners of the latest iPhones call for help when no cell or WiFi service is available. Techcrunch.com reports a couple was driving through the Angeles National Forest when they went off the road and down about 300 feet. They were 19 miles in to the forest, so no service. Having an iPhone 14, they paged for help. A team got the exact location, and a chopper was able to get in, drop a paramedic down, and rescue them. They were both in their 20’s, and amazingly only had minor injuries. As we have reported here, Samsung is working on an even more comprehensive satellite system that will even allow very basic texting. This is a game changer for anyone who ever gets off the grid!

Glasses fogging up is an age old issue that became even more of an issue during the pandemic, with masking adding substantially to the hassle. Now, thenextweb.com says scientists in Switzerland have developed a special coating that helps keep your lenses from fogging over. It’s been known that heat will clear the fogging…just like defrosting your windshield in the car…but heated glasses are pretty impractical. The brainy Swiss folks have come up with a special gold coating that uses solar energy to produce the heat. No batteries, wires, or other unwieldy stuff. The coating can be used with other coatings, so could go into transition lenses…and even car windshields. It can heat the lenses as much as 46 degrees!  This will be a welcome help to folks who wear glasses, and maybe to drivers, too. 

Instagram has unveiled a new way for folks to try to get their hacked account back. Theverge.com reports the platform has a new all-in-one account support page. Users can get help recovering hacked accounts, report accounts that impersonate them, and get help recovering passwords. The feature for users to appoint a couple friends who can verify their identity is now live, too. 

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

Honda Will Offer Full Google in Accord; TikTok Horns in on YouTube; Apple Will Support Sideloading; Musk Suspends Jet Tracker Account

Honda is jumping in to full Google mode when the 2023 Accord Touring hits the market. Engadget.com reports that the 12.3 inch screen in the Touring will feature the Google suite of apps standard right off the showroom floor. You will have Google Assistant, Maps, and the Play Store all there. In addition you will be able to adjust the climate control, navigate, or download a music app without having to touch your phone. No word on pricing. GM has 3 years of Google built-in access in some models, but then dings you for $15 a month. The new Accord Touring will still support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It stands to reason that Honda will be expanding the Google functionality to the rest of their line in time. 

TikTok is moving in a bit more on YouTube’s turf, with a new horizontal full screen mode. The platform is testing the feature out right now with select users. According to techcrunch.com, users have a new ‘full screen’ button. When you click it, the video changes to a horizontal full screen playback. This, coupled with the increase in video length to 10 minutes is a definite shot at grabbing more YouTube users’ eyeballs. Of course, YouTube offers much longer videos. I have a couple former colleagues who are streaming full two hour shows 5 days a week on YouTube. You won’t find that fare on TikTok…at least not yet.

They aren’t doing it because they want to, but Apple is working on allowing side loading, of apps to iOS devices as well as letting in third party app stores. Arstechnica.com notes that its in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act and other regulations. Apple has claimed (with a degree of truth) that allowing outside apps to be loaded in without going through their app store can pose a security and privacy risk to users. The company is working on a system that would still require outside apps to be ‘verified’ by Apple. This is the way it works on Mac desktops and laptops right now. You can install what you want, but there are a few extra hoops you have to jump through to do it. The new system should be in place by 2024. 

With the dumpster fire that Elon Musk has made from Twitter, this isn’t surprising. He has permanently suspended @ElonJet, the account that tracked his private jet flights. Engadget.com notes that at one time, Musk offered Jack Sweeney, the college student that had the account $5000 to delete it. Sweeney countered and said he’d take $50,000. In retrospect, after buying Twitter for $44 billion, and most experts now assessing it at about $8 billion in value, Elon would have been better off paying the $50 grand to the college guy.

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

Apple Only Sells a Quarter of Its Phones; Lyft Paying Drivers to Use EVs; GM & LG Get Federal Cash for Battery Production

Apple makes is really easy and convenient to buy iPhones from them, whether over the net of in their stores. You might think that making it so frictionless would mean Apple snags the lion’s share of iPhone buyers…but they don’t, and it’s not even close. Theverge.com reports that Apple sells about 24% of its own phones. The biggest share of iPhones sold by far are by the wireless carriers. They account for a massive 67% of sales. Considering all the deals the carriers offer, and that Apple is famously tightfisted when it comes to discounts, it shouldn’t be too surprising. Besides the carriers and Apple, not many phones get sold…4% are peddled by Best Buy, and 5% are sold by ‘other,’ a category that includes Walmart and Target. 

Lyft is rolling out a new program of incentives to get drivers to switch to electric vehicles. According to bgr.com, drivers in California can take in an extra $150 a week for giving 50 rides in their personal EVs until the end of 2024. They just have to register the EV on the platform. Drivers can get that bonus until they hit $8100. In addition, US drivers can access discounts at the charging stations of EVgo…and they are significant…up to 45% off Ego’s standard Pay As You Go rates for Gold and Platinum drivers in certain markets. Drivers can also pick up between 1 and 7% cash back on public charging stations with the Lyft Direct debit card. Finally, drivers can get a Lyft-specific discount on Level 2 (L2) home charger hardware with our partner Wallbox and get pre-negotiated rates for L2 residential home charging installation with COIL, helping with a significant barrier in access to affordable home charging.

General Motors and LG have scored a $2.5 billion dollar loan from the US Department of Energy to make Ultium Cells, the batteries that go into the General’s electric vehicles. Arstechnica.com says the cash will help with construction of 3 battery plants in the US…Lansing, Michigan, Lordstown, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee. The loan was granted under DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Manufacturing program. Dating back to 2008, the ATVM program was vital to Tesla’s early success.

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

Microsoft Tops Best Run List; EVs Can Lower Utility Bills for Everyone; Discord Adds Sign in From Other Platforms

Microsoft has again topped a list of best run companies in the US for 2022. According to geekwire.com, they eclipsed Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, and Meta. It’s the third year in a row Redmond based Microsoft has topped the Management Top 250 list. That list is complied by The Drucker Institute at Claremont Graduate University. Apple was #2, with Big Blue–IBM holding the third spot. Rounding out the top 5 were General Motors in 4th place, and Whirlpool scored 5th. 

Owners of EVs are not just reducing their own carbon footprints…they are helping lower utility bills for the rest of us, too. Businessinsider.com says that a study from Synapse Energy Economics backed by the Natural Resources Defense Council that studied 3 California utilities that serve households with a lot of electric cars took in $1.7 billion more in pure profit. Sounds like we’re being ripped off? No, thanks to government regulation…utilities are revenue-capped…they have to return excess profits to customers via lower rates. A key to the whole thing? Most people charge their EVs overnight when usage is lowest. That means utilities don’t have to ramp up power production during peak hours, costing lots more money. Another study last year by another group came to a similar finding. 

Discord is adding identity verification via accounts on other platforms. It’s an extension of their Connections feature, that lets users show what music they are listening to. Engadget.com reports that Linked Roles will be supported at first by Xbox, PlayStation, Steam, Epic Games, Battle.net, League of Legends, Riot Games, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, Spotify, Facebook, GitHub, Crunchyroll, PayPal and eBay. The feature is being rolled out over the next few weeks.

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

Chrome New Mode Boosts Battery Life; Tesla Returns to Radar; Amazon Sued Over Withholding Driver Tips; Apple Extends iCloud End to End Encryption

A couple of nice upgrade modes for Google’s Chrome desktop browser. As of today, theverge.com reports that Memory Saver and Energy Saver are available. The new modes allow users to reduce Chrome’s memory usage by up to 30%, and tend battery life when a device is running low on power. They are rolling out today, and should be available everywhere in the next few weeks. Look for them under the three-dot settings menu in Chrome. They can each be activated or deactivated separately. 

A few years ago, Tesla notoriously dropped lidar, a form of radar, claiming cameras could do it all as far as seeing the road and surroundings for piloting its cars. The units were costly, but really work. Other car manufacturers claimed they were crazy. Now, according to techcrunch.com, Tesla is coming back into the fold. They had even started taking out radar back in May of this year, and in October removed the 12 ultrasonic sensors from Model 3 and Model Y vehicles built in the US. Starting in January, they will be putting radar back in unspecified models. Tesla is calling it an ‘edge’ radar sensor, and says its use will be limited. It works over the frequencies allotted for car ADAS applications. Numerous cars now have such radar built in for driver assist like emergency braking. 

Amazon yesterday put out word that you can tip your driver $5 by having Alexa thank them. Nice gesture, but it came as the online giant is being sued by the DC attorney general for deceiving customers who tipped their drivers. Arstechnica.com says Amazon already paid $61.7 million in restitution to Amazon Flex delivery drivers for tips withheld by Amazon between 2016 and 2019. Now, the District of Columbia is seeking unawarded “civil penalties in connection with the misrepresentations and omissions it made to consumers with respect to these deceptive tipping practices.” The highest amount of tips withheld for a Flex driver was ‘more than $28,000.’ The average amount for tips withheld was $422.

Apple has already protected some 14 categories of iCloud data with end to end encryption…now that grows to 23…including iCloud device backups, photos, and notes. Engadget.com reports that your calendar, contacts, and iCloud mail are still unencrypted to support global systems. You can check it out further if you want to have the Advanced Data Protection, but be warned…you either have to have your recovery key safe or have a designated person like a family member who can recover your stuff if you lose your device or it gets stolen…otherwise, you will never be able to recover your info from iCloud. 

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

Drop Off Amazon Returns at Staples; TSMC Tripling Arizona Chip Plant Investment; Google Desktop Search Gets Continuous Scrolling; Neuralink Hit With Federal Probe

If you have had to return things to Amazon, you probably have used some of their drop off locations. I only have a couple times, but had to go to a sketchy convenience store in an even sketchier neighborhood…instead of the big, yellow lockers in my local grocery a mile away. Now, according to geekwire.com, Amazon is partnering with Staples for drop offs. Apparently, these locations will work a lot like the one’s in Kohl’s, Whole Foods, or UPS  stores…which is to say, pretty stress free if you have one of those nearby…you don’t have to re-box and pack the item. The National Retail Federation says that consumers returned more than 20% of online purchases last year, to the tune of over $218 billion worth of merchandise. As with the other locations, Staples expects to get an increase in foot traffic and therefore sales. 

Taiwan Semiconductor, TSMC, is tripling their investment in the Arizona chip making plants they are building…to some $40 billion. 9to5mac.com notes that the first plant is already finished, but production isn’t expected to start until 2024. On the down side…the plants apparently won’t ever build the latest and greatest Apple A series or M series chips. TSMC indicates the plants will always be a generation behind the production on Taiwan. The net is, the new plants won’t reduce Apple’s exposure to Taiwan by much. 

Google Search has had continuous scrolling on mobile since 2021, and now it is finally coming to the desktop browsers. No more having to click to the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th page, etc. Androidpolice.com says the continuous scrolling will be rolling out today in the US for searches in English. If you don’t see it right away, keep in mind they are doing it in stages, so it may be a few weeks before everyone sees the feature. 

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain implant device, is being investigated for potential animal-welfare violations. Reuters reports that internal staff complaints about animal testing being rushed, and causing needless suffering and deaths, has prompted the probe. Neuralink has been touted as a brain implant which could help people walk again, among other things. Neuralink had planned to move on to studies on people. Reportedly, the company has killed some 1500 pigs, sheep, and monkeys since 2018. 

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

Meta Tests Age Verification-Facebook Dating; Apple AR Headset May Ship 2nd Half of 2023; Hackers in China Stole Millions in COVID Relief; DHL Buying Fleet of Ford EV Vans

Meta is testing age verification tools for Facebook Dating, in an effort to make that product safer…and to get ahead of an expected tightened regulatory environment. Axios.com reports that Meta and other tech platforms think the government is getting ready to crack down on them, in an effort to make things safer for children and teens online. Facebook Dating rolled out in 2019, and the age verification tools they are testing are borrowed from co-owned Instagram. One method of verification includes video selfies, which are screened by partner company Yoti’s software…which guesses the age from the uploaded image. The other method is via ID uploads. You DO trust Meta with an image of your driver’s license, right? Anyway, Meta claims these techniques have kept 96% of teens on Instagram who tried to edit their birthdays from doing so…or so they think.

We just reported last week that Bloomberg said Apple’s mixed reality headset should be out next spring. Now, according to macrumors.com, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says it will be delayed until the second half of next year, due to unspecified ’software-related issues.’ Kuo says shipments of components WILL start in the first half of 2023, but the fully assembled units won’t be out until the 2nd half of the year. Originally, rumors had Apple introducing the system in January, but now it could be revealed at WWDC in June. As we noted earlier, the Apple mixed reality headset will be pricey. Kuo thinks they will ship less than a half million of them next year for that reason. 

Hackers linked to the Chinese government stole at least $20 million in early COVID relief funds…both via SBA loans and from unemployment funds in over a dozen states, according to the Secret Service. NBC says the theft was by a hacking group in China called APT41. It may not be close to all of the theft, either. The Secret Service, through spokesman Roy Dotson says “It would be crazy to think this group didn’t target all 50 states.” The Secret Service declined to confirm the scope of other investigations, saying there are more than 1,000 ongoing investigations involving transnational and domestic criminal actors defrauding public benefits programs.

Courier company DHL is buying a couple thousand Ford E-Transit electric vans for last mile deliveries. Arstechnica.com reports that the vans will be used in both the US and Europe. EVs are particularly suited to last mile use, as they are never terribly far from their bases, and can return for charging relatively easily. DHL already runs some 27,000 electric vans worldwide. Some have been converted from diesel motors. They also use EVs from Rivian, and from a maker called BrightDrop. 

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

Apple Mixed Reality Headset; Tesla Delivers EV Semis; Vendor Certificate Leak Allowed Android Malware; Hive Shut Down Issues-Back Working Today

Apple is shooting for unveiling its new mixed reality headset as early as this spring. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg is reporting that they have changed the name of the operating system to xrOS from realityOS. The EX stands for ‘extended reality’. This is an internal name, so the final product could still have a different one for the operating system. The first headset is supposed to be a pricey (from Apple…ya think?) unit with premium hardware. It is expected that the price will blow past Meta’s high end Meta Quest Pro headset. Interestingly, the engineering chiefs for Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Notes, and Apple News are involved…so the headset may be able to run core Apple apps right out of the box. 

Yesterday, Tesla delivered its first electric semi trucks from its Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada. Theverge.com notes that the deliveries are only 3 years later than promised. The rigs are powered by 4 independent motors on the rear axles. They can go from 0-60 in 20 seconds, and have a battery range of 500 miles, hauling a trailer with 81,000 pounds of cargo. The base price starts at about $150,000. The first ones were wrapped with Pepsi and Frito Lay logos…two of the earlier buyers. Walmart and FedEx also have a few dozen each ordered. 

Not something you want to hear about, but there was a vendor certificate leak that allowed malware full control of Android phones. Androidpolice.com report that it is ‘mostly fixed’ for now. It did affect vendors putting apps on both Samsung and LG…which is a major share of Android phones. When the certificate leak happened, it allowed malware makers to sign their bad actor programs so the phones would see them as legit. This is not a new problem….as early as 2016 a certificate leaked out. This leak was reported then allegedly fixed in May, but only now marked as fixed by Google. Google has warned phone makers to limit use of their platform certificate to as few apps as possible. For you, it means…keep your software up to date so it gets patches for issues like this!

Buzzy Twitter alternative Hive shut down completely for a couple days to fix several critical vulnerabilities. TechCrunch.com reports the platform is back up and running now. I checked before this report, and could get in to the still quirky app. What were the issues? They would allow attackers access to all data, including private posts and messages, shared media and even deleted direct messages, as well as the ability to edit other people’s Hive posts. Not cool. Now that these are supposedly fixed, maybe they can get busy on a desktop or browser version. Phones are great, but it’s much easier and faster to type on a real keyboard!

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

COVID Lockdown at Apple Chinese Factory Lifted; DoorDash Announces Layoff; Starlink Jacks Up Ukraine Prices; Honda ‘Sensing 360’ Coming

The world’s largest iPhone plant in Jung Joe in central China will reopen after a COVID lockdown. CNN reports that Apple has lost about a billion dollars a week with the Foxconn factory closed. There are normally about 200,000 workers employed at the complex. There have been protests there predating the wider ones across Chinese cities, with some workers escaping guards and fleeing. In the 5 years between 2014 and 2019, Apple cut reliance on Chinese production of its product line from 47% to 44%. That dropped to 41% in 2020, and 36% in 2021. They are still moving more iPhone production to places like India, though. With 70% of iPhones made in just China, Apple will move more production out…not only to India, but also to Vietnam, Taiwan, and even the US. 

DoorDash will cut 1250 workers in what the company says is an adjustment in size after the company grew too fast during the pandemic. According to theverge.com, the laid off workers will get 17 weeks of compensation, their February 2023 stock vest, and healthcare benefits through the end of March 2023. 

With widespread loss of mobile networks and net access in Ukraine, Starlink (which is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX) has started jacking up prices for the dishes and service, citing ‘market conditions.’ In what sounds like good, old fashioned price gouging, arstechnica.com says the prices are going up from $385 earlier this year to $700 for new Starlink customers. The monthly fee had been dropped from $100 a month to $60 to celebrate Ukraine Independence day August 24th…those will now go back up to $75. No comment from either SpaceX or Musk on the price increases. 

Honda’s level 2 driver assist system, which is already rolling out in China, should be getting to the US a bit at a time over the next few years…with the whole suite standard by 2030. Engadget.com reports that the Sensing 360 and Sensing Elite systems use 5 millimeter wave sensors in addition to the monocular camera on present models to give 360 degree sensing. This will allow hands free lane changing (which several other manufacturers already have) as well as help avoid ‘abnormal conditions.’ Honda didn’t say what those might be. Some of the features will be hitting higher end Hondas like the touring models next year, but again…the entire suite of features won’t be standard on all models until 2030. 

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