Amazon Delays AI Powered Alexa; Apple Cheaper Vision Headset Put off; X Updates Block to Not be As Blocky; Meta’s Nuclear Powered Data Center Stopped by Bees
Posted: November 4, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, energy, News, nuclear-power, technology Leave a commentAmazon is delaying its planned AI powered Alexa to 2025. Mashable.com reports that the online giant has run into problems in testing the AI powered Alexa. Apparently, it can give long, rambling answers that aren’t entirely relevant to the original query. Other alleged problems include hallucinations and, stunningly, a failure to work with connected smart devices like light switches consistently. Although Amazon hasn’t commented publicly, they have turned off beta access.
Analyst and Apple watcher Ming-Chi Kuo said over the weekend that Apple has delayed its plan to release a more affordable Apple Vision headset in 2025. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple had previously planned such a device…rumored to be priced at around $2000. The cheaper one would have lower resolution displays and no support for EyeSight. Kuo does expect a freshened Vision Pro next year, with the M5 chip and support for Apple intelligence. Apple may actually be rethinking the less expensive Vision Pro. The cheaper HomePod Mini really failed to make the HomePods a big hit as a product line.
As announced previously, X has started rolling out a mainly unwanted ‘feature.’ Techcrunch.com notes that now, blocked users will be able to see your public posts. Users have protested this change, but X is proceeding anyway. They claim that the logic behind this change was that the block feature can be used to share and hide harmful or private information about someone, and its new iteration would result in more transparency. This mostly falls flat, given that X allows users to make their accounts private and share information. As one software engineer and diversity advocate named Tracy Chou put it…“Making it easy for the creeper to creep is not a good thing.”
Meta had planned a massive data center powered by Nuclear power, but it has been shelved due to…bees. Gizmodo.com reports that the land for the planned data center was inhabited by a rare bee species, which would have complicated the whole process. All the big tech firms seem to be looking to nuclear power to feed their hungry data centers. Amazon had a setback a week ago when the government denied a request to use 480 megawatts of the Susquehanna nuclear power plant. Amazon will still be allowed to use 300 megawatts. Microsoft is pouring billions into re-commissioning the old Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
New Amazon Kindles-Including Color; YouTube Rolling Out New Miniplayer & Updates; Threads Option-Shows When You Are Online; Taiwan Semiconductor to Build More Chip Plants in Europe
Posted: October 16, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, books, Kindle, Reading, writing Leave a commentAmazon has announced new Kindles, including a first…a new color model. Theverge.com reports that the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition…which is a lot like the updated Paperwhite with a color screen…is priced at $279.99 and you can preorder now. It ships on October 30th. It is still based on E Ink’s Kaleidoscope tech, but uses an entirely new display stack as compared to other Kindles. The new tech also allows for faster page turns. Kevin Keith, who runs Kindle products for Amazon said “All the things you think about with Kindle — high resolution, long battery life, fast page turns, good fluidity — we weren’t willing to sacrifice those.” The goal was to offer a color screen that still looked just as good as the Paperwhite in black and white, and he’s convinced Amazon got there. Amazon also freshened the Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite. The Paperwhite gets a bigger screen that is totally flush with the bezels, and the entry level model gets a pop of color and speed improvements. The standard Paperwhite is increased in price by 10 bucks and is now $159.99. the Signature Edition is $199.99, and is identical to the entry level model, but has 32 gigs of storage, optional wireless charging, and an auto-adjusting front light. The entry level Kindle has a new dark mode and is 25% brighter with improved contrast. It starts at $109.99, up $10 from the previous model.
The YouTube app on both Android and iOS is getting a new MiniPlayer. According to 9to5google.com, instead of a second bar above the bottom bar with a tight rectangular crop, play/pause, and an x, the new player looks like a picture-in-picture window. The video appears above with a close button in the corner, and a strip at the bottom with controls. You can resize the window if you like. YouTube also rolled out some playlist updates, and the ability to create custom thumbnails using your own images or with AI.
Threads has added an ‘activity status’ now, to let you choose to let people know when you are online…as well as see when accounts you follow are online if they choose to disclose that. Theverge.com says the feature is being pitched as a “way to help you find others to engage with in real-time.” At least that is what Threads head Adam Mosseri is pitching. The activity status will show up next to your profile picture in the feed and on your profile. It is off by default, by the way.
We have followed the progress of new chip plants from TSMC…Taiwan Semiconductor….here in the US. Now, thenextweb.com notes that they are planning to expand further in to Europe, too. TSMC broke ground in August on a plant in Dresden, Germany. The German government will kick in half the funding with 5 billion Euros in aid. Right now, Europe makes about 10% of the world’s supply of semiconductors, but most are older school…not the advanced ones made in Taiwan or even here in the US. Most of what will be made in the German plant will be for automotive and industrial use. TSMC didn’t comment on where other facilities may go, saying they wanted to get the ones being built up and running first. This one should be producing by 2029.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon Launches Same Day Prescription Delivery; Judge Tosses X’s Suit Against Anti-Hate Group; Apple Can Update iOS in Boxed New Phones; Workers-Job Flexibility & Security = Better Mental Health
Posted: March 26, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Health, News, saas, technology Leave a commentAmazon has started rolling out same-day prescription delivery in New York City and greater Los Angeles. Cnbc.com reports that the new Amazon Pharmacy service is possible due to their using new, smaller facilities…stocked with most common medications for acute conditions. The locations are equipped to process a prescription “within a matter of minutes rather than hours or days,” the company said. San Bernardino, Riverside, and Anaheim…all in the LA area…are eligible for the same day service starting today. The broader LA metro will be up and running by April. Amazon plans to add more than a dozen other cities by the end of the year. Amazon already had same day service in Seattle, Miami, Indianapolis, Phoenix, and Austin. They are using e-bikes to do the deliveries in New York.
A judge has tossed X’s lawsuit against the Center for Countering Digital Hate…a non-profit that researches hate speech on the Musk-owned platform. According to engadget.com, the judge said that the lawsuit was an attempt to “punish” the organization for criticizing the company. Federal Judge Charles Breyer wrote: “It is clear to the Court that if X Corp. was indeed motived to spend money in response to CCDH’s scraping in 2023, it was not because of the harm such scraping posed to the X platform, but because of the harm it posed to X Corp.’s image.”
Apple has come up with an ingenious way to update the operating system in packaged iPhones that are ready for sale. Bgr.com says they use a more powerful MagSafe which is located in a metal cubby like for shoes. They can slide the box in to the metal enclosure, and software powers up the phone, downloads and installs the updated software, then powers the phone off. This will help people avoid trying to set up a new phone without updating the software first…which usually means the setup will fail…and the owner will have to start over after updating the software. It will be good for every new iPhone landing in user’s hands to have the latest version of iOS…literally right out of the box!
A study of 2021 data from over 18,000 nationally representative working Americans has found that workers who have more flexibility and security in their jobs also have better mental health. Arstechnica.com reports that the study was just published yesterday in JAMA Network Open. To a lot of us, this may be ‘Well, duh,’ but it is always good to see perceptions supported by data. The study was lead by Monica Wang of Boston University’s School of Public Health. The researchers note that the study does identify associations, and can’t determine that job flexibility and security directly caused mental health outcomes and the work absence findings.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
House Passes Bill to Ban TikTok; Spotify Adds Music Vids; EU Parliament Passes AI Act; Amazon’s New AI Feature Lets Sellers Generate Product Listings
Posted: March 13, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, e-commerce, Music, News, tiktok Leave a commentA big showdown is looming closer as the House has passed a bill that will ban TikTok in the US unless the app separates from its parent company in China, ByteDance. Theverge.com reports that the bill had a big bipartisan majority…it passed 352 to 65, with one member voting present. It now moves on to the Senate…where passage is not assured. President Biden has said he will sign it if it reaches his desk. Before getting to the House floor, the bill came out of the Energy and Commerce Committee on a 50 to 0 vote. TikTok claims it doesn’t store US user info in China, but the lawmakers aren’t buying that. ByteDance does have connections with the Chinese army and government, which has concerned US policy makers for years. Not everyone is thrilled with a ban of the platform…in addition to influencers, there are a number of businesses who have testified that a ban would wipe out their business.
In an earth-shaking move, Spotify has added music videos in 11 countries…although not the US. So…Spotify is rolling out a beta of MTV…what an original concept! Snark aside, according to engadget.com, they will offer thousands of music videos across a wide range of genres and artists. To watch a video, users can just click ‘switch to video’ right on the now playing screen. The video will automatically start at the beginning, but users can switch back to audio at any time.
The European Union Parliament has voted to adopt the AI Act, which they claim is ‘the world’s first comprehensive AI Law.’ Techcrunch.com says the vote was 523 to 46. The new law attempts to set up a risk-based framework for AI; applying various rules and requirements depending on the level of risk attached to the use-case. It covers prohibited use case, as well as non-compliance penalties…which can reach as much as 7% of global annual turnover. The EU legislators note that there will be additional laws needed in the future, as AI evolves in order to ensure that humans are on control and protected.
Amazon is rolling out an AI feature that lets sellers generate new product listings from their existing web sites. Geekwire.com reports that Amazon will offer sellers the ability to quickly create new product listings using generative AI by providing a URL for their existing direct-to-consumer websites. Previous generative AI features released by Amazon include the ability to fill out a product listing starting with a few words, and to upload an image to automatically generate a product title, description, and attributes. More than 100,000 Amazon sellers have adopted generative AI tools for listing products, according to Amazon.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
YouTube Dominates US TV Streaming-Nielson; Walmart Buying Vizio; iPhone 16 Rumor-Upgraded Microphones; US & Allies Police Take Down Cybercrime Giant LockBit
Posted: February 20, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, business, News, technology, Walmart Leave a commentNielson’s January report…just out…on TV viewing and streaming has YouTube again the overall king of streaming services. Techcrunch.com reports that YouTube has 8.6% of viewing on TV screens. Netflix is close behind with 7.9% of the eyeballs. It has now been 12 consecutive months that YouTube has been able to hold on to the top spot. An interesting wrinkle: 61% of Gen Z reported that they favor user-generated content over other content formats. When it comes to mobile devices, it’s a different story. TikTok continues to dominate those.
Walmart is going to acquire TV maker Vizio in a $2.3 billion deal. Rumors were floating about this last week, and now Walmart has made it official. According to theverge.com, Walmart says it is part of a move to boost its ad business. Vizio has more than 500 direct advertiser partnerships, thanks to its Vizio Platform Plus business — which the company says “now accounts for a majority of the company’s gross profit.” Vizio’s smart TV OS, SmartCast, is also used by more than 18 million active accounts. Walmart already has an existing Onn in-house brand of TVs, but owning Vizio will help the retailer better compete with affordable smart TVs from the likes of Amazon and Roku. Costco has sold a lot of Vizio sets…it will be interesting to see if they continue to sell them, or drop the line due to Walmart now making money off them.
A rumor has resurfaced about iPhone 16 models…this one about better microphones with higher signal-to-noise ratios, allowing the handsets to hear your voice more clearly. Macrumors.com says this is mainly intended to improve the accuracy of Siri…which we all know is badly needed. Siri is also going to be getting generative AI features with iOS 18 later this year. Some of the AI features will be limited to the iPhone 16 models…not only due to the better microphones, but also a bigger neural engine in the A18 series chips.
International law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Britain’s National Crime Agency have struck a huge blow to one of the world’s most prolific cybercrime gangs, LockBit. The agencies have frozen some 200 cryptocurrency accounts and snatched up a wealth of data…as well as seizing 11,000 domains and servers. The hackers have done billions worth of damage to organizations and extorted over $120 million in ransom payments and recovery costs. 5 defendants have been charged in the US…other gang members were busted in Ukraine and Poland, with more to come.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ 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 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Satellite, space, SpaceX, starlink Leave a commentIt 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.
Vivo’s Dual Display NEX Phone; OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition; Amazon Gives Alexa Location Based Reminders & Routines; Daimler Buying $23 Billion Worth of Batteries for EVs
Posted: December 11, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alexa, Amazon, Carbon Fiber, Daimler, Dual screen, EVs, Lithium Ion Batteries, Location based routines, McLaren Edition, Mercedes, NEX, OnePlus, Vevo Leave a commentVivo has come out with what they call an all-screen NEX smartphone. According to engadget.com, there’s NO selfie cam…but you won’t need one, they say. You can flip the phone around and just shoot your selfie with the pop up back cam…the back of the phone has a rear screen so you can set up your shot! The phone is called the NEX Dual Display Edition. The phone is out in China for $725 December 29th.
OnePlus has showed off a fancy new McLaren Edition 6T. The phone comes with 10 Gigs of RAM and 256 Gigs of storage, according to businessinsider.com. Part of the back is carbon fiber, and it has a beautiful but tough carbon fiber case….and of course, a racing stripe and the McLaren logo. Even with the vanity edition tweaked by the performance car maker, the phone is just $700…$300 less than an iPhone Xs…which doesn’t have that kind of memory or storage, and comes with no case at all to protect that glass back!
A major update has hit Alexa devices. Amazon has opened up new features, including location based routines and reminders, timer enhancements, app notifications, email support, and more. 9to5mac.com says the update was announced in September, but has just rolled out. An example given would be ‘Alexa, remind me to feed the dogs when I get home.’ When the Alexa device detects your phone inside the house, it will remind you. You can also program multiple routines with wait times…like turning on lights when you get up, but pausing for 20 minutes or so before switching on music or news.
Mercedes parent Daimler is going all-in on electric vehicles. The German giant is going to buy $23 billion worth of battery cells by 2030 to go into Mercedes-Benz EVs and commercial trucks. The company presently has supplier deals with LG, SK Innovation, and China’s CATL. Daimler plans to launch 130 electric and hybrid vehicles by 2022, and a number of commercial trucks, busses, and vans, too. Battery production for the cars with all those lithium-ion cells will be in 8 factories on 3 continents.
Ultrasound Powered Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensor; Snapdragon 855; Google & Amazon Making AirPod Alternatives; Apple Adding Health Sensors to AirPods
Posted: December 5, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 3D, AirPods, Amazon, Apple, Fingerprint sensors, Google, Health sensors, Multi-gigabit 5G, Qualcomm, Snapdragon 855, Ultrasound Leave a commentAdding an extra layer to fingerprint sensor security, Qualcomm is baking in ultrasound to beef up its in-display fingerprint sensor. Engadget.com reports that the ultrasound will allow creation of a 3D mold of your finger, which will be much harder to copy. It will pick up on the ridges and even pores. As a bonus, the sensor should be able to tell it’s you, even though you still have a little of today’s lunch on your finger (wash up, you slob!) They didn’t allow testing at the demo, so we’ll have to wait to see how fast the new tech is.
Speaking of fast, Qualcomm also showed off its Snapdragon 855 at its event in Hawaii. According to 9to5google.com, the chip will power the 2019 flagship phones, including from Samsung. It will support multi-gigabit 5G, which also rolls out next year in a number of markets. Qualcomm says the chip has 3x the AI performance of last year’s chip.
It’s not that there aren’t already cheaper alternatives to Apple’s AirPods on the market, but a couple are coming from some heavyweights…Google and Amazon appear to be preparing to launch competitor products.
9to5mac.com says Apple isn’t exactly waiting around for the increased competition…they are working on more water resistance, support for Hey Siri, and interchangeability…so you could put one in an ear without checking to see if it’s Left or Right, and the AirPod would orient itself and the audio automatically. Apple is also expected to integrate health sensors into the next gen AirPods, and integrate the data with Apple Watch as well as the health app on iPhones. Well known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says to look for Cupertino to sell 26-28 million sets this year, 50-55 million in 2019, and over 100 million in 2021.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments