Samsung Snares $16.5 Billion Deal for Tesla Chips; iPhone 17 Pro May Get 8x Zoom & Pro Cam App; Microsoft Dropping China Based DoD Support Teams; Amazon Refund Text Scam
Posted: July 28, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, News, Samsung, Smartphone, Tech, technology, Tesla Leave a commentSamsung has inked a deal to build the Tesla A16 chip. The pact is worth some $16.5 billion. Engadget.com reports that the deal runs through 2033, and that the chips will be produced at Samsung’s huge new plant they are building near Tyler, Texas. Until this deal, Samsung had been thinking about delaying opening the plant due to not enough business. Samsung makes the A14 chips that run Tesla’s Full Self-Driving platform, but the A15 contract went to their competitor, Taiwan Semiconductor. The deal does come with a short leash for Samsung…”Samsung agreed to allow Tesla to assist in maximizing manufacturing efficiency,” Elon Musk stated in a post on his X platform.
The camera apps have become a banner feature for all smartphones, and as they have gotten better across the board, major upgrades have gotten less common. According to macrumors.com, the iPhone 17 Pro models will be getting some cool cameral upgrades. A tipster has apparently seen a commercial for the handsets that shows the telephoto zoom will go from 5 power to 8 power optically…and may even have a moving lens, allowing for continuous optical zoom at various focal lengths. On top of that, there is apparently a new pro camera app for both photos and videos. There are already some pro camera apps available from third parties, but this would be a first from Apple. A third rumor…which seems a bit dubious…is that there will be an additional cameral control button on the top edge. Since case makers are already producing cases for the phones, and none seem to have an opening for such a button, take this one with a grain of salt. Finally, Apple will allow shooting video with both front and rear cameras at the same time. As with the pro apps, you have been able to do this with third party software, but not with Apple’s own until now.
From the ‘why were they doing this in the first place’ department…Microsoft is going to stop using China based teams to support the Department of Defense. Ya think? Propublica.org notes that Redmond had been using the teams to support the Defense Department’s cloud computing systems. The support supposedly was for information that is not classified…BUT is nonetheless sensitive. As you might figure, this was a fertile area for spying and espionage. With the increasing amount of data in the cloud servers and AI to analyze it fast, Microsoft is moving away from these China based teams.
Here’s a new scam you may not have heard about. It’s a text proported to be from Amazon about a refund. Zdnet.com reports that the texts may say it was due to the product being recalled, or it is below Amazon standards, or maybe failed a routine inspection. You don’t even have to return it to get the refund…just click the link. You are correct….DON’T click that link! It goes to a phishing page where you are prompted to enter your Amazon credentials, payment info, and contact info. It’s always good practice to refrain from clicking links in texts and emails. Go to the site saved in your bookmarks and check there to see if there are any messages from the merchant like Amazon.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon AI Wearable Listens to Everything You Do; Starlink Bows Battery Powered Mini; YouTub Shorts Gets AI Image to Video Tool; Apple Care Plus Covers 3 Devices
Posted: July 23, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Amazon, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, iPad, SpaceX, starlink, technology Leave a commentAmazon is in the process of picking up a Bay Area startup called Bee. Bee makes a wearable and Apple Watch app that can record everything a wearer says. Engadget.com says the deal isn’t finalized yet, but that all Bee employees have gotten offers to join Amazon. Bee positions its snoopy device and app as being like a personalized AI assistant that passively learns from its wearer by listening to all of their conversations and activities. While the wearable does have a button to mute recording, it can theoretically observe every single thing the owner does or says. The app can then summarize daily activities, suggest to-do items or recall previously discussed details. Basically, now you can take your Alexa with you everywhere, so the ‘A-Lady’ won’t miss a snappy or off-color remark, or other regrettable thing you might utter. By the way, the wearable starts at $50. That’s a heck of a price point compared to the doomed Humane AI pin that ran $499.
The Starlink Mini satellite dish has gotten more useful. According to theverge.com, you can now attach a $119 LinkPower 1 power bank from PeakDo. The pack locks onto the back to the smallest terminal from SpaceX and you can run on the battery pack for over 4.5 hours. The pack can also be simultaneously charged via a USB-C port from your vehicle, solar generator, or solar panel. It is still small enough to fit into a backpack, even with the power bank. If you travel, or are one of those folks like a couple I know that live in a van or sailboat full-time, the battery pack will come in very handy!
YouTube is unveiling an image to video AI tool that will make photos into a short video. TechCrunch.com notes that the tool lets you turn a picture from your camera roll into a 6 second video. You will get a list of suggestions, or you can choose I Feel Lucky, and see what you get. Look for the feature under the Effects icon in the Shorts camera, then tap AI to browse the generative effects. YouTube does say it uses SynthID watermarks and clear labels to indicate that the creations are made with generative AI.
Apple is rolling out AppleCare+ tomorrow. The new plan will cover more than just iPhones…your iPhone, Watch, and iPad can be covered. Macrumors.com reports that the plan includes coverage for up to two incidents of theft or loss in a one-year period, and unlimited repairs for accidental damage. It starts at $4.99 a month for an iPad, and $2.99 a month for Apple Watch. The theft and loss coverage was previously only available for iPhones. Note that AppleCare+ with theft and loss is still not available for other devices, such as the Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Galaxy Z Flip 7-NO Display Crease; Redesigned iPhone 17 Models Get Revamped Dynamic Island; TikTok Ban May End Soon-New App & Sale; Prime Day(s) Start Tomorrow
Posted: July 7, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, Samsung, Smartphone, Tech, technology, tiktok Leave a commentIn just a couple days, Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7. We will cover the Samsung Unpacked then, but for now, here is a little nugget from a tester who got early access. Bgr.com reports that a hands-on video shows the edge to edge, corner to corner outside display, which is cool. Beyond that, it looks like there is NO visible crease on the inner screen. That is a huge deal. We know that Apple is planning a folder next year, and may use Samsung Display. This would allow Samsung to premiere the crease-free screen a year ahead of any Apple device. We’ll have more on Wednesday.
the iPhone 17 models are getting a revamped Dynamic Island. This according to macrumors.com, which found information on an account on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has leaked accurate info about Apple devices in the past. The missing detail is that we don’t know if the Island will be smaller or not. That was rumored previously, but may not make it until the iPhone 18 models next year. This one does feature some kind of change in the user interface. I would be happy if they made it work with two items better. Often, I am using it for the timer as I work out, and would like to be able to touch it to open and read a text, then have it go back to just the timer when I’m finished.
A sale of TikTok in the US FINALLY may be near. Theverge.com notes that the Trump administration believes it is close to a sale to a group of ‘non-Chinese’ investors, including Oracle…with present owner ByteDance keeping a minority stake. That would satisfy the terms of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. Apparently, TikTok is working on a new version of the app, called M2 for now, which may drop in app stores around September 5th. The original app will leave app stores with the launch of the new one, and will stop working in March 2026.
Yes, it’s tomorrow…that event you’ve all been waiting for…Amazon Prime Day 2025. Remember when Prime Day was an actual day…then it became a day and a half? Now, they really ought to brand it Prime Week, with it lasting 4 days. Zdnet.com reports that in addition to the early offers already up, there is also a reboot of Prime for Young Adults…a discounted membership for those 18-24. Amazon is touting its AI shopping assistant Rufus (who names these things?) as a help in finding deals on things you are likely to purchase. A note-Amazon has said it will not introduce listed tariff prices next to products for sale. This had been looked at, but after blowback from the White House, it was dropped.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
OpenAI-Nonprofit Retains Control of Co; Microsoft-New Surface Tablets; Kindle iOS App-1 Button Book Buying; Tesla Sales Drop by Half in Germany
Posted: May 6, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Kindle, Microsoft, openai, technology, Tesla Leave a commentAfter considerable outside pressure from political types and former employees, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has announced in a blog post that the non-profit will retain control of the company…even as it restructures into a public benefit corporation. CNBC.com reports that the Microsoft-backed company was recently valued at some $300 billion. The decision to keep the control with the non-profit came after meetings with the Attorneys General of California and Delaware. Altman said in a video call “We will be converting the limited liability company, that is a subsidiary of that nonprofit, to a public benefit corporation. By doing so, it will change the equity structure of that company so that employees, investors and the not-for-profit can own equity in that PBC.”
Microsoft has bowed a new Surface Pro tablet today..it has a 12 inch screen, and a few design changes from the bigger 13 inch Surface Pro 11. According to theverge.com, the Surface Pro 12 inch runs on an Arm processor. It is fanless, and doesn’t have a Surface Connect charging port. The keyboard is different as well. Besides the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor, it comes with 16 gigs of RAM, 256 gigs of storage, and starts at $799. A keyboard will run you another $149.99. Expect to tack on $100 more to the tablet price if you wan t 512 gigs of storage. You can order directly from Microsoft or at Best Buy. It ships May 20th to consumers, and July 22nd to businesses.
Acting after a court order (which Apple has appealed), Amazon has made it much easier to buy books on an iPhone. Previously, Apple rules made it hard for users to leave the app to buy a book, then come back. 9to5mac.com notes that basically you had to browse and buy titles separately in your web browser, before returning to your Kindle app to read the downloaded books. Now, there’s a nice big ‘get book’ button with each listed title in the Kindle app. Hitting that takes you right to the book’s Amazon listing in your browser…you can buy with ‘1-Click,’ then jump right back into the Kindle app and start reading the downloaded book. It’s still not as elegant as just buying the thing directly in the Kindle app, but a lot quicker and cleaner. Whether this can continue depends on who wins in court, but it’s a nice feature for readers. Maybe Apple has given up enough on its failed Books app to let things go…but probably not. I have read books on my phone, but prefer to throw my Kindle in my bag when traveling…it’s small and light and the battery lasts forever. Of course it’s great for home…only really missing that book ‘smell and feel.’
Tesla sales in Germany went off a cliff in April. Mashable.com reports that the Musk-helmed EV firm sold less than 900 vehicles there in April. That’s a drop of 45.9% from last April. Since April is in 2nd quarter, these numbers won’t show up in Tesla’s earnings until the end of the quarter, that wraps the last of June. Meanwhile, total German EV sales were up 53.5%, with the bulk of those sales going to Chinese EV maker BYD. BYD sold 1566 EVs in Germany in April.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments