YouTube Vids May not Play if You Have 3rd Party Ad-Blocker; Threads Tests Realtime Search Results; Rivian R1S-4th Best Selling EV; Apple Adds Redundant Action Button to All iPhone 16’s

Posted: April 16, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

YouTube is bolstering its resistance to third party ad blockers. Be warned that if you are using one, the videos you try to watch may just not play at all. Zdnet.com reports that users may have buffering issues, or get an error message that says “the following content is not available on this app,” stopping you from watching the video at all. YouTube says the company doesn’t want you using ad blockers because such tools prevent video creators from being compensated based on the number of views. The company sees those ads as important and essential because they support creators financially. Let’s be clear…mostly, they are concerned about the revenue THEY get from the ads, not the money that goes to creators. Since YouTube has done this to varying degrees before, expect people to devise hacks and work arounds. 

Threads, the Meta competitor to X, is testing real-time search results. According to engadget.com, an issue has been that the present algorithm when you use the ‘For You’ selection can often show you days-old posts next to current ones. I can verify this as well. More often, I just read my ‘Following’ feed. At any rate, the new search feature they are testing will let users filter by recent posts. I hope this is an easing of their tendency to minimize news…it would really supercharge Threads as X continues to become less useful and relevant by the hour. 

Rivian has had some good buzz with their electric vehicles…no pun intended…and now, in first quarter of 2024 the Rivian R1S claims the #4 sales slot for new EVs sold in the US…beating out Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 and Volkswagen ID.4. Electrek.co says the top 3 are the Tesla Model Y, the Tesla Model 3, and the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Rivian expects to make about 57,000 vehicles this year, but should see growth next year with the cheaper R2 SUV, which will be base priced at $45,000.

Apple is apparently adding the relatively worthless ‘Action’ button to the whole iPhone 16 line. Macrumors.com notes that the iPhone 15 models already carry this button, which lives above the volume buttons on the left side of the handset. You can program it to open the camera, or assign shortcuts to it. I set mine for camera, but it’s really easier to just use the cam button on the lock screen. Note that the button replaces the mute/silence button, so if you don’t like your phone ringing, go turn off the ringer in settings. A survey that MacRumors did of 7,000 users found over half forget the action button is even on the phone! Yep…another bloatware feature. 

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

Samsung Retakes Top Smartphone Sales Spot; US Gives Samsung Billions for Chip Factory in TX; Tesla Lays off 10% Plus of Workforce; Super-Creepy Face Detecting AI Camera-Repeller

Posted: April 15, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung has grabbed back the top spot in the worldwide smartphone race, passing up Apple. 9to5google.com reports that Samsung shipped 19.69 million smartphones first quarter, eclipsing Apple’s 17.41 million. Samsung is now reporting 20% market share, with Apple at 18%. Samsung had been the top smartphone maker for quite a while until being passed up by Apple. As Samsung comes out with new phones again this summer and then Apple in September, we’ll see if Cupertino can claw back the #1 spot. 

We reported last week on the over $6 billion the US has given TSMC for their chip plants in Arizona and $8.5 billion to Intel for chip production here. Now, the feds have ponied $6.4 billion to Samsung for its facilities it is building in Texas. Samsung is investing $45 billion in the facilities over the next 10 years. All the funds are from the 2022 Chips and Science Act. 

With sales softer first quarter, Tesla is now laying off over 10% of its workforce. Emails started going out yesterday. Engadget.com says that Tesla had over 140,000 employees as the end of December 2023. Elon Musk wrote in a memo “As part of this effort, we have done a thorough review of the organization and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10 percent globally.” It is notable that Tesla had doubled its headcount since 2020, and in fact added 10% in 2023 alone. Deliveries were down 8% year over year, and now are expected to continue to be soft. Tesla announces first quarter earnings April 23rd. 

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this is ‘lawsuit waiting to happen.’ Thenextweb.com reports that a startup in Slovenia has made an AI powered home security system. It has Via computer vision tech that works day and night. Owners can designate guests as friends or foe using an app…even designate pets. That’s all well and good, but this rig goes further. If someone unknown or listed as a foe comes on the property, a speaker warns them they have 5 seconds to leave. If they don’t, it shoots paintballs or tear gas at them. The system also records video. The Paintcam, as it is called, launches April 23rd…no pricing yet.

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

New & Used EV Prices Dip 20%; Macs Getting AI Centric M4 Chips; British Version of DARPA Building AI Gatekeepers; Taylor Swift Music Back on TikTok

Posted: April 11, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

If you are in the market, or thinking about getting in the market for an EV, the timing may be good for you. Inventories of both new and used EVs are up and that is putting pressure on prices. Online searches for EVs on cars.com are up 14.9 percent year over year. Arstechnica.com reports that inventory of electrics is 107% more than a year ago, and they are staying on lots over 90 days. Dealers and manufacturers like to just see a 60 day inventory. The average selling price of a new EV…again according to cars.com is now down 4.3% from this time last year to $63,806…still pricy, but moving in the right direction. Of note…the data doesn’t include new Tesla sales, as they have no dealer network. Looking at used EVs…the prices of those have dipped a bit over 20% since last year…the average selling price is now $36,429. Now, if new EVs or even the used ones would hit that buyer sweet spot of $32,000…you might see a real burst of EV buying.

In the continuing race for faster, better, more powerful chips, plus the push to make AI ubiquitous, Apple will start refreshing its Macs with M4 chips late this year. According to macrumors.com, the new chips will focus on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. As with the current batch, there will be low, medium, and high powered chips in the M4 line. The new chips will still be 3 nanometer chips, but prime Apple maker TSMC says they have improved the process to give better performance and power efficiency. After the M4’s, we may see the move to 2 nanometer chips. 

The British version of DARPA…you know DARPA, the Pentagon advanced science folks that invented Darpanet, which became the internet…have rolled out what they are calling a Gatekeeper for AI. Thenextweb.com says it’s a digital sentinel that will ensure that other AI agents only operated within the guardrails set for a specific application. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency, or ARIA, will pour 59 million pounds into the system. They hope to soon be demonstrating a proof of concept for the plan, which includes electricity grid balancing and supply chain management. If effective, the project could safeguard high-stakes AI applications, such as improving critical infrastructure or optimizing clinical trials.

Not exactly tech, but of interest…Taylor Swift’s music has returned to TikTok after a 10 week lapse due to a licensing fight between the platform and Universal Music Group. Variety.com reports that the tunes were back this morning. This all happens just in front of the release of her next album ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ which drops April 19th. UMG had accused TikTok of trying to ‘bully’ the music company into a deal worth less that the prior agreement…which of course TikTok disputes. At any rates it looks like the platform cut a separate deal with Swift, who owns her masters and would be able to make her own deal…though her music is distributed by UMG. Swifties, rejoice! I will show some uncharacteristic restraint, and refrain from telling a Swifty…a Tom Swift joke here.

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

Consumers Getting FCC Mandated Labels on Broadband Plans; Google Vids-AI Powered Workspace App; Automattic Picks up Beeper; 14% of iPhones Now Made in India

Posted: April 10, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After 8 years of fighting it, internet companies will finally have to display FCC mandated so-called ‘nutrition labels’ for most broadband plans. Theverge.com reports that the labels will include info on the costs, fees, and speeds of their broadband services. All but the smallest ISPs will be required to publish the labels on their plans. The labels detail  monthly broadband prices, introductory rate details, data allowances, broadband speeds, and links to find out about any available discounts or service bundles. Links to network management practices and privacy policies should be listed as well. The labels should appear both online and at physical stores. Most of the info has been available, but has been pretty well buried..you had to really dig around to find it. Verizon, Google Fiber, and T-Mobile have already released labels ahead of the Wednesday deadline. 

A new Workspace app that was announced as coming at Cloud Next 2024 by google is Google Vids, and here’s a little preview. It’s an AI powered video creation app. According to 9to5google.com, Google says it has an easy to use interface, and it allows you to share and collaborate with others. You start by simply enter the prompt ‘Help me create a video.’ Then, go ahead and ‘describe your idea with a goal, audience, and length. You can associate a document from Google Drive with it if you wish. The app generates a storyboard you can edit by reordering, deleting, or adding. The app offers scenes from stock videos, images and background music, and it walks you through doing a voice over using your own or preset voice. Expect to see Vids in Workspace Labs this June.

Automattic, the company behind a huge number of websites via WordPress, has picked up Beeper, and will keep Beeper’s 27 employees. Macrumors.com notes that Beeper had built an app that was in the news in December called Beeper Mini which allowed iMessage to work on Android devices, with the precious blue bubble that some people…especially young people…crave. Without Beeper, non-iMessage messages on the Apple app show up as green.Apple blocked the Mini app, and they tried again with a couple workarounds, but finally gave up trying to get into iMessage. As the DOJ mentioned Beeper Mini in the Department of Justice antitrust suit against Apple, it may be able to interact with iMessage at some later point…but for now, Automattic just plans to have the team continue to work on Beeper…a universal chat app for Android, iOS, and desktop devices. The Beeper app is able to integrate multiple chat networks into a universal inbox, which is quite handy…even if it isn’t able to tie in iMessage right now.

Apple is now building up to 14% of its iPhones in India, as it continues to push to make the handsets outside China. Macrumors.com reports that now 1 in 7 of flagship iPhones are made in plants in India, double the number from last year. According to the Indian government, the Apple manufacturing has added 150,000 direct jobs at Apple’s suppliers. Of the phones made in India, 67% are being built by Foxconn, with 17% being put together by Pegatron. The balance of the phones are made by Wistron. 

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

Google Builds Its First ARM CPUs; Microsoft Says Windows PC with Snapdragon Will Be Faster than M3 MacBook Air; WhatsApp Adding “Nudging”; Sam Altman and Former Apple Designer John Ive Look to Fund New Company to Make ‘AI Powered Personal Device

Posted: April 9, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Google is building its own custom ARM based CPUs to support its AI work and data centers….and introducing a more powerful version of it Tensor Processing Units AI chips. Theverge.com reports that the new Google ARM based CPU is called Axion. It will be used to support Google’s AI workloads before it rolls out to business customers of Google cloud ‘later this year.’ The Axion chips are already powering YouTube ads, the Google Earth Engine, and other Google services. Google won’t be selling these chips to customers, instead making them available for cloud services that businesses can rent and use. 

More about Arm chips. Microsoft is touting its upcoming Windows laptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor as being faster than a MacBook Air with Apple’s latest M3 chip. According to macrumors.com, internal documents say “Microsoft is so confident in these new Qualcomm chips that it’s planning a number of demos that will show how these processors will be faster than an M3 MacBook Air for CPU tasks, AI acceleration, and even app emulation.” The Snapdragon X Elite is ARM based, like Apple silicon. Note that Microsoft is comparing to the low end MacBook Air, and not Apple’s higher end M3 Pro and M3 Max chips. It will be interesting to see when the new Microsoft laptops come out what they do on independent benchmark tests against the Macs. 

It smacks of the old Facebook ‘poke.’ WhatsApp is going to start nudging you to ‘start chatting’ with contacts you have never messaged. Androidpolice.com says this new so-called feature, which just sounds annoying to me, has showed up for some beta users, in version 2.24.9.5. The nudge shows up as ‘suggested contacts.’ The idea is to suggest new people to reach out to that come from the user’s own contact list. It isn’t overbearing about it, fortunately, and should be widely available for Android users soon, should you want to try it. 

Former Apple design guru Jony Ive and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are looking for backing to start a new company that will ‘produce what thy are calling an ‘artificial intelligence powered personal device’. Arstechnica.com reports that The Information picked up the story, but nothing is known so far about the device. Will it be a wearable, something like a smartphone, or maybe even a personal robot assistant? Altman and Ive are trying to raise at least a billion for the new company. A number of big Silicon Valley hitters have already been approached. 

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

US Offers TSMC over $6 Billion for Arizona Chip Plant; Google Launches Find My Device Network; Apple Officially Allows Retro Game Emulators on App Store; OpenAI Transcribed Over a Million Hours of YouTube Videos

Posted: April 8, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The Biden Administration has offered TSMC up to $6 billion in government funding under a preliminary agreement announced by the government today. Cnbc.com reports that The funding, under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, will support Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s more than $65 billion investment in three cutting-edge fabrication plants in Phoenix, according to the nonbinding agreement. The Taiwanese multinational semiconductor company is also eligible for around $5 billion in proposed loans under the CHIPS Act. TSMC Arizona has already created more than 25,000 jobs and attracted 14 semiconductor suppliers to the state. Intel got $8.5 billion in indirect funding and up to $11 billion in loans last month under the CHIPS Act.

At long last, Google has launched its Find My Device network. According to engadget.com, the tech leverages a crowdsourced network of over a billion Android devices to help folks find their lost gadgets. It essentially has the same functionality as Apple’s Find My network and that of the Tile system. The Google one rolls out to US and Canadian users today…and Google says the worldwide release will be coming soon. As with the others, you can use the app to locate your device with a map. The map data will work even if the device is off line. 

Apple has finally officially started allowing retro game emulators on the App Store. Engadget.com says updated Apple guidelines now say that retro gaming console emulator apps are welcome and can even offer downloadable games. Apple also reportedly confirmed to developers in an email that they can create and offer emulators on its marketplace. Apple warns developers, however, that they “are responsible for all such software offered in [their] app, including ensuring that such software complies with these Guidelines and all applicable laws.” Clearly, allowing emulators on the App Store doesn’t mean that it’s allowing pirated games, as well.

In the ongoing effort to train its Chat GPT4, OpenAI transcribed over a million hours of YouTube videos! Theverge.com reports that the company knew this was really questionable, but believed it to be fair use. OpenAI president Greg Brockman was personally involved in collecting the videos that were used. Google spokesperson Matt Bryant told The Verge in an email the company has “seen unconfirmed reports” of OpenAI’s activity, adding that “both our robots.txt files and Terms of Service prohibit unauthorized scraping or downloading of YouTube content.” Google has said it also trained its models on ‘some YouTube content,’ but did it into accordance with its agreements with YouTube creators. Apparently, all the Large Language Models are running out of content to scrape. Some data scientists think they may run out by 2028, and will need to train on ‘synthetic’ data…that seems scary.

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

Satellite Texting Maybe Coming to Android; X Adds Blue Checks Back Free for Some Big Accounts; TSMC Restarts Making Apple Chips in Taiwan Waymo and Uber Start Driverless Food Deliveries in Phoenix

Posted: April 4, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

iPhones have had emergency satellite texting since the iPhone 14, but it hasn’t been for general texting. Now, it looks like Android will leapfrog Apple with its version of satellite text. 9to5google.com reports that in a beta of Android 15, there are text strings that indicate things like ‘You can message with anyone, including emergency services,’ and ‘To send and receive, stay outside with a clear view of the sky.’ Another text string says ‘Satellite messaging may take longer and can’t include photos & videos.’ Apple has allegedly been working on satellite texting for other than emergencies, but not it appears that Android will beat them to the punch. The feature may be announced at Google I/O in May.

Much to the surprise of many X users, the platform has started giving out free Premium and Premium Plus memberships to accounts with a high number of verified followers. According to theverge.com, a number of big accounts started seeing the blue ‘Verified’ checkmark show up by their handles yesterday, and many have posted elsewhere that they are not paying a dime to X for the blue checks. Elon Musk…in a big backtrack…announced last week that X accounts with over 2500 ‘verified subscriber followers’ would get a free Premium membership, and those with over 5000 would get a free Premium Plus membership. 

Primary Apple chip maker TSMC has started up chip production again in Taiwan after the big 7.4 quake Wednesday. Macrumors.com says TSMC claims more than 80% of its production lines for chips are back up and running, and that there was no damage to its most critical equipment. TSMC doesn’t expect any major hiccups that will affect Apple. 

Waymo and Uber are partnering for driverless food deliveries in Phoenix. Arstechnica.com reports that Uber Eats customers can use the app to order food and may see the message “autonomous vehicles may deliver your order.” Waymo says you’ll be able to opt out of robot delivery at checkout if you want. You may actually want to depending on your situation…with the driverless deliveries, there’s no one to bring your food up to your door. You will have to run out to the vehicle when you get the note that it has arrived. The food is supposed to be in the trunk. If you do get a driverless delivery, your delivery tip will be refunded. 

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

EU Goes After Meta, Apple, & Google; China Bans Intel & AMD Processors for Government PCs; Spotify Tests Video Courses; Apple’s iOS 18-More Control of Home Screen

Posted: March 25, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The European Commission is opening 5 non-compliance investigations into how Meta, Apple, and Google are complying with the new Digital Markets Act antitrust rules. Theverge.com reports that the EU regulator said in an announcement quote: “We suspect that the suggested solutions put forward by the three companies do not fully comply with the DMA. We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe.” The EU commission seems most interested in Google and Apple’s anti-steering rules in their app stores, and Google’s apparent self-preferences for its own services via its search engine.

China barred most government use of iPhones a while back, and now is going after US-made processors. According to engadget.com, Chinese guidelines ban the use of US processors made by Intel and AMD from government computers and servers. The new regulations also block Microsoft Windows and foreign database products, pushing government agencies there to use domestic products, which they term ‘safe and reliable.’ The rules came out in December but have just started showing up. They could be a blow to US companies’ bottom lines. China accounted for 27% of Intel’s sales last year and 15% of AMD’s. 

Spotify is testing out video courses which teach everything from music production to Excel spreadsheet use. Techcrunch.com says the rollout of the videos has started in the UK. They are terming the courses ‘freemium.’ The first lessons are free, then the total course cost if taken will range from 20 pounds to 80 pounds. The price is the same for courses whether you are a basic or premium Spotify user for now. Spotify is pitching the courses as somewhere between YouTube videos, Master Class, and LinkedIn Learning. The educational video market is estimated at $315 billion as of 2023, so if this takes off, it could be a significant new income stream for Spotify.

Android users have had it for years…lots of flexibility to arrange and customize your smartphone screen. Now, Apple is apparently going to give users more flexibility starting with iOS 18. Macrumors.com reports that even though icons will still snap to a grid on the Home Screen, users will be able to arrange them more freely. There will be the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons. We’ll know more when iOS 18 is revealed at WWDC in June.

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

DOJ Sues Apple for Antitrust; Reddit IPO Priced at $34 a Share; Door Dash Drone Delivery Coming to the US; Waze Getting a Ghostbusting Voice

Posted: March 21, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The Department of Justice has sued Apple. According to theverge.com, the DOJ and 16 state attorneys general claim that Apple uas driven up prices for consumers and developers at the expense of making users more reliant on its phones. The suit alleges that Apple “selectively” imposes contractual restrictions on developers and withholds critical ways of accessing the phone as a way to prevent competition from arising. The suit has been filed in New Jersey. An Apple spokesperson said the suit “threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets. If successful, it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology.” Apple says it will vigorously defend against the suit. 

Reddit priced its IPO at $34 per share yesterday, and hauled in $519 million…valuing the company at $6.5 billion. CNBC reports that the ticker symbol will be RDDT. Although $6.5 billion is a ton of cash, the company is actually taking quite a haircut from its private market valuation of $10 billion at the peak of the tech boom in 2021. Reddit’s core business of online advertising faces competition from industry giants like Alphabet and Meta. The company also counts Snap, X, Pinterest, Discord, Wikipedia and Amazon’s Twitch streaming service as competitors, according to its prospectus. Revenue increased 20% last year to $804 million from $666.7 million in 2022. Its net loss in 2023 was $90.8 million, marking an improvement from the $158.6 million net loss it recorded the previous year.

DoorDash is expanding its partnership with the Wing division of Alphabet to bring a pilot drone delivery service to the US. According to TechCrunch.com, users in Christianburg, VA will be able to order eligible items from the local Wendy’s menu. In order to use the service, you need to have a small clearing on your property…at least 7 feet in diameter. There are also weight and volume restrictions. If the order is more than a drone can carry, you’ll get delivery from a regular Dasher. 

Waze is getting a new guest voice…and here’s a hint: ‘Who ya gonna call?’ Just in time for the release of Ghostbusters-Frozen Empire tomorrow March 22, Waze has scored Dan Aykroyd as a voice on Waze. Androidpolice.com says just choose ‘Spooky’ mood on the app, and there is Ray from Ghostbusters…the well-known voice of Dan Aykroyd. You can get a number of funny paranormal-themed comments as you drive to the next ghost busting event…or to work or home, of course. 

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

Google Will Restrict Gemini Elect Questions; Airbnb Bans Indoor Cams; Chem Injection Can Renew Batteries; Apple Tests AI Targeted App Store Ads

Posted: March 12, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Google is restricting queries to its chatbot Gemini about elections. The restrictions will be global…the only exceptions are queries from countries where there are no elections taking place this year. Techcrunch.com reports that the update is already live in the US, and is rolling out to India. Google notes that it is concerned about the AI service being weaponized, or induced to produce inaccurate or misleading responses. Google has not said if it will unblock answering election related questions after the elections later this year. 

Airbnb will no longer allow hosts to record guests while they are inside the property. This has already been the case with Vrbo, and also at hotels. According to arstechnica.com, Airbnb has been allowing hosts to have disclosed cams outside the property and inside ‘common areas’ inside, but they are now completely banning them. Airbnb’s updated policy defines cameras and recording devices as “any device that records or transmits video, images, or audio, such as a baby monitor, doorbell camera, or other camera.” An exception is in place for monitoring a public space like your front porch or driveway with a doorbell cam. 

We have all experienced it with phones or other small devices, and it will happen to electric vehicles eventually. After a number of charge cycles, the batteries start to drop in the charge they can hold, and they will eventually fail. As a lithium-ion battery pack is a pretty large chunk of an EV cost, here’s some potential good news. Bgr.com says that researchers have come up with a new battery revival injection that can restore an aged or degraded battery to near full capacity. The research comes from Toyota’s Central R&D Labs, and was just published in the journal Joule. the injection is lithium naphthalene. It brings the batteries up to 80% of original capacity, and that lasts at least 100 charge cycles so far. Note that if the battery has structural damage, the injection doesn’t work. This is potentially a huge breakthrough.

Just because Apple hasn’t been calling AI AI…they have used machine learning…doesn’t mean they aren’t all over it….and maybe not always in ways we will be thrilled about. Appleinsider.com notes that apple is experimenting with using AI to buy and place ads in its App Store, much like Google does with their Performance Max and Meta does with its Advantage Plus. Apple has told advertisers it is conducting the tests, and advertisers believe the company will introduce the product in the coming months. With the AI boost, Apple may see its ad business grow to $6 billion by 2025, with $4.1 billion coming from search ads. 

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

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