WhatsApp Gets ‘Incognito’ Chat; Googlebook Will Replace Chromebook-Some Chromebooks Updatable Though; Apple-Many Changes for Next iPhone Camera; Heat Pump Startup from Former Tesla Exec
Posted: May 13, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Google, googlebook, Tech, technology, WhatsApp Leave a commentWhatsApp is getting an AI chat function dubbed Incognito Chat, which will allow users to converse privately with Meta AI…Meta itself won’t be able to access the questions or answers. Wired.com reports that the new feature is based on WhatsApp’s Private Processing scheme that already undergirds WhatsApp’s present AI features. Meta says the intent of Incognito Chat is to offer AI integration that does not conflict with the communication platform’s commitment to end-to-end encryption, the privacy scheme in which only direct participants in a conversation can read messages or hear a call. Incognito chats are ephemeral by default and will disappear once your conversation is over. With more than 3 billion users around the world, Incognito Chat may offer many people their first opportunity to interact with an AI chatbot. So the fact that it is built to be privacy preserving is significant.
During The Android Show today, Google clarified that the Googlebook will essentially replace Chromebooks. According to 9to5google.com, Google has confirmed that Chromebooks will continue to be updated throughout their lifespans, while some machines will be eligible to move to the experience found on Googlebooks. It’s always good to find out that your old machine won’t become a boat anchor right away. While not giving specifics about models, Google said ‘many’ Chromebooks will be eligible to get the Googlebook experience. The Googlebook will apparently be positioned as a more premium line of hardware. Of course, the first ones to be released will be the ‘super premium’ models.
It looks like iOS 27 may completely overhaul Apple’s Camera app. engadget.com notes that well-known analyst Mark Gurman from Bloomberg says the updated app would make it more customizable and offer pro and hobbyist users more control over the image output of Apple’s phones. Apple is also adding new grid and level features while you’re capturing images and moving the toggle that lets you see all your available controls from the top right of the Camera app to the right of the shutter button. Siri’s changes are equally massive. Besides being smarter, the AI assistant’s glowing animation is moving from the border of iPhones, to a new home in the Dynamic Island as part of Apple’s planned updates. Users will also be able to type requests or searches through a new ”Search or Ask” interface that’s replacing iOS’ existing Spotlight Search.
A former exec from Tesla has started a heat pump startup. TechCrunch.com reports that the firm is called Sadi Thermal Machines and it actually started in stealth in the summer of 2025 in Scotts Valley, Ca. Drew Baglino is the CEO. He holds patents for a thermal management system that operates two coolant loops for cars…one cools the battery and another the drivetrain. The auto system is about the size of a suitcase. Baglino notes that making a heat pump for homes is easier than for a car because the vehicle “Is so constrained on mass and volume and energy.” A heat pump that can handle both HVAC and water heating in one unit is anticipated from the startup. Baglino said “We have learned a lot about how to make capable and reliable heat pumps that work in all environmental conditions and are excited about the idea of working on that problem one day. Let me put it that way, it’s definitely aligned with our mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.”
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google, Microsoft, & xAI Will Give US Government Early Model Access; Walmart Gemini-Powered Smart Speaker; Apple Looks to Intel & Samsung for US Processor Manufacturing; iOS 26.5—End to End Encryption for iPhone to Android Texts
Posted: May 5, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Tech, technology, Walmart Leave a commentJust as the White House was making noise about tightening oversight on the AI companies, several have signed agreements to provide the US government with advance access to their AI systems. Engadget.com reports that the Commerce Department Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) will evaluate new models the companies develop. CAISI director Chris Fall said in a statement that “Independent, rigorous measurement science is essential to understanding frontier AI and its national security implications.” It continued “These expanded industry collaborations help us scale our work in the public interest at a critical moment.” The deal reportedly calls for Google, Microsoft and xAI to provide their models to CAISI with reduced or even disabled safeguards in order for the organization to probe them for national security-related capabilities and risks. Let’s hope the government folks are on top of large language models enough to be up to the job!
It’s a little funkier looking that Google’s own, but Walmart is coming out with a Gemini powered smart speaker. It’s charcoal and somewhat cone shaped, with fabric sides and physical buttons on top. According to androidpolice.com, there isn’t a release date yet, or a price…but it is a safe guess that it will be cheaper than Google’s own Home Speaker, which sells for $99.99, or the hapless Apple HomePod Mini with Siri at $99. The little Walmart speaker has WiFi and bluetooth, and a 10 watt amp. It may be a bit less flashy than the Google speaker, which comes in 4 colors…but with the same Gemini power, it should be a big hit for Walmart.
Apple is apparently in early talks with Intel about using its chip-making services, and Apple brass has also visited a Samsung chip plant being built in Texas. Macrumors.com notes that up to now, main processors have been built for Apple by Taiwan Semiconductor…TSMC. Apple is said to be seeking potential additional suppliers beyond TSMC as a way to avoid recent shortages almost entirely driven by the current build-out of AI data centers. Neither Intel nor Samsung can reliably provide the kind of production and scale that TSMC offers, so it’s not clear how much, if anything, will come out of the discussions. Apple has already worked with TSMC to help expand its plant in Phoenix, which is now producing a limited number of chips for Apple and expects to make 100 million chips for the company in 2026.
In other Apple news, iOs 26.5 is getting end-to-end encryption from iPhones to Android RCS messages…FINALLY…Macrumors.com reports. The feature is available with supported carriers and will roll out over time, and for conversations to be encrypted, both the receiver and the sender must use a carrier that supports the latest version of RCS. End-to-end encryption is on by default, and there is a toggle for it in the Messages section of the Settings app. Encrypted messages are denoted with a small lock symbol like on you browser. This is some good news, and not to beat a dead horse, but it’s about time, Apple!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technifiedl’ for now.
Apple-Two New ‘Ultra’ Products This Year; Google Tests AI Chatbot Search for YouTube; OpenAI Working on AI Agent Smartphone; Taylor Swift Files to Trademark Voice and Likeness
Posted: April 28, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, Google, taylor-swift, Tech, technology Leave a commentApple’s first folding phone will drop this fall, and it will be branded the ‘iPhone Ultra’ according to macrumors.com. That has been rumored already, but apparently now Apple plans a MacBook Ultra as well. It’s possible that device will slip to an early 2027 date, though. The MacBook Ultra will have an OLED panel and a touchscreen. It will be positioned above the present MacBook Pro series. Naturally, it will be more expensive…reportedly significantly more expensive. With an iPhone Ultra, MacBook Ultra, and Watch Ultra…will we also get AirPods Ultra as well? Stay tuned.
Google is testing out an AI mode search experience on YouTube. Theverge.com reports that Google has designed it to feel ‘more like a conversation.’ The search results will get you long form videos, YouTube Shorts, and text for things you are searching for. The “experiment” is now available if you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber in the US who is 18 or older. YouTube says it’s already “working on” expanding this experiment to users who don’t have Premium. Just as it’s continued to iterate on AI Mode and brought AI Mode to Gmail, it seems likely that “Ask YouTube” is something Google sees a big future for.
There is a virtual graveyard with devices that were going to replace the current smartphones we all use. Now, OpenAI is going into that arena. Thenextweb.com says they are working on an a smartphone where the AI agent is the interface, and there are NO apps…apps are ‘obsolete.’ Well known analyst Ming Chi Kuo notes that simpler tasks will be handled on the phone directly, while more involved ones will hit up the cloud. With the OpenAI phone, you will just tell the agent to order you an Uber or Lyft, or to book reservations at a restaurant. It will manage your email, do research, and write messages for you (oh, I see some funny and terrible results from that one!) It will continuously capturing a user’s location, activity, communication, and environmental context to feed the agents. OpenAI thinks that the AI agent will replace the operating system and apps completely. I’m not sure people are ready to just talk to their phones. This has failed with couple of pin type devices. Remember Humane or the Rabbit R1? Yeah…now in the device graveyard. Here’s the keeper…OpenAI thinks they will be able to sell 400 million of these phones a year. To put that in perspective, Apple ships about 230 million phones a year and Samsung ships about 220 million Galaxy phones. You can say one thing…Sam Altman and OpenAI are thinking big!
There are already a couple of laws in California protecting a person’s voice and likeness. Also, SAG-AFTRA has language about this in a number of their contracts. Congress has even considered this, although no laws have gotten passed. Now, taking no chances, Taylor Swift has filed to trademark her voice and likeness. For Swift and others, this is intended to give some protection against AI misuse. Variety.com notes that Swift has filed three trademark applications…two for sound and another for a visual trademark. Trademarks aren’t generally used to protect voices or general likenesses, but Swift’s legal team thinks this will give them another way to protect the artist from being cloned and used in AI fakes. Several other artists have taken this action. It hasn’t been tested in court yet…but if you have the money then it is a way to fight off clones doing or saying things the artist would never do or say.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon Merges with Sat Provider Globalstar; Google Chrome AI ‘Skills’; OpenAI Buys Hiro-AI Personal Finance Startup; Lucid Gets New CEO & Cash Infusion
Posted: April 14, 2026 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Amazon, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, gemini, Google, llm, technology Leave a commentAmazon is merging with satellite internet provider Globalstar. Engadget.com reports that this move should at some muscle to Amazon’s rival to Starlink, Leo. Globalstar is the satellite company behind Apple’s emergency SOS feature on iPhones and Apple Watches. Interestingly, Apple already owns 20% of Globalstar. Amazon and Apple have agreed Leo will “power satellite services for supported iPhone and Apple Watch models.” And that this support will continue as Leo’s network evolves, as well as collaborating “with Apple on future satellite services using Amazon Leo’s expanded satellite network.” Leo’s own direct to device service won’t start until 2028…the deal actually closes next year.
Google Chrome has a new generative AI feature, and this is pretty cool. It’s called Skills. I know, really original name. At any rate, according to wired.com, Skills are repeatable AI prompts you can run in Chrome with a keyboard shortcut. That sort of feature ought to attract a lot more people to AI who don’t want to learn or mess with trying to write and refine prompts. You can set up your own Skill using Gemini, Google’s chatbot, through the Chrome browser, or you can choose from the premade Skills Google released alongside this feature. The more than 50 presets in the Skills library cover a range of prompts that instruct Gemini to summarize YouTube videos, maximize your protein intake via recipe substitutions, or evaluate job listings. If you want to try out Skills, open up the Gemini in Chrome sidebar by clicking on the “Ask Gemini” sparkle icon in the upper-right corner of the screen. Then, type a forward slash in the prompt box to pick which Skill you would like to run. Have fun!
OpenAI has bought an AI personal finance startup called Hiro. Thenextweb.com notes that all 10 of the startup’s staff will join OpenAI. Hiro has built an app that offers AI-powered financial planning for consumers: users entered information about their salary, debts, and monthly costs, and the platform modeled different what-if scenarios to support financial decision-making.
Silvio Napoli is the new CEO of Lucid Motors, the EV maker, after a year long search. TechCrunch.com reports that Napoli has mainly managed at Schindler Group, which makes elevators and escalators. Hey…they’re electric! Napoli will join the board. In another related story, Lucid has gotten another $200 million cash infusion from Uber, which will buy up to 25,000 of Lucid’s upcoming mid-sized vehicles to use as robotaxis. The majority owner of Lucid, Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, has also kicked in by buying another $550 million of the company’s shares. Lucid’s upcoming mid sized vehicle will sell in the $50,000 range, a much larger pool of customers than the $100,000 or really $150,000 plus subset of buyers.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now!
Court- Google Can Keep Chrome, But No Exclusive Search Deals; Waymo Expands to Denver & Seattle; iPad Gets Instagram App That Fits Screen; Starbucks Getting Automated Counting Tech for Inventory
Posted: September 3, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, productivity, Tech, technology Leave a commentIn what can only be described as a victory of sorts for Google, a court has ruled that Google doesn’t have to spin off Chrome. It also doesn’t have to divest of its search business…although it will have to make some changes there. Engadget.com reports that Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the government had ‘overreached’ in its request for the sale of Chrome. What the search giant will have to do though is give up exclusive deals around the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini, and Chrome. They will no longer be able to require device makers to preload Google apps in order to get access to the Play Store. They WILL still be able to continue to pay partners like Apple to pre-load search and other apps into their products. I’m sure Apple is relieved about this too, as they take in over $20 billion a year in such a deal!
Waymo is moving into a couple of new markets…Denver and Seattle will get the self-driving cars this week. Techcrunch.com notes that both the Jaguar I-Pace SUVs and the Zeekr vans will be showing up in the two cities. For now, the vehicles will be manually driven. Waymo hopes to start offering robotaxi trips in Denver next year and in the Seattle metro area quote: ‘as soon as we’re permitted to do so.’ Waymo has a fleet of over 2,000 vehicles on the streets now…800 in the San Francisco Bay Area, 500 in LA, 400 in Phoenix, 100 in Austin, and several dozen in Atlanta. Miami and Washington, D.C. are in the future plans. We just reported days ago that Waymo has a permit to test in New York City…although that one is for driver-operated cars only for now.
Anyone that uses an iPad knows that there are numerous apps that just show up on the iPad with a little box in the middle…displaying the iPhone version of the app. They are hard to use, and very frustrating. Now, after a mere 15 years, Meta has finally released an optimized Instagram app for the iPad. According to theverge.com, effective today, you can download the new app that is actually made for the iPad. There are a couple of notable differences…first, the app opens directly to a feed of Reels…the short form videos Meta desperately wants to compete with TikTok. Other features will be there, though…at the top of the home page, you can switch to a ‘following’ tab where you can swipe between feeds that look like that on the phone. The DMs page will have your inbox alongside chats, much like Messenger looks like on your desktop version.
I would bet a few of you who are watching or reading this have had to do inventory in some sort of retail establishment. It is a task that truly sucks. I had to do it as a kid and teen, then later as an adult at my family’s car dealership. Nothing more fun than handling and counting greasy car parts! You just wore old clothes, then pitched them afterwards. No washing was helpful! Now, Starbucks is getting help from a startup called NomadGo to streamline how employees take inventory in the stores. Geekwire.com reports that Starbucks is setting employees up with mobile devices and NomadGo’s software that uses computer vision technology, spatial computing, and augmented reality to automate inventory counting. The system is already deployed in more than 11,000 Starbucks locations across North America and will be live in all company-operated stores by the end of September. The company’s tech runs on-device and counts each item within rows. It displays results on the device and syncs data with existing inventory management platforms. How I wish I had had that tech when counting a box of automotive widgets years ago!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
iPhone Fold Next Year-5 Cams; xAI (Musk) Sues Apple and OpenAI; YouTube Secretly Edited Videos With AI, Waymo Can Test Self-Drivers in NYC
Posted: August 25, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Apple, Artificial Intelligence, chatgpt, Google, grok, technology, Waymo, YouTube Leave a commentEven though the new iPhones are due out in just weeks, including the anticipated iPhone Air…or whatever they actually end up calling the new ‘skinny’ iPhone, tidbits are already leaking out about next year’s Folding iPhone. 9to5mac.com reports that the Cupertino folder will feature 5 cameras, and will have Touch ID…and will use and Apple cellular modem. A number of these new details come from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman and his Power On newsletter. As already reported, the iPhone folder will use the book style, not the flip phone style. Expect one cam on the front screen, one on the inside, and two on the back. The phone will use Touch ID, and will run on Apple’s in-house designed cellular modem…as Apple switches its entire line to the new modems. The camera setup will allow the phone to be used much like a regular iPhone when closed…with a selfie cam on one side and the two main cams on the back. When you open the phone up, the inside cam takes over as the selfie cam. Why no Face ID? In a word, space. Touch ID doesn’t require as much room, and since the folding phone will be notably thicker than a regular iPhone, every millimeter counts.
Elon Musk’s xAI is suing Apple and OpenAI, claiming that their deal to build ChatGPT into the iPhone is stifling competition in the AI industry. According to theverge.com, Musk-owened X Corp, the parent of xAI, accuses Apples App Store of “deprioritizing” rival chatbots and “super” apps, including Grok and X. Musk’s companies claim that iPhone users “have no reason” to download third-party AI apps because the company “force[s]” users to use ChatGPT as their default chatbot app when enabling Apple Intelligence. “Apple and OpenAI have locked up markets to maintain their monopolies and prevent innovators like X and xAI from competing,” the companies allege. “This latest filing is consistent with Mr Musk’s ongoing pattern of harassment,” OpenAI spokesperson Kayla Wood said in a statement. As for Apple, it had already put out a statement saying that the App Store is “designed to be fair and free of bias.”
YouTube has, in recent months, secretly used AI to tweak some creators’ videos without letting them know or asking permission. Bbc.com notes that one content creator noticed that his hair was different and that he seemed to be wearing makeup. In another case, wrinkles in a shirt were more sharply defined. Some ears appeared to be warped. YouTube has finally at least come clean on admitting the AI changes. Rene Ritchie, YouTube’s head of editorial and creator liaison, posted on “X: We’re running an experiment on select YouTube Shorts that uses traditional machine learning technology to unblur, denoise, and improve clarity in videos during processing (similar to what a modern smartphone does when you record a video). YouTube is always working on ways to provide the best video quality and experience possible, and will continue to take creator and viewer feedback into consideration as we iterate and improve on these features.” YouTube hasn’t answered media questions as to if it will now seek user permission before using AI to tweak their videos. I, for one, would really rather they didn’t use AI to give me Vulcan pointy ears like Mr Spock!
Waymo can now go forward and test its self-driving cars in New York City. The word came from the office of Mayor Eric Adams. Engadget.com said the company has a permit to operate the autonomous vehicles in parts of Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. Right now, a small fleet of 8 vehicles will be able to operate until late September 2025. At that point, Waymo will be offered the opportunity to get an extension if all goes well. Right now, human operators will be on board…New York state law prohibits operation of vehicles without a driver behind the wheel. Waymo is lobbying to get this regulation changed.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Pixel Event Aug. 20th; iPhone Fold May Be Less Pricy, Creaseless Screen Ex-Waymo Engineers Found Construction Automation Startup; Grok Adds AI Companion-Can be NSFW
Posted: July 16, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, grok, News, Pixel, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentGoogle will hold its next Pixel event on August 20th. The show will emanate from New York City starting at 1 PM Eastern. Theverge.com reports that Google said in the official invite that the will show quote: “the latest on our Pixel phones, watches, buds, and more.” The new Pixel phone lineup is supposed to have an updated base model…the Pixel 10, that will have 3 cams instead of two, and of course there will be updated Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10, and Pixel 10 Pro XL models. A completely dustproof Pixel 10 Pro Fold is a good possibility, too. The Watch 4 is expected to get a bigger battery and slightly thicker case.
Just when you…or at least I…thought we had most of the iPhone Fold news out there, more has popped up. One item in particular makes my prediction of a few days ago look way off. According to bgr.com, new rumors have the iPhone Fold coming in at a lot less money….predictions are in the $1800-$2000 range. With the just-announced Samsung Z Fold 7 priced at $1999.99, that would make the Apple device very competitive. the other new item about the Apple folder is that they will indeed have a creaseless screen, and Samsung is building a new factory specifically to make it for Apple. Samsung uses a plate under the crease that has been chemically etched to lessen the crease effect. Apple has developed laser drilling that will almost make the crease disappear. The Apple process is more costly…of course…but not that much. It will run $30-35 per unit, compared to the Samsung etched plates at $20. It may well be that next year, Samsung will switch processes, and have their Z Fold 8 come out without creases a month or so before Apple’s phone debuts.
Some former Waymo engineers have founded a startup aimed at automating construction. It’s called Bedrock Robotics…an interesting name, what with the Bedrock of Flintstones fame that, in the cartoon, used the human-operated dinosaurs at a quarry. TechCrunch.com says the company has been in stealth mode for about a year, but just raised $80 million from investors to proceed. The main focus is developing a self-driving kit that can be retrofitted to construction and other worksite vehicles. They are not the only ones trying to port self-driving to off-road work vehicles. Pronto out of San Francisco has developed a self-driving system for haulage trucks and other off-road vehicles used at construction and mining sites.
Of course it’s happening…it’s Musk. Grok, the AI chatbot from Elon’s xAI, is getting a couple of animated ‘companions.’ One is an animated girl called Ani, and the other is a red panda called Rudi. Mashable.com reports that the anime girl is lightly dressed-talking super short skirt and fishnet hose- and ‘flirty.’ It is basically something of a sexbot. Grok has even included a ‘level 3’ mode, where she goes not safe for work….NSFW…but you have to interact a bit and ‘get acquainted’ before you get to that level. Rudi the panda is essentially a story telling character. Even that bot has a naughty version…’Bad Rudy,’ which unleashes it to use courser language and expletives…which is a bit weird coming from an apparent animated red panda. Apparently, Elon and his crew aren’t concerned with getting any heat…these chatbots coming just days after Grok dubbed itself Mecha Hitler.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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