Microsoft Enters Book Biz; Samsung Making XR Glasses Similar to Meta’s Ray-Bans; Some Bluesky Tips; Trump Names Project 2025 Contributor to FCC Chair
Posted: November 18, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, Microsoft, News, technology Leave a commentMicrosoft is jumping into the book business with their own imprint, 8080 Books. Geekwire.com reports that Microsoft is aiming for the sweet spot between the speed of social media and the lasting impact of books…planning to bring new titles to market much faster than traditional publishing allows. In the charter for the new venture, Microsoft says the goal is “to publish original research, ideas, and insights at the intersection of science, technology, and business, and in doing so, help advance the discourse and debate.” Normally, a publishing house takes 6 to 9 months to get from manuscript to market…Redmond is shooting for 90 days. By the way, why 8080 Books? If you see the logo it’s a hint…it is a hat tip to the 8080 Intel processors that the first Microsoft software ran on.
Samsung has some new XR glasses coming out…looking at the second half of 2025 for a release date. According to 9to5google.com, they are being developed in partnership with Google, and they will share some of the specs with the popular Meta Ray-Ban glasses. OK, sorry about the specs/glasses pun! Samsung expects to sell 500,000 of the smart glasses. They will feature a 12MP camera and 155 mAh battery, about like Meta’s. What is unclear at this point is whether they will have a display or not. We do expect them to use Google’s Gemini AI, however.
Millions have jumped to Bluesky and abandoned X. I cancelled X last week after 14 years on Twitter/X. Find me at clarkreidsf.bsky.social. The fledgling platform has ballooned from 9 to 15 million users just since the election. A lot of it looks like old Twitter…direct messages, ability to pin post and even videos up to 60 seconds. One thing I like is you can basically choose your own algorithm or moderation tools. They have a discover feed, but you can make a Following feed, a Popular with Friends one, and Mutuals…reposts by people you follow. I love the Following feed…it’s just a classic feed of accounts you follow in chronological order. What’s so hard about that, other platforms? It’s what most people want. You can also easily mute and block trolls, and there are these ‘packs’ people have built of accounts you might like to follow. You can pick those accounts a la carte, or choose them as a bundle to bulk up your Following feed quickly. Check it out.
In the parade of appointees Donald Trump has announced…most to the horror of those politically to the left and center, a new one is FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr as FCC Chairman. Engadget.com notes that Carr was the author of the FCC portion of Project 2025, and that he has previously argued in favor of punishing TV networks for political bias and regulating big tech firms like Google and Apple. The appointment doesn’t require the usual senate approval, since Carr has sat on the Commission since 2017. The incoming president always gets to appoint a person from his party as Chairman. Here is a taste of what might be ahead from a post by Carr on X last week: “The censorship cartel must be dismantled. Broadcast media have had the privilege of using a scarce and valuable public resource — our airwaves. When the transition is complete, the FCC will enforce this public interest obligation.” It is worth pointing out out that unless Congress changes some law, the FCC can’t regulate the internet like Carr would like to.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Notepad Getting AI Editing; Gemini Drops Utilities Extension for Android Phones; Pixel 9 Sales Improve; Zillow up 17%
Posted: November 7, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Google, Smartphone, Tech, technology Leave a commentLike an invasive species, AI is getting into everything. Now, Microsoft is adding AI powered text editing to Notepad, the venerable, bare-bones text editor that dates back to 1983! Theverge.com reports that the feature is called Rewrite, and Redmond has released a preview to Windows Insiders that will let you use AI to “rephrase sentences, adjust tone, and modify the length of your content.” To use it, just hi light the text you want the AI to alter, right-click, and select Rewrite. The dialog box pops up and will show you 3 rewritten versions you can use if you wish. Note that Rewrite is cloud based, so users have to be signed into their Microsoft account.
Google is rolling out a Gemini Utilities Extension that can ‘control your Android mobile device and apps.’ According to 9to5google.com, here are some things it can do for you when using Gemini right from your lock screen: Set and quiet alarms, set and stop timers, turn Flashlight, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, and Battery Saver on or off, check your device’s volume and battery level, turn off or restart your phone, shoot a picture or take a screen shot, and control media…like pausing or replaying videos. Have fun seeing how accurately Gemini really does all these things!
Year after year, Apple and Samsung dominate the smartphone market. Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel phones are gaining a bit of ground. Android Police notes that it isn’t enough to worry the big boys yet…Google only sold 10 million Pixels in 2023 while Apple sold 235 million iPhones and Samsung was close behind Apple. That all said, Google has recored its highest quarter ever for Pixel sales. StatCounter found that Pixel users now account for almost 15% of the US market. That is not an insignificant number! Google may not catch or pass up Samsung or Apple, but if they can become a strong number 3, that’s a pretty big success story.
Zillow group beat estimates for third quarter, with Revenue of $581 million and adjusted earnings of $127 million. Geekwire.com says the rentals business was up 24% year over year and mortgage revenue grew 63%. If you are one of those folks, like me, that just check it to see where prices of your property and others are, it’s kind of a surprise that they are doing that much actual business. Thanks to all those folks…who generate enough Zillow revenue for the rest of us to check prices for free!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple Intelligence is Live-Oh Yay; Google Working on an AI Agent for Chrome that Does Everything-Project Jarvis; Microsoft Accuses Google of Astroturfing them in Europe; Lucid Gravity Electric SUV Orders Open Next week
Posted: October 29, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Google, Microsoft, technology Leave a commentWith iOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1, as well as iPadOS 18.1, we now have some of the features of Apple Intelligence. After messing with it a bit yesterday afternoon, I am a bit underwhelmed so far, but they noted in the pop ups that it is not nearly complete yet. The one feature I tried out that actually did what was claimed was in editing an email. I wrote a verbose fake email to send to another of my accounts and asked AI to make it more concise. It did fine at that. I tried using it in Text Edit, which I use all the time, but got a not supposed message. Today, I see the little logo, so will have to try it later. The picture editing…like removing unwanted items, works ok, but Android’s is better. I will try to have more later as they activate more features. By the way, there is a wait list to get Apple Intelligence. I signed up…while I was downloading the update to an iPad, I was accepted…the wait was only about 15 minutes!
Google has a Project Jarvis, a hat tip to Tony Stark of Iron Man fame. Androidcentral.com reports that it is supposed to automate simple tasks in Chrome while you are browsing the web. A limited test of Jarvis may be out in December, in conjunction with Google’s rumored release of Gemini 2.0. The Jarvis AI bot apparently can respond to a user’s commands by taking screenshots of their screen. It supposedly does this in order to ‘interpret’ what a user is doing before taking action. For example, Jarvis might click a button for you or fill in text fields with the requisite information. So far, reports have it that Jarvis ‘operates relatively slowly.’ In other words, it is light years away right now from working like Tony Stark’s fictional one in the Marvel movies!
Microsoft has accused Google of funding a proxy campaign designed to discredit it in the eyes of regulatory authorities and policymakers in the European Union and beyond. Engadget.com says this came in a blog post from Microsoft’s Deputy General Counsel. Microsoft claims Google has gone to “great lengths to obfuscate its involvement, funding and control” of the Open Cloud Coalition, a group of “cloud service providers, industry leaders and stakeholders” that says it’s committed to advocating for a “fair, competitive, and open cloud services industry across the UK and EU.” Redmond claims that Google has hired a lobbying agency in Europe to create and fund the organization. The accusations come after Google had reportedly attempted to derail an antitrust settlement Microsoft had negotiated with the Cloud Infrastructure Services Providers in Europe (CISPE). In July, Bloomberg wrote that Google had offered the group €470 million to go forward with litigation against its rival, an overture CISPE ultimately rejected.
Lucid’s Air electric sedans are sure head turners, and are selling decently for a start up. Now Lucid has said they will start taking orders next week..November 7th specifically… for their flagship electric SUV, the Gravity. According to electrek.co, the base price will still be below the promised $80,000, but you won’t be able to get that lower priced model initially. The less pricy Touring model at $79,900 won’t be available until late 2025. The Grand Touring one, which you can order next week, will set you back $94,900. There will eventually be a high performance Sapphire model, but no date given for that one yet.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Apple Bows New M4 iMac; Google Working on Tensor Chip for Pixel Watch; Meta Developing AI Search Engine; Police Shut Down Big Info Theft Operation
Posted: October 28, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: digital-marketing, Google, keyword-research, search-engine-optimization, seo Leave a commentLast week, Apple teased an ‘exciting week of announcements,’ and they didn’t mess around…a new M4 iMac was unveiled this morning. 9to5mac.com reports that the freshened iMac not only runs the more powerful M4 chip, but it has new color choices, as well as a nano-texture display option. The base model has 16 gigs of ram, doubling the former model. It can have up to 4 Thunderbolt ports, and comes in new colors…new shades of green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue…and of course, silver. With the M4 chip, and the 16 gigs of ram, the all-in-one Mac will have no problem running Apple Intelligence. The base model starts at $1299 with 16 gigs of unified memory. Preorders are open now, with availability starting Friday, November 8th.
Google is working on a new custom Tensor chip for the Pixel Watch. The present Watch has been running on off-the-shelf chips from Samsung and Qualcomm. According to 9to5google.com, the Watch 2 and Watch 3 have both been running Snapdragon W5+ chipsets. This chipset from Qualcomm has dramatically improved battery life over the outdated Exynos chip that ran the original Pixel Watch. The Tensor powered Watches could come in 2026.
Meta is reportedly working on an AI search engine to cut reliance on Google and Microsoft. Theinformation.com says that Meta is designing the search engine and web crawler to return conversational answers about current events to folks using its Meta AI chatbot. Meta currently supplies news, sports and stock info to users that is provided by Google Search and Microsoft’s Bing. Meta may be concerned that either Google or Microsoft may want to pull out of these arrangements, and hopes the AI search engine/chatbot will be able to take their place.
A coalition of international law enforcement agencies have managed to disrupt two very prolific information thieves that have stolen data from thousands. Techcrunch.com reports that the Dutch National Police, the lead agency, gained full access to the servers used by the Redline and Meta info stealers. Infostealers are a kind of malware designed to extract sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card data, search histories, and the contents of cryptocurrency wallets, from an infected system. Redline has been widely used by crooks, while Meta is a relatively new info stealer (not to be confused with the company of the same name that owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
M4 Mac Launch Soon; Google Messages-New Spam Detection; Anthropic New AI Can Control Your PC; Blade Runner 2049 Producer Sues Musk
Posted: October 23, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, Google, News, technology Leave a commentThe latest from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman points to Apple dropping its M4 Macs next week. Macrumors.com reports that it will likely be an online event like what Apple did with their ‘Scary Fast’ rollout last October 30th. Most Apple watchers are looking for a 14 inch entry-level MacBook Pro with M4 chip and one more Thunderbolt port than the present model. Also, 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pros with M4 Pro and Max chip options. A freshened iMac is expected in the mix, too. Most of these new units won’t be in customer hands until November…as is typical for an Apple introduction…generally it is a week or 2 before the devices actually ship.
More and more spam and phishing has moved from email to messaging. Now, Google Messages is bowing new features to fight through all this crud. According to androidpolice.com, the new spam detection should help combat dangerous links, there’s a privacy upgrade for international messages, sensitive image warnings, and contact verification, too. Any message that Google Messages thinks might be scammy will give you a warning or automatically move the message into the spam folder. Besides the spam filter, they will block messages or send them to spam if they are from unknown senders and contain links. Google tested this system out in India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, before rolling the feature out worldwide…which will happen over the next couple months. “Sensitive Content Warnings for Google Messages” will blur potentially sensitive images before viewing, and there will also be a new warning message when such images are being shared or forwarded. Like Google’s other protections, these scans all happen on-device, which means your privacy is ensured.
In a somewhat unsettling bit of news, Anthropic’s new AI model reportedly can have some control over your PC. Techcrunch.com notes that this was teased last spring, and now the latest upgrade of Claude 3.5 Sonnet can understand and interact with any desktop app. By way of a new ‘Computer Use’ API, which is in open beta, the model can mimic keystrokes, button clicks, and mouse gestures…basically emulating a person sitting at a PC. This is not an entirely new concept…it has been done for decades to an extent….but Anthropic is taking it to a new level entirely. Anthropic is not calling this an ‘agent,’ like Microsoft, Salesforce, or OpenAI….instead dubbing it an ‘action-execution layer.’
Previously, Elon Musk had asked the producer of Blade Runner 2049 about using imagery from the film…but he was turned down. Now, producer Alcon Entertainment is suing Elon for using what they call “AI-created images mirroring scenes from Blade Runner 2049, including one featuring a Ryan Gosling look-alike.” Engdget.com reports that the images were used in a slide presentation during Musk’s Cybercab event earlier this month. Alcon says in their complaint that the copied scenes made Elon’s event ‘more attractive to a global audience,’ and that he misappropriated “the Blade Runner 2049 brand to help sell Teslas.” One can imagine that if this suit gets into trial, we will see some interesting imagery in the court exhibits!
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
US DOJ May Make Google Spin off Android or Chrome; Amazon Tweaks Ring Subscriptions with AI Video Search; Samsung Drops Support for $2000 Galaxy Fold 2 after 4 Years; Nintendo Motion-Controlled Mario Alarm Clock
Posted: October 9, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Google, News, Smartphone, technology Leave a commentThe US Department of Justice is weighing asking a federal judge to make Google spin off Android and/or Chrome among other possible antitrust solutions in the aftermath of Google being found to have a monopoly over online search. 9to5google.com reports that Google, to the surprise of no one, is arguing against such moves. Ahead of a deciding trial scheduled for this coming spring, the DOJ offered an outline of what it might recommend: “…considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features—including emerging search access points and features, such as artificial intelligence—over rivals or new entrants.” The DOJ outline continues: “Breaking them (referring to Android and Chrome) off would change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store.” the government might also make Google offer an API that lets competitors access indexes, data, feeds, and models used for Google search, as well as their search results, features, and ads…including underlying ranking signals! Google is arguing that the government’s proposed remedies are much too broad. After a trial this spring, the judge should issue a decision by August 2025. No matter the outcome, expect Google to immediately appeal, with remedies on hold throughout the appeal process.
Amazon has rebranded the Ring Basic Plan as Ring Home Basic, and it’s $4.99 a month. Not that long ago, it was less than $3 a month. Ring Protect Plus is not Ring Home Standard, and it’s $5.99 a month, while Ring Home Premium is now $19.99 a month with professional alarm monitoring. According to techcrunch.com, all subscribers will get person and package alerts, video preview alerts, and 180 days of event history. Home Standard customers can now see up to 30 minute streams, and there’s a continuous stream for Home Premium. Now, with Home Premium, subscribers will get Smart Video Search, which lets them find specific moments in recorded footage. Coming on the heels of Smart Video Search…AI updates that will bring detailed captions for cam footage and natural language search functionality. Because you know you need that AI to scroll back through the footage from earlier today to see if a porch pirate ripped you off.
Samsung has outrageously quit updating the Galaxy Z Fold 2. the $2000 folding phone just came out in 2020, 4 years ago. that’s a pretty expensive paperweight. Ok, not a paperweight yet, but will be as more updates leave it behind. Arstechnica.com notes that newer Samsung phones are promised 7 years of updates. I’m sure that some people will keep using the pricy phone and risk hacking and data theft, considering what they paid, but no security updates after 4 years is the height of corporate arrogance and irresponsibility. Apple promises 5 years of security updates, but generally has to go longer…usually 7 years… under California’s ‘legacy’ device law.
In the product in search of a market department, Nintendo has rolled out a motion-controlled alarm clock, so you can awaken to the sounds of Super Mario and Zelda. It’s complete with chunky low resolution looking display that resembles 8 bit, too. Theverge.com reports that the $99.99 clock…called Alarmo…responds to your movements. That means you can snooze it without getting out of bed. You can order right now, and it will be out in early 2025. Honestly, if they can’t make it jump like Mario when making the sound effect, why make it? It does at least feature sounds from 5 different Switch games: Breath of the Wild, Pikmin 4, Splatoon 3, Super Mario Odyssey, and Ring Fit Adventure. You can connect it to your Nintendo account for even more. The clock is supposed to also track movement so you can check your sleep.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Google Gemini AI-Coming to Corporate Workspace; YouTube’s Conversational AI Bows for Premium Android Users; Spotify AI Playlist Feature Rolls Out in US; Blocked X Users Can Now See Your Posts Anyway
Posted: September 24, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: AI, Artificial Intelligence, gemini, Google, technology Leave a commentGoogle has started making Gemini AI what they are calling a core part of the Workspace productivity suite, and the chatbot could therefore be adapted by millions more users. Theverge.com reports that the standalone Gemini app is being included as standard on Workspace Business, Enterprise, and Frontline plans starting sometime in Q4, replacing the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on. To bolster security against malware, phishing, and other online threats, Google is also introducing a new “Security Advisor” tool that “delivers insights directly to an IT administrator’s inbox.” Security Advisor includes a range of safe browsing and data protection features for Chrome, Gmail, and Google Drive, and will be rolled out to paying Workspace customers “over the next few weeks.”
YouTube has begun rolling out its conversational AI feature that can answer questions about a video you are already watching. According to 9to5google.com, the feature is only available right now for Premium subscribers on Android in the US. So far, no word on when it will reach other users in the US or in other countries.
Spotify has expanded its AI Playlist tool availability to a number of countries, including the US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. Techcrunch.com says it was already available to Premium subscribers in the UK and Australia. The feature is still in beta on both iOS and Android, but it allows users to create personalized playlists by inputting written prompts. Maybe you would like to hear Frank Sinatra’s 28 biggest hits, or all of Taylor Swift’s sets from her Eras Tour. You can also refine playlists you crate, and customize using locations, animals (really?), movie characters, colors, and emojis. The AI powered playlist creation tool lives under the ‘Your Library’ tab.
X has made blocking less useful. Engadget.com notes that blocked users will be able to see the posts of accounts that have blocked them. This has always been possible if one wanted to try hard enough…you could do it by switching accounts…and many that you would tend to block have a number of alternate accounts. Elon musk has wanted to disable the block feature on X for some time now.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days-October 8-9; Chrome-Easier to Use Passkeys Across Devices; EU Looks to Demand Apple Open up iOS; VW Halts ID.4 Production-Door Handle Problem
Posted: September 19, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Cybersecurity, Google, passkeys, security, technology Leave a commentYes, another big Amazon sale is on the way. Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is scheduled for October 8th and 9th. Engadget.com notes that Amazon has changed the name of this event a few times, but it remains what they call Amazon’s marquee sale event for Prime members. As always, expect big discounts on Amazon’s own devices…the Echos, Kindles, Blink cams, and so forth. We can also expect, if the past is an indication, cheap prices on small items like ear buds…and of course, the ever popular ‘lightening deals.’ There’s nothing like a big sale to goose revenues in the 4th quarter for companies…and get a head start on the holiday rush. Stan Freeborn is smiling somewhere…as he tugged Santa’s beard…as well as ad agencies and merchants…with his ‘Green Christmas’ back in 1958!
As some of the major players move to a password-less future with passkeys…using the biometrics or screen locks on your smartphone, tablet, or computer to log into websites and apps, Google has dropped another obstacle to making this happen by making it effortless to use passkeys on different devices. Zdnet.com reports that previously, you had to scan QR codes to grant accesses to different devices. Google has introduced a feature that will allow passkeys to be saved right in Google Password Manager on Windows, MacOS, Linux, and Android. it all works the same…you create a passkey when they prompt you and it is now automatically saved and synced automatically across all devices when logged into the same Google account. Google has also introduced Google Password Manager PIN, an extra layer of protection. Apple has already had the ability to use passkeys across devices using their biometrics like Face ID and Touch ID, but it will be a big plus to have Google letting this work across devices and operating systems.
The EU is stepping things up to make Apple open up all of iOS and iPadOS to third parties. According to appleinsider.com, they have now started two ‘specification proceedings’ which will set the rules and timetable for Apple to allow the third party access to all its iPhone hardware and software features. The first proceedings concerns connectivity with third party devices. The second one will put in deadlines for compliance. So far there hasn’t been any comment from Apple. Apple CEO Tim Cook, however, had earlier described some EU moves as based on anti-US sentiment. I can see Apple complying and allowing interoperability with third party devices…like other watches, earbuds, etc…but opening their operating systems…that may be a bridge too far for Cupertino.
There are auto recalls virtually constantly. Here’s one I haven’t seen happen. Volkswagen has stopped production on the ID.4 crossover because the cool flush door handles apparently don’t meet their waterproofing specs. Arstechnica.com says the moisture can get into the door controller’s circuit board, and might allow the door to open while the EV is moving! VW has a recall for almost 100,000 ID.4 models, and put out a stop sale to dealers. This is actually the 2nd fix for ID.4 doors. Earlier, some would open intermittently while driving or refuse to open. So far, thankfully, there have been no crashes or injuries reported.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
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