New Intel Processors Coming; Threads Adds Swipe Left & Right Feature; Open AI & Google DeepMind Alums Warn of Serious Risk’ and Lack of Oversight in AI; Apple May Add ‘Respiration Tracking’ to Vision Pro
Posted: June 4, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, dating, iPad, iPhone, technology Leave a commentIntel is putting its foot on the gas with the new Lunar Lake chip. Theverge.com reports that the new system-on-a-chip design triples the size and more that quadruples the performance of its AI accelerator, while promising a 14% faster CPU at the same clock speed. Intel also brags about 50% more graphics performance and up to 60% better battery life than last year’s model. A really big change…no separate memory sticks or chips. Lunar Lake has either 16 or 32GB of memory right in the package itself. The downside? No ability to add more RAM. The move does cut power consumption by 40% though. Intel says for those needing more memory, they will roll out the Arrow Lake chip family later this year.
Threads has made some recent revisions to its interface, and now they have added swiping right to like a post, or left to indicate you aren’t interested. The movements echo those of Tinder, where you can swipe to like or ignore potential people. According to mashable.com, Threads and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said “We’ll use those signals to show you more posts like the ones you swipe right on and fewer of those you swipe left on. I hope this helps you find more posts that you’re interested in.” The feature can be a little confusing as you can only swipe left or right when scrolling through your feed (thankfully, a little heart or crossed out eye icon shows up to let you know what’s up when you start swiping). If you’re looking at a single post on Threads, you won’t be able to swipe left, and swiping right will bring you back to feed view.
There has been plenty of noise about AI developer firms playing fast and loose, and now comes an open letter from a number of former and current OpenAI employees describing concerns about the artificial intelligence industry’s rapid advancement despite a lack of oversight and an absence of whistleblower protections for those who wish to speak up. Cnbc quotes the letter as saying “AI companies have strong financial incentives to avoid effective oversight, and we do not believe bespoke structures of corporate governance are sufficient to change this.” The letter goes on to say “We also understand the serious risks posed by these technologies,” they wrote, adding that the companies “currently have only weak obligations to share some of this information with governments, and none with civil society. We do not think they can all be relied upon to share it voluntarily.” Besides the OpenAI employees and alums, the letter was signed by a couple Google DeepMind people.
A patent has turned up that indicates Apple may be going to add respiration tracking to the Vision Pro headset. Zdnet.com reports that the patent filing doesn’t really specify precisely what the respiration tracking would do for you, but code for it shows up under the Mindfulness app, so that’s a clue. Perhaps a personalized breathing exercise routine to reduce stress or such. It also isn’t clear when the feature might be released, but we may learn more after next Monday’s WWDC keynote. We will cover the World Wide Developers Conference keynote Monday for you with a recap you can scan or view…so no need to sit through the hype and Apple ‘reality distortion field.’
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Microsoft Outage Took Down Copilot, ChatGPT, DuckDuckGo-Now Over; Spyware Found on US Hotel Check-in Computers; AI Disclosure Required in Campaign Ads-FCC; Leaked Samsung Repair Contract-Privacy Concerns
Posted: May 23, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Google, iPhone, Samsung, Tech Leave a commentAn outage linked to Bing’s API took down search for ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, DuckDuckGo, and other platforms starting at about 3AM Eastern was finally resolved by 11 this morning East Coast time. Theverge.com reports that Bing’s own search engine was also affected. The outage primarily affected users in Asia or Europe, but also hit the US to a lesser degree. If you were caught in a maddening loading loop and were unable to load search results earlier today, now you know why. As of this webcast, Microsoft was still trying to isolate the root cause…but at least service is restored.
It’s always a bit rattling to come across something like this: a consumer grade spyware app has been found running on the check-in systems of at least three Wyndham hotels across the United States. According to techcrunch.com, the app is called pcTattletale, and it covertly captured screen shots of the hotel booking systems…including details about guests. It gets worse…due to a security flaw in the spyware, the screenshots are available to anyone on the internet! A security researcher has alerted pcTattletale of the bug, but they apparently haven’t responded. The manager of one of the hotels didn’t know the spyware was on their system…others have not responded. Wyndham Hotels are a franchise, so hotels are independently owned and operated. Just one more way for people’s data to get grabbed and misused.
The FCC Chairwoman is proposing a rule requiring disclosure of content generated by artificial intelligence (AI) in political ads on radio and TV. Reuters says that the Commission is to vote on the proposed rule….which it should be pointed out just requires disclosure in candidate or issue ads…it does not ban AI content. Also worth noting—the rule would require on-air and written disclosures and cover cable operators, satellite TV and radio providers, but the FCC does not have authority to regulate internet or social media ads or streaming services. The Commission has already acted to battle misuse of AI in political robocalls.
Samsung has been selling self-repair kits for its latest handsets like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5. That’s cool, but apparently Samsung is demanding customer info from repair shops before they can get the genuine parts. Androidpolice.com notes that lots of people like to use third party repair shops. The info Samsung is allegedly requiring under a contract with shops includes the customer’s name, contact information, phone identifiers like an IMEI number, alongside details of the customer’s complaint. Channeling Ron Popiel, ‘but wait…there’s more!’ Samsung requires shops to “immediately disassemble” devices brought to them that have been repaired using aftermarket parts in the past, and “immediately notify” Samsung about it. If a third-party repair shop doesn’t do its part, it gives Samsung grounds to terminate their agreement, essentially leaving the shop without easy access to the tech giant’s repair parts. So far, Samsung hasn’t clarified this situation…does the customer get a partially disassembled phone back…or get it back at all? This is not cool.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
New iPad Pro with OLED & M4 Chip; Disney Almost Breaks Even on Streaming; NHTSA Drops Massive Data Request on Tesla; Google I/O Rumors
Posted: May 7, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, iPad, iPad Pro, iPhone, Tech Leave a commentApple held their iPad event today, and as expected showed off the new iPad Pro models with OLED screens, new M4 chips, and a thinner case. Appleinsider.com reports that there are 11 and 13 inch displays, and that the cases on the Pros are slightly thinner than before. They also weigh a bit less. Apple crows that the new iPad Pros are the thinnest devices they have ever made. Part of the reason for the svelteness is the OLED panel, which is bright enough ton not need back lighting. Apple is using a two layer OLED panel to get the brightness. The new iPads are also jumping to the M4 processor as expected. This version of Apple’s latest chip has 4 performance and 6 efficiency cores, and a 10 core GPU. The wide camera at the back is 12MP, and again there is LiDAR included…but the ultra wide camera is gone. The iPads are available for preorder now and ship May 15th. The 11 inch iPad Pro starts at $999, and the 13 incher starts at $1299.
Streaming has been a tough nut to crack financially for everyone. Now, Disney is apparently almost at break even in streaming. According to CNBC, included in Disney’s second quarter earnings report…which beat the street’s estimates…the House of Mouse has seen total entertainment streaming segment operating income up 17%…this includes Disney Plus and Hulu. The division turned a profit for the quarter for the first time. Combined with ESPN+ though, the streaming businesses lost $18 million in the quarter. Still, that is way better than the $659 million loss the division reported a year ago. Disney+ Core subscribers grew by over 6 million 2nd quarter, and the channel now has 117.6 million subscribers. Hulu went up 1% to 50.2 million, while ESPN+ dropped 2% to 24.8 million.
Tesla has gotten a request for data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and it is a biggie. It concerns the investigation into the massive Autopilot recall of some 2 million cars…and some 20 crashes that occurred after the recall. Arstechnica.com says Tesla has until July 1st to comply. The NHTSA wants a database with information for every car it has sold or leased in the US, with information on the number and dates of all Autopilot driver warnings, disengagements, and suspensions for each of those vehicles. Again, that’s about 2 million cars! Tesla must tell NHTSA how many “hands on wheel” warnings its cars have displayed, both pre- and post-recall. Tesla also has to explain to NHTSA why it decided to implement each of the five fixes the way it did, in laborious depth for each remedy. Elon may have to hire back staff of keep some he had planned to lay off in order to comply.
Now that Apple has rolled out updated iPads, etc. it’s on to the next big show…Google I/O. It’s coming up May 14th. Engadget.com says the big story will be AI…like every tech company now. Expect Google to talk about Gemini AI, which is rumored to be a total replacement for Google Assistant. They will also probably tell us more about the AI assistant called Pixie…which is an exclusive feature for Pixel devices. Pixie is Gemini based, and expected to bow on the Pixel 9 later this year. In addition to AI, we should hear more about Android 15…which is out in beta now. Google will probably tout the updated Privacy Sandbox, and also partial screen sharing…which allows you to record or share a certain app window instead of the full screen. Additional satellite connectivity will be announced…as Samsung and Apple also race to give users more ability to communicate via satellite later this year.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now!
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 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, iPhone, marketing, technology, YouTube Leave a commentYouTube 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.
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 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, iPhone, News, technology Leave a commentiPhones 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.
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 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, Google, iPhone, Smartphone, technology Leave a commentGoogle 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.
Zuck Says Brain Signal Reading Wearable is Coming; Google Launches 2 New Open LLMs; iPhone 15 Quietly Got Battery Upgrade; Signal Adds Support for Usernames
Posted: February 21, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, iPhone, Smartphone, technology Leave a commentWe have Apple’s Vision Pro headset, and the Metaquest from Meta. Elon Musk put a brain implant in some poor soul that allegedly lets the guy move a mouse with his thoughts. As if that and AI weren’t enough, now Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is working on an electromyography neural interface wristband for tracking gesture controls via your brain waves! Androidcentral.com reports that Zuck mentioned the device on a podcast when asked about a future AI app that would ‘blow their minds’ The Meta CEO says that Meta is “kind of close to having something here that we’re gonna have in a product in the next few years.” He went on to say “In the future, you’ll essentially be able to type and control something by thinking about how you want to move your hand, but it won’t even be big motions, so I can just sit here, basically typing something to an AI.” Welcome to the brave new world!
Only a little over a week after unveiling the latest version of its Gemini AI, Google has announced the launch of Gemma, a new family of lightweight open-weight models. Starting with Gemma 2B and Gemma 7B, these new models were “inspired by Gemini” and are available for commercial and research usage. According to techcrunch.com, Google called the models ‘state of the art,’ but didn’t give much detail. Google also noted that these are open weights models, but not open source. They are available to developers and researchers to customize and fine tune, but not for redistribution…with ownership remaining with Google. Google is also releasing a new responsible generative AI toolkit to provide “guidance and essential tools for creating safer AI applications with Gemma,” as well as a debugging tool.
Here’s an upgrade iPhone 15 users got over previous iPhones that Apple never crowed about…and is actually quite useful. Through iPhone 14 models, iPhone batteries have been able to keep “80 percent of their original capacity at 500 complete charge cycles under ideal conditions.” Now, mashable.com says a support page indicates that the iPhone 15 battery can keep 80 percent of its capacity at 1,000 charge cycles. I didn’t know this, but did find out a few weeks ago that the battery lasts a lot longer on a charge than my old iPhone 12. I packed 2 battery packs to do Disneyland with family…and never used them. In fact, I had plenty of juice left in the phone…over 25%…after 12 hours at the Happiest Place on Earth. The 2nd day, I appreciated not having to schlep 2 hefty batteries with me in the parks. Now, let’s hope for a breakthrough for EVs that will let the cars run even 8 hours on a charge…at 60 mph, that would be a 480 mile trip. I’ve driven lots further in the past, but these days, that’s far enough for my tired backside!
Signal is adding support for usernames and dropping requirements to use a phone number for conversations. Signal has been useful as an encrypted chat platform, but cnet.com reports that the latest beta lets you hide your phone number from others in the app by default…unless a previous contact already has it stored in their own phone’s contact app. Making it impossible for others to find you on Signal by phone number and only searchable by username will make the app more secure for users that crave or need encrypted chats. Note that you will still need to give your number to set up your account…so the platform will have it. Signal is also adding a QR code option…like WhatsApp has…that will direct others to your username. Usernames must be unique and have 2 numbers at the end to minimize spoofing. The usernames are changeable, too.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Techinfied’ for now.
Meta Passing on ‘Apple Tax’ to Advertisers for Boosted Posts; OpenAI’s Sora Makes AI Prompts into Realistic Videos; Latest Galaxy Fold 6 Leak May Give Details About Apple’s Rumored Folding iPhone; GM Adds 750,000 Miles of Rural Roads to Super Cruise
Posted: February 15, 2024 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, iPhone, Samsung, technology Leave a commentMeta will begin charging a 30% fee when advertisers pay to boost visibility of their posts in Facebook and Instagram iOS apps. Advertisers will start getting hit with the new ‘Apple Tax’ later this month. Theverge.com reports that it is in response to a move by Apple’s App Store in 2022 where Apple extended its typical 30 percent cut of digital purchases to boosted posts, which are essentially ads. The change particularly targeted Meta and other social apps that let people pay in app to increase the reach of their content. Meta notes in a statement that small business owners and influencers who want to purchase a boost on iOS will now be billed through Apple, “which retains a 30% service charge on the total ad payment, before any applicable taxes.” Meta says people can still purchase boosts from Instagram’s and Facebook’s websites on desktop or mobile to get around the Apple fee that is being passed on to iOS users.
More new territory that AI is claiming to conquer. So we know OpenAI can pass some bar exams without the need for law school. Now, according to Wired, a new OpenAI app called Sora is claimed to master cinema without going to film school. The app is being checked out by a few select creators and security experts right now. Google and a couple of startups have already revealed text-to-video AI projects, but OpenAI says that Sora is distinguished by its striking photorealism—something I haven’t seen in its competitors—and its ability to produce longer clips than the brief snippets other models typically do, up to one minute. It isn’t perfect…but has a reasonably realistic look to the video. When released, expect Sora to have similar restrictions as Dall-E 3…that is, no violence, no porn, no appropriating real people or the style of named artists. Also as with Dall-E 3, OpenAI will provide a way for viewers to identify the output as AI-created.
A new leak about upcoming Galaxy Fold 6 phones may also give a new clue about the rumored folding iPhone. Bgr.com says Samsung is incorporating new tech into the next generation of Fold phones, the Fold 6 that may be the same as what Apple has specified for its own upcoming folding iPhone. The key point is that Samsung will use thinner hinge parts on the Galaxy Fold 6, which will reduce weight and also improve durability and repairability. Also…and always a big deal to Apple…which seems to believe a device can never be too thin…it is expected to be about 11 mm thick, which is about the thickness of a regular, non-folding smartphone. Apple allegedly is planning a flip phone similar to the Galaxy Z Flip, and they want it to be as thin as current iPhones. At 11 mm, it would be about as thick as the original iPhone. That handset was 11.6 mm. The current ones are 8.25 mm.
General Motors has announced a greatly expanded the area in which drivers can use Super Cruise. The General has added 750,000 miles of primarily rural roads and minor highways. Techcrunch.com reports that the upgrade should be complete by 2025. This will nearly double the 400,000 mile network presently available. Super Cruise has been around since 2017, and allows fully hands-free operation under the supervision of a driver, who must be ready to take control at any time. It uses highly accurate GPS, cameras, radar sensors and a driver attention system to ensure the operator is paying attention.
Super Cruise is available on 15 different GM models.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
Update: Apple Trying to Avoid Watch Ban in US; Google Tab Over Epic Court Loss-$700 Million; Breakthrough Towards Making Artificial DNA; Tesla Driver Owes $23 Grand Restitution From Crash
Posted: December 19, 2023 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, technology Leave a commentApple software engineers are working overtime on a possible software solution to get around the pending International Trade Commission ban on the Apple Watch that will go into effect on Christmas. Appleinsider.com reports that Apple believes a last minute software update may be able to circumvent the patents they have been accused of violating from Masimo. Without the update or other change, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be unavailable after Christmas in the US. For its part, Masimo claims that the patent violations can only be resolved with hardware alterations in a future Watch Model. Apple thinks a software update will satisfy US Customs.
We reported earlier that Epic Games won a suit claiming Google has an illegal monopoly with its Play Store. According to theverge.com, all 50 state attorneys general settled a similar lawsuit in September, and now we know what Google’s tab is. Google will cough up $700 million and make several small concessions to the way they operate the Play store in the US. So for a brief moment in time, it will become the Google PAY store. The biggest change? Google will need to let developers steer consumers away from the Google Play Store for several years, if this settlement is approved.
A group of scientists have figured out how to create truly artificial DNA. Bgr.com notes that the study published in Nature Communications indicates that this may enable the tech to create new medicines for certain diseases by creating DNA with new nucleotides that can create custom proteins. The scientists were led by Dong Wang Ph.D. Wang helped lead the study alongside Steven A. Benner, Ph.D., and Dmitry Lyumkis, Ph.D.. Together, the three authors have shown that you can not only create artificial DNA but that the artificial nucleotides may also be able to help create custom proteins we could use to target specific diseases that are hard to combat.
A Tesla driver from LA owes over $23,000 in restitution for killing two people in a crash in 2019. The AP says he pleaded no contest to two counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Despite facing more than seven years behind bars, a judge sentenced him to probation in June. Kevin Riad is a limo driver who was behind the wheel of a Tesla that ran a red light while on Autopilot and hit another car in an intersection. Coincidentally, the judgment against Riad came the same day that a recall was announced for most Tesla cars over Autopilot.
I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.
clarkreid 
Recent Comments