Amazon AI Wearable Listens to Everything You Do; Starlink Bows Battery Powered Mini; YouTub Shorts Gets AI Image to Video Tool; Apple Care Plus Covers 3 Devices

Posted: July 23, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Amazon is in the process of picking up a Bay Area startup called Bee. Bee makes a wearable and Apple Watch app that can record everything a wearer says. Engadget.com says the deal isn’t finalized yet, but that all Bee employees have gotten offers to join Amazon. Bee positions its snoopy device and app as being like a personalized AI assistant that passively learns from its wearer by listening to all of their conversations and activities. While the wearable does have a button to mute recording, it can theoretically observe every single thing the owner does or says. The app can then summarize daily activities, suggest to-do items or recall previously discussed details. Basically, now you can take your Alexa with you everywhere, so the ‘A-Lady’ won’t miss a snappy or off-color remark, or other regrettable thing you might utter. By the way, the wearable starts at $50. That’s a heck of a price point compared to the doomed Humane AI pin that ran $499.

The Starlink Mini satellite dish has gotten more useful. According to theverge.com, you can now attach a $119 LinkPower 1 power bank from PeakDo. The pack locks onto the back to the smallest terminal from SpaceX and you can run on the battery pack for over 4.5 hours. The pack can also be simultaneously charged via a USB-C port from your vehicle, solar generator, or solar panel. It is still small enough to fit into a backpack, even with the power bank. If you travel, or are one of those folks like a couple I know that live in a van or sailboat full-time, the battery pack will come in very handy!

YouTube is unveiling an image to video AI tool that will make photos into a short video. TechCrunch.com notes that the tool lets you turn a picture from your camera roll into a 6 second video. You will get a list of suggestions, or you can choose I Feel Lucky, and see what you get. Look for the feature under the Effects icon in the Shorts camera, then tap AI to browse the generative effects. YouTube does say it uses SynthID watermarks and clear labels to indicate that the creations are made with generative AI. 

Apple is rolling out AppleCare+ tomorrow. The new plan will cover more than just iPhones…your iPhone, Watch, and iPad can be covered. Macrumors.com reports that the plan includes coverage for up to two incidents of theft or loss in a one-year period, and unlimited repairs for accidental damage. It starts at $4.99 a month for an iPad, and $2.99 a month for Apple Watch. The theft and loss coverage was previously only available for iPhones. Note that AppleCare+ with theft and loss is still not available for other devices, such as the Mac, Apple TV, HomePod, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro.

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

DeepSeek-Much Higher Failure Rate; Another Reason to Avoid DeepSeek; Sen Cruz Tries to Block Hot Spots for School Kids; iOS 18.3 Gets Starlink Support for T-Mobile

Posted: January 29, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

DeepSeek, the buzzy AI from China is now getting some not-so-good buzz. NewsGuard reports that the chatbot failed to provide accurate results about news and information topics 83% of the time. It scored 10th out of 11 compared to leading Western competitors. A NewsGuard audit found that DeepSeek debunked false claims only 17% of the time. 

If that poor a return doesn’t bother you, here is more food for thought about DeepSeek. According to bgr.com…and frankly pretty widely reported elsewhere too…there is built-in censorship about anything sensitive to China. It’s not only built in…the app censors itself in real time. An example from reporters at The Guardian…DeepSeek AI worked well until they asked it about Tiananmen Square and Taiwan. The report also details cases of censorship that other DeepSeek users experienced, including the remarkable discovery that censorship doesn’t happen before DeepSeek starts formulating its chain-of-thought approach to handle a sensitive topic. Instead, DeepSeek tries to answer the question just like ChatGPT and other similar AI models would. A user from Mexico shared their experience with DeepSeek when asking whether free speech was a legitimate right in China. Now, today, the app has apparently been removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in Italy. Caveat Emptor. 

Poor kids have enough of a time trying to keep up with learning in our connected world. The FCC voted last July to adapt a rule allowing a plan to distribute Wi-Fi hotspots to school kids, so that kids without reliable internet access could complete their homework. Now, arstechnica.com notes that Senator Ted Cruz at a hearing this week came out in favor of blocking the plan…claiming it will lead to unsupervised Internet usage, endanger kids, and possibly restrict kids’ exposure to conservative viewpoints. “The government shouldn’t be complicit in harming students or impeding parents’ ability to decide what their kids see by subsidizing unsupervised access to inappropriate content,” Cruz said. A press release from Cruz’ office said the FCC action “violates federal law, creates major risks for kids’ online safety, [and] harms parental rights.” He has introduced a resolution to nullify the FCC rule. 

With Apple’s update to iOS, version 18.3, T-Mobile subscribers with a compatible iPhone and Starlink beta access are able to connect to Starlink satellites, reports Bloomberg. Apple quietly worked with SpaceX and T-Mobile to add support for Starlink to its ‌iPhone‌ lineup, and T-Mobile’s website confirms the new integration. Macrumors.com says that T-Moblie partnered with Starlink in 2022, and as of December 2024, opened up a beta program allowing subscribers to use Starlink satellites for texting in areas without cell towers. At the time, the T-Mobile Starlink beta program was limited to Samsung smartphones, and iPhones weren’t supported. The iPhone 14 and later already support satellite connectivity for text messages through Apple’s partnership with Globalstar, so ‌iPhone‌ users who are able to use Starlink can also opt to text with Apple’s built-in satellite service. Both Apple’s service and Starlink are only available when there is no nearby cellular network.

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

New Smart Glasses at CES-Project Screen Not on Lenses; Open AI Moving to ‘Superintellegence’; Samsung Galaxy S25 Leak; United-Tests Starlink on Flights Starting in Feb.

Posted: January 6, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Most smart glasses or goggles display on the lenses. Now, a startup at CES is showing something a bit different. Halliday is planning to start shipping their new smart glasses by the end of the first quarter of 2025. These glasses actually project a 3.5 inch ‘screen into the wearer’s upper right field of view.’ Bgr.com reports that there is a tiny projector in the frame. This allows viewing the screen with minimal interference and without needing specific lenses. The system works for people with or without prescription lenses, and is allegedly visible even in bright sunlight. The glasses feature Halliday’s built in AI. You control them with voice commands or buttons built into the frame. They also plan to ship a ring-like track pad you can wear on your finger to control them. They will launch on Kickstarter, and the glasses will retail for $489.

Open AI CEO Sam Altman has posted to his personal blog that he believes OpenAI “know[s] how to build [artificial general intelligence]” as it has traditionally understood it — and is beginning to turn its aim to “superintelligence.” According to techcrunch.com, Altman continued with “We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future,” Altman wrote in the post, which was published late Sunday evening. “Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own, and in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity.” That all sounds amazing, but a lot of us would love to see actual artificial intelligence, not the artificial stupidity we get in answers a lot of the time from these products. You have to give it to Sam, though…he doesn’t lack for confidence in himself or in OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

Samsung has never been known for its tight grip on information when it comes to products in the works, and now we have a couple more leaks describing the upcoming Galaxy S25…which should bow later this month. Androidpolice.com says that like the Google Pixel 9 Pro, the Galaxy S25 series will include a free Gemini Advanced subscription. The handsets will also have new blue colors and some MagSafe-type case options. The colors are reportedly ‘Icy Blue’ for the Galaxy S25 Plus and ‘Titanium Blue’ for the S25 Ultra. The latter is a lighter shade of blue. As for the wireless charging, the case images show a MagSafe-line ring, but word is the Galaxy S25 won’t natively support Qi2 charging, but will rely on external accessories to do so. This is also true with other Android lines…they rely on cases for the charging abilities. 

United is going to start testing out Starlink satellite connectivity on flights next month. Engadget.com notes that UA announced a partnership with SpaceX back in September. If the testing goes as expected, United plans to have the first commercial flight with Starlink to be in place by later this spring. It will start out on an Embraer E-175. The rest of the airlines ‘two-cabin regional fleet’ should have Starlink installed through 2025, with the first mainline Starlink-enabled plane in the air before the end of 2025. Starlink will be free to all members of United’s Mileage Plus program. 

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

Amazon Drops $2.75 Billion on AI Startup; LinkedIn Trialing TikTok Type Short Videos; Starlink Mobile Hits Speed Bump; US Sega Workers Ratify Union Contract 

Posted: March 28, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Amazon has dropped the biggest chunk of cash on an  outside investment ever as it pumps $2.75 billion into AI startup Anthropic. The San Francisco-based startup is widely viewed as a frontrunner in generative artificial intelligence. Its foundation model and chatbot Claude competes with OpenAI and ChatGPT. Amazon will maintain a minority stake in the company and won’t have an Anthropic board seat, the company said. So I have to ask this…will we all stop saying Alexa, and start saying Claude? If so, will Alexa sue for half the community property? Stay tuned as the AI and chatbot wars continue to heat up.

LinkedIn is testing out a new TikTok-esque short form video feed. According to TechCrunch.com, the platform will be diving into an increasingly congested pool of short form video feeds including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and Netflix. The feed shows up on the navigation bar with a tab just marked ‘Video.’ Once you hit that button, you enter a vertical feed of short videos you can swipe through. You can like or comment on videos. Microsoft-owned LinkedIn says videos are becoming one of its users’ desired formats for learning from professionals and experts, which is why it’s testing a new way for users to discover relevant videos. The feature is in early testing, so most people won’t have access to it just yet.

It’s back to the drawing board for Starlink Mobile. Arstechnica.com says the FCC dismissed SpaceX’s application to use several bands of spectrum for mobile service. SpaceX is seeking approval to use up to 7,500 second-generation Starlink satellites with spectrum in the 1.6 GHz, 2 GHz, and 2.4 GHz bands. SpaceX could still end up getting what it wants but will have to go through new rulemaking processes in which the FCC will evaluate whether the spectrum bands can handle the system without affecting existing users. 

Tech and gaming have been pretty union-averse for years, but things are gradually changing. Engadget.com reports that Sega of America workers have officially ratified the union contract they overwhelmingly voted for last year. The pact covers some 150 people in various departments around the country, ranging from brand marketing, games as a service, sales, and quality assurance. This is one of the first major US video game companies to be unionized. ZeniMax and Activision are already partly unionized. 

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

Google & AT&T Invest in Starlink Rival; US EA Aims to Stop Citizen Data Exploitation; iOS 17.3 Drops-With Stolen Device Protection; FTC Tells Intuit to Stop Pushing Free Software That Isn’t

Posted: January 23, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Google, AT&T, and Vodafone are pumping $206 million into AST SpaceMobile, a Starlink competitor that intends to offer smartphone service from low-earth orbit satellites. AST said it has “over 40 agreements and understandings with mobile network operators globally, who collectively service over 2 billion subscribers.” While Starlink already has over 5,000 satellites delivering home Internet service and plans to launch tens of thousands more, it isn’t too far ahead of AST SpaceMobile in terms of cellular-enabled satellites. SpaceX launched the first six Starlink satellites that can provide cellular transmissions to standard LTE phones a few weeks ago and demonstrated the technology with text messages sent between T-Mobile phones.

The US is planning to issue a new executive order that will be aimed at prevent foreign adversaries from accessing troves of highly sensitive personal data about Americans and people connected to the U.S. government, according to Bloomberg News. The draft order focuses on ways that foreign adversaries are gaining access to Americans’ “highly sensitive” personal data through legal means and through intermediaries like data brokers, third-party vendor agreements, employment agreements or investment agreements. The administration is concerned about the collection of data on political figures, journalists, academics, activists and members of marginalized communities, as well as patient data obtained through health-care providers and researchers. This order will NOT be voluntary like the commitments AI companies made this year. 

Apple has released iOS 17.3, which is a minor upgrade except for one feature…Stolen Device Protection. Theverge.com notes that of late, a number of accounts have been taken over after a person meets another in a bar, and gets them to enter their passcode to the phone…allegedly to put in the new person’s number and info. The scammer has memorized the passcode, and has your name, etc…so they can take over your iCloud account and get into all your saved passwords…like banking info to drain accounts. Stolen Device Protection requires either Face ID or Touch ID for certain actions…like viewing saved passwords or applying for a new Apple Card. If you are away from your home or work, any time you try to change a password or the like, you will have to input the passcode AND use the biometric ID…and then wait an hour. To use the feature go to Settings, then select Face ID and Passcode. Scroll WAY down, and you can see Stolen Device Protection. Turn it on. It is off by default. 

The FTC ordered Intuit to stop promoting its software products and services as “free” unless they’re actually free for all consumers. Bleepingcomputer.com reports that the order comes after the consumer protection watchdog’s investigation into how Intuit promoted its tax preparation software TurboTax as being a “free” product as part of a years-long deceptive advertising campaign. Around two-thirds of all tax filers in the U.S. could not use TurboTax for free as advertised by the accounting and tax software provider, instead being hit with charges when it was time to file. In other words, plug in all your info, and go through the whole stressful procedure and then…oh, yeah…you can’t actually file without paying these fees. By the way, if your taxes are pretty simple and you have an adjusted gross income of $79,000 or less, you can use products available through the IRS’ Free File Program to file federal and state tax returns for free.

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

Amazon Reveal About Project Kuiper Satellites; Threads Launches in Europe; Cruise Lays off 24% of Workforce; Humana Using AI Tool With 90% Error Rate to Deny Coverage

Posted: December 14, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It has been speculated about, and now Amazon has admitted that its Project Kuiper satellites will communicate with each other via laser-based links. According to geekwire.com, the system has already been successfully tested in orbit. The laser satellite- to-satellite communication moves data much more quickly than when data has to be sent to ground stations, and then back up to other satellites. Amazon is calling it something akin to a mesh network in space. Amazon is using infrared lasers to make the links, and says that the tests produced a 100% success rate. They plan to launch about half their satellites, some 1600 of them, by 2026. It is a lot more satellites in low orbit, but nice to see something competing with Elon Musk’s Starlink.

Threads is finally available in the European Union. CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted the announcement: “Today we’re opening Threads to more countries in Europe.” The service was already available in the US and over 100 other countries worldwide, including the UK. Theverge.com reports that this will open up the service to almost half billion more people. Meta users in the EU will be able to browse Threads without needing a profile…which was an issue holding up its availability in the EU. Actually posting or interacting with content will still require an Instagram account, though. 

The fallout continues after a crash in San Francisco where a Cruise self-driving vehicle dragged a pedestrian as it tried to pull over after the collision. After getting banned from San Francisco streets and the launch of investigations, engadget.com notes that Cruise had canned 9 executives earlier this week. Now, the company is laying off 24% of its workforce…some 900 employees. An email says the layoffs primarily target non-engineering roles, including field workers, commercial operations, and corporate staffing. The layoffs weren’t a total shock as GM CEO Mary Barra had called for cuts of millions of dollars last month. 

A suit was filed this week claiming that Humana is using an AI model with a 90% error rate to override doctors’ medical judgment and wrongfully deny care to elderly people on the company’s Medicare Advantage plans. Arstechnica.com reports that it is the 2nd suit field over an insurers use of the artificial intelligence tool nH Predict from NaviHealth. A suit is also proceeding against United Health…also asserting that they are using the nH Predict AI to wrongfully deny care. Until AI gets much, much more accurate…and doesn’t ‘hallucinate,’ as the current jargon says…a nice way of saying that the AI doesn’t just make stuff up, there will be more of this. AI needs to be more like 98% right all the time, not 90% wrong!

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