Amazon-Delivery Driver AR Glasses Coming; Massive iPhone Cam Upgrade in ’26; Signal Features = More Like Meet & Zoom; Got $3 Mil-Buy Batman’s Tumbler

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

The revenge of Google Glass continues, as everyone seems to be working on smart glasses now. Amazon is apparently working on some for their delivery drivers to use. Engadget.com reports that Amazon thinks using the things can shave ‘seconds’ from each delivery…making productivity even higher…because apparently it can never be high enough for Amazon. The embedded display to guide delivery drivers around and within buildings. They will allegedly also provide drivers with “turn-by-turn navigation” instructions while driving. Finally, wearing AR glasses means that drivers won’t have to carry a handheld GPS device. You know what that means. They’ll be able to carry more packages at once. You can bet they will also have a cam in them, so the driver can just look at your porch and take a photo of your delivery. How was it? Was it great? Send back that email! 

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says we will be seeing a massive iPhone camera upgrade in 2026. According to mashable.com, Cupertino is working on adding a variable aperture main cam to its iPhone 18 Pros. A variable aperture main camera should bring noticeable improvements; the camera should perform better in low light, as the variable aperture allows the camera to control how much light hits the lens. It could also improve portrait mode, as variable aperture should allow for more precise depth of field control. This will be great for pro photographers who know how to use such a feature. Most of us will probably do the same with the phone camera as we have with a DSLR…leave the thing set to ‘A’ for automatic! 

Signal has added some features in order to be more like Zoom and Google Meet. You can now share a link to a call. Theverge.com says up to now you could only initiate a call from a Signal group chat. You can also re-use call links..which ought to be handy for recurring meetings. Signal has also aded a ‘raise hand’ button to indicate you have something to say, and they have added emojis too…so you can express yourself with those little devils. The new features are out now on Android, iOS, and desktop.

So, you’ve got $3 million bucks to burn, and Christmas is coming. You want something extra special for yourself. Why not contact Wayne Enterprises and buy yourself a Batmobile ‘Tumbler’ from ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight?’ There are 10 of them available for a mere $2,990,000 each. Oh…by the way…you had better be rich enough to have private roads, ‘cause these babies aren’t street-legal! Go to Brucewaynex.com. They are being sold by invitation only. The Tumbler is made of kevlar, carbon fiber, and sheet metal as well as fiberglas, and it has a 6.2 liter engine. The gun turrets and jet engine are fakes. If you buy one, send me a picture of yourself terrorizing the Joker in it.

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

Google Pre-Black Friday Deals; Apple Vision Pro Fall 2025; TSMC Cuts Advanced Chip Shipments to China; Researchers-Harvest Electricity from Styrofoam

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

The Google store has dropped some nice pre-Black Friday deals. 9to5google.com reports that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is now $1499, a $300 discount. You can pick one up at that price for now at Amazon and Best Buy. The base Pixel 9 has been cut $150 to $649, from those same sources. You can pick up a Bluetooth Pixel Watch 3 for $70. Hurry…the bargains are only in effect until midnight tomorrow night, November 12th.

Although we reported last week that Apple has all but flushed the cheaper headset…at least for now, the Vision Pro 2, successor to Apple’s pricy mixed reality headset, is still in the works for release either by next fall, or by spring of 2026. This according to Mark Gurman from Bloomberg. The Vision Pro 2 is expected to get the M5 chips…at virtually the same time the Macs get that next system. Expect the 2.0 version to look virtually identical to the original, with all the updates coming to internals. Don’t expect a cheaper price…it’s Apple, are you kidding?

At the request of the US Department of Commerce, Taiwan Semiconductor has halted advanced chip shipments to Chinese customers. TechCrunch.com says this will particularly hurt Huawei, which already faced significant trade restrictions from the US. The feds are now checking to see if other companies are diverting chips to Huawei. The advanced chips are most often used on artificial intelligence systems. Nvidia had already been under chip export restrictions to China.

Researchers at RMIT University have found a way to generate electricity from Styrofoam. Bgr.com reports that they capture the static electricity generated by the stuff when it is exposed to flowing air…thereby converting an environmental headache into useable power. The scientists put the Styrofoam near places air was flowing…like HVAC systems, and a continuous stream of small current was generated…helping offset the energy draw of the HVAC units themselves. If it scales up well, this could be yet another way to ween ourselves off fossil fuel power.

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 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Like 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. 

AirPods Pro Get FDA Approved as Hearing Aids; EVgo & GM Roll Out Fast Charger Stations; Harris Did Not Have Audio Earrings; Trump Media Dropped After Debate

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

Coming quickly after Apple rolled out its new AirPods Pro 2 with hearing testing and the ability to be used as hearing aids, the FDA has now approved Cupertino’s selling of the devices as such. Techcrunch.com reports that the FDA on Thursday announced that it has granted what it calls “the first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aid software device, Hearing Aid Feature.” Specifically, it has approved the software update that enables that functionality. With the AirPods Pro 2 selling for $249, and most hearing aids costing $600 to several thousand, this is significant. The AirPods Pro 2 are designed to help with mild to moderate hearing loss. You can upload the results of the apple hearing test to a doctor, too.

EVgo and GM have unveiled their fast charger station ‘experience.’ So what exactly does that mean? Well, the General and EVgo will configure fast charging electric vehicle stations like gas stations, with the chargers where gas pumps usually are, and a well lighted canopy above. According to arstechnica.com, the chargers will be rated for 350Kw, so that an 800 volt EV can minimize charging time. It is expected that both J3400 and CCS1 type plugs will be available on each charger. Most stations will have up to 20 charging stalls. All they need now is to add a stop and rob with chips and other munchies to snack on while you wait for your EV to charge up. the first one will open next year…with earliest states getting them being Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New York, and Texas.

The internet, particularly X, lit up with rumors that Kamala Harris was wearing audio earrings at the debate with Donald Trump…and was being fed answers. Engadget.com says some were claiming she was using Nova’s H1 Audio Earrings. There’s a problem with that little conspiracy though…those were from a failed Kickstarter project and wrecked actually never made or sold. Nova’s website was picked up by a guy in Germany who plans to make such earpieces…it’s called Icebach Sound Solutions…but yep…those aren’t available either. Maybe she just did her homework!

The debate between Ex-President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris sure didn’t help Trump Media. CNBC notes that on Wednesday, the day after, the share price dived more than 10%. The stock closed at its lowest price since it started publicly trading. As of this report it is down 3% at 16.18.

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

Apple Hardware Event ’24 Recap

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

More time was spent on the Watches than usual…rivaling the amount spent on the iPhones. 

The new Apple Watch 10’s get a larger screen with 30% more screen area. The corners are more rounded corners and the Watch is slimmer. Apple says it is 40% brighter at an angle. It now updates every second instead of every minute, but is more power efficient. They showed a new Jet Black aluminum finish. A new Rose Gold also joins the silver aluminum color.

The Watch is 10% thinner than the Watch 9 and 10% lighter. It has 50 meter water resistance. Now, there’s a larger and more efficient charging coil. Expect 30 minutes to 80% charge and 18 hour battery life. Recycled aerospace titanium is the other case material. It comes in natural, gold, and slate grey. The sizes are 42mm and 46mm..not as large as predicted. Watch 10 Starts at $399, available to preorder today, out on Sept. 20th.

Watch Ultra 2 has dual GPS, auto track detection. auto stroke detection and lap count for swimmers. It supports off line maps. There is a new finish….satin black. all are 95% recycled grade 5 titanium. The Ultra 2 starts at $799. Again…preorder today, available Sept. 20th.

The new Air Pods 4 run the H2 chip…Apple claims richer bass and crystal clear highs. They also tout ‘Personalized’ spatial audio. Now, you can nod yes or shake head no to accept or ignore calls. Apple says the 4 has better noise suppression than before. the charging case is smaller and has USB-C. You get 30 hours of charge including case. 

An active noise cancellation version is now available for the Air Pods 4 and what they call transparency mode. They will switch from regular to quiet mode automatically. The sound also drops in level when they sense you are talking to someone, which will be handy. The case has a speaker to help use Find My.

AirPods 4 start at $129, the Active Noise Cancellation ones are $179. Preorder today, available the 20th, as with the Watches. 

AirPods Max get new color, personalized spatial audio, and USB-C charging. Same price as before. Basically, they are unchanged. 

AirPods Pro 2 gets new features to help protect hearing. Hearing protection is on as a default. They are introducing a 5 min hearing test that will run on iPhone and is developed from their 100,000 person hearing study. AirPods Pro will have over the counter hearing aid feature, which you can use after running the haring test. Easy to use pro grade hearing aid. 

The new iPhone 16s are designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up. Teal and Pink join other colors. The sizes are 6.1 inches for the 16, 6.7 inches for 16 Plus. They get the New Camera Control button. You can press or slide finger to adjust the cam parameters. 

The 16s run the new A18 chip, optimized to run generative models. The phone is 30% faster than last year but more energy efficient…it uses 30% less power. The new 5 core GPU is 40% faster than last year, at 35% less power. 

Apple Intelligence—Apple says it will key to you but stay on the phone to protect your privacy. As touted last summer, some features will access the Private Cloud Compute off-phone. Your data only runs on the secure servers…they are allowing outside experts to check them on this. 

Apple is integrating writing tools into all the apps that you write with, to help you write better. You can also make your own emoji by writing descriptions. 

For Photos, if you type in a description to find one you can’t, AI will go look for it and find it for you. It can also stitch related pics into a little movie like sequence. 

In Mail, you can get a little summary of the message, not just the subject line. They claim Siri will be more natural, more personally relevant, and maybe it will actually work well…that would be a first. You can type to Siri instead of dictate for more privacy. Messages can use satellite now where WiFi isn’t available…on 4 continents.

Price same as last year on  the iPhone16’s. $799 and $899.

As for the iPhone Pros, the screen sizes grow to 6.3” on Pro and 6.9” for Pro Max. Smaller bezels help keep the actual device size from growing quite as much to accommodate the new screens. Colors are black, white, natural, and Desert gold titanium. Without specifying…as usual…Apple says the Pros have larger batteries and advanced power management…they claim best battery life ever. 

The Pros get a new A18 Pro chip. More neural engine cores Intelligence features will run 17% faster than on last year’s phone with A17 Pro. New CPU is 15% faster than last year with 20% less power. They claim fastest CPU in any smartphone. 

New cam features include a new 48MP fusion cam that can read data 2 times faster, and there’s a new 48MP ultra wide. The 5X telephoto cam is same as before on the Max, but the smaller Pro gets the good 5x telephoto that was exclusive to the Pro Max last year.

There is a new MagSafe charger that is faster and comes in 2 cord lengths, and Qi2 is supported for wireless charging if you don’t want to pay Apple prices for a magnetic charger. Prices stay the same…$999 for Pro and $1199 for Pro Max. Both are 

available for preorder this Friday and on sale September 20.

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

Twitter Vanishes from Mac App Store; Samsung Markets Galaxy Z Flips as Cop Body Cams; Feds Propose Deepfake Law; Android Malware-Steals Cash Then Wipes Your Device

Posted: August 1, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s a good bet there will be some angry Tweets from Elon Musk…and yes, I’m still calling them Tweets. X can no longer be accessed in the Mac App Store, and that may mean it has been officially delisted. Techcrunch.com reports that searches for both ‘Twitter’ and ‘X’ on Apple’s platform no longer surface the app. The URL no longer works either…you get a pop up saying it is unavailable. X has not confirmed that the app was delisted. 

Here’s an interesting idea you might not have thought of, but Samsung has. Apparently, Samsung is marketing its Z Flip phones as a body cam to police agencies. According to engadget.com, Samsung started doing this a couple years ago as a pilot program with some police in Missouri.  The program was the first time a foldable device was used by police as a body cam. After the end of the pilot program, two more police departments signed on to use the Flip devices as body cams. The solutions from those pilot tests are also being extended to 25 metro police departments in five states. 

The US government has formed an Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Consortium, and now there is a bipartisan law proposed that would outlaw the use of deepfakes. 9to5mac.com notes that one of the biggest concerns about AI is the ease with which deepfakes can be created. These are convincing-looking photos, audio, and video recordings of real people made to look like they are doing or saying completely fake things. The law was introduced yesterday in the Senate. Called the No Fakes Act, it would hold individuals and companies liable for damages for producing, hosting, or sharing a digital replica of an individual performing in an audiovisual work, image, or sound recording that the individual never actually appeared in or otherwise approved. The Actor and Broadcast union SAG-AFTRA backs the bill, and so do I…I approve this message. I don’t want some voice clone doing mortuary or male enhancement commercials, to name just a couple categories I would nix. 

A very nasty piece of malware for Android has been uncovered. Researchers at Cleafy Labs are calling it BingoMod. Bgr.com reports that the victim is tricked into installing the bad boy app posing as legit antivirus software. Right after that, the app asks for access to Accessibility Services. As soon as you do that it unpacks and executes its malicious payload. It goes after credentials using key logging and SMS interception. Once that’s done, hackers take over your device and start money transfers. But wait…there’s more. When you are cleaned out, they can wipe your device by remote command! Stick with main brand antivirus software and get it from the actual maker…don’t take a chance.

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

Samsung All In With Google Messages; CrowdStrike Mess-Delta Cancels 1,000 More Flights; Astronomers Find New Way to Spot AI Deepfakes; EVs-New Battery Tech is 50% Lighter

Posted: July 22, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung will stop pre-installing Samsung Messages on Galaxy phones, and just go with Google Messages. 9to5google.com reports that…starting with the Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, you will just get Googles Messages. RCS will be enabled by default on the phones in the Google Messages app. The Samsung app will still be available for download at the Galaxy Store, but with a note that ’some features will be excluded.’

Although it’s been since Thursday, some users are still dealing with the aftermath of the corrupt CrowdStrike download that screwed up what Microsoft claims was a little over 8 million computers. Microsoft says that is about 1% of the installed base. That noted, according to engadget.com, Delta has had to cancel over 1,000 more flights…it’s a total of about 5,000 flights cancelled now, and around 1,700 delayed. That amounts to around a third of Delta’s scheduled flights. Delta was the worst hit US airline, with United a distant second…at 266 flights cancelled on Sunday. At first, United and Delta told stranded travelers that they wouldn’t cover bills since the CrowdStrike crash was out of their control. However, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg later stepped in and said that he considered the situation self-inflicted, so carriers would need to cover food, transportation and lodging costs for any delays longer than three hours as required by law. Secretary Pete also said don’t let them talk you into a credit…you can get the cash back…that’s the law!

In an interesting application of one tech to another, astronomers and researchers at the University of Hull have shown a novel way to detect AI Deepfakes. Arstechnica.com says it involves analyzing the reflections in human eyes. The technique was shown at the Royal Astronomical Society meeting last week. It utilizes tools used by astronomers. A pair of eyes being illuminated by the same set of light sources will normally have similarly shaped light reflections in each eyeball. Most AI deepfakes so far don’t account for eyeball reflections, so they show up inconsistently between the eyes. Some differences can be detected with the naked eye…like when one eye has white lights and the other red, but the astronomical tools can detect automatically and much faster…and with detail that a person can’t match. One down side…the technique requires a clear, up-close view of the eyeballs to work. It isn’t 100% yet…there are a few false negatives and false positives…but it’s a new tool in the battle against deepfakes.

A Swedish firm, using research from Chalmers University of Technology, has developed carbon fiber-based structural batteries that not only store energy but also become an integral part of a product’s structure. Their possible span of energy density is said to be around 25-50% of a conventional lithium-ion battery at current technology level. Bgr.com notes that by integrating the batteries into the actual structure of the car (or aircraft), these batteries could lighten the weight of the vehicle by up to 50%! This tech is the first that has given good mechanical strength plus good electrical properties. Previous tries have had one or the other, but not both.

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

YouTube Shorts Adds Text to Speech Narration; Samsung Live Translate-Available on 3rd Party Apps; Apple Opens Mobile Payment System-EU Compliance; Tesla Robotaxi Event Delayed to October

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

YouTube Shorts is getting a new text-to-speech narration, something of an artificial voiceover like TikTok has. Theverge.com reports that after you write some text, you can tap the ‘add voice’ icon’ in the upper left corner and pick out a voice you want. For starters, YouTube has 4 voices…TikTok has numerous ones. YouTube is also rolling out auto-generated captions so you don’t have to leave the platform or use an app to add them. There is a selection of fonts and colors, just like the manual text overlay feature. Another new feature is a new set of Minecraft effects, and a mini game called Minecraft Rush. The mimicking of TikTok appears to be giving YouTube Shorts a real boost. 

Samsung announced Live Translate yesterday at Unpacked, and mentioned that it would be available on third party apps. Now, according to Mashable.com, one of the apps supported will be the widely used WhatsApp. Initially, 16 languages will be supported, with that growing to 20 by the end of the year. Samsung underscores that the translation takes place entirely on device, so your data is more secure. It is available on Galaxy S24 devices, and now S23 and S22 as well…and also the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 and newer. 

Approximately two weeks from now, European Union iPhone users will be able to use any mobile wallet they wish as a ‘Tap and Go’ payment method, with the ease of using the native Apple Pay. Arstechnica.com says this is part of a settlement with the European Commission over Apple’s shutting out rivals from their NFC tech. NFC is not an Apple tech in the first place, and it has been free to developers. Now, Apple has agreed not to charge developers fees to provide NFC on Apple devices. 

Tesla won’t be doing a big reveal of its robotaxi in August. The event has been kicked down the road to October now. Bloomberg reports that after the announcement that the August 8th date had been cancelled, Tesla shares dropped over 6%. Back in April, Elon Musk said Tesla was dropping their next-gen car platform for a $25,000 cheaper Tesla in favor of accelerating the robotaxi project. 

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

Better Texting between Android & iOS Coming; New Tech May Bring Holograms to Glasses-Size Wearable; ISPs Ask FCC for Tax on Big Tech; GM Pours $850 Million into Cruise Division

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

Better texting is coming between Android and iOS this fall, with the announcement at WWDC yesterday that iOS is getting RCS support. This comes on the heels of years of campaigning by Google and others to make Apple ‘play nice’ with Android messaging. Androidpolice.com reports that having RCS will bring “richer media and deliver and read receipts for those who don’t use iMessage.” Unfortunately, Apple didn’t elaborate much, so we don’t know if iOS will play completely nice with the Google standard, but it is at the very least a good move to have Apple Messages and Google Messages working better…now, you will have tapback support and scheduled messaging working cross platform. Bet that this DOESN’T mean Apple will stop putting non-iOS replies in the green bubbles…I bet they will never give up the exclusive blue bubbles for iPhone users!

In a study published in Nature Communications, some scientists have claimed that the wave developed a new device small enough to fit in a regular pair of glasses that can display realistic holograms. According to bgr.com, the new tech wouldn’t have to have such a narrow viewing angle as current tech with so-called ‘spatial light modulators.’ The new tech allows the field of light to be directly in front of the viewer, no matter  where they look. No bulky headsets and just glasses-sized ones would be quite a breakthrough for VR and AR displays! Think of an Apple Vision Pro that you could put in your pocket, like a pair of glasses! There still remains the need right now for external power and probably external processing…so some sort of connection to a phone and or battery pack..but still, this is a big step forward.

Some ISPs, via a lobbying group, are asking the Federal Communications Commission to start levying new fees on Big Tech firms, with the money to go to subsidies for broadband network deployment and affordability programs. Arstechnica.com says approval of the request would make Big Tech drop money into the FCC’s Universal Service Fund, which distributes it to broadband providers. By the way, the ISPs are not exactly small players scrounging for crumbs in the business. They include AT&T, Verizon, CenturyLink/Lumen and some smaller ISPs. USTelcom had already made similar arguments to the FCC. The USF doles out about $8 billion a year. Phone companies have to pay a percentage of their revenue into the fund, to cover folks who need a subsidy. Naturally, they hit us all with a fee for ‘Universal Service’ to recoup the tax by passing it directly on to us! We’ll keep an eye out to see if the Friendly Candy Company…the FCC…moves on this request. Expect Big Tech companies to fight it if they do. 

General Motors has poured another $850 million into its Cruise division, helping to cover costs since the shutdown of the robotaxi service after hitting a pedestrian in San Francisco. Theverge.com notes that so far, Cruise has been a money pit for the General…the automaker has lost $8.2 billion on it since 2017. Now, Cruise is slowly deploying more cars back onto the road…albeit with human drivers behind the wheel for safety. Houston is the latest city to get Cruise vehicles…which are being driven by humans right now, but will switch to autonomous driving with human safety drivers in the next few weeks. They are also back on the road in Phoenix and Dallas…but not yet in San Francisco.

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 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

An 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. 

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →