Northern Lights Cool, But Not for Farm GPS; Apple’s Vision Pro Set to Go International after WWDC; Meta Quest Getting Travel Mode for Flying; US To Hit Chinese EVs with 100% Tariffs

Posted: May 13, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

As everyone saw social media filled with amazing pictures of the Northern lights, or aurora borealis, one group of people was having a heck of a time due to the solar flares that cause the visual phenomenon. You may have already heard that the flares disrupt GPS and communications systems, but this has particularly affected farmers. Many modern tractors from John Deere and other brands use GPS navigation to guide them. This has allowed farmers to plant more efficiently in super tight, straight lines the last few years. Now, however, they have had to pause that for the solar storm. The GPS systems from Deere have actually allowed precision planting down to the centimeter level. Deere has warned not to plant until things normalize, or it might make a mess of harvesting…since the Auto Path in the tractors won’t find rows where it expects to find them. It is not a good time, as this is peak planting season for corn. Some farmers are rolling the dice and planting without the GPS, but others are parking the high tech tractors until the sun quiets down. Fortunately, the solar storm surge maximums are only for a few days. 

Apple is expected to start selling the Vision Pro headsets worldwide after WWDC in June. According to bgr.com, analyst Mark Gurman says Apple has been “holding training sessions in recent days and has flown hundreds of employees from its international stores to its Cupertino headquarters to learn how to demonstrate the device for customers.” So far, employees have been brought in from Germany, France, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and China. Although as we have noted here, the Vision Pro is catching on with the medical community, it has yet to get much traction with the general public…mainly due to its high price. 

Meta has just put a travel mode into beta that will make the Meta Quest 2 and 3 headsets work better in moving vehicles…including airplanes. 9to5google.com says the new mode is optimized for airplanes, making sure the motion of the aircraft doesn’t affect your use of the headsets. Again it is in beta right now, but 9to5google.com says if you want to try it out, check the ‘Experimental features’ menu in the Settings app. Meta is also working with Lufthansa to enable using Quest headsets for fliers in the airline’s Allegris Business Class Suite to watch in flight entertainment. 

The US government is about to hit Chinese EVs with 100% tariffs this week. There have been growing calls for this from auto makers, unions, and a bipartisan group in Congress. Arstechnica.com notes that the demands are driven by the Chinese government’s heavy subsidies to their own EV makers and other green industries in order to grab market share in the US and Europe. Interestingly, the Chinese government has been restricting US EVs sold there…especially Tesla…down to places they can be driven…with the government considering them a threat to China’s own security. The European Union is expected to drop heavy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles in the next few weeks. 

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

Chrome Looking to Add AI Features; Disney+, Hulu, & Max Bundle May Cut into Netflix; Apple Vision Pro Used for Keyhole Surgery; Dell Reveals Big Data Breach

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

AI continues to be the buzzy area of tech that seems to be drowning out all other advancements at the moment. Now, 9to5google.com reports that Google Chrome…which already has 3 generative AI features out in the wild…is planning to bring the tech into Chrome even more. They are touting it as being able to make ‘typical actions you do every day—using tabs, using Search, writing in forms, reading webpages—a little easier.’ A spokesperson didn’t elaborate on the using search or reading webpages, which is a bit tantalizing…or maybe scary…depending on how accurate the AI turns out to be. Of course, there is ‘Help Me Write,’ which every single platform is pushing right now. If this appeals to you, great. If you have writer’s block, all the better. For now, some of us…myself included…know what we want to write and how we want it to come out on the page, and further, over audio and video. 

Here’s a bundle that may give Netflix something of a run for its money in streaming. Disney and Warner Brothers Discovery have announced a Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle. According to bgr.com the package that will be available for purchase from any of those platforms’ individual websites, and in both ad-free and ad-supported versions. This will give cord cutters a huge selection of great entertainment channels all in one place: ABC, CNN, DC, Discovery, Disney, Food Network, FX, HBO, HGTV, Hulu, Marvel, Pixar, Searchlight, and Warner Bros. I would say the lede is buried in this announcement, but actually it isn’t IN the announcement…what’s the price? Well, they haven’t disclosed that yet…and that will be key to the success of this massive bundle. 

When it was first rolled out, I noted in one of these reports that I really thought Apple would be happy with the Vision Pro headsets if just early adopters and industry bought the devices. Now, a truly pro use indicates that we may be seeing more of that. It isn’t remotely a mass market, but Apple has so much money and such a range of devices, they can afford to wait for the mass market…probably until a lower price Vision Pro comes out. Appleinsider.com says that the headset is being adopted by surgeons now to perform operations on patients. In India, the headset has been used to perform more than 30 procedure so far. The doctors are using it to perform laparoscopic surgeries…sometimes called ‘Keyhole’ surgeries. Instead of watching a camera inserted into the patient, the docs see it on the Vision Pro. They are saying the response time is instantaneous. More and more pro use of the $3500 Vision Pro will just help drive users to want to buy whatever Apple calls the cheaper version, which I expect to see within a couple years. 

It seems like these have gotten to be so frequent as to make us numb, but people have to stay concerned and vigilant. Yes, it’s another data breach. Dell has just disclosed one that is more creepy than most. TechCrunch.com reports that this breach includes customers’ names and physical addresses! It also includes “Dell hardware and order information, including service tag, item description, date of order and related warranty information.” If it is a consolation, at least there weren’t any email addresses, phone numbers, or financial or payment info. Dell doesn’t believe this is a ‘significant risk’ to customers. Well, only physical safety…I guess to computer companies, that seems peripheral compared to electric information.

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

Apple 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!

Meta Shares Fell on Big AI Spending; Biden Signs TikTok Bill-What Now; Threads Passes 150 Million Active Users; TSMC Moving to ‘Ultra’ Advanced Chips

Posted: April 25, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Meta shares dropped yesterday after the company forecasted higher expenses and lower than expected revenue. The expenses mainly due to its big investment in AI. Meta was still down 11% as of this recording…and lost some $200 billion in valuation yesterday, according to Reuters. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on an earnings call that the focus on AI would “grow our investment envelope meaningfully before we make much revenue from some of these new products.” Meta expects AI features like a new AI chat assistant will driver engagement on its platforms…in other words, a chatbot will make Facebook and Instagram bigger time sucks than they already are for some people!

President Biden signed the foreign aid package that includes the TikTok ban, so things are getting interesting for ByteDance, the China based parent company. Theverge.com reports that they have 9 months to sell control of TikTok to a non-Chinese owner. The president can give them an additional 3 months if it looks like they are moving towards that…otherwise it will be banned from both the Google and Apple app stores. TikTok has repeated that it will challenge the law in the courts. Although some 170 million users in the US use the app, it should be pointed out that the Chinese government forces both Apple and Google to block apps from downloading there on a regular basis. 

Threads has passed the 150 million active monthly user mark. As recently as February, they were at 130 million, so growth is accelerating quickly. Mashable.com notes that X claims 550 million active users worldwide, although some research firms dispute X’s numbers. Threads announced yesterday that they are testing the option to archive posts “with a small number of people.” Individual posts can be archived manually, but you can also automatically archive all posts after a certain period of time.

Taiwan Semiconductor will start building what they are calling ultra-advanced 1.6 nanometer chips by 2026. Right now, the fastest, most advanced chips are using 3 nanometer tech. Nikkei Asia repots that the A16 tech was revealed at the North America Technology Symposium in Santa Clara Yesterday. TSMC says the 1.6 NM chips will have greatly improved logic density and performance. The new tech delivers poswer to chips from the bottom up instead of top down…avoiding complex internal wiring and improving energy efficiency. Intel has already announced backside power, and will start making 2 NM and 1.8 NM chips in 2025. The present iPhones use TSMC’s 3 NM tech. Many tech experts believe that AI will eventually need even more advanced chips…with sizes under 1 NM. 

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

New & Used EV Prices Dip 20%; Macs Getting AI Centric M4 Chips; British Version of DARPA Building AI Gatekeepers; Taylor Swift Music Back on TikTok

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

If you are in the market, or thinking about getting in the market for an EV, the timing may be good for you. Inventories of both new and used EVs are up and that is putting pressure on prices. Online searches for EVs on cars.com are up 14.9 percent year over year. Arstechnica.com reports that inventory of electrics is 107% more than a year ago, and they are staying on lots over 90 days. Dealers and manufacturers like to just see a 60 day inventory. The average selling price of a new EV…again according to cars.com is now down 4.3% from this time last year to $63,806…still pricy, but moving in the right direction. Of note…the data doesn’t include new Tesla sales, as they have no dealer network. Looking at used EVs…the prices of those have dipped a bit over 20% since last year…the average selling price is now $36,429. Now, if new EVs or even the used ones would hit that buyer sweet spot of $32,000…you might see a real burst of EV buying.

In the continuing race for faster, better, more powerful chips, plus the push to make AI ubiquitous, Apple will start refreshing its Macs with M4 chips late this year. According to macrumors.com, the new chips will focus on improving performance for artificial intelligence capabilities. As with the current batch, there will be low, medium, and high powered chips in the M4 line. The new chips will still be 3 nanometer chips, but prime Apple maker TSMC says they have improved the process to give better performance and power efficiency. After the M4’s, we may see the move to 2 nanometer chips. 

The British version of DARPA…you know DARPA, the Pentagon advanced science folks that invented Darpanet, which became the internet…have rolled out what they are calling a Gatekeeper for AI. Thenextweb.com says it’s a digital sentinel that will ensure that other AI agents only operated within the guardrails set for a specific application. The Advanced Research and Invention Agency, or ARIA, will pour 59 million pounds into the system. They hope to soon be demonstrating a proof of concept for the plan, which includes electricity grid balancing and supply chain management. If effective, the project could safeguard high-stakes AI applications, such as improving critical infrastructure or optimizing clinical trials.

Not exactly tech, but of interest…Taylor Swift’s music has returned to TikTok after a 10 week lapse due to a licensing fight between the platform and Universal Music Group. Variety.com reports that the tunes were back this morning. This all happens just in front of the release of her next album ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ which drops April 19th. UMG had accused TikTok of trying to ‘bully’ the music company into a deal worth less that the prior agreement…which of course TikTok disputes. At any rates it looks like the platform cut a separate deal with Swift, who owns her masters and would be able to make her own deal…though her music is distributed by UMG. Swifties, rejoice! I will show some uncharacteristic restraint, and refrain from telling a Swifty…a Tom Swift joke here.

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

Consumers Getting FCC Mandated Labels on Broadband Plans; Google Vids-AI Powered Workspace App; Automattic Picks up Beeper; 14% of iPhones Now Made in India

Posted: April 10, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After 8 years of fighting it, internet companies will finally have to display FCC mandated so-called ‘nutrition labels’ for most broadband plans. Theverge.com reports that the labels will include info on the costs, fees, and speeds of their broadband services. All but the smallest ISPs will be required to publish the labels on their plans. The labels detail  monthly broadband prices, introductory rate details, data allowances, broadband speeds, and links to find out about any available discounts or service bundles. Links to network management practices and privacy policies should be listed as well. The labels should appear both online and at physical stores. Most of the info has been available, but has been pretty well buried..you had to really dig around to find it. Verizon, Google Fiber, and T-Mobile have already released labels ahead of the Wednesday deadline. 

A new Workspace app that was announced as coming at Cloud Next 2024 by google is Google Vids, and here’s a little preview. It’s an AI powered video creation app. According to 9to5google.com, Google says it has an easy to use interface, and it allows you to share and collaborate with others. You start by simply enter the prompt ‘Help me create a video.’ Then, go ahead and ‘describe your idea with a goal, audience, and length. You can associate a document from Google Drive with it if you wish. The app generates a storyboard you can edit by reordering, deleting, or adding. The app offers scenes from stock videos, images and background music, and it walks you through doing a voice over using your own or preset voice. Expect to see Vids in Workspace Labs this June.

Automattic, the company behind a huge number of websites via WordPress, has picked up Beeper, and will keep Beeper’s 27 employees. Macrumors.com notes that Beeper had built an app that was in the news in December called Beeper Mini which allowed iMessage to work on Android devices, with the precious blue bubble that some people…especially young people…crave. Without Beeper, non-iMessage messages on the Apple app show up as green.Apple blocked the Mini app, and they tried again with a couple workarounds, but finally gave up trying to get into iMessage. As the DOJ mentioned Beeper Mini in the Department of Justice antitrust suit against Apple, it may be able to interact with iMessage at some later point…but for now, Automattic just plans to have the team continue to work on Beeper…a universal chat app for Android, iOS, and desktop devices. The Beeper app is able to integrate multiple chat networks into a universal inbox, which is quite handy…even if it isn’t able to tie in iMessage right now.

Apple is now building up to 14% of its iPhones in India, as it continues to push to make the handsets outside China. Macrumors.com reports that now 1 in 7 of flagship iPhones are made in plants in India, double the number from last year. According to the Indian government, the Apple manufacturing has added 150,000 direct jobs at Apple’s suppliers. Of the phones made in India, 67% are being built by Foxconn, with 17% being put together by Pegatron. The balance of the phones are made by Wistron. 

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

FCC Will Vote to Restore Net Neutrality; WhatsApp Outages; Apple Working on Home Robot; Spotify Readies to Hike Prices

Posted: April 3, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The Federal Communications Commission will vote on restoring net neutrality later this month. It’s been a long time coming, but engadget.com notes it had to wait for Democrats to finally hold a majority on the Commission. A vote will fulfill an executive order from 2021 and bring back Obama era rules that the Trump administration FCC shredded in 2017. Net neutrality trades broadband services as an essential resource under Title II of the Communications Act, giving the FCC grater authority to regulate the industry.  It lets the agency prevent ISPs from anti-consumer behavior like unfair pricing, blocking or throttling content and providing pay-to-play “fast lanes” to internet access. I note that my provider 2 weeks ago voluntarily increased my upload and download speeds out of the goodness of its heart…that and the fact that new federal rules will not allow them to call it high speed broadband in their ads and promotion at the lower speeds! Republicans and Joe Manchin opposed Biden appointee Gigi Sohn to the Commission for 16 months. she withdrew, and Anna Gomez was sworn in last September, giving Democrats a majority.

Meta has had some issues yesterday and today. Yesterday, Threads wouldn’t allow uploads for several hours for some users. Today, WhatsApp and to a degree Messenger and Instagram, is facing outages and intermittent issues. According to techcrunch.com, Meta’s status page also shows disruptions to critical business services like Ads Manager, Messenger Platform, WhatsApp Business API, and others. WhatsApp confirmed the outage there on its X account, which must gall them. As of midday Wednesday, a number of users seemed to have services restored. Back on March 5th, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads all went down, so today’s outage is the second major one for Meta in a month.

The Apple Car may be gone, but something else is rolling out of the smoke from the Apple Car division….a robotics division. Appleinsider.com says Apple is working on a home robot…not just a vacuum, but an autonomous home robot companion for your home. This project is not close to completion, but involves a robot that would follow a user around the house. It might have issues with mine, as I have stairs, but perhaps they will give it a little rotor blade for folks like myself. The little robot will lean heavily on Apples AI, which they have called ‘machine learning’ until recently. Since we have robot vacuums that sweep and mop floors, and robot security guards, it will be interesting to see what Apple comes up with that people will really feel compelled to buy…at an Apple price!

Spotify is preparing to hike prices on some plans, and also thinking about adding new subscription options. 9to5google.com says the base US price is $11 a month for an individual Premium plan, and also the Duo plan that gives couples 2 accounts for $15 a month. Family Plan covers 6 users and is $17 a month. All those will change this month, as Spotify is raising prices about $2 across the board in the UK, Australia, Pakistan, and a couple un-named countries. The US account holders will get dinged for more money later this year. Meanwhile, the platform will introduce new Premium plans that are the same cost as the current ones, but won’t have the Audiobooks availability. How about the long promised Hi-Fi plan? Well that one is still in the works after 2 years…maybe due to cost.

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

Gemini in Google Messages Rolling Out; Facebook Snooped on Snapchat Traffic; Apple Announces WWDC; Leak-3rd, SmallerPixel 9 model

Posted: March 27, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Google has started rolling out Gemini for some Google Messages beta testers. 9to5google.com reports that in addition to being a beta tester, you have to have RCS enabled, a Google Account, have English set, and have a Pixel 6 or later, Pixel Fold, Samsung Galaxy S22 or newer, or a Galaxy Z Flip or Z Fold. If all those criteria are met, you should see a Gemini AI option. Right now, voice messages aren’t supported, but you can upload images. Also..the conversations are not end-to-end encrypted. All that said, you can use Messages to query the AI about things, or have it draft a message or brainstorm ideas. Google does say that messages could go through human review, so keep that in mind if you are going to try it. 

Thanks to a lawsuit against Meta, we now know that in 2016, Facebook ran a secret project designed to intercept and decrypt the network traffic between people using Snapchat’s app and its servers. The goal was to understand users’ behavior and help Facebook compete with Snapchat, according to newly unsealed court documents. TechCrunch.com notes that it was called ‘Project Ghostbusters,’ which is a little freaky since the latest Ghostbusters movie just hit theaters last week. According to documents released from the suit, Meta also tried to gain a competitive advantage over Amazon and YouTube by analyzing network traffic. The suit is a class action filed in 2020 against Facebook, claiming that they lied about data collection activities. 

Apple has announced this year’s WWDC. It’s the 35 annual developers conference from the Cupertino company. WWDC will begin on Monday, June 10th and run to Friday, June 14th. Macrumors.com says it will be an online event as it has been since 2020. WWDC is open to all developers at no cost. Expect the keynote to hi light features from iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, MacOS 15, and WatchOS 11. 

A leak has a new addition to the Pixel lineup. 9to5google.com reports that images from @OnLeaks show a third handset in the 2024 flagship lineup. The additional Pixel 9 only has two cameras, while the previously leaked images for the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 have 3. The new third model has a slightly smaller display than the Pixel 9 Pro. The Pro is 6.2 inches, the smaller phone is 6.03 inches. The body of the phones is the same, but the smaller screen unit has bigger bezels. One other difference…the newly leaked model loses a speaker cutout at the bottom…it has a SIM tray there instead. 

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

EU Goes After Meta, Apple, & Google; China Bans Intel & AMD Processors for Government PCs; Spotify Tests Video Courses; Apple’s iOS 18-More Control of Home Screen

Posted: March 25, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The European Commission is opening 5 non-compliance investigations into how Meta, Apple, and Google are complying with the new Digital Markets Act antitrust rules. Theverge.com reports that the EU regulator said in an announcement quote: “We suspect that the suggested solutions put forward by the three companies do not fully comply with the DMA. We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe.” The EU commission seems most interested in Google and Apple’s anti-steering rules in their app stores, and Google’s apparent self-preferences for its own services via its search engine.

China barred most government use of iPhones a while back, and now is going after US-made processors. According to engadget.com, Chinese guidelines ban the use of US processors made by Intel and AMD from government computers and servers. The new regulations also block Microsoft Windows and foreign database products, pushing government agencies there to use domestic products, which they term ‘safe and reliable.’ The rules came out in December but have just started showing up. They could be a blow to US companies’ bottom lines. China accounted for 27% of Intel’s sales last year and 15% of AMD’s. 

Spotify is testing out video courses which teach everything from music production to Excel spreadsheet use. Techcrunch.com says the rollout of the videos has started in the UK. They are terming the courses ‘freemium.’ The first lessons are free, then the total course cost if taken will range from 20 pounds to 80 pounds. The price is the same for courses whether you are a basic or premium Spotify user for now. Spotify is pitching the courses as somewhere between YouTube videos, Master Class, and LinkedIn Learning. The educational video market is estimated at $315 billion as of 2023, so if this takes off, it could be a significant new income stream for Spotify.

Android users have had it for years…lots of flexibility to arrange and customize your smartphone screen. Now, Apple is apparently going to give users more flexibility starting with iOS 18. Macrumors.com reports that even though icons will still snap to a grid on the Home Screen, users will be able to arrange them more freely. There will be the ability to create blank spaces, rows, and columns between app icons. We’ll know more when iOS 18 is revealed at WWDC in June.

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

Apple Negotiating With Google To Get Gemini AI on iPhone; LInkedIn Wants To Add Gaming; Tesla Settles Discrimination Suit; Tick-Killing Pill for Humans

Posted: March 18, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple has been working more quietly than others on AI…which it calls machine learning. Apparently things aren’t moving quickly enough for Cupertino. Now comes word that they are in ‘active negotiations’ with Google to bring the latter’s Gemini generative AI to the iPhone. Theverge.com reports that Apple has also considered ChatGPT from Open AI. Earlier this year, Samsung added a number of Galaxy AI branded features to its Galaxy S24 smartphones. The tech is also of course a banner feature of Google’s own Pixel 8 smartphones. It would be a good deal for Apple, even if they have to drop a ton of money, since their own AI is behind Google’s Gemini and ChatGPT…but it would also be a good deal for Google, as they would get their AI tools on some 2 billion iPhones. If a deal is made, is is likely to stay under wraps until Apple’s WWDC in June. 

In an effort to get more engagement and longer periods of it, Microsoft-owned LinkedIn is looking at adding gaming to the platform. According to TechCrunch.com, the platform now has a billion users. Most are on it for professional purposes or recruitment, but with Microsoft’s huge footprint in gaming, dropping some into LinkedIn really might do the trick as far as increasing peoples’ time on the platform. 

A long court battle between a former elevator operator and Tesla has settled. Owen Diaz had originally been awarded $137 million in damages in 2021 for racial discrimination, but that was cut to $3.2 million. Engadget.com says no settlement amount has been disclosed, which is normal for this type of situation. Diaz had accused the car maker of enabling a racist workplace, ‘straight from the Jim Crow era.’ Co-workers had left swastikas and racist graffiti on his work space and around the Tesla Fremont plant. There is still another lawsuit against the electric car maker for racial discrimination, and that one is in process of getting certified as a class action…which could add 240 black employees or former employees to Marcus Vaughn’s suit. 

We have them for dogs and cats…pills for tick prevention. Now, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals is working on a pill for humans. Wired.com notes that it could protect people from tick borne Lyme Disease for several weeks at a time. An early trial has found that after 24 hours of taking the pill, it works to kill ticks on people for up to 30 days. Whether you are a hiker, or walk your dog, or just are outdoors a lot, this will be a big deal if it makes it all the way through testing and approval by the FDA.

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

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