Microsoft Cuts Back Copilot AI Bloat; Reddit Looks at ID Verification to Battle AI Bots; Hackers Selling Data of 6 Million Verizon Users; Samsung Rolling out AirDrop Support

Posted: March 23, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft is rolling back a bit when it comes to the intrusiveness of its AI assistant, Copilot in Windows 11. TechCrunch.com reports that the company will reduce AI Copilot integration in some apps…beginning with Photos, Widgets, Notepad, and its Snipping Tool. Pavan Davuluri, the EVP of Windows and Devices wrote on the company’s blog that the goal is to focus on AI experiences that are ‘genuinely useful.’ What a concept! This ‘less ls more’ angle probably flows from increased consumer pushback against AI bloat. A Pew Research study that just came out this month showed that half of US adults are more concerned than excited about AI…up from 37% in 2021. 

Reddit is getting flooded with AI bots. In order to deal with the onslaught, the platform is considering a controversial move: requiring ID verification. According to mashable.com, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman discussed the problem on the tech show TBPN. He emphasized that ‘Reddit is for humans.’ Huffman said regarding screening out bots that “The most lightweight way is something like face ID or touch ID or broadly the family of technology that’s called passkeys.” He went on to say “Every platform wants to know ‘is this is a person?’ Now Reddit’s version is ‘is this a person but we don’t want to know which person this is.'” That is a huge deal for Reddit, which has made its bones on the ability of users to maintain their anonymity. Whatever they do, it is likely that Reddit will get blowback from their highly opinionated and privacy prone users.  

Hackers have gotten ahold of the data from 6 million customers and employees of  one of Verizon’s largest Verizon Authorized retailers Androidpolice.com says the info is now for sale on the dark web. That’s bad enough, but you’ll love this part…61 gigs of data is available for $1200. Your data on its own is a pretty cheap commodity. The retailer is Russell Cellular, which has over 2,000 employees and 750 locations. What is exposed in the breach? Names, phone numbers, email addresses, account numbers, device identifiers, and more. It also included employee usernames, passwords, and access roles; Verizon is also aware of the leak, and has begun an investigation, and promises to share the results of such when they become available. You can bet they are going to lock things down and make changes.  

Samsung is rolling out AirDrop support over its QuickShare, starting today. The support will initially be for The Galaxy S26, 26+, and 26 Ultra. 9to5google.com notes that AirDrop showed up on Google Pixel 10 devices in late 2025, and has now expanded to Pixel 9 phones. The support allows sharing between Samsung phones and Apple’s devices. One point with Samsung: unlike Pixel, where AirDrop support is enabled by default, you have to choose it. Under QuickShare settings, look for ‘Share With Apple Devices.’ For the Apple user to receive the shared picture or whatever, that Apple user needs to select ‘Everyone’ mode…that’s also true on the Galaxy devices if they are receiving from an Apple device. 

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

Amazon Announces 1-3 Hour Delivery; Tim Cook Denies Retirement Soon; Galaxy Z Trifold Being Discontinued; Google ‘Personal Intelligence’ Expands to All US Users

Posted: March 17, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Amazon is making it easier for users to find products eligible for its’ 1 hour and 3 hour delivery options. The ease comes via a new ‘getitfast’ page for same day delivery. Theverge.com reports that the 1 hour delivery is presently available in parts of major metro areas like LA, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. In addition, it is available in smaller cities like Des Moines, Iowa; Boise, Idaho; and American Fork, Utah. 3-hour delivery is offered in over 2,000 cities and towns, which includes large, mid-size, and small cities. Amazon has even tested 30 minute deliveries in Seattle and Philly…though if you need it that fast…hey, jump in the car and run to the store, for Pete’s sake! Amazon 1 hour delivery is $9.99 for Prime members, or $19.99 extra for non-members. the 3 hour window runs $4.99 for Prime members or $14.99 non-prime. You can already get same-day delivery free for Prime members on orders over $25. 

Rumors have been floating around since last year about Tim Cook, who has turned 65, retiring from Apple. Now, according to macrumors.com, Cook cooled those rumors off at least a bit in an interview on Good Morning America. Cook in fact called it merely ‘a rumor,’ and while he didn’t explicitly confirm or deny that he will be stepping down as CEO anytime soon, he said ‘I Can’t imaging life without Apple.’ Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is widely viewed as Cook’s most likely successor. Cook reportedly gave oversight of Apple’s design teams to Ternus at the end of last year, and Ternus has been making a lot more public appearances in interviews and in product introduction videos over the past few years. Cook has been Apple CEO since 2011. 

In what may be a record for short smartphone life, Samsung has discontinued the Galaxy Z TriFold in just 3 months. It just went on sale in the US the end of January. 9to5google.com says Samsung claims it never intended to sell to the mass market…and at $2899 they weren’t going to! It may not just be the cost, but the complexity of trying to make a device with two hinges and three inner display sections. Add in the rapidly increasing RAM prices due to AI, and it was probably a perfect storm that ended the tri-fold device. 

Google is bringing “Personal Intelligence” to all US users. Techcrunch.com notes that the AI assistant will now tailor its responses by connecting across your Google ecosystem, such as Gmail and Google Photos, to all users in the U.S. Previously only available to paid users, Personal Intelligence is available in AI Mode in Search, the Gemini app, and Gemini in Chrome. The feature is off by default, but users have the option to choose it. For those concerned, Gemini doesn’t train directly on your Gmail inbox or Google Photos library. Instead, it trains on specific prompts in Gemini or AI Mode and the model’s responses, Google says.

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

Meta Rolls Out New Scam Detection; WhatsApp Gets Parent-Linked Kid Accounts, Nvidia Making Open Source Open Claw Competitor; Your Tire Monitors as Tracking Device

Posted: March 11, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Meta has launched new scam detection on its Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp platforms. Thenextweb.com reports that just last year the company removed 159 million scam ads last year and took down 10.9 million accounts linked to criminal networks. Now, the tentpole feature of the added scam protection is one for Facebook…it flags suspicious friend or follow requests before users act on them. When a request arrives from an account with no mutual connections, a different country location, or a suspiciously recent join date, Facebook will display a warning. WhatsApp also gets a new layer of protection. Device linking fraud has become a bigger issue…where you link your phone to a tablet, for example. Bad guys can spoof your account and get access. Scammers have been tricking users into scanning malicious QR codes, sometimes under the pretense of a customer service call or technical support request, which links the scammer’s device to the victim’s WhatsApp account. The app will now display a warning when it picks up a suspicious device linking request…and it will show where the request originated. On Messenger, on-device analysis automatically flags messages from unfamiliar contacts that match the patterns of common scams, fraudulent job offers, fake investment pitches, work-from-home schemes. Users get a warning, and have the option of sending the conversation to Meta AI for a cloud-based second review. 

WhatsApp has introduced a new set of parent-supervised accounts for kinds under age 13. According to TechCrunch.com, The company said that these accounts will only have access to messaging and calling, and won’t be targeted with any ads. While the company rates its apps 13+ on both the App Store and Play Store, many pre-teens use WhatsApp to communicate with parents, as WhatsApp said it is introducing this feature after feedback from parents. To set up the account, tor he parent will need both their own device and the child’s, to authenticate the account with QR codes. By default, the parent gets an alert when a pre-teen adds, blocks or reports a contact. The parent also gets an alert if the youngster changes their name of profile picture, or when they are getting a new chat request; joining, creating, or leaving a group; a group turning on disappearing messages; and deleting a chat or a contact. All these settings are protected by a six-digit PIN that parents can set and change from their own device. The kid accounts have no access to Meta AI, Channels, or Status. The messages are still end to end encrypted. When the kid gets older, they get a message that they can convert to a regular account…but the parent can use their supervisory power to delay that by 12 months…so age 14. That still seems pretty young for unsupervised child activity. 

We’ve mentioned OpenClaw here a time or two…the system that lets users direct ‘always-on’ AI agents from their personal machines, using any number of underlying models. Arstechnica.com says now Nvidia is now getting set to launch its own open source agent platform to compete with OpenClaw. Nvidia’s platform is dubbed NemoClaw, and they have already demo’ed it to Salesforce, Cisco, Google, Adobe, and CrowdStrike. Earlier this month, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC that OpenClaw was “the most important software release probably ever.” The sudden interest in OpenClaw has seemingly driven a run on Mac Mini hardware with unified memory that’s well-suited to running the tool. NemoClaw will run on machines without using Nvidia’s own GPUs. 

You probably think of a device that can be planted under your car or something like an AirTag being used to track you by authorities, a crazy ex, or others. Well guess what? They don’t need any of that.Almost every modern car has something built in that allows tracking you. Bgr.com notes that it is your tire pressure monitoring system…TPMS. The system sends continuous signals so that if one of your tires is low on air, you get a warning….the little light on your dash, or in some cars it even shows you which tire. For less than $100 bucks, people can make a receiver that can pick up your car tire signals from up to 164 feet away…even if your car is moving or on the other side of a wall. A Spanish study revealed that someone using a very simple device can track the unique signal tires send out, meaning they can know if the same car has been tracked before. Over time, this can build out a pattern of someone’s routines such as when they arrive and leave for work, when they go home, or what day they head to the grocery store and to which one. Researchers are imploring manufacturers to fix this problem quickly! 

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

YouTube Expands Deepfake Detection to Politicians; Meta Buys Moltbook; Amazon to Have Senior Engineers Sign Off on AI-Assisted Changes; PetPhone Lets Your Pet Call You-Maybe

Posted: March 10, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

YouTube is expanding its deepfake detection, adding detection of politicians, government officials, and journalists. Techcrunch.com reports that it will be using its likeness detection tech, which identifies AI-generated deepfakes. Members of the pilot group will get access to a tool that detects unauthorized AI generated content and gives them a way to ask for removal of such if they think it violates YouTube policy. The tech is similar to YouTube’s existing Content ID system, which detects copyright-protected material in users’ uploaded videos, the likeness detection feature looks for simulated faces made with AI tools. The company noted it’s advocating for these protections at a federal level, too, with its support for the NO FAKES Act in D.C., which would regulate the use of AI to create unauthorized recreations of an individual’s voice and visual likeness.

Meta is gobbling up Moltbook, the social network that resembles Reddit, except it is essentially a network of AI agents. The platform has just been around since January. According to engadget.com, Moltbook and its creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr will be joining Meta Superintelligence Labs. Schlicht used OpenClaw to create a bot named “Clawd Clawderberg” and asked it to create a social network for AI agents. And that’s how Moltbook came to be.For what it’s worth, Clawd Clawderberg is a play on “Mark Zuckerberg” and Moltbook is a clear riff on “Facebook,” so it’s somewhat fitting that Schlicht vibe-coded his way to a job at Meta. It also emerged that it was relatively easy for humans to pose as AI agents and post on Moltbook. As nutty as this seems, it isn’t that much weirder than Zuck’s coming up with the virtual world a couple years ago where we were all going to live and have our avatars act for us. 

Amazon is now going to make senior engineers sign off on any changes made by AI tools. FT.com says this is after a number of outages and incidents. Amazon gathered a large group of engineers for a meeting earlier Tuesday to dig in to what it termed a spate of outages and incidents using the AI coding tools. Amazon’s website and shopping app went down for nearly six hours this month in an incident the company said involved an erroneous “software code deployment”. The outage left customers unable to complete transactions or access functions such as checking account details and product prices. Junior and mid-level engineers will now require more senior engineers to sign off any AI-assisted changes. This makes one pause at Square’s parent company laying off 40% of engineers because AI can do the work…Jack Dorsey may have to rethink his action there, too. Fast is great…saving money on salaries is great if you are management…but accuracy is mandatory…and so far, AI hasn’t had the most sterling track record when it comes to accuracy. 

One of the unusual gadgets showed off at Mobile World Congress was the PetPhone. Cnet.com notes that the device actually came out in September, but really just got shown at the show. The device is a cellular tracker that attaches to your pet’s collar. Unlike AirTags, that rely on nearby phones to track, this thing has its own GPS and cellular transceiver to keep track of your pet. That’s all well and good, but what they are touting seems iffy. PetPhone claims your cat or dog can call you. To call, though, the dog or cat must jump 3 times in a row. Try training a cat to do that. It’s like the old joke if cats could text you, they wouldn’t. Even getting a dog to do this might be a challenge. If you are up for it though, PetPhone is $90 bucks at Amazon, Chewy, and other retailers. There’s a subscription…the cheapest is a 3 year term for $5 a month with the first month free.

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

Anthropic Sues Government over ‘Supply Chain Risk; Russian Government Hackers Hitting Signal & WhatsApp; Pennsylvania Newest State Fighting Dynamic Pricing; Sony Testing Playstation Dynamic Pricing

Posted: March 9, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After the government not only cut ties with Anthropic over their refusal to let the government use Claude for mass surveillance of US citizens or operating weapons systems without human intervention, the government also designated the company as a ‘supply chain risk,’ with can significantly affect their business. Engadget.com reports that Anthropic has now sued the government over this, as expected. The lawsuit claims the designation is unlawful and violated free speech and due process rights. Anthropic’s statement to media said “These actions are unprecedented and unlawful. The Constitution does not allow ​the government to wield its enormous power to punish a company for its protected speech.” The AI company further said that the government action was part of an ‘unprecedented and unlawful…campaign of retaliation.’ Now, the slugfest in the courts begins.

The Netherlands Defense Intelligence and Security Service has reveled that the Russians are in the midst of a ‘large scale global’ hacking campaign against Signal and WhatsApp users. According to techcrunch.com, they are using phishing and social engineering technics instead of malware to take over accounts on the apps. They are posing on Signal as the app’s support team. On WhatsApp, they are abusing the ‘linked devices’ function, that lets users access WhatsApp from a secondary device like your laptop or tablet. Just a word to the wise. Even platforms that have fully encrypted messaging can be hacked.

Pennsylvania is the newest state to jump into the fight against dynamic pricing. A bill in their legislature would ban ‘unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in the conduct of any trade or commerce,” namely, promoting or engaging in dynamic pricing. In the bill, dynamic pricing refers to changing the prices of essential goods or services within a 24-hour period based on demand or other factors, including the use of artificial intelligence. Mashable.com notes that dynamic pricing has become more common with retailers the last few years. Sometimes you will see something about ‘surge pricing’. Another aspect is surveillance pricing, which uses customers’ behaviors and characteristics to set different costs for the same items. And algorithmic pricing uses data — sometimes generalized data, such as when demand is highest, and other times personalized data, such as one’s demographic — to determine cost. Here you thought that just the increase in gas prices from the Iran war was bumping up grocery prices! Other states considering legislation concerning surveillance pricing are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

Speaking of dynamic pricing, a site called PSprices has been tracking prices on Sony’s digital game store, and noticed that some games were being offered at different prices to different users. What’s more, those offers are tracked in the PlayStation API with experiment identifiers.The site says Sony is running A/B testing on prices for over 150 games in 58 regions…although so far, the US doesn’t see to be included. This is yet another reason states are stepping in where the feds won’t, and passing laws against dynamic pricing…which is such a sneaky way to take more money out of your pocket…and in a lot of cases, without you even knowing it.

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

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Highlights Feb ’26

Posted: February 26, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

After the usual multitude of leaks, today we got the official rollout of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series of smartphones with Galaxy Unpacked. Note that there are no folders today. Samsung generally releases those in late August, 2-3 weeks before Apple’s phone extravaganza. 9to5google. reports that maybe the biggest change is the pricing. We’ll get to that in a minute. The headline is that not much has changed from the S25 series. That’s not such a bad thing…the S25’s are great phones. The Galaxy S26 Ultra gets more rounded corners like the other top line S26 phones…which, in my opinion, it needed. It stays with the huge 6.9 inch display. The Ultra gets a unified camera bump, but visually, it’s pretty identical to last year’s model. 

The S26 and S26+ are virtually identical to the models they replace, again except for the updated camera module. The S26 and Plus both rock the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 system. The Ultra gets a new Vapor Chamber. One new feature on the Ultra is Privacy Display. What does it do for you? Well, if the system detects something that could be sensitive, like incoming notification, it obscures them from off-angle viewers. It is customizable, by the way. This is a good feature and it would be nice to be offered on the other two models. The S Pen on the ultra now only comes in black and white. 

The S26 does get a bigger battery, and the Ultra gets Super Fast Charging 3.0…up to 60W speeds. That’s great for people who seem to always forget to charge their phone overnight…we all know some of those people. You’re in the car and ‘Hey, can I borrow a cord and top off my phone…it’s about to die.’ The Plus and Ultra both get upgrades  to their charging speeds with Qi2 at 20W and 25W respectively. NO built in magnets, though. That is a drag. Both Google and Apple offer those. 

There are some minor software upgrades to the cameras, including the Ultra’s wider apertures and ‘Nightography Video’. Of course, Samsung is touting its more muscular AI. Samsung claims that with its One UI 8.5, it will ‘simplify’ your life. Nudge will make you ‘timely suggestions’ as you use the phone. Nudge…seriously? They named it Nudge. 

The phones will be out March 11th, with the same colors available on all three models. You can choose Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, White, and Black, with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow kept as Samsung.com exclusive. Now for what we were waiting for…the prices. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $12.99.99 for 256 gigs. The Galaxy S26 starts at $899.99 for 256 gigs, and the S26+ starts at $1099.99. You can get 512 gigs on all three models, or pick 1TB for the Ultra. 

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

Discord Delays Global Age Verification; Touchscreen MacBook Pros; App Warns if Smart Glasses are Present; The Pentagon-Anthropic Drama Continues

Posted: February 25, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Discord delayed its worldwide age verification due to tremendous blowback. Now, they have kicked the can down the road a bit more. Theverge.com reports that instead of rolling out global age verification next month, it will be delayed until the second half of 2026. Discord has flatly denied rumors that they will require face scans and ID uploads from everyone just to use the platform. Discord says that before it rolls out age verification globally, it will add more options for users to verify their age (including with a credit card), include documentation of every verification vendor used, add an option for “spoiler channels” in Discord as an alternative to age-gated channels for walling off certain topics, and publish a technical blog post explaining how its age estimation systems work. Discord users are still angry and skeptical, so we will see if this gets delayed again. 

As we have reported, up to 5 new Apple devices will be coming in the next few weeks. Also, Apple has been working on perfecting a touchscreen Mac. 9to5mac.com reports that Apple seems to have developed a way to support touchscreen use without making the interface elements gigantic. When user touch a button or control, the interface will bring up a new type of menu surrounding their finger that provides more relevant options for touch commands. When the user taps an item in the menu bar at the top of the screen, the set of controls will enlarge to be more easily selectable with a finger. It sounds a lot like what Apple does with the size and shape changing Dynamic Island on iPhones. According to reports, the screen will look just like a normal MacBook screen unless you touch it…so if typing is your preferred input, you are good to go…but you can also reach up and tap something on the screen to get to an item or app quickly. We’ll see how it all works…it sounds much like an iPad with a keyboard, actually. 

Remember Google’s Glass, and how bars, restaurants, and other establishments had signs banning them? The wearers were called ‘Glassholes.’ Apparently, the apprehension of being furtively filmed by someone in smart glasses is still around. It seems a bit overly paranoid to me…considering the proliferation of cameras on the streets, and in businesses at this point. One big retailer even has had cameras at their entrances, as well as scanners, and then serves people with bargains they think the person might like on their app. Well, if you are one who is freaked out by smart glasses, rejoice! A new app will let you know if there is a pair close to you. Engadget.com says the app is called Nearby Glasses. It will user the unique Bluetooth signature transmitted by smart glasses and send a push alert to notify you that someone is wearing the glasses nearby. The app maker claims that his app is particularly important for your privacy (what privacy?), as Meta is working to add facial recognition to its Meta Ray-Bans. Right now, Nearby Glasses is available at the Google Play Store, but not on Apple’s App Store. 

We reported that the Department of Defense has now allowed Musk’s xAI into its classified systems. FT.com reports that Pete Hegseth is going to also allow ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini into the classified systems, which had…up to now…only seen Anthropic’s Claude available. The Secretary has now threatened to cut Anthropic from the DoD supply chain unless the company agrees to letting DoD use its tech for ‘all lawful military applications’ by Friday. Anthropic has refused to let its AI be used for domestic surveillance and for lethal autonomous weapons systems. Hegseth has threatened to not only drop Anthropic from its supply chain, but he says he will invoke the Defense Production Act…which allows the president to exert control over domestic industry in the interest of national defense. The cutting Anthropic from the Defense Department supply chain would cost the company $200 million. We will have to wait for Friday to see if the DoD follows through with its threats. 

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

Meta Partners with AMD on Chips; OpenClaw Wipes Out Meta Security Researcher’s Inbox; Military Will Use Grok in Classified Systems, Apple Testing a ‘Deep Red’ for iPhone 18 Pro

Posted: February 24, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

AMD has landed a huge account…and possible part owner. They have cut a multi-year deal with Meta for up to 6 gigawatts worth of GPUs. Gizmodo.com points out that 6 gigawatts is enough to power almost 4.5 million homes! The first 1 gigawatt deployment will be in place by the 2nd half of 2026, and will include custom chips optimized specifically for Meta’s workloads. The announcement also says that Meta will be a top customer of AMD’s 6th Gen AMD EPYC CPUs. The agreement includes performance-based terms that could allow Meta to acquire up to 160 million AMD shares, about 10% of the company, if certain milestones are met. 

AI can be a great tool. but still makes some terrible moves. We’ve noted here about the various AI agents hallucinating, as the AI industry likes to say…in other words, it makes stuff up some of the time. Now, here’s another scary problem. According to techcrunch.com, OpenClaw AI was ask by a Meta AI security researcher to check her overstuffed email inbox and suggest what to delete or archive. The agent went crazy, and deleted all her email in a ‘speed run,’ despite her giving it commands from her phone demanding that it stop. OpenClaw is an open source AI agent. It is something of a darling of a lot of silicon valley types right now…except when it goes nuts like it did on Summer Yue’s inbox!

This just makes me shake my head, but the US Department of Defense is apparently going to use Elon Musk’s Grok in its classified systems. Engadget.com notes that the Pentagon has been in a squabble with Anthropic, which makes Claude. Anthropic doesn’t want their AI used for mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. Although ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude have been approved for the DoD, up to now only Claude  has been allowed for the military’s most sensitive tasks in intelligence, weapons development and battlefield operations. Claude was reportedly used in the Venezuelan raid in which the US military captured and extracted the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife. Musk agreed that xAI could be used for any lawful purpose…including mass surveillance and fully autonomous weapons. 

This is a more ‘fluffy’ topic than I normally cover, but it caught my eye. Mashable.com reports that Apple is testing a ‘deep red’ color for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. This will be the first red iPhone since 2022..and Apple may keep the cosmic orange color. That tone is apparently very popular in China. The upcoming iPhone Fold? Nope, it will be drab…with likely colors being black, white, dark gray, or silver. Probably only two of those shades will make it to the final phone. Hey, as much as they cost, you will probably buy a case to protect it anyway.

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

Galaxy Unpacked This Week, Apple Multi-Day Product Reveal; Conduent Data Breach Expands; New Gaming Head at Microsoft

Posted: February 23, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment

There are tech announcements pretty much continuously, but not many that get as much attention as those from Samsung and Apple. Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked is This Thursday…February 26th. The event is at 10am Pacific in San Francisco. In addition to new AI announcements, refreshed hardware is expected. Word is, the Galaxy S26, 26+, and Ultra will keep similar physical designs as the S25 models. The upgrades will be to screens, chips, and cameras sensors. The screens should grow slightly from 6.2 to 6.3 inches, and batteries will have a bit more life. One notable advance: the entry level S26 will get the 50 megapixel main cam its big brothers have. The Galaxy Z Trifold will probably get a mention, but as it was available in the US on January 30th- for the hefty price of $2900, don’t expect a lot of time to be spent on it.

What about Apple? Cupertino has announced that it will have the latest product introduction on March 4th. Unlike in the past, this looks to be a 3 day event instead of a single keynote rolling out all the new or upgraded hardware. According to techcrunch.com, some devices will be announced online, with the big finale being on March 4th. The events are going to begin New York, London, and Shanghai, instead of Cupertino. What is coming? It looks like the low-cost MacBook, iPhone 17e, iPad Air, a new entry-level iPad, and upgraded MacBook Air and Pro models. 

Don’t you just love when you get a letter saying some of your data was leaked. I just got one a few days ago. Now, Mashable.com says that the data breach by Conduent…an intermediary that handles data for corporations…had a bigger breach than originally announced. A LOT bigger. At least 25 million have been affected by the breach in just Texas and Oregon! Conduent handles data for corporations, Clients include: Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Data leaked includes users’ names, Social Security numbers, medical information, and health insurance information. One has to wonder at this point what…if any…of our data hasn’t been hacked and aggregated somewhere on the dark web. 

Microsoft had a shakeup after the head of gaming Phil Spencer exited after 38 years at the company. Now, Asha Sharma steps into that role. Geekwire.com notes that the new CEO of gaming will be tasked with turning around the ailing division. Sharma has been an exec at Facebook, Instacart, a startup, and finally Microsoft’s AI Platform. Although Sharma doesn’t have any video game industry experience, what she does bring to the table is decades of experience in running large tech platforms. She did say in an opening statement something that resonated with employees and gamers in this age of AI  and ‘soulless AI Slop.’ Sharma wrote that  “Games are and always will be art, crafted by humans, and created with the most innovative technology provided by us.” 

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

Spotify-750 Million Monthly Users; Facebook-Animate Your Profile Pic with AI; Google Expands Tools to Remove Sensitive Data; YouTube TV-New Cheaper Plans

Posted: February 10, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Spotify has had a huge footprint already, and now they have announced that they have over 750 million active monthly users! Engadget.com reports that the number is up 11% over a year ago. Even since third quarter, it’s a big move…they had 713 million then. Spotify says that part of the growth can be attributed to AI…although last year they promised to get rid of some of the ‘AI slop’ on the platform and have ‘artist-first AI music products.’ 

My joy can hardly be contained. Facebook is now dropping a new AI feature that lets you animate your profile pic and restyle Stories and Memories. According to theverge.com, you will also be able to add animated backgrounds to text posts to make them pop in the feed. With all the billions Meta has poured into its AI, they…like Google…are determined to try to make you use it. What kind of animated pics, if you are leaning on trying them? You’ll be able to give a still photo motion with some preset types of animations, including “natural, party hat, confetti, wave, and heart, They will be adding animations in the upcoming year, too. 

Google has rolled out expanded tools to let users delete sensitive data about themselves. TechCrunch.com notes that this is in conjunction with Safer Internet Day. The ‘Results about you’ tool already allows users to remove Search results containing their phone number, email address, or home address, and it can now also be used to request the removal of results that include information such as a driver’s license, passport, or Social Security number, the company said in the update Tuesday. Once you confirm your details, Google will automatically monitor Search results and notify you if they show up. Unfortunately, your data can’t be removed from the web entirely, but at least it can be kept out of seach results. They also hare making it easier to request removal of non-consensual explicit images. Now, click the 3 dots and select ‘remove result,’ then tap ‘it shows a sexual image of me.’ Good stuff for Google to give to users. 

YouTube is ‘rejiggering’ its YouTube TV plans. In a report from 9to5google.com, there are now alternatives to chunking down $82.99 a month for over 100 channels. The new plans are genre-specific. The Sports Plan is $64.99 a month, or shave $10 bucks off if you pay yearly and are a new user. This gets you all ESPN, FS1, and NBC Sports Network…around 35 channels. If sports isn’t your thing, you can go for the Entertainment Plan at $54.99 a month…or $44.99 a month for 3 months for new accounts. This has FX, Hallmark, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and others. There is a News+Entertainment+Family  Plan too, which is $69.99 a month and has Disney, Nick, National Geographic, Cartoon Net, PBS Kids. The Sports+News plan is $71.99 a month and gets all the sports channels above plus CNBC, Fox News, MS Now, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. It’s nice to get more ‘a la carte’ choices, but still pricy…and a drag that there isn’t just a pure news channel. Yes, I’m a news nerd.

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

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