Author: zppiot
TikTok, the popular short-form video sharing app, has been facing scrutiny from American lawmakers due to concerns over its ties to China. In a surprising move, TikTok has reportedly been working on a secret project to clone its recommendation algorithm specifically for its U.S. users. This cloned algorithm would operate independently of its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and potentially address the concerns raised by American lawmakers.The project, ordered by ByteDance late last year, involves hundreds of engineers in both the U.S. and China working to separate millions of lines of code. The goal is to create a distinct code base…
It is commonplace in the world of tech that even beloved devices eventually reach their end of life. Samsung, a major player in the smartwatch space, is now preparing to bid farewell to its Tizen-powered smartwatches, marking the conclusion of an era that began in 2018 with the original Galaxy Watch.The journey started with Tizen, Samsung’s proprietary operating system that many users found superior to Google’s Wear OS at the time. However, with the Galaxy Watch 4 in 2021, Samsung made the strategic shift to Wear OS, effectively leaving Tizen behind.Now, thanks to reporting by Android Authority and Reddit user…
If you are having trouble trying to get the latest info from the Google News app today, or if you’re attempting to access ChatGPT but can’t, it’s not you, According to DownDetector, Google has been experiencing issues this morning with both the Google News iOS and Android apps, and the website version. On Down Detector, the number of complaints submitted to the site from Google News users soared from 5 at 7:46 am EDT to 1,241 just 45 minutes later.Visitors to the Google News website saw the image of an upside-down ice cream cone that said, “Uh-oh, something went wrong.…
Google on Thursday admitted that its AI Overviews tool, which delivers AI-generated responses to user search queries, needs improvement.While the search giant said it tested the new feature extensively before launching it two weeks ago, it acknowledged that the technology produces “some odd and erroneous overviews.” Examples include suggesting using glue to get cheese to stick to pizza, or drinking urine to pass kidney stones quickly. The rollback is the latest instance of a tech company prematurely rushing out an AI product to position itself as a leader in the closely watched space.Because Google’s AI Overviews generated unhelpful responses to…
You probably know that Apple will be kicking off its AI initiative by giving us a preview of the iOS 18 update during the WWDC 2024 Keynote on June 10th. The excitement will really take place in September when the update starts to rollout to eligible iPhone users. This has already been called the biggest iOS update of all time and on Thursday we passed along the latest information about some of the changes you can expect from Siri in iOS 18.One thing we expect to see in several apps including Messages, Notes, Safari, and Voice Memos is AI-based summaries…
If you’re a so-called Android “purist” or just a general hardcore Google fan on a tight budget, the Pixel 8a may well find itself at the top of your shopping list for the summer. But the recently released mid-ranger clearly has nothing on 2022’s high-end Pixel 7 Pro, and believe it or not, the “outdated” 6.7-inch powerhouse is currently cheaper than an entry-level 128GB Pixel 8a in a top-of-the-line 512 gig configuration.This is obviously not the first time we’re seeing the Pixel 7 Pro score a hefty discount at Woot, but even by that e-tailer’s standards, what you’re dealing with…
Are you just about ready to welcome not one but two new Motorola foldables to a market segment that’s now dominated by Huawei on a global scale? US retailers are certainly preparing for that in the best ways possible, with the likes of Amazon and Best Buy frequently selling the Razr (2023) and Razr+ (2023) at their lowest ever prices, and believe it or not, Woot outdoing its parent company now… by a lot.The Amazon-owned e-tailer is currently charging as little as $491.62 for a brand-new Motorola Razr Plus unit that would typically set you back $999.99… while regularly costing…
) and to open up its contactless payment system. Basically, Apple has to let other payment apps use the same tech (NFC) that powers Apple Pay. And guess what? Those other payment apps are chomping at the bit to get started.The first alternative to Apple Wallet is ready to launch in the EUReputable media The Times, out of the UK, says Apple’s still ironing out some technical kinks, but once that’s done, British company Curve claims it is good to go and launch its competing Wallet app right away.The London fintech company is revving up to launch the first real…
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Why Google’s AI Overviews gets things wrong When Google announced it was rolling out its artificial intelligence-powered search feature earlier this month, the company promised that “Google will do the googling for you.”The new feature, called AI Overviews, provides brief, AI-generated summaries highlighting key information and links on top of search results. Unfortunately, AI systems are inherently unreliable. And within days of AI Overviews being released in the US, users quickly shared examples of the feature suggesting that…
Trying to remember everyone’s birthdays is like memorizing specs for every new smartphone coming out – nearly impossible. That’s why calendars and events are lifesavers. To avoid being labeled the birthday amnesia friend, Google Calendar is my go-to choice and probably yours too.Lots of people rely on Google Calendar to remember these special dates, adding them once for yearly reminders. Google seems to be listening because an upcoming update might make adding birthdays even easier.Adding birthdays to Google Calendar might get a whole lot easierAndroid-focused tech publication Android Authority and code detective Assemble Debug discovered a hidden “Birthday” chip within the…
It’s hard not to notice that artificial intelligence is dominating the tech world these days. Nearly every new flagship phone boasts some form of AI features. And with AI advancing so rapidly, it is no surprise that authorities are starting to pay more attention to it.DOJ antitrust chief warns AI companies to play fair with artistsMedia outlet NBC News reports that the Justice Department’s top antitrust enforcer issued a stern warning to tech firms involved in AI, indicating that they might face regulatory action unless they devise fair compensation methods for artists, entertainers, and other creators.At a Stanford University conference…
When thinking of the best portable Bluetooth speakers the wireless audio industry has to offer, most people probably expect to pay no more than $100 for one of those super-compact models you can easily take with you wherever you go to keep you entertained with minimal fuss, minimal effort, and let’s face it, mediocre sound quality (at best).Of course, it doesn’t have to be like that, and if you’re willing to spend over $400, you can always get something like the Sonos Move 2 and absolutely blow the roof off your apartment building without wires and wall-hugging. Even better, the…
Now, in response to the concerns, Liz Reid, VP of Google Search, acknowledged that the search engine’s AI Overviews sometimes returned “odd, inaccurate or unhelpful” results.In a recent blog post, she addressed these issues and announced that Google has put in place safeguards to ensure the feature provides more accurate results that won’t go down in meme history.Reid clarified that some extreme AI Overview responses, like the suggestion that it’s safe to leave dogs in cars, are fabricated. While others, like the viral screenshot depicting the response to “How many rocks should I eat?” are genuine, she clarified that Google…
Google One VPN is going away soon. However, Pixel phone owners will still have a virtual private network, and the service will now be called “Pixel VPN by Google”. The Pixel 8, 8 Pro, and the Pixel 8a already have a built-in VPN experience. The app doesn’t use the Google One client, and you instead get the “key” status bar icon on the right. By the way, there’s also Google Fi VPN for Google Fi subscribers. This version of Pixel VPN is optimized for best performance on Pixel, and it ensures a fully integrated experience in your phone’s settings. It…
Spotify is updating its Android app to remove the border around its icon, reverting to the classic look it had before the change made five years ago.For years, Spotify’s Android app was just a simple circle featuring the Spotify logo. However, in 2019, the Swedish company added a black border around it to support adaptive icons that could change shape. It seemed logical at the time, but if your phone had circular icons, the addition of the border looked rather odd. Now that adaptive icons are less common on Android, Spotify has decided to revert the icon to its original…
Before MediaTek introduces the long-rumored Dimensity 9400, its new chipset for flagship smartphones, the Taiwanese chip maker announced two new products aimed at mid-range handsets: Dimensity 7300 and Dimensity 7300X.With the announcement of these two chipsets, MediaTek introduced a total of four new chips in just one month, which is incredible and unheard of. Although some of the chipsets announced in May aren’t yet available on the market, the first smartphones that make use of them should arrive very soon.The newly introduced Dimensity 7300 and 7300X promise to upgrade mobile gaming for traditional smartphones and foldables. Both chipsets have an…