Tag Archives: author_name|Mariella Moon

Microsoft’s Copilot AI chatbot app arrives on iOS

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A few days ago, Microsoft released a standalone Android app for Microsoft Copilot, giving you a quick way to access the AI assistant. Turns out the iOS and iPad versions weren't far behind, because they're now available from Apple's App Store. Just like in Copilot on desktop and other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, you can type in your question and wait for responses generated by artificial intelligence. In Copilot's case, you'll get responses spun by OpenAI's GPT-4, the company's latest large language model. The free version of ChatGPT, in comparison, is powered by the older ChatGPT-3.5, and you'll need to pay for ChatGPT Plus to get access to the newer model. 

In addition, Copilot on iOS has the capability to turn your words into images. That particular feature is powered by OpenAI's DALL-E 3 text-to-image AI system, which the company previously said is "significantly better" at being able to grasp the final product you want to achieve with the text prompt you type in. DALL-E 3 was also designed to be better at rendering the elements its predecessors were having trouble with, such as human hands. 

This is but the latest Copilot product Microsoft has released since it rebranded Bing Chat. The company also brought Copilot to Windows 10 and then to Windows 11, giving around a billion devices — based on the platforms' user numbers — access to the AI chatbot. With these mobile rollouts, Microsoft is expanding Copilot's reach even more, especially since the apps are free to use. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-copilot-ai-chatbot-app-arrives-on-ios-112559129.html?src=rss

Microsoft’s Copilot AI chatbot app arrives on iOS

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A few days ago, Microsoft released a standalone Android app for Microsoft Copilot, giving you a quick way to access the AI assistant. Turns out the iOS and iPad versions weren't far behind, because they're now available from Apple's App Store. Just like in Copilot on desktop and other AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT, you can type in your question and wait for responses generated by artificial intelligence. In Copilot's case, you'll get responses spun by OpenAI's GPT-4, the company's latest large language model. The free version of ChatGPT, in comparison, is powered by the older ChatGPT-3.5, and you'll need to pay for ChatGPT Plus to get access to the newer model. 

In addition, Copilot on iOS has the capability to turn your words into images. That particular feature is powered by OpenAI's DALL-E 3 text-to-image AI system, which the company previously said is "significantly better" at being able to grasp the final product you want to achieve with the text prompt you type in. DALL-E 3 was also designed to be better at rendering the elements its predecessors were having trouble with, such as human hands. 

This is but the latest Copilot product Microsoft has released since it rebranded Bing Chat. The company also brought Copilot to Windows 10 and then to Windows 11, giving around a billion devices — based on the platforms' user numbers — access to the AI chatbot. With these mobile rollouts, Microsoft is expanding Copilot's reach even more, especially since the apps are free to use. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsofts-copilot-ai-chatbot-app-arrives-on-ios-112559129.html?src=rss

Google agrees to settle $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking Incognito users

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In 2020, Google was hit with a lawsuit that accused it of tracking Chrome users' activities even when they were using Incognito mode. Now, after a failed attempt to get it dismissed, the company has agreed to settle the complaint that originally sought $5 billion in damages. According to Reuters and The Washington Post, neither side has made the details of the settlement public, but they've already agreed to the terms that they're presenting to the court for approval in February. 

When the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit, they said Google used tools like its Analytics product, apps and browser plug-ins to monitor users. They reasoned that by tracking someone on Incognito, the company was falsely making people believe that they could control the information that they were willing to share with it. At the time, a Google spokesperson said that while Incognito mode doesn't save a user's activity on their device, websites could still collect their information during the session. 

The lawsuit's plaintiffs presented internal emails that allegedly showed conversations between Google execs proving that the company monitored Incognito browser usage to sell ads and track web traffic. Their complaint accused Google of violating federal wire-tapping and California privacy laws and was asking up to $5,000 per affected user. They claimed that millions of people who'd been using Incognito since 2016 had likely been affected, which explains the massive damages they were seeking from the company. Google has likely agreed to settle for an amount lower than $5 billion, but it has yet to reveal details about the agreement and has yet to get back to Engadget with an official statement. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-agrees-to-settle-5-billion-lawsuit-accusing-it-of-tracking-incognito-users-042435935.html?src=rss

Apple’s AirTag 4-pack is just $79 right now

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A bundle of four Apple AirTags is currently on sale at Amazon for a price that's even lower than what it sold for during the website's Black Friday sale. You can get the four-pack right now for only $79, 20 percent lower than its retail price of $99 and just a few bucks more than its all-time low. It's a great buy if you've been looking to grab a few AirTags to keep track of several belongings, such as bags and suitcases that airlines could accidentally leave at your connecting airport, or your wallet and keys that you could misplace.

AirTags can link up with your iPhone and iPad in one tap, and you can use it to find the items it's tracking through the Find My app. It can help you find lost items by sending out Bluetooth signals that can be tracked by nearby Apple devices also connected to the Find My network. Since some of the top-selling phones in the world are iPhones, you'll have more than a decent chance of finding any lost belongings.

If you think the item you're tracking could be nearby, you can play a sound through the AirTag's built-in speaker so that you could easily locate it. On the latest iPhone models, you can even use the Precision Finding feature to get the direction to and know the distance between you and your AirTag. But if it has truly been lost or misplaced, you can put your AirTag in lost mode so that you can instantly get a notification when it's been detected by devices on the Find My network.

At the moment, a single AirTag will set you back $24 at Amazon, where it's also selling for 17 percent less than its retail price. It's a good deal if you really only need one AirTag, but the bundle price is unbeatable if you think you may need a few. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-airtag-4-pack-is-just-79-right-now-111042621.html?src=rss

Apple reportedly faces pressure in India after sending out warnings of state-sponsored hacking

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Indian authorities allied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi have questioned Apple on the accuracy of its internal threat algorithms and are now investigating the security of its devices, according to The Washington Post. Officials apparently targeted the company after it warned journalists and opposition politicians that state-sponsored hackers may have infiltrated their devices back in October. While Apple is under scrutiny for its security measures in the eyes of the public, the Post says government officials were more upfront with what they wanted behind closed doors. 

They reportedly called up the company's representatives in India to pressure Apple into finding a way to soften the political impact of its hacking warnings. The officials also called in an Apple security expert to conjure alternative explanations for the warnings that they could tell people — most likely one that doesn't point to the government as the possible culprit. 

The journalists and politicians who posted about Apple's warnings on social media had one thing in common: They were all critical of Modi's government. Amnesty International examined the phone of one particular journalist named Anand Mangnale who was investigating long-time Modi ally Gautam Adani and found that an attacker had planted the Pegasus spyware on his Apple device. While Apple didn't explicitly say that the Indian government is to blame for the attacks, Pegasus, developed by the Israeli company NSO Group, is mostly sold to governments and government agencies. 

The Post's report said India's ruling political party has never confirmed or denied using Pegasus to spy on journalists and political opponents, but this is far from the first time its critics have been infected with the Pegasus spyware. In 2021, an investigation by several publications that brought the Pegasus project to light found the spyware on the phones of people with a history of opposing and criticizing Modi's government. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-reportedly-faces-pressure-in-india-after-sending-out-warnings-of-state-sponsored-hacking-073036597.html?src=rss

Amazon’s Prime Video will start serving ads on January 29 unless you pay extra

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Amazon has started notifying Prime Video subscribers that they have to pay extra if they don't want their viewing experience interrupted by commercials. In an email the company has sent to customers, it said that it will start showing "limited advertisements" with its service's movies and shows starting on January 29. Those who want to keep their accounts ad-free will have to pay an extra fee of $3 a month on top of their Prime subscription or their standalone $9-a-month Prime Video membership. 

The company first announced that it was going to serve ads with its content — and that the initial regions to be affected are the US, UK, Germany and Canada — back in September. Customers in France, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Australia will have to make the decision whether to endure the advertisements it serves or pay extra by late next year. Amazon mentioned back then that it's aiming to "have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers." While "meaningfully fewer" is pretty vague, Variety said at the time that four minutes per hour seemed to be the lowest amount of ad time for a streaming platform. 

Amazon reiterated that goal in the email it sent to subscribers. It also explained that introducing ads to its service and charging more for an ad-free viewing experience will help it invest "in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time." The company told subscribers that they'll automatically start seeing ads by the end of January and linked to a website where they can pay for ad-free viewing. In an information page about the change, Amazon clarified that it will not be showing ads with rented or purchased content. It also said that Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Mariana Islands and American Samoa are excluded from the rollout for now. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-prime-video-will-start-serving-ads-on-january-29-unless-you-pay-extra-040529534.html?src=rss

Apple is reportedly looking to team up with news publishers to train its AI

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Apple has been noticeably missing in the list of companies with their own generative AI product, but based on a new report by The New York Times, it's looking to change that real soon. In recent weeks, Apple has reportedly started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to ask for permission to use their content to train the generative AI system it's developing. The company doesn't expect to get its hands on their content for free, though, and The Times says it's offering them multi-year deals worth at least $50 million for access to their news archives.

Apparently, some of the publishers it approached are concerned about the repercussions of letting Apple use their news articles throughout the years. They think a broad licensing deal for their archives could lead to legal issues along the way. The publishers are also concerned about the potential competition that may arise from Apple’s efforts.

That said, the iPhone-maker also reportedly built goodwill simply by asking them for permission and showing willingness to pay. The Times says the company’s higher-ups have been in discussion over where to get data for generative AI development for years now. Due to its commitment to privacy, they’ve been hesitating to use information collected from the internet.

Other companies with generative AIs of their own had been accused of stealing content and using it to train their products without express consent from creators and rights holders. OpenAI, for instance, is contending with several lawsuits that accuse it of using other people’s intellectual properties. One of those lawsuits was filed by novelists that include George R.R. Martin and John Grisham, while another was filed by nonfiction authors who said OpenAI and Microsoft have built a business “valued into the tens of billions of dollars by taking the combined works of humanity without permission.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-looking-to-team-up-with-news-publishers-to-train-its-ai-074348010.html?src=rss

Apple is reportedly looking to team up with news publishers to train its AI

Posted on by

Apple has been noticeably missing in the list of companies with their own generative AI product, but based on a new report by The New York Times, it's looking to change that real soon. In recent weeks, Apple has reportedly started negotiating with major publishers and news organizations to ask for permission to use their content to train the generative AI system it's developing. The company doesn't expect to get its hands on their content for free, though, and The Times says it's offering them multi-year deals worth at least $50 million for access to their news archives.

Apparently, some of the publishers it approached are concerned about the repercussions of letting Apple use their news articles throughout the years. They think a broad licensing deal for their archives could lead to legal issues along the way. The publishers are also concerned about the potential competition that may arise from Apple’s efforts.

That said, the iPhone-maker also reportedly built goodwill simply by asking them for permission and showing willingness to pay. The Times says the company’s higher-ups have been in discussion over where to get data for generative AI development for years now. Due to its commitment to privacy, they’ve been hesitating to use information collected from the internet.

Other companies with generative AIs of their own had been accused of stealing content and using it to train their products without express consent from creators and rights holders. OpenAI, for instance, is contending with several lawsuits that accuse it of using other people’s intellectual properties. One of those lawsuits was filed by novelists that include George R.R. Martin and John Grisham, while another was filed by nonfiction authors who said OpenAI and Microsoft have built a business “valued into the tens of billions of dollars by taking the combined works of humanity without permission.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-is-reportedly-looking-to-team-up-with-news-publishers-to-train-its-ai-074348010.html?src=rss

Sony won’t take away your PlayStation-bought Discovery shows after all

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If you'd previously purchased Discovery shows from the PlayStation Store, you can breathe easily now. Sony has announced that it's no longer removing shows from the network by December 31 like it had previously planned, thanks to updated licensing agreements. Earlier this month, the company said that it's pulling Discovery shows from PlayStation and is even removing any purchased title from your library due to content licensing agreements with its providers. The Discovery shows available on the PlayStation Store include MythBusters, Deadliest Catch and Cake Boss.

In all, around 1,200 titles would've been affected by the change, and you wouldn’t have gotten a refund for any of them. The announcement came shortly after Warner Bros Discovery, the owner of Discovery Channel, had revealed in an earnings report that its flagship streaming service Max lost 2.5 million subscribers over a six month period.

Both of Sony’s announcements were brief and didn’t elaborate on its licensing troubles with the network. As The New York Times said when the company published the warning that it was going to remove any Discovery show you’d purchased in the past, though, the situation raised questions about the meaning of ownership in the age of digital goods. Supposedly, buying digital would give you access to a piece of content forever, since there’s no physical medium that could break or get lost. As this incident demonstrates, that’s not true at all, and you could only hope that networks and providers never change their licensing deals.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-wont-take-away-your-playstation-bought-discovery-shows-after-all-083239866.html?src=rss

Sony won’t take away your PlayStation-bought Discovery shows after all

Posted on by

If you'd previously purchased Discovery shows from the PlayStation Store, you can breathe easily now. Sony has announced that it's no longer removing shows from the network by December 31 like it had previously planned, thanks to updated licensing agreements. Earlier this month, the company said that it's pulling Discovery shows from PlayStation and is even removing any purchased title from your library due to content licensing agreements with its providers. The Discovery shows available on the PlayStation Store include MythBusters, Deadliest Catch and Cake Boss.

In all, around 1,200 titles would've been affected by the change, and you wouldn’t have gotten a refund for any of them. The announcement came shortly after Warner Bros Discovery, the owner of Discovery Channel, had revealed in an earnings report that its flagship streaming service Max lost 2.5 million subscribers over a six month period.

Both of Sony’s announcements were brief and didn’t elaborate on its licensing troubles with the network. As The New York Times said when the company published the warning that it was going to remove any Discovery show you’d purchased in the past, though, the situation raised questions about the meaning of ownership in the age of digital goods. Supposedly, buying digital would give you access to a piece of content forever, since there’s no physical medium that could break or get lost. As this incident demonstrates, that’s not true at all, and you could only hope that networks and providers never change their licensing deals.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/sony-wont-take-away-your-playstation-bought-discovery-shows-after-all-083239866.html?src=rss