When users open an Incognito browser on Chrome, they'll see a notification warning them that other people using their device won't be able to see their activity but that their downloads, bookmarks and reading items will still be saved. Now, Google has updated that disclaimer in Chrome's experimental Canary channel, shortly after agreeing to settle a $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking Incognito users. As first noticed by MSPowerUser, the company has tweaked the disclaimer in Canary to add language that says Incognito mode won't change how websites collect people's data.
"Others who use this device won’t see your activity, so you can browse more privately," the new disclaimer reads. "This won't change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google. Downloads, bookmarks and reading list items will be saved." The publication spotted the updated warning in Canary on Android and Windows, and we can confirm that the same language appears in the version of Chrome for Mac.
Google was hit with a lawsuit in 2020, accusing it of tracking users' activities even if they're on Incognito mode. The plaintiffs told the court that the company used tools like its Analytics product, apps and browser plug-ins to monitor users. They also argued that by tracking users on Incognito, Google was giving people the false belief that they could control the information they're willing to share. A Google spokesperson explained at the time that the mode could only hide a user's activity on the device they're using but that their information could still be collected. That's not clearly communicated in the current disclaimer for the public version of Chrome, but it looks like that could change in the near future.
Google
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-now-admits-it-could-collect-data-in-chromes-incognito-mode-103807146.html?src=rss
Apple is relaxing a key App Store rule that has long been a source of frustration to developers. The iPhone maker will allow U.S. developers to link to outside websites for in-app purchases, according to the company’s updated developer guidelines.
The change comes shortly after the United States Supreme Court rejected an appeal to reconsider a lower court ruling requiring Apple to allow developers to direct customers to alternative payment methods. The change only applies to iOS and iPadOS apps in the U.S. app stores and developers are still required to pay a commission for in-app purchases not made via the App Store.
It seems that Apple will continue to maintain tight control over payments, even under the new rules. According to a support page, developers will need approval from Apple before they can take advantage of the new rule, and app makers will only be permitted to notify users about alternative payment methods in specific ways. For example, the company’s guidelines to developers stipulate that links can only be shown in an app one time, and only in “a single, dedicated location.” App makers are also prohibited from using in-app pop-ups or mentioning outside payments in their App Store listing.
The company is also officially requiring developers to pay it a commission for purchases made outside of its App Store. The commission is set at 12 percent for developers who are part of its small business program, and 27 percent for larger developers. But, as 9to5Macpoints out, the company may have some trouble enforcing those terms.
In court documents, the company argued that it would be “exceedingly difficult and, in many cases, impossible” to collect the fees. In its messaging to developers, however, the company says that they are required to submit monthly reports, even if they haven’t processed any transactions, and that the company has the right to audit their records.
Still, the change is a significant concession for Apple, which has long been criticized for developers for App Store rules sometimes viewed as draconian and arbitrary. The company’s rule barring developers from communicating with users about alternative (and often cheaper) payment methods was a central aspect of the Epic v. Apple trial in 2021. The company had previously loosened some of these rules following the trial and a subsequent class-action lawsuit from developers. Apple also allows dating apps in the Netherlands to offer alternative payment options.
Some high profile developers who have previously run up against Apple’s App Store policies were sharply critical of the company’s latest changes. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called it a “bad-faith ‘compliance’ plan” in a post on X. He called the 27 percent fee “anticompetitive” and said that “Apple will front-run competing payment processors with their own ‘scare screen’ to disadvantage them.” He added that Epic would pursue a legal challenge to its changes in District Court.
David Heinemeier Hansson, cofounder of the Hey email app, which publicly battled with Apple over its payment policies, also slammed the changes. “Apple is going to poison the one victory Epic secured in their lawsuit so bad nobody would ever think to use it,” he wrote on X.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-updates-us-app-store-guidelines-allowing-developers-to-link-to-third-party-payments-235836357.html?src=rss
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeals filed by both Apple and Epic Games following a judge’s ruling that Apple must allow developers to offer alternative methods to pay for apps and services other than through the App Store. It did not provide an explanation as to why it refused to review either appeal, but it means the permanent injunction giving developers a way to avoid the 30 percent cut Apple takes will remain in place.
Apple made the appeal to the high court back in September of last year, requesting it review the circuit court’s decision it deemed “unconstitutional.” The case brought forward by Epic Games is the first to challenge the business model of the App store, which helps Apple rake in billions. In May 2023, Apple said that developers generated about $1 trillion in total billings through the App Store in 2022. Gaming apps sold on the App Store generate an estimated $100 billion in revenue each year.
The Supreme Court denied both sides’ appeals of the Epic v. Apple antitrust case. The court battle to open iOS to competing stores and payments is lost in the United States. A sad outcome for all developers.
While the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of Epic’s appeal that Apple has indeed broken California's Unfair Competition law, it rejected Epic’s claimthat the App store is a monopoly. In addition to declining to hear Apple’s appeal, SCOTUS also will not review Epic’s appeal that the district court had made “legal errors.”
Epic claimed that Apple violates federal antitrust laws through its business model, however, this is not an issue the high court will consider. The CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, called the appeal denial “a sad outcome” on X.
Epic Games has been front and center in the fight against Apple’s developer transaction fee policy since 2020. Other companies, including Spotify and the New York Times, are also trying to challenge app store policies on Apple and Google platforms. The Coalition for App Fairness, which consists of more than 60 companies now, believes no developers should be required to use the app store exclusively. The Epic lawsuit was just the start — problems have been piling up for Apple. Even the Department of Justice (DOJ) is reportedly considering filing an antitrust case against it. The DOJ has been conducting an investigation into whether Apple’s App Store practices have killed competition in the space.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/supreme-court-declines-appeals-from-apple-and-epic-games-in-app-store-case-192755323.html?src=rss
After a fairly long wait, Apple’s debut mixed reality headset — its first new device since the Apple Watch — is almost here. The Vision Pro launches on February 2, and to ensure it fits as well in demos as it will in real life, you’ll have to put most of an hour aside to play.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, customers who ask for a demo will have to go through face scans and the assembly of a custom Vision Pro, before sitting through a walkthrough of the interface, controls and device calibration. Apple Store employees will even scan glasses to figure out lens prescriptions for the Vision Pro. All of that could well burn through any intrigue and excitement for the headset, but at least you’ll get a meaty 25-minute demo.
If you’re planning to buy a Vision Pro in-store without trying, you maverick, you’ll still have to go through the face scans. However, you can jump through the rest of the hoops in your own time back home.
– Mat Smith
You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!
It can save farmers from frequently checking mothers.
It’s not what we expected from a camera maker, but if Canon can make an album of music to concentrate to, why can’t Nikon detect when cows are about to give birth?
Its AI monitoring system, which costs 900,000 yen per year ($6,200) for a farm with around 100 cows, consists of a security-style camera married to an AI system. It’ll ping the farmer’s phone when the system detects a calf is due. Apparently, it can detect signs exhibited by pregnant cows about five hours ahead of labor.
Federal officials said the company can bypass the ban after a redesign.
According to a letter from Masimo, the company in a patent dispute against Apple, to an appeals court judge, the latter’s latest Watches can skirt the recent import ban by removing the Blood Oxygen app from Apple Watch units sold in the US. According to 9to5Mac, this won’t affect those who already have an Apple Watch with pulse oximetry features. Apple will likely roll out a new version of the Blood Oxygen app to affected units once it resolves the patent problem.
It’s been almost a year since Microsoft launched its ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat — now just called Copilot. So it’s time to make money, of course! Like OpenAI did with ChatGPT as its popularity grew, Microsoft is launching Copilot Pro, a $20 monthly subscription that gives access to the very latest ChatGPT releases, as well as access to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and other new features.
What might be more interesting for power users, though, is Copilot GPT, a new feature that lets you tweak the AI chatbot around specific topics, including fitness and cooking. Pro users will also eventually be able to create their own Copilot GPTs.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-if-you-want-to-test-apples-vision-pro-itll-take-some-time-121510392.html?src=rss
Almost a year since Microsoft launched its ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat — which is now just called Copilot — the company is announcing its next major AI moves. First, it's launching Copilot Pro, a $20 monthly subscription that gives power users access to the latest ChatGPT releases, as well as access to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and other new features. Additionally, the Copilot iOS and Android apps are now available to everyone, following a limited launch last month.
And that's not all! Microsoft also introduced Copilot GPT, a new feature that will let you tweak Copilot around specific topics like "fitness, travel, cooking and more," according to Microsoft EVP and Windows head Yusuf Mehdi. Copilot Pro users will also be able to create their own Copilot GPTs eventually. (And yes, the name is certainly confusing, but this appears to be Microsoft's version of OpenAI's standalone GPTs.)
Microsoft says that Copilot Pro users will have access to GPT-4 Turbo at peak times starting today, and eventually they'll be able toggle between different GPT models. The subscription also grants you better AI image creation, which will be faster and deliver higher image quality, with optional landscape formatting. It's also worth noting that Copilot Pro is $20 a month per user — plan to shell out more if multiple people in your household need access.
While Copilot and Microsoft's onslaught of AI announcements throughout 2023 led to plenty of publicity — it actually made us care about poor old Bing again! — it remains to be seen if it actually ends up being useful to general users. That may explain the rush to monetize Copilot for power users so quickly. Copilot queries are expensive, both in terms of computation power and energy use, so Microsoft needs a way to actually recoup some of those costs from its most aggressive users. The company also needs to make good on its $13 billion investment in OpenAI, which gave it a 49 percent stake in the AI firm (and once again raised regulatory scrutiny).
Given how strongly linked they are, it's no wonder Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was instrumental in getting OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman re-instated as CEO, following a dramatic battle with the company's board of directors.
Alongside Copilot Pro, Microsoft says that Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now widely available to small companies with its "Business Premium" and "Business Standard" subscriptions. The pricing hasn't changed from its earlier enterprise launch, though: It's still $30 a month per person (except now you can buy between 1 and 299 seats).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-copilot-pro-is-a-20-monthly-subscription-for-advanced-ai-features-234847522.html?src=rss
Almost a year since Microsoft launched its ChatGPT-powered Bing Chat — which is now just called Copilot — the company is announcing its next major AI moves. First, it's launching Copilot Pro, a $20 monthly subscription that gives power users access to the latest ChatGPT releases, as well as access to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps and other new features. Additionally, the Copilot iOS and Android apps are now available to everyone, following a limited launch last month.
And that's not all! Microsoft also introduced Copilot GPT, a new feature that will let you tweak Copilot around specific topics like "fitness, travel, cooking and more," according to Microsoft EVP and Windows head Yusuf Mehdi. Copilot Pro users will also be able to create their own Copilot GPTs eventually. (And yes, the name is certainly confusing, but this appears to be Microsoft's version of OpenAI's standalone GPTs.)
Microsoft says that Copilot Pro users will have access to GPT-4 Turbo at peak times starting today, and eventually they'll be able toggle between different GPT models. The subscription also grants you better AI image creation, which will be faster and deliver higher image quality, with optional landscape formatting. It's also worth noting that Copilot Pro is $20 a month per user — plan to shell out more if multiple people in your household need access.
While Copilot and Microsoft's onslaught of AI announcements throughout 2023 led to plenty of publicity — it actually made us care about poor old Bing again! — it remains to be seen if it actually ends up being useful to general users. That may explain the rush to monetize Copilot for power users so quickly. Copilot queries are expensive, both in terms of computation power and energy use, so Microsoft needs a way to actually recoup some of those costs from its most aggressive users. The company also needs to make good on its $13 billion investment in OpenAI, which gave it a 49 percent stake in the AI firm (and once again raised regulatory scrutiny).
Given how strongly linked they are, it's no wonder Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was instrumental in getting OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman re-instated as CEO, following a dramatic battle with the company's board of directors.
Alongside Copilot Pro, Microsoft says that Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now widely available to small companies with its "Business Premium" and "Business Standard" subscriptions. The pricing hasn't changed from its earlier enterprise launch, though: It's still $30 a month per person (except now you can buy between 1 and 299 seats).
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-copilot-pro-is-a-20-monthly-subscription-for-advanced-ai-features-234847522.html?src=rss
Artifact, the buzzy news app from Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, is shutting down less than a year after its launch. In a note on Medium, Systrom said the app’s “core news reading” features would be online through the end of February, but that it would remove commenting and posting abilities immediately.
Besides its famous founding team, the app was known for AI-centric features as well as Reddit-like commenting and posting abilities. The app had won praise from journalists who appreciated reporter-friendly features like dedicated author pages and had been featured prominently in Apple and Google’s app stores.
But after a year of work, it seems Systrom and Krieger encountered many of the same struggles as founders of buzzynewsapps before them. “We have built something that a core group of users love, but we have concluded that the market opportunity isn’t big enough to warrant continued investment in this way,” Systrom wrote.
While he didn’t say what he might do next, Systrom’s note hinted that he may at some point take on a new AI-focused project. “I am personally excited to continue building new things, though only time will tell what that might be,” he wrote. “We live in an exciting time where artificial intelligence is changing just about everything we touch, and the opportunities for new ideas seem limitless.”
In the meantime, Artifact fans have a few more weeks to keep checking headlines before the app goes offline for good.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/instagrams-founders-are-shutting-down-artifact-their-year-old-news-app-233431390.html?src=rss
Google has announced that it will eliminate at least 17 features from its Assistant product, following news that it had laid off "hundreds" of employees from the division. The company is cutting "underutilized features" to "focus on quality and reliability, it wrote in a blog post, even though a good number of people may still rely on those functions.
"Beginning on January 26, when you ask for one of these features, you may get a notification that it won't be available after a certain date," wrote Google Assistant VP Duke Dukellis.
The company didn't specify how removing certain commands will improve Assistant, nor did it describe any specific quality and reliability problems. It did say, though, that improvements in the past were aided by user feedback, so it may have been receiving complaints about Assistant's core usability of late.
The 17 functions being removed include: accessing or managing your cookbook; using your voice to send an email, video or audio message; rescheduling events in Google Calendar with your voice; and using App Launcher in Google Assistant driving mode on Google Maps to read and send messages, make calls, and control media. It also describes what Assistant can still do related to those functions, or alternate ways of doing them. A list is here, though Google said they're just "some" of the affected features.
The company is also changing the way Assistant works on your phone. The microphone icon in the Google search bar will no longer pull up Assistant, but merely start a Google voice search, "which is its most popular use case," Dukellis wrote. The "Hey Google" hot word and power button long-press will continue to activate Assistant as before.
After laying off 12,000 people last year, Google said it planned to focus on AI in the future, so it's interesting that one of its early AI products is being pruned. Earlier today, Google confirmed that it had laid off hundreds of people from at least three divisions, including Assistant, hardware devices and core engineering.
At its October Pixel 8 event, the company announced plans to launch Assistant with Bard, a version that generates personalized answers based on events, dates and conversations stored on your phone. However, Google didn't say if that version has anything to do with cutbacks in current Assistant functionality.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-removes-underutilized-assistant-features-to-focus-on-quality-and-reliability-141141513.html?src=rss
Imagine being at a crowded convention or noisy bar and trying to have a conversation with someone across from you. It's tough enough for people with hearing to focus on what the person is saying, not to mention those with hearing loss. Assistive technology company OrCam has rolled into CES 2024 with a host of new products including a set of devices and an iPhone app designed to help those with hearing loss deal with auditory overload. The platform is called OrCam Hear and after a quick hands-on at the show in Las Vegas, I'm pleasantly surprised.
OrCam Hear consists of a pair of earbuds and a dongle that plugs into any phone, and you'll use the app to control who you want to listen to. The system listens to voices for a few seconds (via the dongle) and uses AI to create speaker profiles for each person that then allows you to "selectively isolate specific voices even in noisy environments." This targets the issue sometimes known as the "cocktail party problem" that's a challenge for hearing aids.
During a demo, my editor Terrence O'Brien and I spoke to two people whose voice profiles were already set up in the app. We stood around a table with Terrence on my right and the two company spokespeople across us about five feet away. I put the earbuds in (after they were sanitized), and the noise around me immediately sounded a little less loud and a lot more muffled.
Photo by Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
I looked at everyone around me and though I could see their lips moving, I couldn't hear anyone speaking. After OrCam's reps used the app to drag a floating circle into the ring surrounding me, I started to hear the person diagonally across me talk. And though the executive next to him was also moving his mouth, I could still only hear the voice of the person selected. Only after we moved the other speaker's icon into the ring did I start to hear them.
What impressed me more, though, was how the system handled relatively new participants like Terrence. He didn't have a profile set up in the app, and I initially couldn't hear him at all. A few seconds into the demo, though, a new circle appeared with a gray icon indicating a new "Anonymous" person had been recognized. When we dragged that into the ring, I was suddenly able to hear Terrence. This was all the more impressive because Terrence was wearing a fairly thick mask, which would have made him hard to understand any way. Yet, I was able to clearly make out what he was saying.
The OrCam Hear isn't perfect, of course. I was still able to hear the speakers as they talked, and the audio playing through the earbuds was slightly delayed, so there was a small echo. But people who have hearing loss, whom this product is designed for, aren't likely to experience that. There was also some audio distortion when the selected speakers were talking, but not so much that it impeded my comprehension.
OrCam said that the Hear platform is "currently in a technology preview phase and is expected to be shipped later in the year." Hopefully, that gives the company time to iron out quirks and make the app available on both iOS and Android, so that the assistive tech can be truly inclusive and accessible to more people.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/orcam-hear-hands-on-a-surprisingly-effective-voice-isolation-platform-for-those-with-hearing-loss-230243953.html?src=rss
Google has teamed up with more automakers to offer vehicles that come pre-installed with Google apps, the company revealed today at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Nissan, Ford and Lincoln are rolling out select models with built-in Google Maps, Assistant and Play Store — among other applications — this year, while Porsche is expected to follow suit in 2025. They're the upcoming addition to the growing list of auto brands embracing tighter Google integration, which includes Honda, Volvo, Polestar, Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac and Renault.
The company has also announced new features for cars with built-in Google apps. One of those features rolling out today is the ability to send trips users have planned on their Android or iOS Google Maps app to their cars. That way, they'll no longer need to plug in multi-stop trips on their car's Google Maps again after they've already plotted it meticulously on their phones. In addition, Chrome is making its way to select Polestar and Volvo cars today as part of a beta release, allowing users to browse websites and even access their bookmarks while they're parked. The browser will be available for more cars later this year.
Google is also adding PBS KIDS and Crunchyroll to its list of apps for vehicles to give users and their kids access to more entertainment content. And to give drivers a quick way to keep an eye on changing weather conditions, Google's built-in apps for cars now includes The Weather Channel's. It will provide users with hourly forecasts, as well as alerts and a "Trip View" radar on their dashboard, so they no longer have to check their phones. Finally, Google has announced that it's expanding its digital car keys' availability to select Volvo cars soon, allowing owners to unlock, lock and even start their cars with their Android phone.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-apps-are-coming-to-select-ford-nissan-and-lincoln-vehicles-in-2024-180007640.html?src=rss