Tag Archives: Software

Google apps are coming to select Ford, Nissan and Lincoln vehicles in 2024

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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

Apple tells developers not to call their AR or VR apps AR or VR apps

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With Apple's Vision Pro VR/AR headset set to go on sale on February 2, we're starting to see more details about the app requirements. For example, the company has released guidelines for visionOS developers planning to release apps and there's one strange caveat. It would rather developers don't use the terms AR and VR when referring to Vision Pro apps, but rather call them "spatial computing apps," according to the developer page spotted by 9to5Mac. 

"Spatial computing: Refer to your app as a spatial computing app. Don’t describe your app experience as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR), or mixed reality (MR)," the company states. The headset itself should be called "Apple Vision Pro" with three uppercase words, while "visionOS begins with a lowercase v, even when it’s the first word in a sentence." The terms should never be translated or transliterated, Apple added. 

Given that they're definitely going to be AR and VR apps built for an AR/VR headset, Apple may want to differentiate its own offerings so that consumers don't confound apps for other VR/AR headsets, particularly Meta's Quest 3, with its own. At the same time, Apple has used those terms extensively to describe the headset, with CEO Tim Cook calling Vision Pro an "entirely new AR platform" when it launched at WWDC 2023. 

In the same document, Apple asked developers to indicate if their AR/VR, er, spatial computing apps contain movements like quick turns or sudden changes in camera perspective. That way, the product page will show a badge to warn users. It also described the use of privacy labels and game controllers. As mentioned, the Apple Vision Pro headset arrives on February 2 for $3,495 — a price likely to attract only highly motivated buyers. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-tells-developers-not-to-call-their-ar-and-vr-apps-ar-or-vr-apps-085136127.html?src=rss

Duolingo lays off contractors as it starts relying more on AI

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Duolingo has cut 10 percent of its contractors and using AI tools to handle the tasks they used to do, Bloomberg reports. "We just no longer need as many people to do the type of work some of these contractors were doing," a spokesperson told the news organization without saying what they did for the company exactly. "Part of that could be attributed to AI." 

As Bloomberg notes, Chief Executive Officer Luis von Ahn told shareholders in November that the company is using AI to create new content, such as scripts, "dramatically faster." Duolingo also relies on AI to generate the voices users hear in-app. The company previously released customer-facing AI features, as well. Last year, it introduced a premium tier called Duolingo Max that gives subscribers access to a chatbot that can explain why their responses were correct or incorrect. Another Max feature called Roleplay lets subscribers practice their language skills in made-up scenarios, like ordering food in a Parisian cafe. 

The rise of modern generative AIs over the past couple of years brought to surface society's fear of losing jobs to technology. In this case, no full-timers were affected by the job reductions, and the spokesperson said it's not a sign that it's straight up replacing its workers with artificial intelligence. A lot of the company's full-time employees and contractors are apparently using AI tools to accomplish certain tasks in their work.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/duolingo-lays-off-contractors-as-it-starts-relying-more-on-ai-060331602.html?src=rss

Belkin’s Stand Pro iPhone dock uses Apple’s DockKit to track you around a room

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Just days before CES 2024 officially kicks off, Belkin has debuted a new wireless charging dock that can perform a neat trick: it can swivel and tilt to track you while you move around a room. The Auto-Tracking Stand Pro does that by being the first device to exploit Apple's DockKit framework that allows it to connect directly to an iPhone without the need for a third-party app, according to the company. 

The Stand Pro uses motorization to swivel 360 degrees around its base, while tilting up to 90 degrees on the MagSafe arm. Once you attach an iPhone 12 or newer, it pairs to the base via NFC and works with any camera app including FaceTime, Instagram and Microsoft Teams. Then, when you're on a conference call or doing social media, it'll automatically move the phone around to keep you in frame — much like DJI's Osmo Pocket 3. 

Belkin's latest iPhone dock can swivel and tilt to track you around a room
Belkin

Oh, and it's also a charger, supporting up to 15 watts wireless fast charging when plugged into the wall (it can also run on battery power for about five hours use). It's easy to disable tracking via a button so that it doesn't follow you around like a lunatic when you just want to charge, and an LED shows whether tracking is currently active. 

The $180 Stand Pro isn't the first motorized tracker out there, as my colleague Richard Lai pointed out, and it certainly isn't the cheapest. However, Belkin claims it's the first to integrate Apple's DockKit developer SDK, so we may see similar products in the future. The product is now on Belkin's store, but there's no word yet on availability. 

BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Stand
Belkin

Belkin also launched a number of other chargers at CES 2024. One that's bound to be popular is the $150 BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Magnetic Stand (now in stock) upgraded with the latest Qi2 charging standard. As with the previous version, it lets you charge your iPhone, Watch Series 7 or later and wireless earbuds at the same time. The company also announced the new Qi2-powered BoostCharge Pro Magnetic Power Bank starting at $40 for the 2,500 mAh version. 

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/belkins-stand-pro-iphone-dock-uses-apples-dockkit-to-track-you-around-a-room-095605017.html?src=rss

Microsoft Teams finally coming to Android Auto, nearly a year after being announced

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Microsoft Teams is finally coming to Android Auto — an app that allows Android phones to connect to the car’s pre-existing infotainment system — next month, nearly a year after being announced by Google at I/O 2023. This is according to a Microsoft 365 roadmap that details future releases.

While the app launches in February, we still don’t have too many details regarding how it’ll be used. Microsoft has stated that you’ll be able to “join meetings and make calls” from the calendar view. There’s no information as to whether or not it’ll integrate with messages from the service or engage in some of the other Teams-specific features, like file and data collaboration. Of course, driving down a highway is probably not the best time to be fiddling with random work files.

Neither Microsoft or Google have offered up any information as to why Teams took so long to release for Android Auto. Google also announced Android Auto integration for Zoom and Webex at I/O 2023. Both software suites launched on the platform back in September. Android Auto also recently got apps by The Weather Channel and YouTube. The platform even offers games for passengers or when the car is parked, including a version of Solitaire and a simple racing game called Beach Buggy Racing 2.

Google says Android Auto currently integrates with 200 million cars, so the addition of Microsoft Teams is certainly a welcome one. Meanwhile, the company has also suggested that the adoption rate of Android Automotive — the similarly named but distinct product which is, unlike the Android Auto app, a full-fledge infotainment operating system — has exploded in the past year, as automobile manufacturers have begun to phase out internal infotainment systems in favor of Google’s operating system. Companies like Chevrolet, Volvo, Polestar, Honda, Renault and even GM have all announced the adoption of Google’s platform.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-teams-finally-coming-to-android-auto-nearly-a-year-after-being-announced-181847262.html?src=rss

Google has started disabling third-party cookies for Chrome users

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Google has just disabled third-party cookies for one percent of Chrome users, years after it first introduced its Privacy Sandbox project. The company announced late last year that it will kick things off by disabling cookies for a random one percent of Chrome users globally on January 4. Chrome owns more than half of the worldwide browser market share, and according to Gizmodo, that means Google has killed cookies for 30 million users. 

People included in this rollout will see a notification when they launch their browser telling them they're one of the first to experience Tracking Protection. It also explains that Tracking Protection limits sites from using third-party cookies to track them as they browse. Since this rollout is bound to break a few websites that have yet to adapt to a change that will affect most people who go on the internet, Google will allow users to temporary re-enable third-party cookies. They can do so by clicking on the eye icon that's now on their browser bar to toggle off the new feature. 

Google's Privacy Sandbox initiative, just like its name implies, was designed to be an alternative to cookies that will allow advertisers to serve users ads while also protecting their privacy. It assigns users to groups according to their interests, based on their recent browsing activities, and advertisers can use that information to match them with relevant ads. The system is supposed to be less invasive than cookies — all data and processing take place on the device itself, and Google says it will store user interests for three weeks. The project has caught the attention of regulators over concerns that it will make the company even more powerful than it already is. But if all goes well, Google will continue rolling out Tracking Protection over the next few months until it has disabled third-party cookies for all Chrome users by mid-2024. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-has-started-disabling-third-party-cookies-for-chrome-users-060955481.html?src=rss

Opting into ‘link history’ on Facebook and Instagram means agreeing to (more) ad targeting

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If you’re active on Facebook or Instagram, you might have noticed prompts about a setting called “link history.” The feature allows users to keep track of all of the links they visit via Facebook and Instagram’s in-app browsers.

According to Meta, the feature allows users to ensure they “never lose” a link. “Easily get back to recent links you’ve visited with your Facebook browsing activity now saved in one place,” an in-app notification about the feature says.

But, as Gizmodo points out, the feature also gives Meta a convenient way to improve its targeted advertising, which has taken a hit following Apple’s crackdown on app tracking. “Keep in mind that when link history is on, we may use link history information from Facebook’s Mobile Browser to improve your ads across Meta technologies,” the company notes in a support article.

Instagram has a similar feature, which keeps tabs on links users visit via the app’s browser. Though it seems many users are just now discovering the settings, a Meta spokesperson confirmed the features began rolling out last summer.

Though link history is not enabled by default, it’s the kind of setting many people may opt into without giving much thought, especially because the company markets it as a way to avoid “losing” links. That’s sparked concern among some privacy advocates who worry Meta is using increasingly sneaky ways to gather data about users’ online activity.

The good news, however, is that it’s easy to double check if you have link history enabled, and opt-out if you do.

On Facebook, users will need to open a link from within the app and tap on … menu to open the settings from the in-app browser. Then, look for the “link history” toggle. If it’s on, you’ll need to turn it off, and then confirm via the pop-up that you want it disabled.

How to disable the
Screenshots via Facebook

The process on Instagram is pretty much the same: Head to the in-app browser’s settings, look for “link history” and confirm your choice.

Of note, though both apps will immediately delete your link history from their respective apps, Meta says it can take up to 90 days “to complete the deletion process.” This means your previous browsing activity could still play a role in your targeted ads for several weeks after you’ve disabled link tracking.

Of course, the company still has numerous other ways of tracking your online activity, so opting out of link history alone won’t be enough to fully take back control of your data. Privacy conscious ad-haters who live in the European Union, however, do have another option, though it may be even less appealing. Meta recently began offering the ability for EU users to opt out of Facebook and Instagram ads entirely, in exchange for a rather hefty monthly fee.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/opting-into-link-history-on-facebook-and-instagram-means-agreeing-to-more-ad-targeting-003746719.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

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