SpaceX Acquires xAI; French Cops Raid X Office in Paris; Amazon “just Walk Out’ Tech Will Survive; Firefox Will Have AI Off Switch

Posted: February 3, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

xAI has officially been acquired by SpaceX. Both companies are owned by Elon Musk. Techcrunch.com reports that at least on paper, this creates the world’s most valuable private company. xAI and X…formerly Twitter…have been bleeding cash. It is thought that Musk will eventually try to merge this new private company into Tesla. More immediately, Musk wants to create data centers in space, and launch a stunning number of satellites into space. As for revenue, xAI has been burning through a billion a month, and presently, SpaceX generates up to 80% of its revenue from launching its own Starlink satellites. 

X and its Grok AI chatbot are the bad boys of online platforms, having become a swamp of deepfake nudes and explicit images of minors. Now, benzinga.com notes that French police have raided the Paris offices of X. This is part of the ongoing criminal investigation into whether Grok was used to generate and distribute illegal content, including explicit deepfakes and Holocaust denial. The investigation into Grok AI began last month due to a rise in explicit deepfakes, including those involving children. Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino have been summoned for “voluntary interviews” scheduled for April 20. As reported by the outlet, X has not yet released a statement regarding the raid.

We reported last week that Amazon is shuttering all its grocery stores except for Whole Foods. They had some pretty cool tech, including the ‘Just Walk Out’ feature…no check stands. According to geekwire.com, the ‘Just Walk Out’ tech will survive the closures…minus the palm-scanning. Independent stores that have used Just Walk Out will now need to use a card or tap a phone to pay instead of scanning their hand. Amazon has licensed the Just Walk Out tech to some 360 locations in 5 countries. The palm scanning had been dinged by many as being too intrusive. We use biometrics on our own phones…which allegedly stays in a secure enclave on the phone…but palm scanning in various stores seemed creepy to many. 

What day would be complete without some new story about AI, the golden tech topic of the moment? Well, if you aren’t crazy about AI, or just feel…as I do…that it is not ready for prime time yet, but is being shoved at us by companies who have invested wild amounts of money into it…one organization is giving you an out. Mashable.com reports that Mozilla’s Firefox browser will be launching an AI off switch! If you have been bugged by AI ‘enhancements,’ or even actually bugged by the likes of Chrome with a pop-up imploring your to take advantage of AI in some task you don’t need any help with, this will be a real plus. In a post, Mozilla says that the AI controls will give Firefox users the ability to “block current and future generative AI features.” Starting Feb. 24, users will be able to toggle a setting called “Block AI enhancements.” Mozilla has a video out showing how the AI controls work. The Cliff’s Notes version is that you can control the AI settings for: translations, alt text in pdf’s, AI enhanced tab grouping, link previews, AI chatbot in the sidebar, and more. AI hallucination free browsing…what a concept! 

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

Apple Folding Phone-Most Battery Life; Music Publishers Sue anthropic; Ring Opens Search Party for Lost Dogs to Non-Ring Cams; A So-Called AI Mouse

Posted: February 2, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Along with numerous others, we have been following reports of Apple’s rumored folding phone, due out in September with the other iPhones. Apple is now revisiting making a ‘flip’ phone like Samsung has as a companion to the book type folder they will bow this fall. The big hype so far has been that Apple’s phones will have no visible crease on the inside screen when opened. Now, macrumors.com reports that the folding iPhone will have another major plus that all phone users crave…more battery life. Up to now The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 has had a 4400 mAh battery, and the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold has a battery capacity of 5015 mAh. Apple’s folder is rumored to have a powerful 5500 mAh battery, easily putting it at the top of the heap as far as battery life. The folding iPhone will apparently use high-density cells in the battery to get this great battery life. Besides no visible crease, and long battery life…expect the folding iPhone to have a 7.8 inch inner screen, and a 5.5 inch outside screen. It will also have Touch ID, 2 rear cams, and Apple’s own modem chip which they started using in their products last year. Rumors still have the price at around $2000 to $2200. 

A number of music publishers have teamed up to sue Anthropic…maker of the Claude AI products…for $3 billion dollars for what they describe as ‘Flagrant piracy.’ According to engadget.com, the group is lead by Concord Music Group and Universal Music Group. Anthropic is accused in the suit of illegally downloading more than 20,000 copyrighted songs, including sheet music, lyrics and compositions. These songs were then allegedly fed into the chatbot Claude for training purposes. There are some iconic tunes named by Universal in the suit, including tracks by The Rolling Stones, Neil Diamond and Elton John, among many others. Concord is an independent publisher that handles artists like Common, Killer Mike and Korn. At $3 billion, this is one of the biggest non-class action copyright cases in US history. Anthropic was already nicked to the tune of $1.5 billion in a case called Bartz v Anthropic when they cut an agreement. There has been a rising uproar about AI companies basically stealing creative material from artists and writers to train their AI models.

Nothing freaks out pet owners more than when their dog or cat gets away outside and doesn’t return. Ring has had a ‘Search Party’ feature that uses to network of cams to find lost dogs. The feature has been available to most customers, but now is available to all Ring customers in the US AND those who don’t use Ring cams. Sharing video with police may be controversial, but everyone ought to be able to get behind this. Techcrunch.com notes that Search Party uses AI to find possible matches for lost dogs across neighbors’ camera footage. When a neighbor reports a lost dog in the Ring app, nearby outdoor cameras use AI to scan for possible matches. If a match is found, that camera owner receives an alert and can optionally choose to share any related video clips with their neighbor who reported the pet missing. They’ll also have an option to call the owner or send them a message, without sharing their own phone number. So far…since launch, the Search Party feature has reunited a dog a day with their owners. 

I was looking at getting a mouse, since the trackpad on my PC laptop is getting flaky. On Amazon’s first page of results, there were wired mice starting at $6.99 and wireless ones for under $10 bucks. THEN, there’s a mouse that is ChatGPT AI compatible, takes notes, and so forth. $109! Gad, are there really people stupid enough to buy that? EVERY mouse is compatible with ChatGPT and AI.

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

Google-Accidental Peek at Android Desktop; Snap Spins off Specs AR Glasses; Rover Acquires Meowtel; Amazon Lays off 16,000

Posted: January 28, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

With the intrusiveness of Windows 11, and possible subscription-based Windows 12, a few people have been looking at alternatives. One of those is Linux…which despite several more user-friendly flavors, is still mainly being used by hobbyists and gamers. Another alternative is the very user friendly but more pricy MacOS. Actually, the OS is free…but Macs certainly aren’t…you pay that Apple premium price! Now, androidauthority.com reports that a bug has given us a peek at the AluminumOS, which is Google’s planned replacement for the ChromeOS. Ok, so Chrome is limited…here’s the deal…Aluminum merges the ChromeOS AND Android into a computer-based OS. The bug showed some screen shots, including a split screen shot with multitasking. There is a status bar and task bar similar to what you would find on Windows or a Mac. Some Google watchers are calling for Google to just work on making an Android OS that runs on PCs…THAT is something that would give Microsoft some serious heartburn!

With the success of Meta’s Ray-Ban AR glasses, and the report that Apple will be coming out with such a product late this year or early 2027, Snap has spun off its Specs AR glasses into a standalone company. According to techcrunch.com, the new company will be releasing a new consumer version of Specs this year. Snap has been working on AR glasses tech for some 10 years onwards. Specs has touted the ‘spatial nature’ of the glasses, meaning there are a lot of user experiences that can be enjoyed that aren’t possible with a phone. The spatial experience is mainly powered by the 4 cameras, which allow for hand tracking and enable the Snap Spatial Engine. Specs do run a distinct OS called the Snap OS. There is a built-in browser, AI, and the ability to run games. No word on the release date of the next gen version…or pricing. Hopefully, they will weigh less than the hefty 8 ounces the present model hangs on your face and ears!

Pet care may be the last place you think of when it comes to consolidation, but now Rover has acquired Meowtel, the cat-focused pet sitting marketplace. Geekwire.com notes that Meowtel has a network of over 4,000 cat sitters in 8,000 cities in the US. Meowtel will continue to function independently, according to the report. Rover  is the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care, connecting users with sitters, dog walkers, and trainers for services like boarding and daycare. Now, you will have to check if your pet sitter or walker is an independent operator, or part of a conglomerate!

Amazon is laying off 16,000 employees. Engadget.com reports that Amazon is calling this as an effort to make organizational changes to ‘reduce layers and remove bureaucracy.’ Affected employees in the US will be given 90 days to look for another internal role and will receive severance pay if they do not find any. Amazon just eliminated 14,000 roles back in October 2025 across its games, logistics, payment and cloud computing divisions— with the availability of AI technologies being one of the main reasons for the layoffs. Amazon employs some 1.1 million people in the US, which is down about 4% since the pandemic expansion. 

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

Samsung Galaxy Trifold-Out This Week; Google-Go From AI Overviews Right to AI Mode; Amazon Closing All Fresh & Go Stores; AI Hitting UK Jobs More Than Jobs in Other Major Countries

Posted: January 27, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Trifold goes on sale the end of this week, January 30th. Engadget.com reports that the price, expected to be $2000-$2500 has blown right past that…it will cost a rather astounding $2900! It is thicker, but gives you basically a tablet sized screen when fully opened…so the thought is, you will only need one device, and that allegedly takes some of the sting out of the high price. If mass production can bring the price down, and the screen creases have really been eliminated, this could be pretty cool in the future. By the way, like Henry Ford’s famous Model T, you can have any color you want, as long as it’s black. The Z Trifold has 512 gigs of storage. 

Google is bowing a new feature that will allow users to ask follow up questions directly from the AI overviews that now top all searches. According to techcrunch.com, users will be able to jump into a conversational back-and-forth with AI Mode. Google also announced that it is making Gemini 3 the new default model for AI overviews globally. Google says its testing shows that users prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation and that asking follow-up questions while preserving context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful. 

Amazon is closing all its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations, which amounts to 72 stores nationwide. Geekwire.com says that the online giant will focus on its Whole Foods Market stores and grocery delivery from amazon.com. The Go and Fresh stores have been something of a 10 year long experiment, with the draw of ‘just walk out,’ avoiding check stands and the wait. The Go and Fresh stores will close after February 1st. Some Fresh stores will ultimately reopen as Whole Foods locations. Amazon says it will likely come up with new retail experiments in the future. The company has reported that it is now one of the top 3 grocers in the US, which over $150 billion in sales and 150 million customers shopping for groceries per year. 

Some new research shows that AI is causing more job losses in the United Kingdom than in other major countries. Theguardian.com reports that the study was commissioned by investment bank Morgan Stanley. It shows that net job losses in the UK the last 12 months were minus 8%…and that British businesses reported an average 11.5% increase in productivity. The US businesses reported similar productivity, but actually had an increase in job creation. The jobs most likely to be cut were early career jobs…Gen Z workers are most concerned for their jobs, while end of career baby boomers seemed less concerned…and appear to be in safer positions due to knowledge and experience. The AI related job reductions have hit white collar jobs most…finance and creative industries, and professional services like law, accounting, consulting, and marketing. 

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

Microsoft Bows New AI Chip; Apple Unveils AirTag 2; EU is Probing Grok & X Over AI Deepfakes; ICE Using Phone & Web Data to Identify & Track People

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

Microsoft has bowed a new chip designed for scaling AI inference. TechCrunch. com reports that the Maia 200 chip has been technically outfitted to run powerful AI models at faster speeds and with more efficiency, that according to Microsoft. Inference refers to the computing process of running a model, in contrast with the compute required to train it. As AI companies mature, inference costs have become an increasingly important part of their overall operating cost, leading to renewed interest in ways to optimize the process. Importantly, this chip is designed to be less of a power hog. It is noted that with the new chip, Microsoft is lessening their dependence on NVIDIA. Both Google and Amazon are running some of their own chips now. 

Apple has rolled out without any fanfare the AirTag 2. The upgraded AirTags have better range, and a louder speaker. According to 9to5mac.com, the AirTag 2 has Apple’s 2nd gen Ultra Wideband chip..which is already in the iPhone 17 handsets, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11. It will work 50% further away than the older AirTag. You will be able to use Precision Finding on Apple Watch 9 and newer as well as the Watch Ultra 2 or later to find an Air Tag. The tiny speaker is also 50% louder. The AirTag 2 is available for order today, and ships this week. Pricing is the same as before, $29 for one, and $99 for a 4 pack. You can still get free personalization.

The EU is investigating X and Grok because they have failed to take action to stop the spread of AI generated sexually explicit images…including child sexual abuse material. Engadget.com says the probe could result in ‘further enforcement steps’ against X. The EU has already fined X $140 million. X did put out a statement regarding X and Grok, claiming “We remain committed to making X a safe platform for everyone and continue to have zero tolerance for any forms of child sexual exploitation, nonconsensual nudity and unwanted sexual content.” 

ICE is using a couple of programs to track people in entire neighborhoods and monitor people on social media. Minnesota Public Radio reports that ICE is using Tangles to scrape sites like X and Bluesky, but are also using that tool in conjunction with Webloc. They can add people to a watch list so they are alerted every time a person posts something. If you are going to a protest area, whether to protest or to film, turn off location services on your phone. the camera will still work. Also, turn off Bluetooth. The Danish intelligence service has found that the US can use the ‘instant pairing’ feature that Google and Apple have…instead of having to key in a code like you used to…to pair with your phone and get your data. Just a word to the wise. 

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

Apple-5 All New Products Coming; Musk Aiming to Take SpaceX Public; YouTube Working to Curb ‘AI Slop’; OpenAI Will Ship 1st Hardware in 2026

Posted: January 21, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It’s unusual for Apple to release more than one new product in a year, but this year will be a banner one for Cupertino. The Apple folks are reportedly going to bow 5 all-new products this year. Macrumors.com reports that most of these have been rumored for some time. At any rate, they include a smart home hub with screen (honestly, mockups look like a HomePod with an iPad attached), a FaceID doorbell, a cheaper MacBook with an A18 chip borrowed from the iPhone line, a folding iPhone, and…this one seems like the fabled ‘one more thing’ of the Jobs era…augmented reality glasses. While the latter may not make it out until 2027, Apple will likely show them off this year. It’s expected they will be similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses…and like the latest of those, they will have in-lens display. 

We just reported that Anthropic, makers of Claude, plans an IPO this year. Now, Elon Musk has flipped, and will try to do an IPO of SpaceX this year, with the specific intent to beat Anthropic’s public offering, and also Google, which wants to build space based data centers. According to engadget.com, this rush has to do with Musk wanting to build AI data centers in space. Google recently announced it was looking into putting a data center in space, with test launches scheduled for 2027. Musk reportedly wants to beat his rival to the punch, but SpaceX would need the billions of dollars in capital that an IPO would deliver. Putting a giant center in space isn’t cheap. Musk wants to complete the IPO by July. 

Right now, over a million YouTube channels are using AI tools daily. Now, variety.com says that YouTube’s chief Neal Mohan has announced that the platform is taking steps to minimize the spread of low-quality AI content — aka “AI slop.” Mohan did note that later this year, “you’ll be able to create a Short using your own likeness,” as well as produce games with a text prompt and experiment with music. The YouTube chief continued, writing  “Throughout this evolution, AI will remain a tool for expression, not a replacement.” 

OpenAi is apparently getting set to ship their first product this year, and it will likely be ear buds. You may recall that we reported earlier that OpenAI had acquired Jony Ive’s startup io. Well now, techcrunch.com reports that the hardware may ship in the last half of this year. We do know that the device won’t have a screen and will be pocket sized. For now, the gadget is code-named ‘Sweet Pea.’ It is expected the design will be quite unique compared to most existing ear buds. They will run on a custom 2 nanometer processor and handle AI tasks locally instead of sending requests to the cloud. OpenAI has talked to both China’s Luxshare, and also to Taiwan’s Foxconn. They plan to ship 40-50 million units of the gadget.

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

Week Long Phone Battery Life Coming?; Apple Dynamic Island-Tiny Size and Moved; Sony TV Biz Spun to TCL; Sequoia Invests in Anthropic, Despite Also Backing OpenAI

Posted: January 20, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

It sounds like a dream come true for power users, or for those who just always forget to charge their phones. A 10,000 mAh battery is about to be shoehorned into a smartphone. Androidpolice.com reports that maker Realme has announced that it will put such a horse of a battery into its upcoming P4 Power phone. The phone is 8.5mm thick and weighs 215 grams, so the more powerful battery hasn’t really meant a giant brick shoved in your pocket. What Realme has done is use a 10% silicon anode in the battery and used a clever stacking system for components, making for maximum available space in the phone for the battery. While it may not give power users a whole week of use without plugging in, it will be close. Androidpolice.com noted that the OnePlus 15 has a 7300mAh battery and that lasts 3 to 4 days on a charge. It will be a nice breakthrough to see this phone out…and logically, to see similar tech show up in market leaders Samsung and Apple. Even making it 5 days through the work week without having to remember to charge will be huge.

There have been reports all year that the next iPhone will see a smaller ‘Dynamic Island.’ Now, according to apple insider.com, tipster Jon Prosser claims the iPhone 18 Pro could not only see the island and front cam shrink in size, but also but also move to the top left corner from the top center of the screen. In addition, Prosser joins others in saying that the iPhone 18 Pro will use an under display Face ID system. This will allow for more useable front screen area, without the clutter from cameras, etc. When the Dynamic Island expands for a notification or the like, it will grow to the right, but not down as the present one does…so again, leaving you more clean screen area. 

Sony was the market leader in TVs and home entertainment for years. Lately, you would be hard pressed to see a Sony TV in any big box store or ads online. Now, the verge.com says Sony is spinning off its TV business to a joint venture with TCL. In the deal, TCL will hold a 51% stake. The company will still use the Sony and Bravia branding. A deal is supposed to be finalized by the end of this quarter. Sony has retained an aura of a premium brand, but TVs have become commoditized to the point that they have really been eclipsed by a number of other brands. 

In an unusual departure, investment firm Sequoia Capital is pumping a bunch of cash into Anthropic, maker of the Claude AI. Techcrunch.com reports that investment firms have generally avoided backing competing companies in the same area, a Sequoia already has money in both OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI. In the case of being in those two AI startups that compete, it is notable that Sequoia already had ties to both Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and with Elon Musk. Anthropic is shooting to raise $350 billion in this funding round. Again, massive money is being pumped into AI, as we have noted here…with minuscule returns or no returns. For its part, Anthropic is allegedly planning an IPO this year. 

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

Post AI World- Rant Clark Reid Tech Report Commentary

Posted: January 19, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

A subscriber commented that I do a lot about AI and much is— or seems repetitive. I replied to him…’no kidding’  I have touched on this here, but will elaborate a bit more now. My son in IT and I have had many conversations about AI. Both of us think it is an enormously hyped bubble. 

I have read a number of other folks who report on AI who think the same. There is a serious dot com bubble vibe to all this. Billions…maybe into the trillions…have been pumped into generative AI, and so far the returns have been puny. This may be the year…or maybe next year…that the big money people decide to pull the plug. We just reported a few days ago how some large PC makers are really disappointed about sales of AI capable PCs. The public just doesn’t see all that much value in it.

Can it be useful? Certainly. I have a granddaughter that is halfway through engineering school who uses it. She built a resume with ChatGPT, then had it do mock interviews with her. She got a good summer internship that will probably lead to a good job when she graduates. Her Mom uses it in her work a bit, but it’s just a tool that can do some things more quickly so far. Those are good uses, indeed. Some lawyers are finding it useful in drafting pleadings quickly. Most use Anthropic’s Claude. A few early on found out the hard way that the generative AI sometimes makes up cases or statutes, so even if it drafts a petition or response in 2 to 5 minutes…you will need to spend an hour or two double-checking the citations. It still saves a ton of time in this case. Now, Lexis has introduced an AI product for attorneys…I just got a snipe ad from them.

Super intelligence? One of the creators of Large Language Models left OpenAI to start his own startup. He has been joined by Jeff Bezos as Co-CEO. We reported on this here recently. He said upon leaving that generative AI is a dead end and he is going to try to figure out another way to get to super intelligence. The head of Meta’s AI has just left, too…and he also said AI isn’t going to become super intelligent and is a dead end. 

So the net is, in my view, generative AI will be a good tool and can be a time saver for people…but as for it being embedded in robots that will displace millions of jobs…nope. It isn’t going to have that capability, no matter how much Big Tech tries to will it to do so. Perhaps the next big thing will do those things…time will tell. Meanwhile, citizens, workers, bosses, and politicians had better be figuring out a way to pay a good living to all the people in the country after the next big thing and robotics displace much of the workforce. The folks in power love having more money and power, and are fine with regular people having next to nothing…BUT…a number of them understand that they don’t want to be on the receiving end of modern day mobs with pitchforks and torches coming for them. The time is now to figure out how to make this work. Even Elon Musk…who is no genius, except at buying up companies that are going somewhere and convincing the masses that he is a rocket scientist…when actually he just employs them…understands that people can’t just be displaced. He has said that in the future, no one will have to worry about money to live on…but has offered no specifics. Again…time to get thinking about this, billionaires and politicians.

I’m Clark Reid, and you aren’t ‘Technified’ now, but perhaps stimulated to ponder our post AI and robotic inhabited world. 

Gemini Personal Intelligence for Email & Photos; YouTube Bows Way for Parents to Block Kids from Shorts; Amazon Testing Superstore; Tesla Self-Driving Switches to Subscription

Posted: January 14, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

Big Tech’s AI continues to push into all aspects of our computer lives, and now Google’s new Personal Intelligence will scan your email, photos, and apps to gain context for answers…IF you let it. Zdnet.com reports that the Personal Intelligence system is off by default. Personal Intelligence is new branding, but Google’s Gemini 3 is the core of it all. If you switch it on, it will pull details from your email and photos that could be useful in answering a question. Apple Intelligence does much the same…and IT will now have Gemini to help it to bulk up and do better at answering questions. 

YouTube is adding to parental controls. Now, Moms and Dads will be able to block kids from watching Shorts, or just limit the amount of time. According to TechCrunch.com, parents will also have the capability to set custom Bedtime and Take a Break reminders for their kids. In addition, since is can be a hassle to switch from your adult account to the kid account, YouTube says it will update the sign-up experience within the app to make it easier for parents and kids to toggle between their accounts with just a few taps… of course, that requires the parent or child to actually remember to make the switch.

Amazon has experimented with small stores and heavy automation, including just walk out pay systems that allow a person to pick up the goods and go…with their card being charged as they leave. Now, Amazon is going for Walmart, with a planned superstore in the Chicago area…it’s 229,000 square feet. Geekwire.com notes that Amazon says the store will offer fresh groceries, household essentials, and general merchandise, making it convenient for customers to shop a broad selection of items in one trip. That very much sounds like a Walmart super store or a Costco. Even with all the online shoppers Amazon has, data indicates that some 93% of their online customers still shop at a physical Walmart. 

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving option is no more as a purchase. Elon Musk announced on X that from now on, it will strictly be subscription beginning February 14th. Engadget.com reports that no pricing was announced…although up to now the subscription has been $99 a month or $999 a year. The shift could be advantageous for buyers, particularly if they decide to dump their new Tesla or trade it in. It will also allow prospective owners to hedge their bets, as Tesla has overpromised on the feature since it was first announced. Even the name is hype…it has never been, and isn’t now really ‘full self-driving.’

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

Google Gemini Will Power Apple’s Siri; Amazon-97% of Its Devices Run Alexa+; Anthropic Bows Version of Coding AI for Regular People; Meta will Cut 10% of Reality Labs

Posted: January 13, 2026 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

We have reported on this for months…Apple has been shopping around, but mainly talking to Google…as they plan to drop ChatGPT which hasn’t worked well to beef up the ailing Siri. Now, it’s official…Macrumors.com reports that Cupertino has signed a multi-year deal with Google which will have Gemini help power a more personalized version of Siri, and also support a range of Apple Intelligence features that are in the pipeline. Note that everything will still run on Apple’s Private Cloud servers or your local device, so you won’t have more of your info basically uploaded to the world. The upgraded Siri should be out in March or April…about a year later than Apple originally promised. I don’t have high expectations about a more personalized Siri…I’d just like it to actually work decently…with any luck, adding some Google AI brainpower will make Siri at least somewhat competent.

Backwards compatibility is a beautiful thing…it’s a big pain …to say nothing of expense…when tech companies put out something and it won’t run on any of your gear. According to techcrunch.com, Amazon says its Alexa+ AI platform will run on 97% of the devices they have ever shipped. That is a lot of devices…about 600 million! Alexa+ offers more expressive voices, access to world knowledge similar to other AI assistants, and AI agents that perform tasks on behalf of the customer — like calling an Uber or ordering food. The company has been steadily rolling out access to the AI platform, with more than 1 million Alexa customers gaining access by last June, and now, “tens of millions” can opt in to upgrade to the AI assistant. Amazon hasn’t given an exact timeline for when it will be open to everyone…right now they are focused on making it available to all Prime members. 

Here’s a concept…a coding AI made for ‘regular people.’ That’s what Anthropic, maker of the Claude AI says they are putting out. Engadget.com says Anthropic is calling the feature Claude Cowork, and they claim it is “a simpler way for anyone — not just developers — to work with Claude.” After you give the system access to a folder on your computer, it can read, edit or create new files in that folder on your behalf. As examples of what it might do for you, they say you could ask Claude to organize your downloads folder, telling it to rename the files contained within to something that’s easier to parse at a glance. Another example: you could use Claude to turn screenshots of receipts and invoices into a spreadsheet for tracking expenses. Cowork can also navigate websites — provided you install Claude’s Chrome plugin. Anthropic touts the fact that “Cowork is designed to make using Claude for new work as simple as possible. You don’t need to keep manually providing context or converting Claude’s outputs into the right format,” the company said. “Nor do you have to wait for Claude to finish before offering further ideas or feedback: you can queue up tasks and let Claude work through them in parallel.” 

Meta is going to whack its Reality Labs division, cutting about 10% of the some 15,000 staffers there. Geekwire.com notes that this is the division that Mark Zuckerberg dumped a fortune into in creating the Metaverse…a virtual, imaginary space where your avatar could live and work. That has been a big dud, but the Reality Labs folks do also work with the VR headsets, so there could be some effects felt there by the layoffs. Meta employs about 78,000 worldwide. 

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

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