Google Maps Gets AI Boost

Google Maps Gets AI Upgrade

Google has announced that it is trying out generative AI within Google Maps as a way for users to discover new places based on their questions.  How?  What Google means is that if users, for example, are visiting a town or city, they can simply tell Google Maps what they’re looking for and AI will…

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Apple Tests Contingent Pricing To Retain Developers

Apple-Contingent-Pricing

To keep its App Store appealing to developers after they gain the right to distribute apps through their own channels when the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) comes into force, Apple is introducing a pilot test of “contingent pricing.”  This means that developers can bundle subscriptions for two apps at a discounted price in the…

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New Feature To Declutter Your Gmail Inbox

New Gmail Feature

Included in a recent major update to Google’s Gmail on Android (for now), a new feature can help users to declutter and remove annoying spam from their inbox.  Select All Option  The new feature (currently being rolled out) enables users to use a “Select all” tick box that appears above (top left) in the inbox (on the…

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Cyborgs One Step Closer 

Cyborgs Getting Closer

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have reported making a two-legged “biohybrid robot” after combining an artificial skeleton with biological muscle, which can walk and pivot underwater.  Biohybrid  Whereas ‘typical’ biohybrid robots can only move in straight lines or perform large turns (making them unsuitable for use in areas with many obstacles), the Tokyo University biohybrid robot…

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New Yahoo & Google Guidelines For Bulk Emails 

Bulk Email Guidelines

With newly expanded Google and Yahoo guidelines for high-volume emailers coming into force from the 1st of February, we look at what needs to be done to comply.  Why? As Google says about the reason for the new guidelines: “we’ll require bulk senders to authenticate their emails, allow for easy unsubscription and stay under a reported…

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Copilot Product Update – Some Pros And Cons

Copilot Updates

Following Microsoft’s recent announcement that it is expanding its Copilot product line-up to appeal to a larger range of businesses, we take a look at what this means and some of the stand-out pros and cons.  Copilot  In November last year, Microsoft, a major investor in AI through its partnership with OpenAI (ChatGPT’s creators) announced…

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Apple Makes EU Concessions To Avoid Antitrust Fine

Apple Antitrust

It’s been reported that The European Commission is now seeking feedback from Apple’s rivals and customers over concessions agreed by Apple relating to its tap-and-go mobile payment systems, based on the independent technology called Near-Field Communication (NFC).  Following an antitrust investigation and the threat of a fine, Apple had agreed to open up these systems…

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‘Only’ Double IT Spending Growth (To $5 Trillion)

5 Trillion Global IT Spend

New research from Gartner has predicted that global IT spending this year will reach $5 trillion and IT spending growth will be more than double that of 2023.  A First – Spending More On IT Than Communications  In its IT spending forecast, Gartner predicts that the massive $5 trillion global spend means that spending on…

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New Certification For Copyright Compliant AI 

Certification for AI

Following many legal challenges to AI companies about copyrighted content being scraped and used to train their AI models (without consent or payment), a new certification for copyright-compliant AI has been launched.  The Issue  As highlighted in the recent case of the New York Times suing OpenAI over the alleged training of its AI on…

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Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Warning To Gamers

Hearing-Loss-For-Gamers

A new review of existing research, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), warns that video gamers who are listening to high-intensity sound levels for long periods of time may be risking permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.  Overlooked Area  Whereas headphones, earbuds, and music venues have been recognised as sources of potentially unsafe sound levels,…

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