💻 KnowTechie's Weekly Download: Issue #17 – Humane's AI pin is 🗑️
Get Tech'd Up - Your Weekly Dose of Digital Delights
Kevin Raposo
November 12, 2023
Welcome to KnowTechie’s Weekly Download. We know life gets busy, so we've compiled the most important tech stories you might have missed this week. So grab a coffee, and let’s get started! If this email was forwarded to you, click here to subscribe to the newsletter. Missed an issue? Here's an archive of past newsletters.
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Happy Sunday! So, something wild happened last week—I broke my decade-long streak of pajama professionalism and snagged myself an actual office space.
That's right, I've joined the ranks of the co-working world, and let me tell you, it's been a trip down Normal Lane.
I've rediscovered this ancient ritual where you look at strangers and mumble "good morning" as you pass by.
At first, I thought my voice might have withered away from disuse, but it turns out it's just like riding a bike—a really awkward, socially rusty bike.
But enough about my adventures in human interaction, let's plug into the world of tech news where I'm much more at home.
Here’s what we’ll be tackling today:
⚡️ Quick Tech Tip
👨💻 Product Launches
📰 News
⚒️ Tools Worth Checking Out
💰 Deals
📱Recent product launches
Humane's Ai Pin: An innovative device that combines voice commands and a wearable design. Despite its limited app ecosystem and high price point, it's an intriguing entry into the tech gadget space. Read more
Steam Deck OLED: Valve's latest version of the Steam Deck features an OLED screen, longer battery life, and improved ergonomics, although there are some issues with refresh rates and platform stability to consider. Here's what you need to know
Snap Lens Studio 5.0 Beta: The new version of Snap's AR development tool includes a ChatGPT Remote API, allowing developers to leverage ChatGPT in their Lenses for more interactive experiences. Get the details
Apple iPhone Spatial Video: A new feature that allows iPhone 15 Pro users to record spatial videos, providing an impressively realistic 3D viewing experience on the Vision Pro. Learn about it
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: Samsung's new earbuds promise reliable performance, good sound quality, and impressive noise cancellation for a reasonable price, although they lack some features like wireless charging. Check out the review
💡Quick Tech Tip💡
In an age where your online privacy is golden, there's a simple yet powerful setting you can tweak to safeguard your digital footprint: DNS over HTTPS (DoH).
What is it? DoH encrypts the requests your device makes to translate website names (like knowtechie.com) into IP addresses. Why does this matter? It prevents prying eyes from seeing what websites you visit.
How to enable it:
On your browser: Most modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) have an option in their settings to enable DoH. Look for "Security" or "Privacy" settings and find the option for "Use secure DNS."
On your smartphone: Dive into your Wi-Fi settings, tap on your network, and look for "Private DNS." You can then choose a provider or set it to "Automatic" for enhanced privacy.
Flip the switch and surf with the peace of mind that your DNS requests are wrapped in a layer of privacy.
Headlines worth checking out
Chat Website Omegle Closes: Omegle, a website where you could chat with strangers, has closed down. This happened after someone said the site's design let them be harmed online since they were 11 years old. More on this
Apple Settles for $25 Million: Apple has agreed to pay $25 million because it didn't give everyone a fair chance when hiring for certain jobs. They were accused of preferring people who were not U.S. citizens or green card holders. Find out more
New Rules for Actors' Digital Doubles: A union called SAG-AFTRA has made a deal that says movie studios must get permission before using computer-made versions of actors, tell people when they're used, and pay for them. This is big news for actors and how we see them on screen. Learn more
DP World Australia Cyberattack: Australia's second-biggest port operator got hit by hackers, which messed up the shipping of goods in and out of the country. It shows that even big companies need to protect themselves online. Details here
Tech Against Deepfakes in Politics: New rules are coming that will make it necessary for political ads that use AI to change videos to say so clearly. This is important because it helps everyone know what's real and what's been altered. Dive deeper
Cars Harvesting Personal Data: A report claims it's legal for cars to collect texts and call logs from passengers. This could be a significant privacy concern for consumers. Dive deeper
Starlink Service Issues: Starlink users express frustration over account lockouts and the lack of direct tech support, revealing challenges in customer service for the satellite internet provider. Learn more
Gmail Account Deletions: Google plans to delete millions of inactive Gmail and Drive accounts in December, a move that prompts users to keep their accounts active or risk losing their data. Learn more
iOS Sideloading Apps: Apple seems to be moving towards allowing users to sideload apps from outside the App Store, a potential shift in its traditionally closed ecosystem. Read about it
Sony’s “Slim” PlayStation 5: Sony introduces a new variant of the PlayStation 5, which is smaller in size but comes with a unique design twist that could intrigue gaming enthusiasts. Explore this
AI Noise-Canceling Headphones: A new technology for noise-canceling headphones allows wearers to selectively choose which sounds they want to hear, offering a personalized audio experience. Learn more
Fitbit Market Exit: Google is pulling Fitbit products from several markets, a move that may affect the availability of Fitbit's health and wellness devices. Learn more
💸 Deals
🛠️ Tools worth checking out
✈️ Roam Around - AI Travel Planner - Your personal AI travel guide.
📚 Affori: An AI chatbot that searches summarizes, and translates info from multiple sources to produce trustworthy research.
📖 Shortform: Read best-sellers in business and more, in a fraction of the time. And with their new AI tool, summarize everything on the internet with a single click
ℹ️ Notion AI: Streamline your productivity. It integrates notes, tasks, wikis, and databases all in one user-friendly platform, fostering collaboration and organization.
As always, my door is always open. Reply to this email and say hi. Always happy to talk shop.
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