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.

Here’s what you can expect from today’s newsletter

• 📰 This week’s headlines

• 📢 Giveaway winners

• 💰 Deals

• ⚙️ Tools

^{_{A MESSAGE FROM THE RUNDOWN}}

Get smarter on AI.

What’s the secret to staying ahead of the curve in the world of AI? Information. Luckily, you can join early adopters reading The Rundown– the free newsletter that makes you smarter on AI with just a 5-minute read per day.

Sign up with one click



Hi ,

It’s Sunday, and it’s been a busy week for tech news, so we have much to cover. Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today.

🇨🇳 Microsoft's waving red flags about China meddling in elections with some AI hocus-pocus.

🔐 Disney+ is playing hardball over password sharing, while Twitter repaints its blue checkmark system.

💻 Google's exploring paid AI-search results, raising some digital eyebrows! Apple is cooking up some AI-robots for your home.

🤷‍♂️ Amazon "Just Walk Out" tech wasn’t tech at all, but rather people crammed in a room stalking shoppers as they put items in their shopping cart.

⚡️ Tesla is now eyeing robotaxis (again), and this time, it’s totally real—not Elon trying to gas up Tesla’s stock price.

Buckle up, folks; here's your weekly tech rundown! 🚀

^{_{NEWSLETTERS WE READ}}

📰 This week in tech 📰

Google stored your incognito data, now they’re being forced to delete it

Google has to wipe out a crazy number of data points they collected from users who thought they were off the grid in Incognito mode.

It turns out that even though you were browsing in Incognito mode, your data still had a one-way chat with Google’s servers.

Thanks to a class action lawsuit, they’re now being forced to delete all said data - KnowTechie

• ⚖️ The decision was part of a settlement resulting from a lawsuit where consumers claimed Google was dishonest about privacy in Incognito mode.

• 💾 Despite users being in Incognito mode, certain data points continue to be sent to Google's servers.

• 👥 Plaintiffs in the lawsuit felt deceived as they believed their online activity wasn't being tracked at all in Incognito mode.

• ❌ The terms of the settlement involved no direct payment to the class-action plaintiffs.

• 🏛️ Despite this settlement, individual plaintiffs with specific losses can still sue Google separately.

• 👁️ The court denied Google's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit in 2021, finding that Google didn't inform users about the data collection in private browsing mode.

Apple is reportedly developing AI robots for your home

Apple is reportedly taking steps into the world of home robots, with a personal bot equipped with an interactive screen that moves autonomously throughout the home – KnowTechie

• 💡 This project, still in its infancy, raises challenges such as how the bot's screen or 'head' will function for uses such as FaceTime and recognizing people.

• 🧹 If successful, Apple's robot will join the ranks of existing home robots like iRobot's Roomba.

• 🚘 Apple's push into home robots comes following the company’s decision to drop its electric vehicle project.

• 🤔 Engineering challenges and consumer price concerns have been raised, particularly related to balance issues caused by the display's weight on the robot's motor.

• 💭 Rumors also abound that Apple is developing its own AI technology akin to ChatGPT, potentially enhancing Siri's capabilities.

• 💰 Speculations about the potential cost of an Apple home robot are high, given the hefty price tag of the company's recent Vision Pro headset launch.

Google may start charging for AI-driven search results: A company first

Would you pay real money to use Google’s search engine? Yea, me neither. Nonetheless, the company behind the popular search engine is considering charging users for a service that’s not even close to being finished – KnowTechie

• 💰 Google is reportedly considering the idea of charging users for a service that utilizes generative AI tools in its search engine results.

• 🚀 Google has traditionally relied solely on advertising revenue since its launch in 2000.

• 🧪 Google has already begun experimenting with paid AI services, introducing AI premium tiers to Google One and Google Workspace subscriptions.

• 🤖 These premium tiers provide access to Google's advanced Gemini Ultra AI assistant for tasks like summarizing reports and writing assistance.

• 🆓 While Google's Gemini AI model is accessible to non-subscribers, the free version is less performant.

• ❗ The potential of more paid search results in the standard search experience to incentivize subscriptions could be a concern for users.

Other headlines you may have missed

China will use AI to disrupt elections in the US, South Korea and India, Microsoft warns
^{_{THIS CAN’T BE GOOD}}

According to Microsoft, China might use AI to meddle in the elections of other countries, including the US, South Korea, and India, following initial attempts made during Taiwan's presidential election.

Elon Musk Leads America’s Top Tax-Dodging CEOs
^{_{CAPTAIN AMERICA DOESN’T PAY HIS TAXES}}

This study reveals a link between high CEO pay and corporate tax evasion, with top executives at some companies earning more than the companies pay in taxes.

Microsoft is planning an Xbox Series X refresh for 2024
^{_{ANOTHER ONE}}

In response to the upcoming PlayStation 5 Pro, Microsoft is rumored to be planning an Xbox Series X refresh, incorporating features from both the Xbox Series X and Series S models.

🎁 Giveaways

Congrats to our Grenco Science giveaway winners, Frank Jung, Lin Pieper, and Rachel Mauffray. We hope you don’t forget us after trying your new gravity bong, vape, and e-nail – because, you know, short-term memory loss from all that 420 🔥💨 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ am I right?

Also, a shoutout to our HP Sprocket giveaway winners, Aleksandar Malamski and Justin Sparks. We hope you enjoy your new photo printer.

For the rest of you, keep an eye out for our next official giveaway. We’re cooking something special, so we hope to announce that next week. In the meantime, feel free to enter any of these giveaways here.

💸 Deals

If you’re in the market for a new TV, well, it doesn’t get any better than this: Buy a new 2024 Samsung TV and get a FREE 65-inch TV.

If you own a PlayStation, this is obviously a no-brainer: Spend $87 on a PSN gift card in exchange for a $100 gift card. Yea, that’s free money.

For all the Apple fans out there, you get a similar deal, too. Spend $83 on an iTunes gift card and get a $100 card in return. Listen, I don’t make the rules.

Looking for a reason to subscribe to HBO Max? How about a 40% discount? That’s right, HBO Max is currently offering a forty percent discount on its annual plan for new and returning subscribers.

For gamers, the ASUS Rog Ally gets its first discount ever: $100 off at Best Buy. Hurry on this one because the deal expires at midnight.

⚙️ Tools

MyMemo: AI-powered platform that helps gather and organize information from various sources, understands and extracts key insights, and allows you to retrieve information easily.

Headway: Get 15-minute reads of the best book and the best ideas in a nutshell based on your goals & needs

Varolio: Use this AI-powered inbox to create time-saving, email-triggered automation.

StaffUp: AI-powered staff members programmed for specific job roles, such as assistants, writers, programmers, developers, and more.

_{^{PARTNER MESSAGE}
👇 Take a minute and check out this newsletter 👇}

While you’re here, if you have an idea for a newsletter, consider setting one up here on Beehiiv. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the newsletter game, this platform makes it almost impossible to mess up, and they’ll hold your hand throughout the process. It’s free, easy, and somewhat addicting. Give it a go here.