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In a world where ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are making one breakthrough after another as they chase the holy grail of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), Amazon’s Alexa is looking decidedly quaint, if not antiquated.  So the world took notice in September 2023 when Amazon demoed a revamped and AI-powered Alexa, backed by a state-of-the-art large language model (LLM) and capable of a whole new bag of tricks, starting with a vastly upgraded conversation style.  Now here we are, more than a year later, and there’s still no obvious sign of the new AI-powered Alexa on our Amazon Echo speakers. What’s the deal?  Here’s what we know—and don’t know—about the “remarkable” new AI Alexa, including what it will do, which devices it will work on, and when it will arrive.  What’s the new AI-powered Alexa?  While Alexa as we know it has long used machine learning and AI to chat with us and perform smart-home duties, the revamped Alexa will land with a new generation of LLMs under the hood, allowing for the same (or at least similar) types of conversation skills employed by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Anthropic’s Claude.  Amazon initially said the new Alexa would run on a custom-built, in-house LLM called “Titan,” but there are indications that the company may have changed course, reportedly switching (at least in part) to Anthropic’s Claude after investing billions in that company.  For its part, Amazon maintains that it has always used “a variety of different models—including Titan and future Amazon models, as well as those from partners—to build the best experience for customers.”  What kind of features can we expect from the new Alexa?  During Amazon’s September 2023 demo, then-outgoing Amazon hardware lead David Lamb (who has since been replaced by ex-Microsoft exec Panos Panay) led the new Alexa in a free-flowing conversation, with Alexa smoothly keeping up its end of the chat while throwing in an emotive lilt largely absent from the “old” Alexa.   This “remarkable” Alexa (as it’s been called within Amazon) will even be able to spot non-verbal emotional queues with help from the cameras and other sensors in Echo devices, Amazon says.  But the AI-powered Alexa promises to be more than just a chatbot, with Amazon touting its ability to control smart-home devices, create smart routines, remember your previous conversations and preferences, or compose notes to send to friends and family.  There’s also been chatter of other possible new-Alexa features, including “AI-generated summaries of news articles,” recipe-finding functionality, and an AI chatbot for kids.  Will the “remarkable” AI-powered Alexa cost extra?  Amazon has floated the idea of levying an extra charge for the new Alexa, with some unconfirmed reports suggesting a subscription with a price range of anywhere from $5 to $10 per month.  Of course, coming up with an Alexa service that people would be willing to pay for has reportedly been a sticking point for Amazon, with some staffers said to doubt that the features on offer would convince many users to cough up cash.  What’s happening to the old Alexa?  Even as he sketched out the possibility for charging for the new Alexa, Amazon’s David Lamb promised that “classic” Alexa—that is, the Alexa we’re using today—would “always” remain free.  That would lead to a two-tier Alexa service: a paid “pro”-type subscription and a free “classic” tier, a first for Alexa but standard practice when it comes to ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude.  Which speakers will the new Alexa work with?  During its initial demo of the new Alexa, Amazon showed it worked on a standard Echo Show display, while also indicating that a forthcoming preview of the revamped assistant would work on all existing Echo devices.  That strategy would be similar to Google’s, which is promising that a Google Assistant souped up by Gemini will work on its current Nest devices. Apple, on the other hand, has said that its second-gen HomePod and the HomePod mini aren’t capable of running Apple Intelligence. When is the new AI-powered Alexa supposed to arrive?  At its “remarkable” Alexa unveiling in September 2023, Amazon execs said we’d be able to give the new Alexa a test drive during a preview due “early next year.”  Well, “next year” has mostly come and gone, and there’s no sign of the revamped, AI-powered Alexa arriving anytime soon.  According to Bloomberg, the new launch window for the “remarkable” Alexa is 2025, a safe prediction given that 2024 is now drawing to a close.  Why the delay?  Delay? What delay? That’s Amazon’s current stance, with the company saying recently that it has “already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa” and that it’s “excited about what we’re building and look forward to delivering it for our customers.”  But insiders are telling a different story, with reports describing a “remarkable” Alexa that was “deflecting answers” and “often giving unnecessarily long or inaccurate responses,” afflictions common to even the biggest, most popular LLMs.  Worse, though, are the claims that the new Alexa isn’t as good at controlling smart home devices as the “classic” Alexa.    Of course, getting generative and hallucination-prone AI models to reliably control smart home gadgets is a tough nut to crack, and it’s telling that Apple and Google have been treading carefully in that regard. Google, for its part, only recently gave Gemini limited control over smart home devices, while Apple Intelligence has yet to venture into Apple Home.  What’s at stake for Amazon with the AI-powered Alexa?  Well, a lot. Some reports have pegged 2024 as a “make-or-break” year for Alexa, with a paid Alexa seen as the best way to nudge the troubled Amazon division into profitable territory.  With 2024 quickly coming to an end, 2025 appears to be the new “make-or-break” period, and it seems almost certain that Amazon will see its “remarkable” Alexa experiment through given the billions of dollars it’s already sunk into the voice assistant.  But can Amazon make a convincing case for Alexa users—who, after all, are used to paying zilch for Alexa access—to pay up for a gen AI-powered version? We’re likely to get the answer next year. Read...

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Although I’ve been reviewing streaming devices for about a decade now, Samsung TVs have always been a blind spot. I’ve never owned a Samsung TV until this past week, when I was bitten by the Black Friday OLED bug and installed one in my basement. And while I’d normally prefer an external streaming device over Samsung’s built-in smart TV software, the HDMI inputs have already been claimed by my home theater gaming PC, an array of consoles, and a soundbar. Thus I find myself learning to live with Samsung’s Tizen-based smart TV software and finding some ways to make the most of it. Here are the tips and tricks that I’ve found the most useful: Rearrange your apps Jared Newman / Foundry Like most streaming platforms, Samsung’s top app row is customizable. Just click-and-hold the select button on any app icon to move it or remove it. (This is also an opportunity to remove Samsung bloatware, such as the Health app.) If you’ve installed additional apps from Samsung’s store, you should add them to the home screen for faster access. Click the “Apps” button in the app row, scroll all the way down to the “Downloaded App” row, long-press on an app, and select “Add to Home.” Pin inputs to the app row The input selector on Samsung TVs is somewhat buried under the “Connected Devices” tab in the sidebar menu. For the apps you use most often, just pin them to the Home screen instead. Under the Connected Devices tab, highlight the input you want to pin, then scroll down and select “Add to Home.” Customize the recommendations Jared Newman / Foundry While the Home screen on Samsung smart TVs has a lot of promotional garbage, you can tailor its recommendations somewhat based on the streaming services you actually use. Scroll to the very bottom of the Home screen, then click “Preferences” under the “Media Options” heading. A pop-up menu will appear, letting you give a thumbs-up to your preferred services. In this same area, you’ll also find a “Continue Watching” menu, where you can decide which apps should show recently-watched content near the top of the Home screen. (Unfortunately, this only works with a small number of streaming services.) Tweak the quick settings menu Jared Newman / Foundry Clicking the Settings button on a Samsung TV remote brings up a row of quick controls. These can also be customized by long-pressing any setting, then moving it into the desired position. I suggest scrolling all the way to the right side, then moving the All Settings button all the way over to the left. That way you can access the full Settings menu (including Picture settings) without so much scrolling. Use Alexa instead of Bixby Jared Newman / Foundry Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant is more versatile than Samsung’s Bixby, especially if you have other Echo devices or you’ve set up smart home controls in the Alexa app. You can still ask Alexa to search for videos or play content from supported streaming services, and it’s great for playing music by voice. On Samsung TVs, you can assign the remote’s mic button to Alexa—and, optionally, use hands-free “Alexa” commands on some TVs—by heading to Settings > General & Privacy > Voice. Open the last input—or app—by default Jared Newman / Foundry When you turn on a Samsung TV, by default it’ll open the Samsung smart TV interface. If you mainly use an external streaming player, cable box, or gaming system, head to Settings > General > Smart Screen Option, then disable “Start with Smart Hub Home.” Now, the TV will go directly to your last-used input when you turn it on. Alternatively, you can enable “Autorun last app” from the same menu. This can be helpful if you use a live TV streaming service such as YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream, and want to jump back into that app without navigating through Samsung’s smart TV menus. (Note that this only works for apps on the smart TV itself, not external streaming players.) Use AirPlay Jared Newman / Foundry Samsung’s smart TV app selection still can’t rival some other streaming platforms such as Roku and Fire TV. But if you have an iPhone, you can use AirPlay to fill in the gaps. Just tap the AirPlay menu in any compatible iOS app—or hit the Screen Mirroring button in Control Center—then select your TV from the device list. Use the web browser Jared Newman / Foundry Samsung’s Internet app can also help fill in for missing TV apps. Just navigate to the video site you want to use, select a video, and find the full-screen button to have it fill the entire display. Click the Star icon near the top-right of the browser to bookmark favorite sites for later. Use your phone as a remote Jared Newman / Foundry With Samsung’s SmartThings app for iOS and Android, you can control the TV using an on-screen remote. Assuming both devices are signed into the same Samsung account, you can tap on the TV to bring up the control menu. Swipe up on the remote for additional controls, including volume and a search function. You can even use your phone’s keyboard to type. Play on headphones and TV speakers simultaneously Jared Newman / Foundry Samsung TVs have the unique ability to play Bluetooth and TV speakers at the same time. If someone has difficulty hearing, they can crank the volume in their earbuds or headphones without disrupting anyone else’s viewing. You can also play audio on two separate Bluetooth devices, each with different volume levels. Once you’ve paired a set of headphones or earbuds from the Bluetooth menu in quick settings, head to Settings > General & Privacy > Accessibility > Multi-output Audio. Hit the button to enable Multi-output Audio, then select your earbuds and hit “Connect.” Unfortunately, this feature only works with TV speakers, not external soundbars or A/V receivers. Stop Samsung from selling your data Jared Newman / Foundry Like most smart TV makers and streaming platforms, Samsung shares your streaming activity with advertisers for targeting purposes, and you must opt out to prevent that from happening. In the left sidebar menu, select “Privacy Choices,” then click the “Do Not Share or Sell My Personal Information” button at the bottom of the screen. While you’re here, select “Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy.” Make sure “Viewing Information Services” and “Interest-Based Advertisements Service” are unchecked (as pictured above, then hit “OK.” Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV insights. Read...

Microsoft has a new update in the works for the Microsoft Store that will allow the software store to automatically update third-party apps that aren’t stored on Microsoft’s own servers, reports Windows Central. Such third-party apps will be labeled as “provided and updated by” their respective developers or publishers, and these apps will appear in the general update list that appears in the Microsoft Store when you select Get updates. Prior to this, only apps that were hosted on Microsoft’s system could be updated in this fashion. Note that this new update process does not work with apps that were downloaded outside the Microsoft Store, such as from a product page or on GitHub. It only applies to apps that are listed in the Microsoft Store but configured to download from a third-party source. The new Microsoft Store third-party app update feature is currently only available to Windows Insiders. It’s unknown when it will appear in the stable version of the operating system. Further reading: Why you should become a Windows Insider Read...

Microsoft has a new update in the works for the Microsoft Store that will allow the software store to automatically update third-party apps that aren’t stored on Microsoft’s own servers, reports Windows Central. Such third-party apps will be labeled as “provided and updated by” their respective developers or publishers, and these apps will appear in the general update list that appears in the Microsoft Store when you select Get updates. Prior to this, only apps that were hosted on Microsoft’s system could be updated in this fashion. Note that this new update process does not work with apps that were downloaded outside the Microsoft Store, such as from a product page or on GitHub. It only applies to apps that are listed in the Microsoft Store but configured to download from a third-party source. The new Microsoft Store third-party app update feature is currently only available to Windows Insiders. It’s unknown when it will appear in the stable version of the operating system. Further reading: Why you should become a Windows Insider Read...

There’s no denying that ChatGPT and other AI chatbots make impressive chat companions that can converse with you on just about anything. Their conversational powers can be extremely convincing too; if they’ve made you feel safe about sharing your personal details, you’re not alone. But — newsflash! — you’re not talking to your toaster. Anything you tell an AI chatbot can be stored on a server and resurface later, a fact that makes them inherently risky. Why are chatbots so risky? The problem stems from how the companies that run Large Language Models (LLMs) and their associated chatbots use your personal data — essentially, to train better bots. Take the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day as an example of how an LLM learns. In the film, the future leader of the human resistance against Skynet, the child John Connor, teaches the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, personal slogans like “Hasta la vista baby” in an attempt to make it more human. Suffice it to say, it learns those phrases and uses them at the most inopportune times — which is kind of funny. Less funny is the way your data gets harvested and used by companies to update and teach their own AI models to be more human. John Connor teaches the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Terminator 2.Dominic Bayley / IDG OpenAI’s terms and conditions outline its right to do this when you use its platform. It states: “We may use the data you provide us to improve our models.” It’s the reason ChatGPT logs everything — yes, everything — that you say to it. That is, unless you make use of the chatbot’s new privacy feature which allows you to toggle a setting to prevent your chat history being saved. If you don’t do that, details like your financial information, passwords, home address, phone number, or what you ate for breakfast are fair game — if you share those details. It also stores any files you upload and any feedback you give it. ChatGPT’s Ts&Cs also states that the chatbot may “aggregate or de-identify Personal Information and use the aggregated information to analyze the effectiveness of our Services.” It’s a small addition, but it opens the possibility that something the chatbot has learned will be later accessed by the public — a troubling thought indeed. Why should you care? To be fair, it’s highly unlikely any company running an AI chatbot intends to misuse the personal information they store. In recent years OpenAI has released statements intended to reassure ChatGPT users about the collection and use of personal data. For example, in February this year when it was accused by Italy’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) of breaching provisions contained in the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), OpenAI told the BBC: “We want our AI to learn about the world, not about private individuals.” Then this: “We actively work to reduce personal data in training our systems like ChatGPT, which also rejects requests for private or sensitive information about people.” CKA / Shutterstock That may be true, but it doesn’t guarantee user data is safe from breaches. One such breach occurred In May 2023, in which hackers exploited a vulnerability in ChatGPT’s Redis library, giving them access to the stored personal data from chat histories. The leaked personal information included names, social security numbers, job titles, email addresses, phone numbers, and even social media profiles. OpenAI responded by fixing the vulnerability, but it was little consolation to the approximately 101,000 users whose data had already been stolen. And it’s not just individuals having privacy issues with AI chatbots either. Indeed, companies, too, are scrambling to keep a lid on confidential company data amid notable high-profile data leaks. One such leak was discovered by Samsung when it found that its own engineers had accidentally uploaded sensitive source code to ChatGPT. In response, In May 2023 the company banned the use of ChatGPT and other generative AI chatbots from being used for work purposes. Companies like Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan have since followed suit. Awareness is growing but it’s early days Of late there’s been a growing awareness about the dangers of AI chatbots at the level of the government and industry, which is a promising sign for the tightening up of data security. One big move forward happened on October 30 last year, when U.S. President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and use of Artificial Intelligence — a document that outlines the key principles governing the use of AI in the U.S. One of the priority points stipulates that “AI systems must respect privacy and protect personal data.” Exactly how that is to be implemented, though, is yet to be seen and could be open to interpretation by AI companies. Kind of contrary to that point is the fact that there’s still no clear law in the U.S. stating that training AI on data without the consent of an owner is any kind of copyright infringement. Instead, it can be considered fair use — which means there’s nothing solid in place to safeguard consumers’ rights. Until we get something firmer, as individuals our best line of defense is still simply to not overshare. By treating an AI chatbot like the algorithm it is, rather than a trusted friend, no matter how much it compliments you on your hairstyle or choice of clothing, you can at least keep a lid on what it knows about you from your end. Read...

SSDs are finely tuned, blazing-fast storage devices that can take more advantage of the high bandwidth of PCIe 5.0 than even the fastest graphics cards. But like all instruments of performance, you can’t treat them poorly and expect them to last forever. There are some real mistakes you’re probably making that will cause your SSDs to die sooner than they should. Here’s what you need to know if you want them lasting long and performing well. Related: Why two SSDs are better than one in your PC Letting your SSD overheat Excessive heat isn’t good for electronics in general, but especially so for internal PC components like SSDs. SSDs are built to operate within certain safe operating temperatures, and going too hot (or too cold) can lead to performance degradation and permanent damage. Modern SSD controllers have the ability to throttle performance if they get too hot, which can help mitigate some damage, but then you aren’t getting the full power of your SSD. And even if you don’t actually exceed the maximum temperature, operating close to that upper limit for extended periods of time will still wear down the memory cells and other components of the SSD, hastening its inevitable demise. Even some of the fastest SSDs don’t need heatsinks if they have adequate airflow — but a heatsink certainly wouldn’t hurt.Samsung Memory / Unsplash In most desktop PCs, the ventilation provided by system fans is typically enough to keep most SSDs cool enough to enjoy a long and happy life. However, higher-speed PCIe 4.x and PCIe 5.x SSDs do output a lot more heat than their older counterparts, so equipping a heatsink can help dissipate that heat. It’s particularly worth doing if you have a smaller case or you’re upgrading the SSD that came with your laptop. And, of course, avoid leaving your laptop sitting in the sun or in an otherwise hot location, especially if the laptop is on. That’s a quick way to overheat your SSD and everything else, like the battery and display. Related: Common mistakes that kill your laptop’s lifespan Writing data excessively to your SSD Before any SSD can read the data on it at blazing-fast speeds, it needs to first write that data to the memory cells. Any time you install an app, download a video, save a document, or even scroll through social media feeds, you’re writing data to the drive. In an SSD, memory is written to cells, which are organized into blocks. For data to be written to a block, the entire block has to first be erased — and this continuous cycle of erasing and writing eventually wears down the cells on a physical level. Fortunately, most modern SSDs aren’t so fragile that you have to fearfully micromanage your data. Cells can withstand thousands and thousands of write-erase cycles before running into issues… but at the end of the day, the more you write to your SSD, the quicker you’ll churn through its lifespan (which is known as its terabytes written (TBW) rating). Repeatedly zero-filling your SSD One of the best ways to permanently erase data from your SSD — good to do if you ever sell your laptop or drive — is to fill it with empty zeros. This takes all the memory cells and turns them into zeros, essentially blanking the entire drive and rendering it void. However, in doing so, you’re effectively writing to the entire drive, and most zero-fill processes actually do it multiple times to truly ensure that all of the existing data has been wiped out. This, too, will burn through the drive’s TBW rating and hasten its demise. Using your SSD for the wrong tasks Excessive writing doesn’t just come from transferring files or wiping the drive. It also happens when you use the SSD in ways that it wasn’t meant to be used, for tasks it isn’t suitable for. For example, SSDs are perfect as boot drives and game library drives. Apps and games are installed once and then only occasionally updated, which limits the amount of data writing. And it makes sense to do all that on an SSD because you benefit from the super-fast random access times that tangibly boost app load times and system boot-up times. But if you’re using your SSD as a dumping ground for documents, photos, videos, and all other files before moving them over to long-term storage, then you’re unnecessarily writing them to the SSD and wasting write-erase cycles, shortening its lifespan. Or if your PC doesn’t have enough RAM to multitask all your open apps and browser tabs, your operating system will be forced to spill over from RAM to the SSD’s page file — and constantly writing data to and from the page file is going to wear down those cells. Overfilling your SSD to max capacity SSDs work their best when they have a bit of space to work with. That’s because the controller likes to shift data around in order to maximize performance and longevity. If you completely fill an SSD — or close to it — then the controller has to work much harder to shuffle that data around because there aren’t enough spots. Plus, it can’t prioritize the memory cells that have the most longevity, thereby reducing the overall lifespan of the drive. Although all SSDs have an overprovision of a few percent of their capacity so that there’s always some room to shunt files around, you can help the controller do its job by leaving up to 20 percent of the total capacity empty. If you start eating into that, consider deleting larger files or applications to free up some extra space. Related: Simple tweaks that maximize SSD performance Skipping firmware updates on your SSD We all know it’s best to keep graphics card drivers and operating systems up to date. You might even update your BIOS firmware on occasion. But have you been updating your SSD’s firmware? Manufacturers periodically release firmware updates for their SSDs, and these updates can improve performance, increase stability, and fix issues with uneven wear and tear that can lead to faster drive failure. Try to keep up with those updates like you would with various other parts of your PC or laptop to make sure your drives are working at peak performance and durability. Physical damage to your SSD Just because some SSDs are rugged and durable doesn’t mean they all are.Samsung Memory / Unsplash SSDs don’t have moving parts like traditional hard drives do. With HDDs, an unfortunate drop could dislodge bits, cause scratches, or bend parts that made the drive no longer functional. While SSDs are safe from those sorts of risks, that doesn’t mean they’re completely immune to physical and environmental damage. Indeed, most modern SSDs are in the NVMe form factor, so they don’t even have the physical shell of a SATA SSD to protect them. I don’t need to tell you not to drop your expensive, thin, and lightweight laptop. Doubly so for your desktop PC. But do look after your SSDs, especially portable ones. Just because it has a protective shell doesn’t mean it’s totally waterproof, weather-proof, or accident-proof. Related: Warning signs your SSD is on the verge of dying Buying a cheaper SSD than necessary Have you heard the adage that it’s more expensive to be poor? According to boots theory, poor people are forced to repeatedly buy cheaper goods that need to be replaced more often than quality goods, so they end up spending more over time. That’s certainly the case with SSDs. Cheaper drives are built with cheaper flash memory modules that don’t last as long. Quad-level cell (QLC) memory is what’s often used in cheaper SSDs, offering more affordable capacity at the expense of lower performance and poorer longevity. While QLC SSDs aren’t going to fizzle out the first time you turn them on — or even the 100th time — the fact is they just don’t support the same number of write-erase cycles, leading to swifter performance degradation and earlier deaths with typical use. Want to improve the longevity of your SSD? Make sure spend a bit more for one that has a high TBW rating. Drives with higher capacities tend to last longer as well because there are more overall memory cells and each individual cell is written and rewritten less often. Further reading: The best SSDs worth buying right now Read...

Health New Zealand has performed an about-turn over expenses, in a way that pushes up the deficit it is facing in the current financial year. Read...