Five different tech news stories from the past 24 hours that have grabbed my interest for your reading pleasure, along with my quick thoughts on each.
In Tech News Today, I muse over news stories from the past 24 hours that catch my attention.
Naughty Google… naughty!
Google has admitted to anti-competitive conduct owing to deals it had (which have now expired) with Telstra and Optus that saw the two telcos pre-install Google search on Android phones it sold between December 2019 and March 2021; the suggested penalty will be $55 million, though it’s up to the Federal Court to decide whether that’s an appropriate penalty.
Alex’s Quick Thoughts: Normally legal/business stories aren’t my jam, but this is an unusual one; on one level I’m kind of surprised Google bothered, because I strongly suspect a lot of folks getting their Android phones from a telco wouldn’t have thought about alternative search engines such as DuckDuckGo or Bing in any case.
Got to protect that search engine near-monopoly by any means necessary, though $55 million probably isn’t a huge sum in Google’s vast coffers.
Repair your roof? Not if the AI says no…
As per ITNews, Insurance Australia Group is using generative AI to assess properties to determine whether a “make safe” repair is needed. IAG says it saves the company hundreds of thousands of dollars while also streamlining the process for applicants.
Alex’s Quick Thoughts: Hmm. Bias alert here, as I’ve had some run-ins with insurance companies in the past – one that made its messy way to the ombudsman, but I digress – so I’m a little torn here.
On the one hand, there’s no doubt that this could be a win for consumers, because we’re not builders and it’s near impossible to know if a make safe repair is required or not, and being able to more sensibly send what are sometimes quite limited resources (trained builders, electricians, plumbers and so on) to the most needed sites is smart work.
On the other hand, I’ve had bad issues and bad dealings, and being told “the AI says that your house fire should keep you warm through the rain*” might be a touch galling.
(*Satire, just in case there are any lawyers reading, but I think you know what I mean.)
Is the M5 Mac Mini Imminent? Could be
While the rumour mills are thrashing themselves into a near fury at the near-certainty that is an iPhone 17 launch next month, it’s also being reported that Apple is readying an upgrade to the Mac Mini line, featuring its M5 processor line.
Alex’s Quick Thoughts:Don’t expect these to be revealed at the same time as the new iPhones – Apple isn’t likely to want to draw focus away from the product line that by far brings it in the most cold, hard cash.
Presuming it would like at least 12 months between Mac Mini releases, maybe look to see it launched in November this year, maybe later. Only Tim Cook knows for sure.
I do hold that the Mac Mini is Apple’s best value computer, though if the internal setup of the M5 Mac Mini remains constant, it pays off to check exactly which model you’re buying. Here’s my full M4 Mac Mini review to tide you over while we wait for the M5 Mac Mini to break cover.
It’s world photography day – get snapping!
Tuesday the 19th of August is world photography day, and while at one time that might have meant taking photos on a reel of physical film, these days you’re far, far more likely to be taking digital shots. As Leigh Stark over at Pickr points out, taking the photos is one thing – but it’s an excellent idea to also ensure that you’re safely backing them up too.
Alex’s Quick Thoughts: Leigh is totally on the money here – not just about photography but also the need for regular backups of, well, EVERYTHING.
You might think that your phone or laptop’s storage is solid and doing nicely, but the reality is that there’s only really two types of storage – storage that has failed, and storage that is going to fail. Don’t let its failure take your precious photos with it!
What about me for World Photography Day? It feels likely that I might take a photo of one of my cats.
Just a hunch.
Is your AI transcription listening in to you? Maybe
Otter.AI is being sued in the US for allegedly recording private conversations in order to use them for AI training, based around its integration into Zoom where meeting participants (as per the lawsuit) might not be checking with anyone but the meeting convener about permissions to record and upload voice data.
Otter’s position is that it’s up to those meeting conveners to comply with its terms and services agreement – and to therefore seek approval from meeting participants while using the software.
Alex’s Quick Thoughts: Whether or not this suit succeeds, it’s not a good look for any AI service that wants to present a business case for its use where users might be wary about what’s being captured and what it might be used for, even if those uses are spelled out in a terms and conditions document that most people either don’t read or don’t have the legal training to understand even if they did.
However, it does give today its soundtrack. Enjoy.
Yes, I’m experimenting with a format. Let me know your thoughts below!
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