Fitbit Labs will give you the AI-powered training coach of the future

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Fitbit Labs will give you the AI-powered training coach of the future
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Google has just announced, amid other things in a feature-length video, that Fitbit Labs will come with an AI-powered training coach. This is just one of many different ways AI is being incorporated into everyday activities at a rapid pace. Fitbit, acquired by Google in 2021, currently provides a plethora of fitness gadgets and wearables. The AI coach, powered by Google’s flagship AI Gemini, will analyze data and provide feedback.

Fitbit Labs turns to AI for managing your health

The Fitbit Labs program is being designed to help users track their health using AI. It will be available very soon if reports are to be believed, and Pixel owners will be given priority access. What this will do is use AI to analyze a Fitbit user’s health metrics. This means combining both LLMs and image generation models to provide a futuristic experience. The AI will go through and understand a user’s health history, even providing charts for the user. It will then use this data to coach the user, providing advice in a conversational manner.

All the way back in 2023 just before Google’s product launch event, James Park – co-founder of Fitbit – had this to say. “We’ve always talked about being able to help people connect different pieces of their health data together and get insights from it, so I think that’s the first step.” James Park and other co-founder Eric Friedman recently left Google, leading some to wonder whether they didn’t agree with the direction Google was taking it.

A strong push for AI in the medical domain is underway

It’s not just portable coaches AI is being used for when it comes to the healthcare industry. Ever since AI has gained public popularity, Google has been hard at work integrating it into healthcare. For example, people can now simply use Google Lens to photograph health conditions and get immediate answers on what they’re looking at. Google is also confident in its AI’s abilities to generate reports from 2D and 3D medical scans.

A personal coach on Fitbit trackers and smartwatches will greatly increase the allure of these products. Whatever this AI says isn’t to be taken as legal medical advice, of course. But this will really help a lot of people get the most out of their Google Fitbit wearables. This will also help people make changes to their lifestyle that really benefit their health. All without the need of a doctor.


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Threads rolls out beta program to share your posts out to the Fediverse

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Threads rolls out beta program to share your posts out to the Fediverse
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Threads by Instagram is one step closer to becoming a part of something bigger. Starting today, selected users can try out a beta feature that links Threads directly to the Fediverse.

The Fediverse is a fairly new concept in social networking, similar to a vast, interconnected network of independent servers. Unlike traditional social media platforms, which a single company controls, the Fediverse is decentralized and allows users more control over their own data and interactions. An example of one such platform right now is Mastodon, which has been one of the pioneers of this growing movement.

With the new beta, Threads users who are over 18 years old and have public profiles can opt in to share their content on the Fediverse. Also, if you use Mastodon or another Fediverse-compatible platform, you will now be able to follow Threads users that are part of the beta, interact with their posts, and share them.

For now, the beta doesn’t allow for viewing replies and follows from the Fediverse on Threads, but you’ll be able to see the total number of likes and boosts from both Threads and the Fediverse. However, this functionality will be available at a later time.

Threads is also working on full compatibility with ActivityPub, the open-source protocol that powers much of the Fediverse. This means that soon, the interaction between Threads and Fediverse apps will be even more seamless.

Note, though, that this integration is entirely optional. You don’t have to share your Threads content just because you use the app. However, if you’re curious about the Fediverse, you can join the beta by heading to your Threads Account Settings and turning the “Fediverse sharing” toggle on.


This move highlights a growing trend towards open, user-centric social media experiences. Through its integration with the Fediverse, Threads demonstrates its openness to collaborating with other platforms, giving users more control over their connectivity and choices.


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Patch Ivanti Standalone Sentry and Ivanti Neurons for ITSM now

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Patch Ivanti Standalone Sentry and Ivanti Neurons for ITSM now
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Ivanti has issued patches for two vulnerabilities. One was discovered in the Ivanti Standalone Sentry, which impacts all supported versions 9.17.0, 9.18.0, and 9.19.0. Older versions are also at risk. The other vulnerability impacts all supported versions of Ivanti Neurons for ITSM—2023.3, 2023.2 and 2023.1, as well as unsupported versions which will need an upgrade before patching.

The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database lists publicly disclosed computer security flaws. The CVEs patched in these updates are:

CVE-2023-41724 (CVSS score 9.6 out of 10), which allows an unauthenticated threat actor to execute arbitrary commands on the underlying operating system of the appliance within the same physical or logical network.

This vulnerability was reported to Ivanti by the NATO Cyber Security Centre. Ivanti says it’s not aware of any customers being exploited by this vulnerability at the time of disclosure. The attack option is limited because an attacker without a valid Transport Layer Security (TLS) client certificate enrolled through Ivanti Endpoint Manager Mobile (EPMM) cannot directly exploit this issue on the internet.

Ivanti says its customers can access the patch (9.17.1, 9.18.1 and 9.19.1) via the standard download portal.

CVE-2023-46808 (CVSS score 9.9 out of 10) which allows an authenticated remote user to perform file writes to ITSM server. Successful exploitation can be used to write files to sensitive directories which may allow attackers to execute commands in the context of a web application’s user.

The patch has been applied to all Ivanti Neurons for ITSM Cloud landscapes. On-premise customers are advised to act immediately to ensure they are fully protected. Ivanti says it is not aware of any customers being exploited by this vulnerability prior to public disclosure.

The patch is available on the Ivanti Neurons for ITSM downloads page for each respective 2023.X version. This will require upgrading to 2023.X to apply the patch.

The vulnerabilities have a 2023 CVE because of a reservation made towards the end of 2023, when they were first found and reported. It is Ivanti’s policy that when a CVE is not under active exploitation to disclose the vulnerability when a fix is available, so that customers have the tools they need to protect their environment.

Get patching!

We don’t just report on vulnerabilities—we identify them, and prioritize action.

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep vulnerabilities in tow by using ThreatDown Vulnerability and Patch Management.


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Qualcomm shows us Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 reference device by accident

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Qualcomm shows us Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 reference device by accident
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Qualcomm actually showed off the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 reference device by accident. The company did that in a YouTube video. In this video, Qualcomm aimed to show people how it developed the Snapdragon X Elite, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 was not supposed to be a part of the picture.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 reference device was spotted in Qualcomm’s very own video

This reference device was spotted by @Za_Raczke, a tipster. The codename ‘Pakala’ is also shown in the video, which is the codename for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor.

The design of this reference device is not really all that noticeable. It’s a device with a dark blue chassis and has several stickers and labels on it. It’s a generic device that Qualcomm is using to test out the chip.

It’s interesting to see that Qualcomm itself ended up showing us this, most likely by accident. There’s also a possibility that Qualcomm didn’t care enough to strip the video of all Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 references. It’s not exactly like major details were revealed or anything like that.

This chip is coming in October

Qualcomm’s executive did confirm that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is coming in October, though. That detail was shared during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona last month.

We also know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will come with custom Oryon cores. This will be the first time that Qualcomm is using its custom cores in a chip. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is also tipped to ditch the efficiency cores altogether, so that’ll be interesting.

This chip is expected to be produced on TSMC’s 3nm ‘N3E’ process. Various improvements are expected, though it will be interesting to see how will it run without efficiency cores… if that ends up being the case.

As a side note, Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip. Click here if you’d like to know more about it.


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New book says smartphones and social media are making our kids anxious and depressed

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New book says smartphones and social media are making our kids anxious and depressed
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Social psychologist Professor Jonathan Haidt writes that over the past ten years, he has seen “the radical transformation of childhood into something inhuman: a ­phone-​based existence.” According to The New York Post, Haidt has written a book that is due to be released soon titled “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness.”

To back up his statement about children’s phone-based existence, he points out that teen girls are spending 20 hours a week on social media which makes browsing and posting on these platforms a part-time job for these girls. The book will be out on March 26th and Haidt says that the combination of smartphones and social media is causing children to suffer from sleep deprivation, social deprivation, attention fragmentation, addiction, and spiritual degradation. The psychologist calls this the “great rewiring” of childhood.

Smartphones and social media are making kids depressed and anxious

The bottom line is that these kids are becoming the most depressed and anxious generation in history although girls and boys are being affected differently. Consider how the former are impacted by social media platforms. “Social media really does a number on girls,” Haidt told The Post. “It takes all the worst parts of middle school — social comparison, focusing on your looks, insecurity — and multiplies them by ten.” You can imagine how comments made about such topics on social media might impact the mind of a teen girl.
8th, 10th, and 12th graders are showing signs of depression - New book says smartphones and social media are making our kids anxious and depressed

8th, 10th, and 12th graders are showing signs of depression

The professor says that he has found a link between heavy social media usage and poor mental health outcomes in girls. He writes, “For boys, the story is less clear. There’s no one smoking gun. They’ve just experienced a progressive withdrawal from the real world, where boys have historically exerted effort.” He adds, “The trend is really accelerating as the virtual world becomes so magnificently enticing and attractive.” When boys do withdraw from the real world, their destinations are often porn and video games states the psychologist.

Haidt says kids shouldn’t get a smartphone until they are 18

With a 14-year-old daughter and a 17-year-old son, Haidt has many of the same arguments with his kids over their phones as others do. “We still have the same problem that all parents have, which is just trying to say stop spending so much time on your screens,” he said. “There is still a constant, a chronic tug of war over usage.” Because his children walk to school in New York City, he gave his son a phone in the fourth grade and his daughter one in the sixth grade. While they both received smartphones, in retrospect, he wishes that he had given them flip phones instead.

He suggests that parents keep their kids off of social media until they are 16, and keep them away from smartphones until they are in high school. “We have to delay the phones but also give them engaging activities in the real world. [Parents] have under-protected children online but we’ve also overprotected them in the real world. And we need to address both halves. Kids need to be anchored in the real world with real relationships, real responsibilities, real love. Virtual activities don’t substitute.”

Haidt’s book offers many solutions for parents and he told The Post, “We can solve this problem most of the way within a year if we just work collectively. These are collective action problems, and we can solve them with collective action, even if we don’t get help from our lawmakers.”

The professor says that members of Gen Z have been receptive to what he is saying. “They see the problems of their phone-based childhoods. They see that it’s a huge waste of their time. But when I ask them why they don’t get off TikTok and Instagram, they say they can’t because everyone else is on them.”


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Google Calendar transitions Appointment Slots to Appointment Schedules

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Google Calendar transitions Appointment Slots to Appointment Schedules
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Google Calendar undergoes a major transformation as it moves away from the traditional “appointment slots” feature in favor of the new “appointment schedules.” The company has announced this change aiming to provide users with advanced and streamlined scheduling services.

New Appointment Schedule Features for Google Calendar

Appointment scheduling, brought to replace appointment slots, makes it possible for users to create booking pages that they can share through a link. Integrated into Google Calendar, these pages help create a conflict-free scheduling system. Moreover, users can have their timetables customized by allowing buffers between appointments and setting limits on appointments per day.

Google claims that Appointment Schedules offer a smoother way of booking coupled with more robust functionalities than those enabled by appointment slots. Consequently, as of July 18, 2024, appointment slots will come to an end, completely giving rise to Appointment Schedules. After this date, there will be no more appointment slot booking pages thus pushing users towards adopting this new system.

However, existing appointment slots will still be functional until the transition date but they will not automatically migrate to appointment schedules. People should recreate their setups using appointment schedules to ensure consistency in their scheduling process.

Detailed instructions and guidance about features and setup processes for Appointment Schedules can be found on the Google support page where Users can see a step-by-step guide in the tab on the right side.

Who can use the appointment scheduling feature?

Moreover, Google has announced that there is now support for appointment scheduling among Google Workspace Business Starter customers. The availability expansion covers various plans within Google Workspace such as Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus, Teaching and Learning Upgrade, Nonprofits, and Google Workspace Individual customers.

Also, people with a Google One Premium subscription can take advantage of this feature. These changes aim at offering users an efficient and comprehensive scheduling solution tailored to various educational institutions or corporate organizations’ needs.


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The DOJ files a lawsuit against Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market

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The DOJ files a lawsuit against Apple for monopolizing the smartphone market
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It’s no little-known fact that Apple is one of the biggest companies in the entire world, and this makes it a big target for antitrust lawsuits. Well, this is what’s happening now between the American Department of Justice (DOJ) and 16 State Attorneys General. The US DOJ has filed a massive lawsuit against Apple over monopolizing the smartphone market.

This is the second massive anti-competitive lawsuit the DOJ has filed against a tech company in recent history. Very recently, the DOJ sued Google for operating an illegal Monopoly. The case has since wrapped up, but the ruling will come in May this year.

The DOJ files a massive lawsuit against Apple

This lawsuit came about because of Apple’s dominance in the smartphone market. In a press release, the DOJ stated “Apple undermines apps, products, and services that would otherwise make users less reliant on the iPhone.” This is what most people refer to as the ecosystem lock-in. This is where a company does everything it can to lock a customer into one specific ecosystem and not stray away.  “Apple exercises its monopoly power to extract more money from consumers, developers, content creators, artists, publishers, small businesses, and merchants, among others” the statement continues.

This is a case that we should have seen coming as Apple has come under scrutiny from several companies including Epic Games and Spotify over its handling of the App Store. Recently, Apple came under fire for blocking music streaming apps on the App Store from offering cheaper services through different payment systems. Also, Apple has long blocked third-party app stores from being implemented into iOS.

Messaging

This lawsuit extends far beyond apps and the App Store. It also involves the way iOS handles messaging between iPhones and Android devices. The DOJ alleges that the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices has been greatly diminished compared to the messaging experience between iPhones.

One example that was given was the fact that media shared from an iPhone to an Android device is extremely grainy. Also, we can’t forget about the whole green bubble versus blue bubble war that’s been going on.

Accessories

In the lawsuit, the DOJ alleges that Apple makes its devices seem more appealing on the iPhone by diminishing the experience of third-party devices. For example, allegedly, Apple restricts the functionality of third-party smartwatches in order to make its Apple Watch look more appealing. Another example has to do with air tags and third-party trackers. These devices have limited access to the iOS software, so they’re not as effective or usable as Apple’s first-party devices.

Obviously, Apple is going to fight this

“[This lawsuit] threatens who we are and the principles that set Apple products apart in fiercely competitive markets,” stated Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz, “We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it.”

In a case this big, obviously, Apple is going to defend itself in court. The lawsuit aims to bring Apple into the light over allegedly malicious and predatory practices. Well, if Apple has to change the way that it operates, it could potentially compromise its position as the largest tech brand. However, it’s much more important that proper competition thrive than one company being able to dominate.

This is a developing case

Right now, we’re at the beginning of what could be a very long case. We have no idea if it’s going to last for months or even over a year. Information about this case is going to arise as time goes on, so stay tuned for more information on this case. It could have major ramifications for Apple and the tech world at large


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Galaxy S21 FE, A14 5G & A13 get March update in the US

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Galaxy S21 FE, A14 5G & A13 get March update in the US
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Earlier this week, Samsung released the March security update for the carrier-locked variants of the Galaxy S21 FE in the US. The new security patch is now available for unlocked units. The company is also rolling out the update to the Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A13 stateside.

Galaxy S21 FE is widely getting the March update in the US

Samsung started updating Galaxy smartphones and tablets to the March SMR (Security Maintenance Release) on the first day of the month. The Galaxy S24 series kicked off the proceedings. Since then, the company has updated all flagship models launched in 2021 and beyond, including foldables, to the latest security release. It has also pushed the new SMR to most of the eligible budget and mid-range models.

The Galaxy S21 FE joined the party a few days back. Samsung released the new SMR for international and US versions of the phone around the same time. In the US, it initially only updated carrier-locked units. SamMobile confirms that the March security patch is now available for the factory-unlocked variants of the phone. The new firmware build number is G990U1UESAFXC1.

Like all other Galaxy devices, the March update for the Galaxy S21 FE is also all about this month’s security fixes. Don’t go deep looking for new features or improvements. The phone will get the Android 14-based One UI 6.1 update in a few weeks or months with several goodies. Hopefully, Samsung will bring some AI features and camera improvements from the Galaxy S24 to the Galaxy S21 FE.

For the time being, you must be content with a security patch. The March 2024 SMR for Galaxy devices addresses 46 security vulnerabilities. 37 of those are Android OS patches from Google. The Android maker fixed two critical and dozens of high-severity vulnerabilities this month. The remaining nine patches pertain to security issues exclusively to Samsung Android products.

Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A13 are also getting these security fixes

These security fixes are also rolling out to the Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A13 in the US. These budget phones are picking up the update on carrier-locked variants with the build numbers A146USQS6CXC1 and A135USQS7DXB6, respectively. A wider release should be just around the corner. The former has already received the update in international markets, while it’s the initial rollout for the latter. The Galaxy A14 5G and Galaxy A13 may not get Samsung’s One UI 6.1 update.


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Google’s AI can predict floods a week in advanced

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Google’s AI can predict floods a week in advanced
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Nowadays, technology can do a ton of amazing things, from generating content to providing information. However, we’re now at a point where we’re starting to find real-world applications where AI can be helpful. For example, Google released a paper explaining that AI can predict floods up to seven days in advance.

Despite numerous missteps that Google suffered with its AI endeavors over the past year, its technology has proven to be rather powerful. For example, Apple is in talks with Google over implementing Gemini Nano into future iPhones. So, Google is poised to basically own the AI market. It even owns the domain ai.com, which redirects to Gemini.

Google AI can predict floods a week in advance

At this point, we’re not quite sure when Google plans on rolling out actual flood-predicting technology to the masses. However, the company posted a new blog post explaining its research on how its AI technology can predict floods. The full blog post is chock-full of useful and meticulous information, so you can read that if you want to learn all of the ins and outs of this technology.

Many rivers and bodies of water around the world have tools put into place to monitor the water levels called streamflow gauges. However, that’s not the case for all bodies of water. There are many bodies of water around the world where no one can properly predict when a flood is going to happen because they don’t have access to streamflow gauges. This, as you can imagine, can lead to devastating outcomes.

Well, what Google’s AI technology will be able to do is take the existing data that we have from the gauges available. It will then use powerful machine learning to come up with a clear picture of when floods typically occur and what conditions are the most conducive for them. Google will then apply this information to bodies of water without streamflow gauges.

So, this is very much Google using software to solve a hardware problem. Places that don’t have access to these physical gauges will still be able to properly predict floods. And, using Google’s powerful AI, they could be able to predict them up to a week in advance.


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Android 15 Dev Preview 2 launch lines up improved NFC and more

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Android 15 Dev Preview 2 launch lines up improved NFC and more
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Google has officially announced the launch of the Android 15 Developer Preview 2. While the first dev preview focused on privacy and security, preview 2 promises to bring improvements to various communication-related functions. This includes at least a few features that revolve around NFC including tap to pay. As well as extended platform support for satellite connectivity.

Google says that this extended platform support also includes improvements to UI elements. These are meant to “ensure a consistent user experience across the satellite connectivity landscape.” There are other changes in the second preview as well, but it’s worth remembering that this is still just a developer preview. And the keyword there is “developer.” Most or all of these changes aren’t intended for end users. But that doesn’t mean what’s included won’t give you a glimpse at what to expect from the software down the road. Say, during the beta.

For starters, the satellite support is being updated to provide better awareness of when a device is connected to a satellite network. In this preview, this isn’t necessarily something you would see on the front end. But Google says it’ll provide apps the ability to use the non-terrestrial network to detect when a device is connected to a satellite.

Android 15 will also allow connection to satellite networks for SMS/MMS apps and RCS apps. Once this is fully online, it would enable those apps to send messages via satellite connections. Again though, this is something that app developers would need to implement. Still, it will eventually give users an avenue of staying in communication when they might otherwise have no network connection.

Android 15 Satellite Network Connectivity

The Android 15 Developer Preview 2 launch will improve tap to pay

Another main change with this preview is the improvements to NFC services. Google specifically highlights tap to pay here. Stating that it aims to make tap to pay “more seamless and reliable.” The idea is to essentially make using the tap to pay at checkouts more efficient and thereby faster. Google says that in many cases, these updates can result in a one tap transaction.

“On supported devices, apps can request the NfcAdapter enter observe mode, where the device will listen but not respond to NFC readers, sending the app’s NFC service PollingFrame objects to process. The PollingFrame objects can be used to auth ahead of the first communication to the NFC reader, allowing for a one tap transaction in many cases.”

Think about all the times you use tap to pay at stores with your phone. Then think about any times you may have had to tap the phone more than once to complete the transaction. By the sounds of it, Android 15 aims to lessen the number of times this might happen.

Expanding support for app visibility to more screens

This change will be big for users who own flippable devices, such as the Galaxy Z Flip 5 for example. With Android 15, developers can “declare a property” that Android 15 uses to allow apps or activities to be displayed on smaller cover screens. Like that of the Galaxy Z Flip 5. Google says these screens are too small to be considered compatible targets for apps to run on. Android 15 will change this a bit though, and allow developers to opt their apps into support for these screens. This means that some of your favorite apps might soon have more of a presence on these smaller cover displays.


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