👂 Taking a page from Apple: You’ll soon be able to connect hearing aids to your Android phone. Code strings found in a Google Play Services beta show hearing aids listed as Fast Pair-supported devices. Translation? Pairing them could become as simple as connecting earbuds.
CES 2025: What’s coming at this year’s tech show
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The big CES 2025 event kicks off tomorrow in Las Vegas with over 100,000 attendees. I’ve got the inside scoop on what’s hot this year.
TVs are always big
LG’s hoping to steal the show with its Zero Connect box. No cables — it wirelessly transmits 4K video at 144Hz. Plus, LG will introduce its Dynamic QNED Color Solution system, better HDR and sound optimization, and a Magic Remote, a voice-controlled and gesture-enabled universal remote that doubles as a mouse for your TV. (Smart — the LG remote is horrible now.) They’ll also unveil the UltraGear GX9, a bendable 45-inch monitor with a 5K2K resolution (5120×2160) and a 21:9 aspect ratio.
Samsung’s new 83-inch S95F QD-OLED TV is its largest yet. And Samsung’s The Premiere 8K projector is coming — think HDR support and a stunning 4500 ISO lumens brightness. Too bad there are no 8K shows yet.
Hisense will show off a laser projector, and Panasonic’s back in the TV business here, so they’ll have a few products, too.
Smarter homes
Samsung’s Bespoke $4,999 refrigerators have built-in cameras to monitor your groceries and automatically order replacements through Instacart. Plus, a 32-inch screen on the fridge streams live TV and movies.
New smart ovens use AI to suggest recipes based on what’s in your fridge. You can see the food cooking remotely through your phone. GE’s stand mixer has AI weight sensors that automatically adjust your mixing speed and time based on the consistency of your batter or dough. Cooks should love this!
Kohler’s new AI bath-filling system lets you control the water temperature and fill level using your phone or voice assistant. Just say, “Fill the tub for a relaxing soak,” and it does the rest.
Moen’s system lets you control every faucet, showerhead and irrigation system in your home through an app. It also sends potential leak alerts. I could really use this now, as my pool is leaking. Argh.
Tech meets the road
Honda is debuting its futuristic 0 Series EVs and a joint project with Sony called the Afeela, which is basically a theater on wheels. Imagine watching Netflix while your car drives you home.
Nearly 200% more
Radiation level exposure for those uploading videos in rural areas using 5G, compared to someone in the city. Researchers think the extra radiation doesn’t come from the 5G towers but from mobile devices working overtime to get out the signal. Guess those hiking pics can wait, huh?
Intel slipping away: The once-mighty innovator is steadily losing market share in critical areas that keep its profits afloat. One prime example (paywall link): AMD surpassed Intel’s revenue for data center chips — a crazy shift, considering Intel’s revenue was three times AMD’s in 2022. And let’s not forget the booming GPU demand for AI, where Intel is trailing Nvidia by thousands of miles.
Are you cirrus? Turns out the government’s technology for controlling the weather doesn’t work. “Cloud seeding,” where silver iodide crystals are added to clouds to increase rain, only boosts precipitation by a measly 0% to 20%. Oh, and it’s not cheap, either; we’re spending tens of millions on this every year.
🙏 Give me an AI-men: The New York Times did an excellent piece about how religious leaders are using AI to help them deliver their sermons. Take Rabbi Fixler: A chatbot trained on his data can write the sermon, deliver it in his voice and even answer questions aloud during the service. Other leaders are using bots to translate their livestreams into other languages in real time.
Erase the past: Newspapers across the U.S. are removing old crime stories or names from their online archives. Why? To help folks move on without fear of being googled. Good news: This only applies to minor crimes. Articles about violence and sex offenses are staying put.
📜 No data for you: The U.S. Department of Justice has issued an executive order banning companies from selling our personal data to hostile nations. The goal? To block countries like China, North Korea and Russia from using our info for cyberespionage and social media disinformation campaigns. I always assumed China has extremely sophisticated spying tech they use on us. Well, that balloon burst.
We’re No. 1, sadly: The U.S. is the leading nation for using AI to create sexually explicit images. In 2024 alone, Americans visited deepfake sites 59.7 million times to upload pics to and create fake nudes, namely of people they know and celebrities. India and Japan came in second and third, respectively.
📜 Unlocking secrets: AI is decoding ancient texts like burnt Roman scrolls and fragile tablets. A model called Ithaca filled in the blanks with 62% accuracy, compared to 25% for human researchers. Time to learn what ancient folks were Babyloning about.
Power up: Ford extended its free at-home EV charger promo through March 31. New 2024 or 2025 Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit vehicles qualify. The catch: If your electrical panel needs an upgrade to support the system, you foot the bill.
🚀 Harder, better, faster, stronger: SpaceX is prepping for another Starship rocket test flight, this time loaded with 10 Starlink simulators. They’re dummy models of the V3 satellites, which promise 10 times faster download speeds and 24 times faster uploads than the older gen.
iPhone storage hog: Apple Intelligence is eating up nearly double the storage space it did at launch. In September 2024, it needed 4GB. Four months later, it’s at 7GB. Why the bloat? Updates and code-heavy features like Image Playground, which creates pictures from prompts. Siri’s major AI overhaul will make it worse.
💸 $50K Facebook payout: A Georgia lawyer’s Facebook account got hacked and used to share child porn. Meta deleted the account, along with all his family photos, so he sued. When they missed the deadline to respond, the guy hired a private investigator to track down a Meta bank account. Bam, a judge awarded him $52,325.89. I wonder how many others will follow suit.
👸🏽 A game of thrones: Meghan Markle, the former B-grade actress and, by marriage, the Duchess of Sussex, has a new Netflix show that paints her as entitled, out of touch and unoriginal, as you’d expect. This is strange: Princess Kate is a bona fide beekeeper and shared a heartfelt family beach video post-chemo. In her Netflix show, Meghan’s wearing a beekeeper outfit and recently posted a beach video to Instagram. Coincidence? Doubt it. Looks like she stole the recipes she cooks, too. Such a waste.
I’m on board: In five years, paper boarding passes and airline tickets will be history. Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas says they’ll be replaced by biometrics, like fingerprint scans and facial recognition, along with a phone app. His company, which starts flying this summer, is the first to have digital-only bookings. Other airlines are moving to fully digital boarding passes this year, too.
A bunch of dopes: YouTubers the Nelk Boys got 5 million views on a video they shot in Fiji. They found a remote tribe with very little contact with the outside world, taught villagers how to use vapes and then passed out cigarettes. There’s been no apology because I’m sure they aren’t sorry.
🚨 Check your fridge: Walmart’s Marketside-brand broccoli florets (the 12-ounce bags) are being recalled due to possible listeria contamination. If you’re in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas or Wisconsin, look for lot code BFFG327A6. Return it to get your money back, and wash anything the package came in contact with.
Only nine hours: A new class-action suit claims Siri activates too easily and Apple shared accidental recordings with advertisers. That explains the “I was just talking about that!” ad moments you’ve had. Expect about $20 per Siri-enabled device. I’ll share the claim link once it’s live. For Apple, the $95 million settlement is just nine hours of profit.