The Symptom Radar health tracker has been tested since 2020, but it first came to the public around April 2024, when the feature was released for beta testing. This gave early users a chance to test it out for themselves and participate in its review. The testing must have led to positive results because the company is now releasing the new Oura health tracking feature to all Oura Ring Gen 3 and Gen 4 users who have an active subscription right now. 

Image: Oura Ring

Oura Ring Introduces the Symptom Radar for Predicting Illnesses

There are two primary areas where wearable smart technology truly shines—fitness activity tracking and health tracking. Smartwatches have grounded themselves into many of our daily routines, but smart rings are still in the process of gaining ground as they have not proved to be quite as useful as a watch.

Now, after spending some months as an experimental feature in Oura Labs, the Oura Ring’s Symptom Radar is all set to make a mark as a premium health tracker. The new feature collects and analyzes biometric data through the ring’s sensor in order to detect unexpected changes or early signs of illness. Whether it’s a change in the resting heart rate or body temperature, or fluctuations in the heart rate or breathing rate, the ring is well placed to track it. Factors like age and inactivity are also taken into consideration.

The ring also uses sleep data to calculate the results and requires at least 7 nights of sleep information from the previous 14 days in order to make an accurate assessment.

What Does the Symptom Radar Health Tracker Do?

The Oura Ring predicts illness by studying fluctuations in the user’s body, tracking over 40 different biometrics, and alerting them to the change. The ring analyses the changes and notifies the user of the change using three severity levels on the app—no signs, minor signs, and major signs. When any signs or fluctuations are detected, the device will recommend that the user relax and turn on Rest mode. 

Oura’s work with partners like the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), has allowed the team to analyze anonymized data in order to refine the Symptom Radar health tracker to detect early signs up to two days before the individual logs their illness into the system. Users who heed the warning and get some rest can prevent the sick spell from settling in, boosting their immunity to help in the recovery.

Image: The Oura Ring Symptom Radar

Who Can Use the New Oura Health Tracking Feature?

Oura Ring 3 and Oura Ring 4 users with an active subscription should be able to see the feature on their phones as the feature was launched in December. Once available, users can check the Symptom Radar assessment on the app every morning. Tapping on the Symptom Radar card or going to the Today screen will bring up the daily update.

Our already has an assortment of useful health-tracking features, like pregnancy insights and cardio capacity check, but the new tracker adds another layer of assessment for users. 

Now, the Oura Ring’s Symptom Radar is not meant to replace a doctor or a regular health check-up. Early sign detection can help prevent common illnesses, but it isn’t ideal to wait until the ring sends an alert to seek treatment. 

Oura even warns that the tool may not “work optimally with pre-existing medical conditions. Pregnancy also impacts biometric baselines and may reduce the accuracy of Symptom Radar.” Pregnant users can turn the feature off to avoid getting false alerts. 

It is best to work with a doctor regularly to stay on top of your health, but the Oura Ring can serve as a very reliable assistant through it all. 

The post Presenting the Oura Ring’s Symptom Radar, a Nifty Illness Detector appeared first on Technowize.

With the newly designed X1 chip installed and Xreal One’s enhanced connectivity, the latest series of small glasses are all set to capture the AR market with their visual capabilities. Reviews show that the quality is perhaps still lacking and it has a long way to go before it can lead the industry, however, these 84gm devices are portable and comfortable like nothing else on the market.

Image: Xreal One Series

Xreal One Launch Details—Glasses Never Have to Be Boring Again

The Xreal One cinematic glasses are the company’s latest offering in the AR segment, and while they don’t boast too many unique AR-centric features, they are an amazing alternative to watching a movie on your tiny phone screen. The Xreal One’s figurative bag of new features holds multiple TÜV Rheinland eye health certifications and promises an enhanced audio experience through the Bose sound program built into the device.

There are two glasses available in the newly launched series, the Xreal One and Xreal One Pro, and they represent the “most advanced consumer AR glasses on the market today,” according to Chi Xu, CEO and Co-founder of Xreal.

It All Begins with a Single Chip, the X1

The Xreal One AR glasses are built on the “in-house designed X1 independent spatial computing co-processor,” which essentially handles all the computing needs of the glasses within the device itself, instead of relying on the smartphone to support the majority of the processing. The custom chip is said to be the result of over three years of R&D, which has resulted in the “world’s first customized silicon designed specifically for OST AR glasses.”

The announcement for the Xreal One launch details how the glasses can be connected to any device with video-out over USB-C. With the press of a button, it can allow you to view the device’s content laid out in a stable and expansive virtual screen.

Thanks to the X1 chip, users can access a low latency 3DoF (degrees-of-freedom) spatial screen that guarantees a clean output every time. The X1 also supports a low M2P latency of only 3ms at 120Hz, which is far more impressive than the 20ms on the Air 2. The low latency guarantees uninterrupted experiences, especially with the AR holographic visuals from developers who build with XREAL’s SDK.

Image: Xreal One series

Xreal One Display Features—Seeing is Believing

The Xreal is not overambitious and doesn’t claim too many unrealistic capabilities. It does one thing and it does it well, which is to project your smart device content into the virtual space on a much bigger screen. The Xreal One cinematic glasses offer a 1080p Full HD viewing experience for each eye and reach an impressive 50-degree field-of-view (FOV). The Xreal One Pro takes it one step further with the flat-prism lens to manage a 57-degree FOV.

For the non-Pro and Pro models, these glasses have a 120Hz refresh rate and peak brightness of 600 and 700 nits, respectively. They also have electrochromic dimming capabilities to darken or lighten the lens at will. 

If you want to listen to audio via the headset, the Sound by Bose program is available to enhance the experience to optimal levels. 

Adjusting for Comfort with the Xreal One AR glasses

The normal range for interpupillary distance (IPD) is 50-57mm in adults and the Xreal One Pro comes in two sizes for the different ranges to allow customers to select the horizontal IPD size that’s best for their vision. The Xreal One just offers one size but it has support for software-based IPD adjustments. These glasses also have three-level temple adjustments for the right vertical IPD fit and can be combined with prescription inserts for those who need additional support.

“Our world-leading low latency produces a super stable spatial display that’s surprising everyone who sees it. Plus, with the new TUV Rheinland Eye Comfort (5-Star) certification, you can expect a high level of eye comfort and safety from your new XREAL glasses. With these results, we’re now at the point where AR glasses’ spatial screens can truly replace physical monitors all day long.”

The Xreal One glasses are lightweight and customizable, with an interchangeable front frame that can let you switch up the look. The AR wearables are also better designed for comfort in terms of weight distribution, so whether you use them for hours of work or hours of gaming, you should still have a good time. You also have the ability to swivel your head around while the screen remains anchored and stable, making the device even more impressive.

The Xreal glasses flaunt some new buttons that allow you to control the settings from the frame rather than having to turn to the connected device, which is a welcome change.

Image: Xreal One series

We Cannot Forget About the Xreal Eye Camera 

The Xreal One series’ new features also include a detachable camera accessory for those who want to be able to record with the glasses. The 12MP modular camera sits below the nose bridge and captures both photos and videos from the wearer’s perspective, with HR recording at up to 1080fps. While the AI functionalities are limited for now, Xreal Eye promises multimodal AI capabilities with a future update. 

Combining the glasses and the camera with the Xreal Beam Pro mobile device opens up the door for some interesting combinations of the real world with augmented reality holographic displays. 

Xreal One Series Launch Details And Pricing

The Xreal One series of AR glasses are currently available for pre-order. The Xreal One is priced at $499 USD (£449 GBP/€549 Euro) and will begin shipping to customers in mid-December. The more complex Xreal One Pro is priced at $599 USD (£549 GBP/€649 Euro) and will begin shipping in early 2025. 

The Xreal One will be available in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Czech, Netherlands, China, Japan, and Korea, so if you live outside these regions, you might have to wait a little longer for Xreal to consider a launch in your area.

If you’ve been meaning to toy with AR technology, the Xreal One series is a good starting point, but at the end of the day, their main function is to provide a stable or free-moving display depending on what you need. It has some audio playing and recording capabilities that make it more versatile, but it is still a few years away from maximizing the full potential of AR.

The post Designed for Comfort and Compatibility—Xreal One Launch Details appeared first on Technowize.

Despite the unexpectedly low sales, the gadget is not without a loyal fanbase of users who are patiently waiting for OS changes that can help the device live up to its full potential. According to the recent Apple Vision Pro updates, the VisionOS 2.2 beta 4 developer release is officially live, giving experts some time to tinker around with its capabilities before the public launch that should occur in a week or two. 

Let’s dive into all the news we have about the VisionOS release.

Image: The Apple Vision Pro

VisionOS 2.2 Introduces New Features That Primarily Enhance Mac Integration

The latest beta update to the Vision Pro comes only a week after the third visionOS 2.2 beta was made available for review. The VisionOS 2.2 features for developers focus on upgrades to the Mac Virtual Display capability. The current display feature already allows users to mirror their Macs and view their screens on a larger scale through the Vision Pro headset, but it does not fully utilize the device’s expansive spatial capabilities. 

Doing away with the limitation of the standard rectangular screen, VisionOS 2.2’s new features allow for a wide and ultrawide projection of the Mac display. This expands how you view your Mac screen, creating a bigger canvas for you to run your apps and interact with them. The Apple Vision Pro does not support multiple displays but at least this way, users can use the Ultrawide setting to view apps laid out in a space equivalent to two 4K displays side-by-side.

Image: Before the update, the Mac Virtual Display was limited to a rectangular screen that could only be resized.

Introducing a Higher-Quality Display Output

The VisionOS beta 4 developer release also attempts to improve the quality of the displayed content regardless of which mode you use. With high-resolution visuals, users will be able to view content as is rather than see a downgrade in quality when said content is stretched and expanded to fit the Vision Pro’s display output. 

This is so cool

Apple Vision Pro + visionOS 2.2 Beta pic.twitter.com/RBOv0mmqOV

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) November 4, 2024

For those who found the previous resolution lacking, the update will reduce the difference in resolution quality between the native VisionOS apps and the mirrored macOS apps.

Revamped Audio Routing for AVP Users

Another one of the Apple Vision Pro’s key updates is that audio from the mirrored Mac will no longer be routed through the Mac and instead be directed through the Vision Pro itself. The absence of this capability was an odd choice to begin with, but it’s enough that Apple has addressed the details now.

The VisionOS 2.2 beta 4 developer release shows us that slowly but surely, Apple is starting to address the complaints that users have had with their Vision Pro headsets, even if the changes appear minor at first glance. These features enhance the usability of the headset, which could serve to bring back interest in the device that was last very early in the game.

We’ve seen a lot of rumors surrounding the headset, from Apple halting production to the company’s attempt to work on a cheaper alternative to reach a wider audience. There is also evidence of an iPhone-powered headset but nothing concrete has been revealed by the company. 

The post VisionOS 2.2 Beta 4 Brings New Features That Enhance the Mac Experience appeared first on Technowize.

Getting rid of the in-app microtransactions, Nintendo has re-released Pocket Camp Complete for players who want to start a new journey or revisit their old saved worlds from the older version of their game. 

Image: Nintendo

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete Launch Goes Live

There were many obvious downsides to the recent pandemic, but for game developers and app creators, it was truly a chance to shine. Animal Crossing: New Horizon was a pandemic baby that attracted an unbelievable number of new users to the game, but the title has always been a popular one, so it’s unfair to attribute all of its success solely to the time period.

Regardless of the pandemic bubble, the title has continued to attract and retain players over the years, with gamers keen on getting away from their daily lives to unwind with the warm and wonderful campsite-building game.

Whether you’re trying to revisit some of the nostalgia of playing the game or you missed out on the initial hype and want to see what the game is all about, the latest Pocket Camp Complete launch is a great way to jump into the game without having to invest in a Nintendo Switch. 

Is the Pocket Camp Complete Game Free to Play?

Pocket Camp was previously available for smart devices, but it was a freemium game. This meant that you could play the game for free, but there were microtransactions in the app that would restrict some of the features or items to those who were willing to purchase them with real money.

Exactly seven years after the original game was launched, it was taken offline on November 28, with the promise of a relaunch on December 3, 2024. Now, Nintendo has officially announced the Animal Crossing relaunch for mobile gamers, but it comes with a price tag. Users who download the app right now can do so at $9.99, which is a reasonable amount for the uber-popular game. 

Those who wait until after January 30, 2025, to try out this Animal Crossing update will miss out on the introductory offer and should expect to pay $19.99, which is quite a bit higher for a smartphone app purchase. So what exactly do you get for your money?

Image: Transfer custom designs from your Animal Crossing: New Horizons account to your Pocket Camp Complete game.

What’s New with the Animal Crossing Relaunch on Mobile?

With the relaunched app, users get access to all the content released over the last seven years to get a sense of what was already available in the game, along with access to new content as well. 

“Exchange Leaf Tokens for in-game items, create and collect (via QR Code®) personalized player Camper Cards, check out the new Whistle Pass location, and experience a variety of returning and new seasonal events throughout the year, to name a few examples.”

—From Business Wire

Seasonal events such as the Garden events and Fishing tourneys and celebrations like Halloween and the Summer Festival will bring new content to the game regularly, so returning players don’t have to worry about being limited to the old content. The new Whistle Pass location is now available for example, so those who want new content immediately have a reason to redownload the app. 

You cannot create custom designs on the smartphone app, but if you’re an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player, you can load your existing custom designs from the Switch game into the app by copying the item code, so there’s a fun overlap between the two versions of the world-building game. 

Can Returning Pocket Camp Players Transfer their Old Saved Data?

If you have an existing Pocket Camp account saved and linked to your Nintendo Account, you can transfer your data to the new app, so you don’t have to worry about starting from scratch. Be warned that the data transfer is only possible until 11 p.m. PT on June 1, 2025, so don’t take too long to decide whether you want to return to your saved game.

We are aware that some users are experiencing an issue that prevents their Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp save data from being successfully transferred to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete.

We are currently investigating the exact cause and ways to fix the issue. The issue may…

— Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete (@Pocket_Camp) December 2, 2024

Some users have experienced trouble migrating all of their data to the new app which could be due to a “high number of users attempting to use this service.” If you’re a returning player, you could benefit from giving the game a few days before you initiate the transfer, or you could look at Nintendo’s support page to learn more about what you can do. 

Pocket Camp Complete is available across smart devices so regardless of whether you’re an iOS or Android user, you can now get your hands on the game. 

The post Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete Launches for Android and iOS appeared first on Technowize.

With the new version of the game for Xbox and PC, the behavior of player-owned pals has changed, making it so that the pals are spawned right next to the player instead of landing at a position of the user’s choosing. Before we get into Palworld’s new island update, let’s understand the issues detailed in the patch notes for 0.3.11.

Image: Palworld

Palworld’s December Update Has Users “Downgrading” the Game

The Palworld game update issue came to light after users upgraded their game to the latest version, which left them unable to play the game comfortably due to a slight change in player interaction and UI. Since the update, users can no longer throw the pal out to the position where they want them and instead end up with the pal summoned next to them.

This does not sound like a major issue at first, however, players have found their pals spawning and getting trapped in the terrain around them, affecting the pals’ movement capabilities. 

This Palworld game update issue has resulted in gamers turning to Discord and Reddit to understand how to remove the update so they can continue with the older format of the game unhindered. 

Downgrading a game can be a source of future issues once more updates come out, however, for now, fans appear convinced that it is the best way to keep playing the game until Pocketpair makes some changes to the mechanism.

Palworld Update Breaks the Game but Why Did Pocketpair Make This Change to Begin With?

As frustrating as the updated version of the game is, it is likely to be a temporary change. Pocketpair is being sued by Nintendo over the similarities the game has with Pokemon. Nintendo has stated multiple patent infringements that have to do with the in-game mechanics instead of the game concept or design, which means that Palword could eventually be required to change major features of the game.

As WindowsCentral and multiple users online have pointed out, the launching of the pals into the open world is very similar to the mechanics of aiming and throwing creatures. Perhaps the update has been rolled out to end the use of the familiar game details temporarily until designers can come up with something new and then code and design it into the game. 

You know about the update Palworld got, right?

Is speculated the changes were done to try avoiding some of Nintendo’s patents.

The problem, is that it also generated new issues, like having no reticle when using this mounted pal ability. pic.twitter.com/kqiw4VuH6z

— Nakano15 (@Nakano18Online) December 1, 2024

Users on Reddit have responded to the Palworld game update issue with a plethora of their own ideas on how the launching mechanic could be designed, from suggesting a Pal portal gun to a frisbee disk cage. Their unending creativity should serve as sufficient inspiration for Pocketpair to address and fix the game as soon as possible.

Image: Palworld’s expansion looks enthralling.

Palworld’s New Island Update Is All Set to Expand the Borders of the Game

Palworld developer Pocketpair took to the Discord, Twitter/X, and Steam page on November 28 to explain the upcoming island expansion, which is expected to be about six times the size of Sakurajima—the region that came with the last update. This will include all new tower bosses and the promise of vicious new species of pals.

The announcement arrived with a few new images of the changes scheduled for the game, but developers haven’t detailed what they mean. The gold loot suggests there could be a new event or method to stock up on the riches and the crystal caverns could just be a new scenic location or a new resource. The new gold-toned pal also looks like a hard-hitter so we’re excited to hear more major patch details for Palworld.

2024 isn’t finished yet for Palworld and we have some exciting news about the next update coming VERY SOON…

But first, we want to tell you about something happening in 2025!

! ! ! Palworld x Terraria ! ! !

More info coming soon! @terraria_logic pic.twitter.com/nmLpkPCn2t

— Palworld (@Palworld_EN) November 27, 2024

To round things up, there’s also a Palworld x Terraria collaboration on the horizon. The developer has maintained its silence on the specifics of the collaboration, and all we do know is that we’re going to have to wait till 2025 to learn more. Fans are extremely excited to uncover how these two worlds will come together, so despite the disappointing start to the Palworld December update, things are still looking up for the pal-collecting game.

The post Palworld’s December Updates Have Fans Stressed and Excited appeared first on Technowize.

A Geekbench listing for the Nothing phone 3 is at the heart of the excitement around the company’s next venture in the smartphone category, paired with rumors from tipster Yogesh Brar.

Image: Nothing Phone 2

Nothing Rumored to Have Three New Phones for 2025—Here’s Everything We Know

Nothing has had quite a few successful launches this year, both in and outside the smartphone category. The Nothing Phone 2 and 2a borrowed from the design aesthetic of the original Nothing Phone, while the Nothing CMF Phone 1 left us with a brand-new take on smartphone design. The Nothing Ear (a) and Nothing Ear (open) also found a loyal customer base that quickly embraced the products’ unique designs.

The Nothing phone 3 was initially expected to see a 2024 launch, but CEO Carl Pei announced that the release had been pushed back. Perhaps Nothing’s three new phones in 2025 will leave us with a fresh series that has both “Pro” versions along with more basic alternatives to cater to a full range of customers.

Geekbench Listing for the Nothing Phone 3

The rumored Nothing Phone 3 details revealed through the Geekbench appearance suggest we’re getting a new device with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC featuring an Adreno 810 GPU. The phone is expected to have 8GB RAM and support Android 15 to power the Nothing OS. The device, codenamed A059, scored 1,149 and 2,813 points in Geekbench’s single and multi-core tests, respectively.

On the surface of things, the SoC may appear to be a little disappointing considering that initial rumors surrounding the phone spoke of a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. The company hasn’t revealed the details of the Nothing phones launching next year, but it may still live up to expectations considering CEO Pei has spoken of a “redefined” smartphone that will come with the AI experiences that everyone is currently looking for in their handsets.

We may also have a Nothing Phone 3 Pro model that takes the specs revealed through the Geekbench data one step further.

Image: Nothing’s clean UI is one of our favorite details and we’re excited to see how it evolves.

Additional Rumored Nothing Phone Details 

The Nothing Phone 3 could have a 6.5-inch display while the more “Pro” variant could feature a 6.7-inch display. Some rumors suggest that there could be multiple RAM configurations for customers to choose from. A listing for an A059P phone on the IMEI database suggests this could be the Plus or Pro smartphone with a Dimensity 9400 SoC. 

Fans have been hopeful about the possibility of an Action button but there is no concrete evidence to suggest this is a detail we’ll see incorporated. All of Nothing’s three new phones could launch in mid-2025, but there could be a staggered release with only the first model or two in the first half of the year. 

There are 3 new phones from Nothing under active development right now.

These Will likely cover H1 2025

— Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) November 29, 2024

The Nothing Phone 3 could be priced at around $599 USD and the Pro variant may be marked up at $699 USD. These numbers are only estimates, but they build on the expectations set by previous launches. 

Nothing may or may not continue with interesting design choices like a Glyph lighting configuration on the back, a glow-in-the-dark setup, or even the CMF phone’s modular design, but we love a good surprise and Nothing always delivers in that regard. The company is never coy about the details of its devices closer to launch day, so we’ll likely hear from the source itself soon enough.

The post Rampant Rumors Suggest Nothing Will Launch Three New Phones in 2025 appeared first on Technowize.

The company believes this is a surefire way to allow AI tools to provide more relevant responses to queries by “connecting AI assistants to the systems where data lives, including content repositories, business tools, and development environments.” Its AI assistant Claude can now support better AI data integration by replacing the scattered access to data with a more unified system of operation. 

When paired with the other desktop updates for Claude AI and its enhanced PDF analysis capabilities, the AI bot is on the way to becoming a leader in its category.

Image: Pexels

Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol—Why Do We Need a New Operation Mode?

To understand the Anthropic Model Context Protocol, we must first decipher what modern-day AI models are missing. AI assistants are gaining popularity every day as they become more capable of providing accurate, realistic responses, however, the large majority of them are significantly constrained by the quality and quantity of data they can access. 

To keep models up-to-date, they need to be manually reconnected to new data sources as the models usually operate in silos that are cut off from access to the wealth of information that is stored in separate databases. Integrating new data sources is a constant challenge as the different data sources have their own protocols that cause the AI models—and their developers—to expend a lot of energy on reconfiguring systems each time. These processes are taxing and time-consuming.

The lack of standardization may seem like a minor problem now, but as AI systems continue to expand and data sources continue to multiply, the fragmented processes could be a serious limitation of AI functioning later down the line.

How does the Anthropic Model Context Protocol Solve the Issue?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open-standard tool for developers to build a two-way connection between the many data sources and the AI tools, not just for Claude AI’s data integration but for other AI as well. Anthropic is looking into establishing a universal protocol that can connect AI systems to myriad data sources by simplifying the integration process, regardless of the technologies that underlie them.

Today @Anthropic is releasing MCP, a framework that allows Claude to run servers, giving it superpowers and effectively turning the Claude app into an API.

We created some server that I think you’ll love!

FileSystem: Claude can create, read, and edit files and folders locally. pic.twitter.com/2XnRVFltR4

— Pietro Schirano (@skirano) November 25, 2024

There are three layers to the tools provided by Anthropic for this purpose. The company has provided MCP specifications and SDKs as a way to establish the guidelines necessary for developers to build these servers themselves. Anthropic has also provided local MCP server support in the Claude Desktop apps for those who want to create repositories with their own private data for local use, allowing small teams to leverage AI with their data.

Finally, the Anthropic Model Context Protocol has pre-built MCP servers for popular enterprise systems like Google Drive, Slack, GitHub, Git, Postgres, and Puppeteer, so developers can start utilizing these immediately. 

According to Anthropic, “Early adopters like Block and Apollo have integrated MCP into their systems, while development tools companies including Zed, Replit, Codeium, and Sourcegraph are working with MCP to enhance their platforms—enabling AI agents to better retrieve relevant information to understand the context around a coding task further and produce more nuanced and functional code with fewer attempts.”

Desktop Updates for Claude AI

Apart from Claude AI’s data integration advancements, another major announcement from the company is the arrival of the desktop app for Mac and Windows users. The freely available tool makes it easier for users to access the AI without having to search for the website each time.

The Claude AI desktop features resemble the content of the webpage but have the added capacity to work with local desktop applications and set up repetitive tasks. This takes us one step closer to Anthropic’s goals to build an AI that can be fully integrated into a user’s daily routine, establishing compatibility with other services they use regularly.

Anthropic has also worked on Claude’s PDF analysis capabilities so users can summarize or review documents more in-depth. This should make it easier for users to pull data from their documents or refer back to key areas of interest quickly. Users of the smartphone app also have something to look forward to with the Claude AI’s diction support, which now provides the option of using voice commands for queries.

The AI space has a handful of big players and all of them have their own goals. OpenAI is now trying to capture the space that Gemini dominates through the Google Search Engine. Google Gemini, on the other hand, is exploring new spaces with its integration into the Spotify ecosystem of services. Anthropic’s pursuit of the MCP integration is admittedly less flashy, but considerably more groundbreaking in its goals of standardizing how AI models operate.

The post Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol: Claude AI’s Data Integration Enhanced appeared first on Technowize.

(Image Credit: spotify)

The Gemini extension was first spotted in the code of the Google app in June, and now it’s rolling out to compatible Android devices. According to an update Google has just Gemini Spotify rollout, users can now ask the Gemini app to search or play music on Spotify by specifying the song, album, artist, playlist, and more. Google already offers similar functionality with Gemini integration for its YouTube Music platform.

Google Gemini Spotify feature

Spotify is the second third-party app to integrate with Google Gemini AI assistant. Previously, Google launched a Gemini extension for WhatsApp, allowing users to send messages or make calls using WhatsApp through Gemini prompts. Additionally, Google has begun rolling out a Utilities extension for Gemini, which adds functionality such as opening specific apps, websites, or Android settings.

Users should know that if they are already linked to another music service like YouTube Music, they shall need to verbally say or type in which service they want Gemini to use as part of initial request, and from there, it will default to whatever was used last. Also users would not be able to use the Spotify extension inside Google Messages, the Gemini web app, or the Gemini app on iOS, and it only works while Gemini’s language is set to English to start.

Spotify Gemini extension default assistant

Google clarified that the Spotify extension works only within the Gemini app or when Gemini is set as the default assistant. Currently, this feature is not available for the Gemini app on iOS. To use the Spotify extension, users must link their Spotify account to their Google Account. Spotify will play specific song requests only for users with a Spotify Premium subscription.

How to enable Gemini extension on Spotify

Gemini Extensions require the “Gemini Apps Activity” to be enabled. To enable it, tap on your Google Account menu in the Gemini app, select “Gemini Apps Activity” and turn it on. To connect Spotify to the Gemini extension, users will first need to log into their Spotify account and then link to their Google account. Once done, users can open the Gemini app, tap on their profile picture, and go to Extensions. There, they can manually toggle on the Spotify option.

How to use the Google Gemini extension on Spotify

Link your Spotify account to your Google Account through the Spotify app and ensure you have an active Spotify Premium subscription.

Open the Google Gemini app and tap on the Google Account menu in the top-right corner, navigate to the “Extensions” option and enable the Spotify extension. Once enabled, you can use Gemini to play, search, or browse music on Spotify.

Google Gemini extension rollout

While Google has announced rolling out the Gemini extension, it may take up to two weeks before it is available to all users globally.

The post Spotify Joins the Google Gemini Ecosystem: What You Need to Know appeared first on Technowize.

With over 2 billion active Apple product users, the scam has the potential to cause considerable damage across the globe if left unaddressed. There is no data available on how many people have received or been affected by the “Apple ID suspended” iPhone warning, however, it’s best to play it safe and ensure you don’t join the ranks of those affected.

Image: Pexels

An Apple ID Phishing Scam Is Making the Rounds—Here’s What You Need to Know

The iPhone Apple ID scam is being executed via an almost authentic email from what looks to be Apple Support. The email follows similar formatting you might expect from Apple and includes a warning that due to suspicious or unusual activity, your Apple ID has been suspended. The email also includes a button or link to redirect you to take action to restore or review your account activity, which users are likely to click to learn more about their information. 

A user who might not pay close attention to the sender ID is likely to click on the link immediately to protect their account or make the next logical move to change their password. A simple solution to this is to open up the Apple account yourself through a separate tab that has nothing to do with links in the email, but due to the appearance of authenticity in the email, users might just click the link instead.

Apple Users Face Multiple Major Scams in 2024

This is not the first major scam faced by Apple users this year. There is another malicious attack going around where users receive an email informing them that their iCloud storage is almost full. This prompts users to click on the clink for an upgrade, which some are likely to do to learn more about their options. 

Email and phone scams back in the day were easier to point out due to the language used or the errors in the email content that an official piece of communication would not have, but things have changed today. 

With the rise of AI, it has become much easier for scammers to draft more authentic messages that reflect the content in an official email, text, or phone call. This is why users have to be more alert while clicking on links or responding to any communication, no matter what the format.

We are all aware that we need to keep our passwords and account details private, but we tend to let our guard down when it comes to clicking on links on seemingly official pages. It is always safer to look at an email as a scam first and then use the tools at your disposal to verify whether or not your assumption is correct.

How to Protect Yourself From the iPhone Apple ID Scam or Other Phishing Emails

When opening emails, it’s best to treat them all with some degree of healthy suspicion and do so with a calm mind. Phishing attacks work so well because they rely on your sense of urgency to blind you to the signs that they are running a scam. Whether your Apple ID has been suspended or stolen, there’s nothing panic will do to solve the issue. 

Paying attention to the contents of the email and the sender ID is equally critical. A quick search might be able to tell what the official ID of communication will be, allowing you to cross-check the sender of the email. All communications from official accounts will include links with clear URLs that match the company website.

Another way to avoid falling prey to the Apple ID phishing scam is to open up your account through official channels. Don’t click on the links in the email; go to the app or website yourself to see whether you have a notification or verify whether there are any signs of suspicious activity.

A good way to preempt any attacks on your account is to set up two-factor authentication to make it harder for someone to access your data with just the password. Additionally, if you suspect an email is a scam, it’s best to report the email so your ID provider is alerted to the possibility of an attack. Apple suggests you contact reportphishing@apple.com if you encounter any evidence of a scammer pretending to be the company.

With Black Friday deals and other major holiday shopping events occurring right now, users need to be particularly cautious about the lures that scammers are throwing out to them. If a deal is too good to be true, trust that it might just be a fake offer. Make purchases only from trusted sources and avoid entering your personal data or bank information on any platform that appears to be in the least bit suspicious. 

Investing in a VPN, anti-virus software, and password manager are also good long-term solutions to stay safe online.

The post Keep Your Eye Out for Signs of This Apple ID Phishing Scam appeared first on Technowize.

(Image Credit: apple)

It seems that iPhone 17 Air prototypes are between 5 and 6 millimeters thick, which could possibly make it thinner than the iPhone 6, released a decade ago. While the iPhone 16 is 7.8mm thick, this could make the iPhone 17 Air as thin as the new M4 iPad Pro.

iPhone 17 Air design compromises

Apple iPhone 17 Air changes shall be major to keep it ultra-slim. Apple will have to sacrifice several crucial features to achieve this design. As per report Apple engineers are “finding it hard to fit the battery and thermal materials into the device,” which means it will likely have to add a smaller battery to this iPhone. Besides, a major compromise on the iPhone 17 Air might be a single earpiece speaker.

Apple ultra-thin iPhone 17 design missing features

Apple aims to keep the iPhone 17 Air model’s thickness between five and six millimeters by making several internal design changes.

Prototype models of the iPhone 17 Air are expected to measure between 5mm and 6mm in thickness, presenting challenges for fitting components within the compact frame. Early supply chain data indicates difficulties in sourcing appropriate batteries and thermal materials to support the ultra-thin design. To accommodate these constraints, Apple may replace the traditional stereo speaker setup with a single speaker for this model.

iPhone 17 Air changes to camera

Apple may also simplify the camera system for the iPhone 17 Air. This model is anticipated to feature a single rear camera housed in a large, centered camera bump. Though it is a premium phone, the iPhone 17 Air model may lack some high-end camera specifications, such as the periscopic telephoto lens with 5x zoom, which is likely to remain exclusive to the Pro variants. Earlier speculation suggested the inclusion of the telephoto lens in the Air model, but this now seems unlikely.

Apple’s in-house 5G modem

The report also suggests that the iPhone 17 Air could be one of the first Apple devices to use Apple’s in-house 5G modem. This chip is reportedly less powerful than the Qualcomm 5G modems currently used in iPhones, offering lower peak speeds, slightly reduced reliability, and no support for mmWave 5G technology. Apple is still grappling with whether to include a SIM tray in the iPhone 17 Air. While the company has phased out physical SIM cards in markets like the U.S., regions such as China still require a SIM card slot, adding to the design challenges.

Apple ultra-thin iPhone 17 design is it worth the compromise?

The iPhone 17 Air represents a bold step toward creating an ultra-thin device, but Apple will need to make several trade-offs to achieve this design. While the slim profile will appeal to those seeking a sleek and lightweight phone, compromises in battery life, audio quality, camera functionality, and 5G performance may limit its appeal for users who prioritize these features. It would be interesting to see if these trade-offs are worth it for an all-new iPhone design.

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