After a federal jury debated over the legitimacy of the claim, they concluded that Masimo had wilfully infringed on Apple Watch design patents and should be held accountable for it, however, their mixed verdict has not halted any sales. 

Image: Masimo W1 Watch

Apple Wins a $250 Patent Case but It’s Main Battle with Masimo Continues

According to a detailed report by Bloomberg Law, the jury found that the original design for Masimo’s W1 Freedom and Health module were indeed copies of Apple’s products. The original charger Masimo sold also imitated Apple’s design. The iPhone company’s filing of the complaint stated that Masimo had “copied Apple while filing lawsuits to try to prevent sales of Apple Watch.” 

As a result of this decision, the jury awarded Apple $250 in compensation for the damages, which is the statutory minimum that can be provided for such a filing. The small number is pocket change for Apple’s $3.5 trillion business, but Apple’s attorney explained that the ultimate purpose of registering the lawsuit was not for money but to convince Masimo to stop copying their product. 

In a statement to Gizmodo, the Cupertino company explained that they were grateful to the jury for acknowledging that Masimo had “willfully infringed Apple’s patented designs.” The company further explained that the teams at Apple had worked for years to develop and perfect their design and Masimo had taken a shortcut to launch its own version of it to the market. 

Despite the “win,” things have not changed considerably for Apple. The Apple smartwatch patent infringement verdict largely only accounts for Masimo’s older products, and not the ones they are currently putting out on the market. As a result, Mansion can continue to sell its smartwatches undeterred by the result of the verdict. 

Masimo also considers this jury decision to be a win and it also expressed its appreciation to the jury for being “in favor of Masimo and against Apple on nearly all issues.” The module and charger accused of the infringement have already been discontinued, which means Masimo’s business will remain unaffected—other than having to pay the $250 that Apple won from the patent case and also pay the legal fees for the entire proceedings that likely cost them more than the fine. 

The Apple vs Masimo Case Is a Part of a Bigger Story

Masimo is a global medical technology company with various patents on health-monitoring tech that can observe and alert users to physical changes that might require medical attention. Among these is the company’s patent on blood-oxygen monitoring technology.

Understandably protective of this tech, Masimo took Apple to court, accusing the company of duplicating its work without authorization. Masimo had previously filed and won a similar claim of patent infringement against True Wearables. With Apple as well, Masimo was able to convince authorities to enforce a ban on the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 unless the devices were sold without the notorious SpO2 sensor.

Apple was able to appeal for a stay on the ban temporarily, but this was not enough to guarantee a permanent return of the smartwatches until the feature was removed. Apple had the option of licensing the technology from Masimo so it could continue to sell the watches with the feature, but it refused to succumb to the temptation. The two watches are available in the US once more, but they do not have the SpO2 sensor enabled. 

Apple’s win in the $250 patent case with Masimo is a pebble in the larger arena where the two companies continue to battle over patent infringements. 

The post Apple Wins a $250 Patent Case but It’s an Uneventful Victory appeared first on Technowize.

Apple and Goldman Sachs have to pay a combined $89 million fine to address the matter. The issues with the card have affected thousands of customers, and despite knowing about the problem, the companies both failed to take sufficient action to put the matter to rest.

Image: Pexels

The Goldman Sachs-Apple Penalty Raises Issues with the Apple Card

Apple and Goldman Sachs entered a partnership in August 2019, introducing the Apple credit card to allow customers of the iPhone company to finance payments through an internal system. This Apple card was aimed at incentivizing customers to spend more on the company’s products by making transactions via the card.

According to the CFPB, Apple and Goldman Sachs mishandled innumerable consumer disputes that were filed in relation to transactions detected on the cards. Apple failed to send “tens of thousands” of related consumer disputes on the card to the bank. When it did manage to send them to Goldman Sachs, the bank failed to adhere to the federal regulations involved in investigating these disputes. 

After customers disputed the transactions, the bank was expected to conduct an inquiry into the issue and clarify the root of the problem at once, but Goldman Sachs did not stick to the procedure. 

It is reported that Apple and Goldman Sachs were both warned by third parties that the Apple Card was not technically efficient enough to launch, but the companies decided to go ahead with the release of the card. They did not fix the system following its release either. This left consumers with extremely long waits to hear back on the results of their disputed charges, and many were also left with incorrect negative information on their credit reports. 

Apple and Goldman Sachs’ mishandling of the card is only one part of the problem. The companies were also accused of misleading customers.

The Apple Card’s Failures Include Lack of Clarity on “Interest-Free” Payments

The report on the Goldman Sachs and Apple penalty states that the two businesses misled customers with regard to interest-free payment plans on purchases of Apple products. Customers believed that they would be able to automatically get interest-free monthly payments if they used the card to buy an Apple product, but this was not the case as they were still charged interest.

For some customers, the interest-free payment option was not even visible on certain browsers, which added to their confusion on how to proceed. In addition to these issues, Goldman Sachs is also said to have misled consumers about the application of refunds, and as a result, some customers found themselves paying additional interest charges. 

CFPB claims that Apple’s “deceptive marketing materials and illegal conduct” were the source of the confusion. The penalty against Goldman Sachs and Apple is set at $89 million, but it isn’t divided equally. Goldman Sachs is expected to pay at least $19.8 million in redress and a $45 million civil money penalty. Apple, on the other hand, will pay a $25 million civil money penalty to the CFPB’s victim relief fund. 

In addition to the fines set on the failure of the Apple Card, Goldman Sachs is no longer allowed to launch a new credit card until it can submit a stable plan for its next venture. “The CFPB is banning Goldman Sachs from offering a new consumer credit card unless it can demonstrate that it can actually follow the law,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra explained. 

The post Goldman Sachs and Apple to Pay a Penalty of $89 Million appeared first on Technowize.

On Tuesday, the company announced Equinix Joint Venture with Singapore’s wealth fund GIC and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. The joint venture is formed to finance the development of new data centers in the US for hyperscale customers.

The company aims to use the capital for purchasing lands to set up more than 100MW data center campuses to increase the capacity for Equinix’s hyperscale customers. In the last few years, Equinix is focused on the expansion of Data Centers by forming Joint Ventures with large investors like PGIM and GCI.

Image: Equinix

Aim of Equinix Joint Venture

The main motive of the joint venture is to create the funds for the expansion of the xScale, a product through which hyperscale providers can add core deployments to their existing footprints at IBX data centers. The JV will increase the number of data campuses in the US which will eventually add 1.5GW more capacity for Equinix’s customers.

The company is planning to scale the Data Center Expansions as there is a high demand for digital infrastructure in the US and Equinix is one of the largest data centers used by some of the largest technology companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Google.

Numbers of the Equinix Joint Venture

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and GIC will own the equity of 37.5% in the joint venture, while Equinix will have the equity of the remaining 25%.

Equinix and CPP Joint Venture has been signed for the first time while GIC first partnered with the company in October 2019 to develop the facilities for the hyperscale customers. Earlier, they jointly invested more than $7 billion to establish data centers in various countries including South Korea, the UK, Japan, France, and Brazil.

In April, Equinix also formed a joint venture with PGIM worth $600 million to set up data centers in Silicon Valley. This JV will offer 28 MW of IT capacity. Overall, Equinix is one of the largest real estate investment trusts focused on data centers, with a market capitalization of almost $84 billion.

Thoughts behind the Joint Venture

Adaire Fox-Martin, CEO and President of Equinix said, the world’s leading companies are in the need to build their infrastructure to support keyloads such as Artificial Intelligence. For the most efficient inferencing, these companies require a combination of large-scale data centers optimized as per the AI standards and requirements. xScale and IBX offers are uniquely positioned to meet these needs of business and enable companies to utilize the full potential of AI.

While Gho Chin Kiong, Chief Investment Officer of real estate at GIC stated, “We are proud to expand our years-long partnership with Equinix.” He mentioned that GIC Capital and funds along with the operational expertise of Equinix will cater to the growing demand of the digital infrastructure. Through this JV, GIC will provide the funding needed to scale the data centers all over the US and to fulfill the demand for digital transformation.

With the increased usage of AI and growing demand for cloud services, Equinix is looking forward to scaling its data centers to increase the capacity for the hyperscale customers and large technology companies.

The post Equinix Forms Joint Venture to Raise $15 Billion for Xscale appeared first on Technowize.

The TOS section that was updated stated that “techniques such as machine learning” could be used to analyze user data in order to improve their services. The terms did not specifically mention anything about an “AI” policy change, but users who saw Adobe’s user agreement change were immediately alerted to the possibility that all of their work on the platform could be used to train the company’s proprietary AI, Firefly. 

Image: Adobe

Adobe Terms of Service Change Sparks Outrage Among Users

The Adobe TOS controversy has more to do with miscommunication than the actual use of any user data for AI training. Adobe’s terms generated user backlash as many felt the company was letting them know that their personal data was freely available for the company to access and do what they needed with it. This was not the case. The company’s policy change to access user content was not a new addition to their terms and similar statements to view and take action against inappropriate content have been a part of the policy for a long time. 

Adobe Addresses TOS Controversy To Clarify the Source of AI Training Material

In a blog post, the company expressed its stance on AI and clarified that it had no plans to use user data to train generative AI. “We’ve never trained generative AI on customer content, taken ownership of a customer’s work, or allowed access to customer content beyond legal requirements. Nor were we considering any of those practices as part of the recent Terms of Use update. That said, we agree that evolving our Terms of Use to reflect our commitments to our community is the right thing to do.” From the statement, it’s quite evident that the Adobe terms that led to user backlash resulted from a lack of clarity on their AI policy, intensified by their statement on accessing user data. 

Sometimes screaming about something works.
Adobe clears up their terms of service and makes it human readable. pic.twitter.com/eA1pdCocE2

— Brad Colbow (@bradcolbow) June 19, 2024

Addressing the Adobe TOS controversy, the company reiterated the details of how their AI is trained, ensuring they made a clear statement on the datasets that were used, “Adobe Firefly is only trained on a dataset of licensed content with permission, such as Adobe Stock, and public domain content where copyright has expired.” This doesn’t explain why users have been able to use artists’ names as search terms to generate commercially available stock AI images that mimic their art style to a degree at least. 

hello @adobe, could you explain why my name can be found in your AI generated adobe stock images without my permission? https://t.co/tOaEEmoBan

— Loish (@loishh) August 17, 2023

More recently, photographer Ansel Adams’ estate called out the company’s use of “Ansel Adams-style,” stock images. If the AI isn’t trained on their art, then how does it know to create images that take references from their work? Many blame crowdsourced content for the error but Adobe claims to have a system in place to prevent this from happening.

 

Post by @anseladams

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This point has not received as much attention as it should have, but as it stands, the company’s policy explicitly states they don’t train their AI on user data—that is unless you voluntarily submit it to the Adobe Stock Marketplace where it falls within their domain of use. Adobe’s changes to the terms of service didn’t include anything particularly incendiary in terms of AI use, but that does not mean it was entirely free from reproach.

Image: Adobe

Adobe User Agreement Change Also Brought up the Conversation about Privacy

The user backlash around Adobe’s terms extends beyond the fear that personal data would be used to train the company’s artificial intelligence. Adobe’s terms of service changed and, very suddenly, it brought their access to user data to the forefront of everyone’s minds. The company’s customers were faced with the realization that the software could access and use their content, even going so far as to sublicense it to others. According to 9to5Mac, the initial terms stated,

Solely for the purposes of operating or improving the Services and Software, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free sublicensable, license, to use, reproduce, publicly display, distribute, modify, create derivative works based on, publicly perform, and translate the Content. For example, we may sublicense our right to the Content to our service providers or to other users to allow the Services and Software to operate with others, such as enabling you to share photos.

Here it is. If you are a professional, if you are under NDA with your clients, if you are a creative, a lawyer, a doctor or anyone who works with proprietary files – it is time to cancel Adobe, delete all the apps and programs. Adobe can not be trusted. pic.twitter.com/LFnBbDKWLC

— Wetterschneider (@Stretchedwiener) June 5, 2024

Rewording the Adobe user agreement changes, the company later made a statement that the policy has been in place for a long time and its access to user content is restricted to the cloud. Even when cloud data is reviewed, it is done to improve their services, respond to support requests, or detect any illegal activity. “Adobe automatically scans content you upload to our services to ensure we are not hosting any child sexual abuse material (CSAM),” and the content access occurs mainly through automated systems that only review the information. A human review of private data occurs when an issue is flagged by the system or when it is requested by the user.

Adobe User Agreement Change Has Unsettled Users

The changes to Adobe’s terms of service have elicited a very strong reaction from users globally. Adobe’s extensive suite of services is an industry staple for designers and artists, many of whom sign non-disclosure agreements to maintain the secrecy around their active projects. The need to keep their content safe from prying eyes and from the potential of misuse is critical to users. 

The user backlash around Adobe’s terms isn’t the only challenge the company is facing. The Justice Department has accused the company of harming consumers by “enrolling them in its default, most lucrative subscription plan without clearly disclosing important plan terms.” The allegations go on to suggest that the company makes it very difficult to cancel a subscription and discreetly hides its cancellation charges behind fine print. Many users only find out about the fee when they go to cancel the service, further discouraging them from abandoning the tool. 

Adobe has absolutely been doing their best to try and hide the cancelation terms of their products.

Here’s two purchases I made from them years apart, and for some reason they started leaving out the cancelation details where they’re easily visible and clearly disclosed. pic.twitter.com/0X9O5nj8J9

— Astrl (@xAstrl_) June 17, 2024

Users are growing more and more frustrated with the brand each day, but without alternative services to turn to, many are stuck in the commitments they’ve made to the subscription plans at Adobe.

The post Following Backlash, Adobe’s Terms of Service Changes Again appeared first on Technowize.

All signs point to the continuation of Beeper services as Automattic sets its eyes on changing the future of messaging technology.

Image: Beeper

Beeper Messaging App Acquisition by Automattic

If you’ve been following Apple’s legacy of knocking down competitors who threaten to shake their death grip on the tech market, then you’ve likely heard of Beeper Mini. Apple devices traditionally show messages from iMessage with a blue text box when messages via SMS or MMS are represented by a green box. This color difference, while a non-issue for most, was seen as Apple’s attempt to showcase its exclusivity and Beeper was absolutely not on board with the differentiation. It released the Beeper Mini, an app that could send messages to the iPhone as though it was being sent from an iPhone as well. 

Apple rushed to block the app claiming security issues but the FCC was out taking notes and tagged the incident as a sign of the company’s anticompetitive practices. As Automattic moved to acquire the Beeper messaging app, some wondered whether this was a sign of the company calling it quits on the battle with Apple. Beeper CEO Eric Migicovsky assured The Verge this was not the case and that the company was only looking for a more sustainable way to get where it needed to go. The Beeper messaging app acquisition by Automattic is the solution the company has landed on, a reliable backer when they’re finally ready to bring out the big guns.

Automattic’s acquisition of Beeper does not come as a surprise and the company has been widely known for making good deals and placing itself in the right spot to make the most of the shifting markets. The company’s most popular service remains WordPress, but it has made many notable acquisitions over the years, including PollDaddy, WooCommerce, Simplenote, and Tumblr. The recent news of the company’s decision to sell data of Tumblr and WordPress users to Midjourney and OpenAI is something of a grey area, but that’s a disappointing story for another day. For now, the Texts and Beeper messaging app acquisitions signal the company’s move into the messaging space. 

Image: Beeper

Beeper App Moves Out of Beta—A Universal Chat App Solution

The Beeper messaging app acquisition is one part of the whole story, but there are more updates on what Beeper has been up to. The Beeper app had maintained an extensive waitlist of people—466,000 people to be precise—wanting to try the app and the company has now officially opened its door to anyone who wants to use it. Available on all your devices, from Android and iOS to Linux and Windows, the app creates a link between 14 messaging services like WhatsApp, Discord, and Instagram. 

This lets you use a single app to send and receive messages from all the linked services instead of opening each one individually for your conversations. The Beeper app is free to use but there is room for paid features to be introduced in the future,

As part of the Beeper acquisition news, the entire workforce behind Beeper is moving to Automattic and will continue as an independent team so Beeper’s services should not see any interruptions right now. Merging with Texts.com, the company will showcase a new design language, but the mission to revolutionize the world of messaging will remain the same.

The post New Text Received—Beeper Messaging App Acquisition Complete appeared first on Technowize.

Image: AT&T

Investigating the AT&T Data Breach Details

With a 46.9 percent market share of wireless subscriptions in the third quarter of 2023, AT&T, known for dominating the market, has built up quite a reputation for itself. Unfortunately, the impact of the AT&T data breach may not reflect positively on the company. The initial press release indicated that customer information from the company was leaked onto the dark web and the data set appears to be from 2019 or earlier. This includes the information of 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders who were subscribed to the company’s services in the past.

The nature of the information that was leaked varies between customers but rough estimates of the content include “full name, email address, mailing address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, AT&T account number and passcode.”

The source of the leak is unclear as the AT&T data breach details do not include any evidence that any unauthorized sources have accessed the company’s own systems. The company remains uncertain if the data originated from the company or one of its vendors. The ambiguity makes it harder to rectify and close off vulnerabilities that might allow further incidents to occur. 

AT&T Data Breach Response

The ideal course of action would be to implement measures to cut off access to the company’s data set to prevent future leaks but until the source is determined, that will remain difficult to accomplish. In response to the incident, the company reports that “AT&T has launched a robust investigation supported by internal and external cybersecurity experts,” which means the matter is still under scrutiny. We may receive further updates from the company in the upcoming weeks.

The offenders behind the AT&T data breach leaked customer information that can have lasting effects on the victims. To support those affected, the company has offered to provide credit monitoring services to track the use of their personal information and prevent any misuse of it as far as possible. They have also recommended that customers set up fraud alerts from credit bureaus such as Equifax and TransUnion, but not all the affected customers are going to be able to navigate these services on their own. 

How to Check If I Was Affected by AT&T Data Breach?

Apart from sharing the details about the AT&T data breach, the company has proactively reached out to the affected customers to reset their passcodes and provide additional assistance where applicable. As a precautionary measure, the company has reset the four-digit passcodes for active accounts that have been impacted. You can go to your AT&T profiles and edit your passcode to update and reset it yourself. It might be a good idea to change the code even if you aren’t among those affected. Monitoring your account more closely over the next few weeks is essential to protect yourself, regardless of the AT&T data breach response.

The company has reached out to affected accounts by email or mail, detailing what was found online and the response by AT&T to the data breach. If your data is part of the leak, the company will provide identity theft and credit monitoring services to track if your information is used anywhere else. 

Cybersecurity Concerns Need To Take Centerstage

This isn’t the first time an AT&T data breach leaked customer information but sensitive data was not exposed in the last incident. Back in March 2023, the company reached out to around 9 million customers that an attack on a third-party vendor had exposed information regarding customers’ wireless plans to outside sources but that was the extent of the leaked information. Before that, in August 2022, Hold Security found personal information related to 23 million AT&T customers online, and that breach had included personal data. 

Cybersecurity is a difficult field to stay ahead of considering how quickly a single vulnerability can be exploited by hackers always on the lookout for a weakness in the chain. The sheer volumes of data a company handles at any given point, and the number of access points to the information, make it difficult to monitor. Regardless of the difficulty, however, companies that acquire customer information bear the responsibility of safeguarding it. Each organization needs to channel its resources towards monitoring its networks and updating them consistently to prevent any data breaches from taking place.

The post Cybersecurity Dilemmas Ensue: AT&T Data Breach Details appeared first on Technowize.

Image – Apple: Introducing iPhone 15 | WOW (YouTube)

Microsoft’s AI explorations and strategies greatly boosted its performance in 2023 and it briefly took over Apple as the world’s most valuable company—the first time since 2021. This could possibly occur again in 2024 unless Apple’s game plan for the year has some surprises lined up to boost its performance further. Experts have some predictions of what Apple’s Q1 earnings will look like this year and the factors that will play a role in determining which way the company will lean. 

Predictions for Apple Q1 Earnings

This time last year, Apple earnings for Q1 in 2023 were on the decline with overall sales witnessing a 5 percent decline, reportedly the largest fall since 2016. Apple’s earnings report for the beginning of 2023 stated $117.15 billion and a net quarterly profit of $30.0 billion. In the most recent earnings report, Apple’s Q4 earnings for 2023 were marked at $89.5 billion and the net income at $22.96 billion, the earnings per share closing at $1.46. The company’s performance appears to have been on a downward trajectory but experts estimate that Apple’s Q1 earnings for 2024 will present better prospects for the company. Investopedia’s report on the analyst estimates for Q1 fiscal year 2024 predict $117.97 billion in revenue and a net income of $32.56 billion, with the diluted earnings per share at $2.09.

Apple has had quite a few upheavals in 2023 that led to its taciturn performance. In adherence to the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Apple had to make changes to its Lightning port, agree to provide RCS support, and even open up its devices to third-party app stores, albeit only in the EU. Amidst all this, Apple also faced legal trouble with Masimo and its lawsuit over the blood oxygen sensor in the Apple watch, a class action lawsuit over its Family Sharing feature, and a lawsuit over the iPhone battery, just to name a few examples of their legal troubles. The amalgamation of issues has likely caused sales to waver but the iPhone has still remained at the top of its game.

Image – Apple: Introducing iPhone 15 Pro

Apple’s Earnings Report Relies Most Strongly on the iPhone’s Performance

Apple earnings in Q1 2023 and preceding years always rely quite heavily on how the iPhone performs. MacRumors presented that the iPhone made up 56 percent of revenue in Q1 of 2023, and this is likely still true for the company. As per Statista’s records, Apple earnings from iPhone sales went up to $43.81 billion or approximately 45 percent of their total earnings in the fourth quarter of FY 2023. The iPhone 15 has been doing quite alright in terms of its performance and it’s unlikely that its popularity should dip anytime soon.

The Apple Vision Pro could also shift the valuation of the Apple stock around once the devices become more commercially available, although the degree to which this will happen is quite unclear. Priced at $3499, the Apple Vision Pro takes the company’s “premium” branding quite a few steps further than anything we’ve seen from them before. While per-unit sales might bring in a higher amount of money, the number of units they sell will likely be quite limited. There have been rumors that Apple is working to design a cheaper alternative as well, but that particular future product doesn’t figure into the Apple Q1 earnings that are in discussion.

Analysts are also interested to see how Apple’s earnings will be affected by its performance in the Chinese market. The company is reportedly the largest phone seller in China right now, and a huge chunk of its revenue stems from the country’s purchasing habits. With the rise of more mid-to-top range competitors that are bringing in novel experiences such as folding phones and AI services, Apple’s own, more standard, offerings might just pale in comparison. China’s apparent economic slowdown might also play a role in Apple’s earnings if the consumer preference does not, affecting purchasing power for customers in the region.

Image – Apple: Introducing iPhone 15 Pro

In general, Nasdaq’s ‘Moderate Buy’ rating puts Apple stock in a position for growth if no major destabilizers come up and push things out of balance for the company. If Apple earnings Q1 2023 earnings are exceeded this quarter, investors may be more willing to place their bets on the company and Apple could regain its $3 trillion market cap as a result. Other major tech companies like Amazon should also have their Q1 reports out this week so we’ll likely have a few performance comparisons and predictions to draw soon enough.

The post Apple Q1 Earnings Out Soon: Understanding Apple’s Current Standings appeared first on Technowize.

(Image Credit – Microsoft)

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Aimed at productivity and cross-platform functionality, the Microsoft 365 Copilot tool is designed to simplify how you work. Marketed as “your copilot for work,” Copilot has a few different aspects that define what it is. In the most basic sense, Microsoft Copilot is a chatbot that answers your questions by scanning and summarizing real-time data from the internet. The chatbot was originally released as Bing Chat earlier this year but was later rebranded under the Copilot umbrella of services. Microsoft Copilot for Windows can generate text and content according to the prompts provided, and users can make use of images and voice chat instead of having to type it out as well. This copilot tool is freely available for Windows users.

Another way to answer “What is Microsoft Copilot?” is to summarize its other capabilities that are available to Microsoft Enterprise users and those who subscribe to the additional Microsoft 365 services. Users can scan and summarize documents, reply to emails, create code, boost cyber security, etc. The more sophisticated Microsoft Copilot components are designed to be integrated into every aspect of your work with your desktop. 

What Does Microsoft Copilot Do?

It is easier to understand what Copilot is when you’re able to understand what Microsoft Copilot does. Many components of Microsoft Copilot are currently available and others are to be released early in 2024. If you’re wondering how Microsoft Copilot works, the basic AI chat features are similar to what we’ve been familiar with, from search engines to chatbots that respond to our queries and provide consolidated search results and inputs. The more complex Copilot tools are capable of much more. It uses generative artificial intelligence and large language models to help users assess, assimilate, and respond to data.

Copilot for GitHub—The Copilot Origin Story

The earliest iterations of Microsoft’s Copilot initiative had arrived way back in October 2021. Since the initial launch of GitHub Copilot, the development of code has become a much more straightforward process. The service assisted with the writing and autocompletion of code and with the latest developments in March, GitHub Copilot X has taken the AI incorporation within the coding process even further. 

If you’re wondering what Copilot does here, it provides a chat window for users to discuss their code, providing in-depth analysis of code they have written already as well as the errors that have been generated. Powered by OpenAI’s new GPT-4 model, the GitHub Copilot is set to assist with submitting pull requests, supporting voice-to-code AI technology extensions, and suggesting tests that can improve the work done with the code. 

Microsoft 365—What Is Microsoft Copilot Going to Change?

Integrated into Microsoft services like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, Copilot is set to simplify the data that is being added and generated, with responses tailored to your role and preferences. AI-generated visuals in PowerPoint will ensure your presentations are best customized for you and your audience. From creating customized presentation templates to generating a first draft of a write-up, M356 Copilot is supposed to help break down tasks and generate data to save you from investing time and energy in doing the same. Integrated into Excel, it should assist with conducting complex mathematical data analysis that can help with data analysis and visualization.

Integrated into Microsoft Teams, there are various assistant duties that Microsoft Copilot does there as well. The features are unreleased, but the tool should be able to transcribe meetings and generate summaries for the session, quoting teammates when prompted to record specific minutes of the meeting. Its use with the Whiteboard will help users create data visualizations during meetings very easily. If the meeting details do not need to be recorded, Microsoft Copilot can be kept on standby as a chatbot for any queries. Outside of the meetings, the AI assistant can help generate responses and adjust messages to suit the tone required for any communication through the chat.

Microsoft has also announced Microsoft Mesh, a new form of 3D immersive technology that will allow businesses to create three-dimensional spaces that will transform how meetings are conducted. Users can generate avatars, select 3D environments, assign seats, have simultaneous conversations, experience interactive activities, and provide live reactions as meetings are conducted. With growing talks of metaverses and immersive technology, this could represent the future of online meetings and interactions.

Microsoft Outlook—What Does Microsoft Copilot Do to Simplify Emails?

In 2024, users will be able to use Microsoft 365 to take a look at email thread summaries, whether to avoid the effort of scanning through each email or for a recap before they generate a response. Copilot is designed to summarize the data and suggest responses and action points that you can take next. Scheduling and preparing for meetings will also be simplified—you can review invitation details, scan through relevant documents, draft agendas, and get the relevant participants involved in the process as well.

Microsoft Copilot Studio—The Real Gamechanger

From the Microsoft Copilot Studio presentation at Microsoft Ignite 2023 “Transform copilot development with Microsoft Copilot Studio”

Copilot is designed to support you in multiple ways but the Copilot Studio is meant to take the customization even further and build your own copilots. The low-code tool combines generative AI and large language models in combination with various plugins to create a customized copilot that suits your own business or builds on data regarding your own company business for your employees. Microsoft Copilot Studio will access the various data sources you share it with, from websites to stored files, and then generate responses specifically. 

“Makers can import or create new plugins from existing platform components including data sources, connectors, flows, AI prompts, and custom topics. With more than 1,100 pre-built connectors, like SAP, Workday, and ServiceNow, organizations can easily connect to all their business data. And when you need to connect a data source that doesn’t have a prebuilt connector, no problem—it’s easy to build your own.”

Standalone copilots that are designed in the studio can be used for internal business operations but they can also be presented for public use to assist customers with answering questions and navigating towards the resources they are looking for. The centralized dashboard allows administrators and developers to control various features of the generated copilot and view necessary analytics to restructure their data and services.

How to Use Microsoft Copilot?

Image credit – Microsoft “Introducing Microsoft Copilot Studio and new features in Copilot for Microsoft 365”

To access the Microsoft Copilot chatbot, users can go to the Microsoft Copilot web link on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. You will then be instructed to log in with a Microsoft or Entra ID. After agreeing with the terms and conditions, you should have the Copilot chatbot open and ready for use. Users can choose between a creative, precise, or balanced response style and generate up to 30 responses for each chat that they open up with Microsoft Copilot. 

Users with Windows 11 should receive a system update that brings the chatbot to their desktop tasks bars. Those with Microsoft 356 can additionally access the Copilot AI on Word and other Microsoft services. Copilot for Microsoft 365 comes at an additional cost of $30 per user per month. If you want to learn how to use Microsoft Copilot for specific services, you can look into specific integration as well. For instance, you can purchase a standalone Microsoft Copilot Studio subscription if the service that you are primarily interested in. Businesses can purchase the license from the Microsoft 365 admin center and then identify and assign the Studio access to select employees. 

The GitHub Copilot subscription is available for $10 per calendar month however “GitHub Copilot is free to use for verified students, teachers, and maintainers of popular open source projects” so there are ways for certain groups to get access for free. 

Microsoft Copilot—The Future of Work

The Microsoft Copilot ecosystem is just getting started with its expansions and the range of services, if not available already, is predicted to grow vastly in 2024. Microsoft Security Copilot is designed to break down security operations tasks and provide greater control over the cybersecurity of an organization. Microsoft Sales Copilot is a tool that works to “automatically capture, access, and register data into any customer relationship management (CRM) system. It eliminates manual data entry and gives sellers more time to focus on selling.” All of Microsoft Copilot’s offerings appear designed for data analysis and optimization, regardless of the industry it is used in.

Understanding what Microsoft Copilot is and getting familiar with its various features will take some time as the variety of services can feel overwhelming at first. Start with the tools necessary for your work and get creative with your prompts and questions to explore the full extent of what the AI can do for you.

The post Breaking it Down—What is Microsoft Copilot and What Does It Do? appeared first on Technowize.

“A normal Silicon Valley startup is 10 years in the lab, comes up with a better mousetrap, and goes to market. We’re completely the opposite.”

– Cameron Dales, President and Chief Commercial Officer, Peak Energy

These batteries to store solar energy, are designed to address the inherent fluctuations in power generation from renewable sources like solar and wind. Peak Energy’s primary objective is to rapidly scale up the production of sodium-ion batteries within the United States.

Peak Energy Launch: Emerging From The Depths Of Stealth Mode

Unlike many startups, Peak Energy isn’t focused on inventing a new technology from scratch. Instead, it aims to collaborate with a technology company (which is yet to be selected) already well-versed in battery technology but lacking the capacity to scale up manufacturing. 

The Peak Energy launch team: (from left) Landon Mossburg (CEO), Cameron Dales (President & CCO), and Greg Reichow (Non-executive Director). (Image Courtesy – Peak Energy)

Landon Mossburg, the CEO of Peak Energy, highlighted the rarity of manufacturing scalability in the battery market.

“The difficulty of manufacturing scale-up is one of the reasons you see so many ‘breakthrough battery technology’ announcements but very, very few companies who actually reach the market.”

Peak Energy emerged from stealth mode in June and has already garnered significant attention, announcing a $10 million funding round led by Greg Reichow at Eclipse, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Reichow, a former Tesla executive, was responsible for battery, motor, and electronics manufacturing during his tenure at the Elon Musk-led automaker, making him a valuable addition to the Peak Energy team. 

TDK Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the multinational electronics company TDK, also joined the funding round.

Challenges For Making Batteries To Store Solar Energy

The central challenge facing the expansion of renewable energy sources is grid-scale battery storage. 

Existing technologies, such as lithium-ion batteries, have not yet reached a price point that allows for the required scaling across various sectors. The United States Energy Information Administration forecasts substantial growth in battery storage capacity, from 9 gigawatts in 2022 to 247 gigawatts in 2050. Peak Energy aims to play a pivotal role in meeting this demand.

While still in its nascent stages with around 10 employees and a San Francisco office, Peak Energy has ambitious plans. The team is set to triple in size in the coming months, with the goal of producing prototype battery systems by 2024. By 2030, the company envisions producing “double-digit gigawatt” quantities of battery cells for both its proprietary battery systems and other applications.

Why Peak Energy’s Launch Has Driven Leaders

Building gigawatt-scale battery factories requires substantial investment, ranging from $50 million to $100 million per gigawatt. Such factories typically employ thousands of people and occupy immense spaces. However, Mossburg, who previously worked at Northvolt, a Swedish battery manufacturing company, has experience in rapidly scaling production and securing substantial financing. Northvolt, founded by a former Tesla executive, Peter Carlsson, experienced remarkable growth during Mossburg’s tenure.

Peak Energy Inspires From Northvolt, Tesla

Peak Energy’s launch intends to follow a similar playbook to Northvolt, starting with a small seed round of funding and subsequently raising substantial amounts of equity and debt. 

“Peak Energy’s team comprises two industry veteran leaders who have scaled a battery company before.”

– Anil Achyuta, TDK Ventures

What Is Peak Energy’s Vision For Batteries To Store Solar Energy?

Peak Energy’s primary focus is on the development of large sodium-ion battery systems tailored for integration with wind and solar energy production facilities. These grid-scale batteries store excess energy generated from renewable sources and release it during periods of low generation. 

The company manufactures individual battery cells, which are then combined into modules, further assembled into batteries the size of tractor-trailer trucks, and deployed alongside renewable energy farms in batches of 50 to 100 units. Remarkably, 100 such blocks can power 62,500 homes for four hours.

Compared to the conventional lithium-ion batteries used in consumer electronics and electric vehicles, sodium-ion batteries are less energy-dense and heavier. Peak Energy believes that sodium-ion batteries will eventually surpass lithium-ion in cost-efficiency, potentially halving the cost of systems like Tesla’s Megapack.

Moreover, lithium-ion batteries present fire hazards, and the growing electric vehicle market consumes a significant portion of the available supply. As Dales pointed out, utilities often face supply constraints because automotive manufacturers prioritize lithium-ion battery production. 

Peak Energy’s decision to manufacture in the United States not only mitigates the geo-political risks but also aligns with climate-conscious practices.

By harnessing the expertise of industry veterans like Greg Reichow and Cameron Dales, Peak Energy aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, renewable energy future powered by large-scale sodium-ion batteries.

The post Peak Energy Launch: Batteries to Store Renewable Energy appeared first on Technowize.

What makes the Instax Pal bundle different from its predecessors?

Instax Pal Digital Camera: Fujifilm’s Latest Innovation

The Instax Pal itself is a marvel of compact design, resembling a golf ball in size. Despite its diminutive appearance, it packs quite a punch, boasting the capability to store approximately 50 4.9-megapixel images. This camera also caters to the tech-savvy crowd by providing a microSD card slot for those who wish to expand their storage capacity, ensuring that not a single memory is left unrecorded.

What sets the Instax Pal apart is its seamless integration with modern technology. Users can effortlessly transfer their snaps to a smartphone for editing and sharing with friends and family. Additionally, the camera seamlessly pairs with Fujifilm’s Mini Link 2 printer, providing a hassle-free way to transform digital memories into tangible prints. This fusion of digital convenience and the tangible charm of instant photography is at the heart of the Instax Pal experience.

(Image Courtesy – Instax)

To add a whimsical touch to the photographic process, Fujifilm has incorporated pre-shutter sounds for timer shots. Users have the freedom to choose from a selection of built-in sounds or even record their own custom prompts, such as the classic “smile” or a hearty “cheese.” These sound effects emanate from the camera’s speaker right before the shutter clicks – a total element of surprise for any subject.

Beyond its physical attributes, the Instax Pal comes equipped with a versatile and feature-rich app. This app is not merely an accessory but a creative tool in its own right. It offers a plethora of editing options, empowering users to enhance their images with filters, text, and in-app stickers. 

One standout feature of Fujifilm’s Instax Pal bundle will be its ability to create captivating animations by stringing together a series of shots that rapidly unfold one after the other, perfect for sharing online and adding an animated facet to your memories.

The Instax Pal digital camera is not just a camera but a style statement too. It is available in five vibrant colors – pink, blue, green, white, and black. The detachable ring on a string adds a practical touch, allowing for easy attachment to items like backpacks, ensuring that it’s always within quick reach whenever a photo-worthy moment arises – how much more can a camera let you express your personality?

While the price tag of $199.95 may raise an eyebrow, especially considering that one can buy the Mini Link 2 printer separately for $99, Fujifilm is betting on the Instax Pal bundle’s unique appeal. They believe it offers a photography experience that’s not just entertaining but also a potential source of joy and nostalgia, making it a worthwhile investment or a heartwarming gift choice.

The Instax Pal marks a significant addition to Fujifilm’s long-standing Instax camera brand, which originally made its debut in 1998. This brand has experienced its share of ups and downs, with sales dwindling in the wake of the digital revolution and the widespread adoption of smartphones. However, about a decade ago, Fujifilm sensed a resurgence of interest in analog technology, leading to a revival of the Instax digital camera series. This revival has resulted in a variety of new devices that offer the joy of instant prints directly from the camera. Will nostalgia win over trends and fads?

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