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BuzzFeed is the latest publisher to embrace AI-generated content
In a Thursday morning internal memo acquired by the Wall Street Journal, Buzzfeed Chief Executive Jonah Peretti announced plans to embrace AI in both editorial and business operations.
Why is video conferencing so exhausting?
If it’s not Google Meet with colleagues, it’s Zoom hangouts with friends and FaceTime with family. The issue is, online video interactions are fundamentally different from face-to-face ones.
Apple's news service adds the Wall Street Journal at the last minute
Whatever trouble Apple has had recruiting publishers for its paid news service, it appears to have scored at least one big coup. New York Times tipsters claim the Wall Street Journal has agreed to join the service mere days ahead of Apple's March 25th event. It's not certain what prompted the decision, although Apple's pitch has reportedly centered on giving publications access to millions of new readers.
Dow Jones' list of risky businesses was left on a public server
A Dow Jones database detailing more than 2.4 million records of risky businesses and people has been exposed. A third-party company reportedly left the watchlist on a public server without password protection.
Hilton turning your iPhone into a front desk, room key, and more
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has spent over a half-billion dollars to provide new technology that will ease choosing hotel rooms, checking into hotels, and even unlocking the door to a room -- from your iPhone or iPad. As announced in a Wall Street Journal post yesterday, guests are already able to check in or out of any US Hilton property using the free Hilton HHonors app, and can also make or modify reservations, get special offers, have items delivered to a room upon arrival, and more. By summer's end, travelers will be able to select their own rooms by phone at six of the Hilton brands. But the real push comes next year, when guests arriving at a Hilton property will just pass by the front desk and unlock the door to their room with their iPhone or iPad. The company expects that capability to be in most worldwide properties by the end of 2016. Making this massive rollout possible is the result of a project that has been underway since 2007 during which Hilton took 13 different property management systems (one for each brand) and melded them into one, then upgraded servers, back-office equipment, and more. Hilton's setup allows guests to interact directly with its reservation system, eliminating the need for front-desk employees to input guest information. The company also expects that since guests will be able to perform a number of functions from a smartphone, they'll also see efficiencies in the future as fewer front-desk personnel will be required. Other hotel companies, including Starwood, Marriott, and InterContinental, are also moving in a similar direction.
WSJ slams judge in Apple e-book trial
The Wall Street Journal today came to the very public defense of Apple in an editorial opinion piece titled "Apple's Star Chamber: An abusive judge and her prosecutor friend besiege the tech maker." The abuser in question is Clinton appointee Judge Denise Cote, who thrashed Apple back in July for allegedly conspiring with publishers to raise digital book prices. As part of her ruling, Cote appointed a friend -- Michael Bromwich (AP photo above) -- to monitor antitrust compliance and training procedures. Bromwich has since decided "to act as the inquisitor of all things Cupertino," to quote the WSJ. Cote's original injunction provided a period of time ending on January 14, 2014 for Apple to thoroughly examine and update its antitrust policies. But as the Journal notes, by late October, Bromwich had "demanded immediate interviews starting in November with every top Apple executive and board member, including CEO Tim Cook, lead designer Jony Ive and Al Gore," adding with no small amount of snark, "Does he want to disinter Steve Jobs too?" Things have gotten worse since then, with Bromwich asking for documentation outside of the clearly defined area of his appointment and ordering board members and executives to meet with him without lawyers present. Cote proposed making things even easier for Bromwich just before Thanksgiving, suggesting amending her injunction to give Bromwich more power and then have him report to her monthly, once again without Apple's participation. The Journal points out, "the arrangement is flatly unconstitutional. Special masters are typically imposed on a company to remedy a pattern of especially egregious conduct using a settlement consent decree in which litigants agree to the terms of the appointment." In this case, Apple objected to Bromwich's appointment to no avail. The WSJ article notes that, "Judges aren't supposed to appoint their own agents to annex ... activities reserved for the executive branch," and that Bromwich has "rewritten his job description to investigate Apple all over again." As TUAW has noted earlier and as reiterated in the WSJ editorial, Bromwich has no antitrust law experience, is billing Apple US$1,100 per hour and has brought in a "friendly" law firm -- Fried Frank -- to cover his lack of antitrust abilities at $1,025 per hour, once again billed to Apple. The Journal ends its piece with a flat-out suggestion that "the Second Circuit where her ruling is on appeal should remove her from the case," and that Cote's cozy agreement with Bromwich "is offensive to the rule of law and a disgrace to the judiciary." It's not often that we see a major news source like the Wall Street Journal come to the defense of a corporation, but it appears in this case that the harsh words in print are justified.
Apple acquires low-energy chipmaker Passif
Jessica Lessin, a former Wall Street Journal reporter and editor who is starting up a new technology news publication, announced today that Apple purchased Silicon Valley-based wireless chip developer Passif Semiconductor. The news was validated by an Apple spokeswoman, who noted that "Apple buys small technology companies from time to time." What's Passif's specialty? Radios that work with Bluetooth LE, the low-energy version of the popular short-range wireless protocol that is used in health-monitoring and fitness devices that need long battery life. Although Lessin's sources didn't say how much Apple spent for Passif, those sources did say that Apple had tried to buy the company a few years ago for "mid-tens-of-millions of dollars." As Lessin notes, that figure would presumably be higher now. The deal could also help Apple as it tries to wean itself from relying on rival Samsung Electronics for components for future products. [via TechCrunch]
Apple's manufacturing partner Pegatron under fire for working conditions
Last year, Apple's primary Chinese manufacturing partner Foxconn came under intense scrutiny for complaints about how factory workers were being treated. Now another partner, Pegatron, is facing similar charges of poor treatment of workers. An upcoming report from China Labor Watch outlined in the Wall Street Journal notes a number of claims against Pegatron: Pegatron allegedly withholds worker IDs so that Pegatron employees cannot choose to work elsewhere because they lack proper ID. Living conditions are supposedly poor, with "30-minute waits to enter their production facility, tight living quarters, and packed cafeterias." Workers are allegedly working over 60 hours per week, which is Apple's limit. Apple's June Supplier Responsibility report shows an average 46-hour work week for Pegatron employees. At one Pegatron subsidiary, employees are complaining that they're provided gloves that are insufficient for protection from the materials used to make metal iPad backplates. Apple has already responded to the newly reported issues, according to the WSJ: Apple, in a statement, said it is "committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout our supply chain." It said that it has conducted 15 comprehensive audits at Pegatron facilities since 2007, including surprise audits within the past 18 months. Apple said it confirmed that some labor brokers were withholding worker ID cards and demanded Pegatron "put a stop" to it. The U.S. company said it will investigate claims in the China Labor Watch report and take corrective action where needed. Pegatron has taken on an increasing role in the manufacturing of products as Apple attempts to diversify its supply chain.
WSJ: Apple courting smaller labels for iTunes Radio (Updated)
According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is looking to bring smaller music labels on board with iTunes Radio. Apple has reportedly offered deals to several labels, some of which are more generous than what competitor-to-be Pandora is offering. The Journal says that Apple's payout to artists will be a combination of how often their songs are played (.13 cents per play) as well as 15 percent advertising revenue generated by Apple. In the second year, those numbers will jump to .14 cents and 19 percent respectively. According to the Journal, Pandora pays out .12 cents per play. Update: The correct amount as reported by the WSJ was .13 cents, not .13 dollars. We apologize for the error. Apple, of course, had no comment. The forthcoming iTunes Radio was announced during WWDC 2013, and will offer customized, streaming radio stations to users for free. Apple plans to launch it this fall.
FAA planning to let you use your gadgets in flight
I know those flight attendants are just doing their job, but I've always resented being made to "turn off" my iPhone and iPad during pre-flight announcements. Ever since Mythbusters disproved it, I've never believed that there was a problem between my iPad's wireless connection and the airplane's signaling (especially in Airplane Mode, which is what it's for, right?), and I've always secretly suspected that turning things off was just a ploy to make me rewatch those safety instructions yet again. Now, finally, it looks like the FAA is ready to relax those rules, after another report saying that there are no issues between consumer wireless devices, and airplane tools. The regulations themselves date back to the 1960s, when wireless devices were indeed very different, and it's about time these rules were laid to rest. Note, however, that the report doesn't mention actual phone calls -- this change, if made, would only be about turning devices on and off, not full wireless interaction. Certainly, there are good reasons to keep flight passengers quiet and paying attention during pre-flight announcements, and if that's what this is all about, then they should say that. But the "wireless interference" story has always been bunk, and hopefully, if this report is finalized, we should see the FAA turn the rule around officially in a few months. [via @martinvars]
The Daily Roundup for 02.19.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
WSJ: PlayStation 4 will launch this year
If your heart hadn't already made up its mind regarding the subject of last night's PlayStation tease, the Wall Street Journal flat-out said this morning the PlayStation successor is launching this year.The financial publication cites sources familiar with the matter who say the event on February 20 will debut the new console. Sony will reportedly incorporate more social gaming aspects into the device and was driven in its design by how people interact with the unit, rather than by hardware upgrades.The WSJ also mentions that Sony had considered removing the optical disk drive to make the device download only. However, and this is merely speculation on our part, this idea was dropped when company execs were visited by the ghost of the PSP Go.So, there you go, next PlayStation being announced February 20.
Daily Update for January 15, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Best Buy not happy with Walmart's holiday iPhone 5 deal
The Wall Street Journal is reporting this morning that Best Buy and several other retailers are quite unhappy with a Walmart advertising campaign that claims that the discount store chain has lower prices than the stores targeted in their ads. This came to a head over the holidays, when Walmart ran ads on Facebook showing an advertised price for an iPhone 5 of just US$127. At the time, Best Buy was selling the same iPhone 5 configuration with a two-year contract for $149.99. The result? Best Buy had to drop prices to meet its price-match guarantee, and lost about $65,000 in profits on the first day the Walmart promotion ran. Best Buy also alleges that Walmart didn't have sufficient iPhones on hand for customers. Walmart replied to the allegations, saying that they were "98 percent in stock at stores that carried the devices." The company declined to tell the WSJ how many iPhone 5s it had in stores during the promotion. Another complaint by Best Buy notes that a holiday Walmart ad claimed a Dell laptop was $251 more at Best Buy, when the two laptops compared were actually different models. Best Buy general counsel Keith Nelsen, writing to the Florida attorney general's office, said, "That would be like comparing a Toyota to a Lexus." Whether attorneys general in a number of states decide to follow up on the allegations is unknown. [via MacRumors]
Wall Street Journal selling subscriptions via Apple's Newsstand
The Wall Street Journal has joined thousands of newspapers and magazines that sell their content through the Apple Newsstand. The move of the Wall Street Journal to Newsstand is surprising for one reason -- the former president of WSJ owner Dow Jones, Todd Larsen, opposed selling subscriptions via the online news kiosk because Apple retains 30 percent of the subscription revenue and also controls all customer billing information. Larsen left the company last summer. The Journal is able to ask subscribers for their email addresses for marketing purposes, and it will also be able to continue to sell digital subscriptions through its own website. Some of the benefits that Wall Street Journal subscribers will see include using their existing iTunes accounts to pay for the paper and automatic background downloading of the publication.
Eric Schmidt talks Apple to WSJ, sort of...
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt sat down with the Wall Street Journal's Jessica Lessin last week for an interview. He talked about recent rumors that he might be in line for a Cabinet post (Schmidt says he has "no interest in working for the federal government"), an antitrust lawsuit that might be brewing and Google's relationship with Apple. Many of Schmidt's answers to questions about Apple seemed to be quite evasive. Regarding the Google / Apple relationship, Schmidt pointed out that "Obviously, we would have preferred them to use our maps. They threw YouTube off the home screen [of iPhones and iPads]. I'm not quite sure why they did that." When it comes to the possibility of a patent-related settlement, Schmidt noted that the two companies are constantly having conversations about legal strategies. He did find it "curious that Apple has chosen to sue Google's partners and not Google itself." When confronted with the fact that developers earn more with iOS apps than Android apps, Schmidt seemed to provide a non sequitur as an answer, saying "Google Play and the monetization just started working well in the last year, maybe the last six months. The volume is indisputable and with the volume comes the opportunity and the luxury of time." One other question was about Apple's Siri virtual assistant, to which Schmidt replied "Well, it's competition." Thanks for pointing out the obvious, Eric.
Wall Street Journal, Ford, Gol Stadium apps added to Xbox Live
The Wall Street Journal has launched "WSJ Live," a news streaming app for Xbox Live Gold subscribers, Major Nelson announced today. The app, which provides unlimited access to the Journal's complete library of video material, also streams four hours of live tech/business/misc news programming per day.Additionally, ad fiends can watch their favorite Ford-based commercials on the new Ford app described by Major Nelson as "a new advertising app." We love ads!Meanwhile, "Gol Stadium" was also launched for Xbox Live Gold members in Spain. The futball-focused Gol Televisión app streams live sportsball events (among other content) to XBL Gold subscribers who happen to also be Gol Televisión subscribers.
Google puts Hurricane Sandy on its crisis map, hopes to help you weather the storm
Just because Google abandoned its October Android event doesn't mean it's left its users out to dry -- Hurricane Sandy now has its very own Google Crisis Map. It isn't the first time Mountain View has lent its mapping tech to folks in harm's way -- survivors of Hurricane Issac used a similar Crisis Map to track the storm, follow public alerts and find shelters. Sandy's map is no different, providing locals with information on the storm's path, forecast information, evacuation routes, areas of high wind probability and even links to webcams surrounding affected areas. Google isn't the only firm lending a hand, either -- both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are lifting site paywalls during the storm, ensuring the public has access to developing news as long as their internet connection doesn't give out.
WSJ: iPad mini assembly has begun
A report from the Wall Street Journal suggests Asian suppliers have started mass production of components for the iPad Mini. Cited in the WSJ report are LG Display and AU Optronics, both of which are supposedly mass-producing 7.85-inch displays for the rumored tablet device. According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, Apple has allegedly opted to go with a non-Retina display for its smaller iPad. The choice to downgrade the display was supposedly a cost-cutting measure that'll help keep the price tag of the device competitively low. If these rumors for the iPad Mini pan out, then price will be a major factor as Apple will be competing with the $199 Kindle Fire HD and the $199 Nexus 7 tablet. Previous rumors suggest the iPad Mini will include a Lightning port, a nano-SIM card slot and an aluminum casing with a thin bezel.
Purported iPad Mini parts leak as WSJ reports production has started
Hey look, another round of purported iPad Mini parts has surfaced, this time courtesy of Ukrainian iPhone. Conveniently enough, the Wall Street Journal also happens to be reporting that its sources have confirmed "mass production" of the still unannounced slate has begun by Apple's "Asian suppliers." This time we're looking at an anodized black version of the familiar back plate, alongside a separate digitizer in white, hinting that we'll see the final device in the same colorways as the iPhone 5 . As 9to5Mac points out, the casing houses a SIM card tray, similar antenna spacers to the current iPhone crop and a layout akin to the current iPod Touch. WSJ further notes that its sources state this tab's LCD screen is indeed 7.85-inches, being sourced from both LG and AU Optronics. Naturally, pricing is almost definitely set to be cheaper than the full-size iPad -- here's to waiting for an invite to the supposed unveiling event set for this month.
