Hello, hope you’re well. Let’s dive right into the top five tech news stories we’re hearing about this morning.
1. New Search and Maps tools for Google
Over in Paris and Google made a slew of announcements mostly around the Search and Maps space. The company has upgraded its Lens and visual search tools to allow users to one-click search items from images and videos on their phone screens, introduced a new way to interact with Maps, called “immersive view” and in a translation update, Google has added more context to responses, long missing from the company’s tools. The big piece, at least for EV owners, is updates for cars with Android Automotive built in to help drivers navigate to public chargers much easier.
Soon, a new update on Android will help you search what’s on your mobile screen. Learn how you’ll be able to use Lens through Assistant to search what you see in photos or videos across websites and apps → https://t.co/6cjnltydvY pic.twitter.com/wAcP5Z33re
— Google (@Google) February 8, 2023
2. Google bungles AI reveal
Staying on Google for a minute and while announcing its much-hyped AI-powered chatbot this week as part of a rapidly intensifying AI arms race between tech heavy-hitters, Google’s Bard decided to tell porkies about the James Webb Space Telescope. In a promotional post, the company included a GIF, demonstrating Bard in action. The same recording was also posted to the company’s Twitter account. Get the full story over here.
3. FitBit outage
Okay ONE more thing from Google, but this time via FitBit. The Verge is reporting that again, Fitbit isn’t working as it should. Per the report, and the embedded tweet below, there was an ‘issue’ affecting some FitBit services on Tuesday. A fix was pushed out and the issue resolved, but, reports are still coming in of the same issues. Elsewhere, Microsoft fixed the Teams outage that plagued the region yesterday.
We’ve resolved the issue impacting some Fitbit services and they should be working as expected. If you’re still experiencing issues, please DM us so we can look into it! https://t.co/IP4F0fFAvB
— Fitbit Support (@FitbitSupport) February 6, 2023
4. Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown hits NZ
Netflix’s confusing password-sharing rules are still very confusing, but at least there’s a little bit of time before Aussies have to deal with it. Unfortunately, our friends over the ditch aren’t as lucky. Today, Netflix announced Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain are first in line to receive the streaming service’s leach-blocking tech.
5. Astronomers find new ring system
Lastly, in space news, researchers observing a background star pass behind Quaoar, a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, found that the distant object has a ring system unlike any previously found in our solar system. The team did not directly observe the ring system; they detected it due to the way light behind Quaoar dimmed as the planetoid passed in front of it. The dwarf planet, discovered back in 2002, takes 288 years to complete an orbit around the Sun.
BONUS ITEM: Nintendo Direct is happening this morning, here’s how you can tune in. Our friends over at Kotaku Australia will have all the announcements from the event once it’s over.
Set your alarms. https://t.co/z19DCEtx3u
— Kotaku Australia (@KotakuAU) February 8, 2023
Until tomorrow.