Good morning! This is your daily ☕️ Techpresso.
In today's Techpresso:
💥 Google launches Gemini 2.0
🍎 Apple Intelligence is finally here
🚗 GM ends support for Cruise robotaxis
☁️ Google urges US government to break up Microsoft-OpenAI cloud deal
🗣️ Court orders Automattic to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org
🎁 + 9 other news you might like
🔮 + 1 handpicked research papers and tools
💥 Google launches Gemini 2.0LINK
Google Gemini 2.0 Flash introduces advanced features, offering developers real-time conversation and image analysis capabilities through a multilingual and multimodal interface that processes text, imagery, and audio inputs.
This new AI model allows for tool integration such as coding and search, enabling code execution, data interaction, and live multimodal API responses to enhance development processes.
With its demonstration, Gemini 2.0 Flash showcases its ability to handle complex tasks, providing accurate responses and visual aids, aiming to eventually make these features widely accessible and affordable for developers.
🍎 Apple Intelligence is finally hereLINK
iOS 18.2 introduces a significant upgrade called Apple Intelligence, featuring enhanced capabilities for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, including Writing Tools, Siri redesign, and Notification summaries for improved user experience.
New features in this update include a revamped Mail app with AI-driven email categorization and Image Wand in the Notes app to convert drawings into AI-generated images, offering practicality to users like students.
ChatGPT is now integrated with Siri, allowing users to interact with OpenAI's chatbot for complex questions, and a new Visual Intelligence feature for advanced image searching is exclusive to the latest iPhone 16 lineup.
🚗 GM ends support for Cruise robotaxisLINK
General Motors has decided to reduce financial support for its driverless robotaxi company, Cruise, to concentrate on developing autonomy features within its personal vehicles.
The company will prioritize enhancing its Super Cruise driver assistance system, which is utilized in more than 20 GM vehicles logging over 10 million miles monthly.
This strategic shift is expected to save GM over $1 billion per year once restructuring is completed, with plans to finalize by the first half of 2025.
☁️ Google urges US government to break up Microsoft-OpenAI cloud dealLINK
Google has asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to dismantle Microsoft's exclusive agreement to host OpenAI’s technology on its cloud servers, according to a Reuters report.
The request follows an FTC inquiry into Microsoft's business practices, with companies like Google and Amazon alleging the deal forces cloud customers onto Microsoft servers, leading to possible extra costs.
This move highlights ongoing tensions between Google and Microsoft over artificial intelligence dominance, with past accusations of anti-competitive behavior and secret lobbying efforts surfacing between the tech giants.
🗣️ Court orders Automattic to restore WP Engine’s access to WordPress.orgLINK
A legal injunction was issued on December 10th, compelling the removal of a checkbox in WordPress's login that asked users to declare no connection to WP Engine.
The dispute escalated when Automattic demanded WP Engine pay for a trademark license, prompting WP Engine to sue, claiming extortion.
As a result of ongoing legal battles, WP Engine lost free access to WordPress.org's resources, leading to internal dissent at Automattic, with 159 staff leaving under a buyout offer.
Other news you might like
ElevenLabs’ AI voice generation ‘very likely’ used in a Russian influence operation.LINK
OpenAI expands ChatGPT Canvas to all users.LINK
SpaceX is now worth $350 billion in another boost for Elon Musk.LINK
Apple Watch Ultra 3 to get satellite texting.LINK
Google’s future data centers will be built next to solar and wind farms.LINK
YouTube is experimenting with multiplayer games.LINK
Firefox will no longer support “do not track” feature.LINK
US engineers test cutting-edge EV safety method at 2,000°F to fight fire.LINK
TSMC founder says Intel has neither a strategy nor a CEO.LINK
Latest research and tools
Helium: a Python library for automating web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox, offering a user-friendly API that simplifies web interaction tasks compared to Selenium.LINK
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