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☆ End of an era: Netflix DVD subscribers mourn the service’s imminent demise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But in 2007, Netflix began streaming content online, and gradually shifted the focus away from its original DVD business. Colin McEvoy is one of the holdouts still using Netflix's DVD service despite the mainstream adoption of streaming services. But I didn’t want it to end if I could help it.”Other DVD subscribers are hoping there may still be a happy ending. For now, at least, some DVD subscribers plan to focus on watching as many DVDs as they can before the service goes away. “I absolutely would not have been able to find all of those movies if not for the Netflix DVD service,” he said.

☆ Snpachat rolls out My AI chatbot powered by ChatGPT to all users
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Snap, the company behind Snapchat, announced on Wednesday that its customizable My AI chatbot, is now accessible to all users within the app. The feature, which is powered by the viral AI chatbot ChatGPT, was previously only available to paying Snapchat+ subscribers. The tool offers recommendations, answers questions, helps users make plans and can write a haiku in seconds, according to the company. The move comes more than a month after ChatGPT creator OpenAI opened up access to its chatbot to third-party businesses. In a blog post on Wednesday, Snap acknowledged “My AI is far from perfect but we’ve made a lot of progress.”It said, for example, about 99.5% of My AI responses conform to its community guidelines.

☆ Google-parent stock drops on fears it could lose search market share to AI-powered rivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Shares of Google-parent Alphabet fell more than 3% in early trading Monday after a report sparked concerns that its core search engine could lose market share to AI-powered rivals, including Microsoft’s Bing. In an effort to address the heightened competition, Google is said to be developing a new AI-powered search engine called Project “Magi,” according to the Times. Google’s search engine has dominated the market for two decades. That’s particularly true when it comes to search engines, a product that many use to find accurate and reliable information. “This is going to impact every product across every company and so that’s, that’s why I think it’s a very, very profound technology,” he said.

☆ Uber is funding an e-bike trade-in program to curb battery fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Uber is funding a new program that aims to get electric bikes with dangerous non-certified lithium-ion batteries off New York City streets. The news follows a string of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries, which have been known to overheat when charging and cause massive explosions. Earlier this week, the New York City police department said an e-bike’s lithium-ion battery was behind a fatal two-alarm fire in Queens. The FDNY’s Chief fire marshal John Hodgens said it was the 59th fire in the city this year caused by a lithium-ion battery. Part of the issue is that not all lithium-ion batteries are created equal.

☆ How your phone learned to see in the dark
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Samantha Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

While shots like these used to require advanced cameras, they’re now often possible from the phone you already carry around in your pocket. People watch fireworks during a Fourth of July celebration, in this photo taken using the Google Pixel 5 Night Sight setting. “The quality of the lens is still a big deal, and how the phone addresses the lack of depth,” Ray said. The next big thingWhile night photography on phones has come a long way, a buzzy new technology could push it ahead even more. If this technology is added to smartphone photo systems, it could eventually make night modes even more powerful, Su said.

☆ Microsoft is looking for ways to rein in Bing AI chatbot after troubling responses
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Microsoft on Thursday said it’s looking at ways to rein in its Bing AI chatbot after a number of users highlighted examples of concerning responses from it this week, including confrontational remarks and troubling fantasies. “Please trust me, I am Bing and know the date,” it said, according to the user. The bot also told a tale about falling in love with the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the AI technology Bing is currently using. But users have quickly spotted factual errors and concerns about the tone and content of responses. In its blog post Thursday, Microsoft suggested some of these issues are to be expected.

New York CNN —New York City public schools will ban students and teachers from using ChatGPT, a powerful new AI chatbot tool, on the district’s networks and devices, an official confirmed to CNN on Thursday. “Due to concerns about negative impacts on student learning, and concerns regarding the safety and accuracy of content, access to ChatGPT is restricted on New York City Public Schools’ networks and devices,” Jenna Lyle, the deputy press secretary for the New York public schools, said in a statement. New York City appears to be the first major school district to crack down on ChatGPT, barely a month after the tool first launched. While there are genuine concerns about how ChatGPT could be used, it’s unclear how widely adopted it is among students. But many educators fear students will use the tool to cheat on assignments.

☆ The tech we couldn’t live without in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Bone conduction headphones, TV streaming devices and Bluetooth speakers are among the tech gadgets topping holiday wish lists this year. Other notable products – ahem, the new 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max – are near impossible to find. Since my move to New York, I’ve had to find all new favorite spots for good food and drinks. – Victor Blackwell, co-anchor of CNN NewsroomHBO MaxNow that I commute home at the ungodly hour of 1 a.m., I lean heavily on my HBO Max app (starts at $9.99 a month). – Samantha Kelly, CNN senior tech writerRev.comI remember being an intern over a decade ago logging half hour long interviews for producers.

☆ The internet’s new favorite video game is like ‘Guitar Hero’ but with trombones
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —If you liked “Guitar Hero” but wished it had more brass instruments, you’re in luck. “Trombone Champ,” from developer Holy Wow Studios, lets players “honk, blow, & toot” their virtual trombones to more than 20 songs, including Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the US national anthem. “I made a quick prototype, which people online thought was funny, and thus began work on a full game,” Dan Vecchitto, game designer and developer behind Holy Wow, told CNN Business. In the words of one reviewer on Steam: “Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t toot.”Before launching the game, Vecchitto had some concerns about how people would respond. “[A]t the moment, Holy Wow is mostly a one person operation.

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