### Issue 2024 - Friday 9th February, 2024

## In Today's Issue

- Bard is now Gemini, gets Gemini Ultra model that costs $33/m to use
- Apple releases range of sad and sorry Windows apps that do the bare minimum
- Tesla adds UWB phone key support, Disney invests US$1.5b into Epic, you can rent movies in Plex now
- Toyota's Connected Services are yet another example of data hoarding nobody wants
- Friday Forum Update
- Cheap Apple gift cards, refurb Toshiba laptop, Sony headphones, Dell monitor, Unifi Express, Apple TV+ for LG TVs, Motorola phones

## The News

### Bard is now Gemini, gets Gemini Ultra model that costs $33/m to use

Google has renamed its AI chatbot from Bard to Gemini and has unleashed its Gemini Ultra AI model on the world with Gemini Advanced - essentially Google's own version of ChatGPT. If you wanna use the "best" AI/LLM model Google has, you'll need to subscribe to the Google One AI Premium Plan for $32.99/m - more than double the regular Google One Premium Plan ($12.49/m or $125/yr) - which gives you Google One's Premium Plan (2TB storage, Google Photos features, 10% Google Store discount, Google Meet features, etc.) plus access to the Gemini Advanced (formerly known as Bard and now with the Gemini Ultra model) chatbot. They've also released a new Gemini app for Android and slapped Gemini into the Google iOS app that'll get updated in a few weeks. I haven't tried it out yet, but there seems to be a mixed reaction on Hacker News and Reddit as to the quality of output versus GPT-4. Some say it's better, some say it's worse.

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### Apple releases range of sad and sorry Windows apps that do the bare minimum

If you're in the unfortunate situation of having to use Apple software on Windows there's a bunch of new apps. Instead of everything taking place via iTunes, there's now separate apps for Apple Music, Apple TV and "Apple Devices" to "manually update, back up, restore, and manage your iPhone or iPad". iTunes still exists however and is how you access podcasts and audiobooks, but you can't listen to any music via it, that's all in the Apple Music app which mashes up the streaming and local libraries in what I find to be a very confusing way. The iCloud app for Windows got a decent update too, but password sync is still only via a Chrome/Edge extension, too bad if you use a different browser! The only way to get these apps is via the Microsoft Store, but at least they work in Windows 10.

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### Tesla adds UWB phone key support, Disney invests US$1.5b into Epic, you can rent movies in Plex now

- There's a lot of things I loathe about my Tesla, but a big annoyance is the phone key feature not working every few weeks and having to stand near it for a minute with my phone out while Bluetooth connects (or I give up and use the keycard in my wallet). They've now added Ultra Wideband support to the Tesla app that should fix this problem for iPhones that support it.
- Disney has invested US$1.5b into Epic Games and now owns a chunk. Epic's CEO said "we're collaborating on something entirely new to build a persistent, open and interoperable ecosystem that will bring together the Disney and Fortnite communities". Persistent, open, interoperable, ecosystem - that's a weird way to describe shooty games and cartoons, but you do you.
- Plex has movie rentals now. Not C-tier direct to video slop (which I enjoy sometimes!) like their streaming offerings, but the latest Hollywood releases. US only, but it's fascinating watching Plex do all this normie mainstream stuff when 99% of their users are neckbeards hoarding pirated media and sharing it with their friends. At some point these two contradictions will clash and the whole thing will explode.

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## Something I Saw On The Internet

### Toyota's Connected Services are yet another example of data hoarding nobody wants

Choice has taken Toyota to task about its "Toyota Connected Services" feature. Not only is it collecting "data such as fuel levels, odometer reading, vehicle location and driving data, as well as personal information like phone numbers and email addresses", but they also "share collected data with third parties with your consent, such as finance and insurance companies, promotions and market research organisations, debt collection agencies and information technology service providers". They include a story of a guy in QLD buying a Hilux who wasn't told about TCS prior to taking delivery of the car until emails starting appearing asking him to register and when he looked at the privacy policy, no longer wanted the car and had a shitfight with the dealer over a refund on his deposit. This car tracking stuff that's happening with all brands, not just Toyota, should really be optional and be able to be permanently and physically disabled.

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## Friday Forum Update

Here's five interesting discussions over on The Sizzle's paid subscriber forum for you to enjoy over the weekend. If you are not a paid subscriber but want to get involved, visit https://thesizzle.com.au/payme to get onboard.

- bartron is after anyone's experience getting an EV on a novated lease via salary sacrifice
- WaLLy3K wants to connect a TRRS headset to a computer and a VOIP phone at the same time without having to switch between them
- jamryl is keen on an e-ink tablet but isn't sure which one to get
- intransit is planning a security camera setup for their home and would like some input from someone who's done it before
- wolfjay wants a gaming PC with a few unique caveats that make the decision on specs a bit spicier than usual

## Bargains

- 20x Everyday Rewards points on Apple gift cards at Big W between 22nd-28th Feb
- Refurb Toshiba Portege X20W-E laptop (i7-8550U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1080p 12.5" touch screen) - $232 from Bufferstock
- Sony MDR7506 headphones - $129 from Amazon UK
- Dell S2722DC 2560x1440 USB-C monitor - $399 from Amazon
- Ubiquiti UniFi Express UX Wi-Fi 6 Router - $249 from Wireless1
- 3 months free Apple TV+ for LG smart TV owners
- Motorola Moto G84 smartphone - $311.40 from Mobileciti
- Motorola Moto G14 smartphone - $134.10 from Mobileciti

## Image Of The Day

BBC Micro Information Sheet (Software & Computer Museum / Internet Archive)

## The End

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