Smarter Logo

AI-powered humanoid robots // Space station independence

PLUS: OpenAI enhances ChatGPT's macOS app with advanced voice commands and direct integration with coding and notetaking tools, boosting productivity across applications.... SMRTR every day.
Read Online | Subscribe
 | 
SMRTR Tech
Friday, ​December 20, 2024
🤖

AI Updates

Apptronik partners with Google DeepMind to advance humanoid robots with AI (4 minute read)
Apptronik and Google DeepMind have partnered to combine AI with humanoid robotics, aiming to create intelligent robots for various industries. Apptronik's Apollo humanoid, designed for manufacturing and logistics, is being tested by Mercedes-Benz and GXO Logistics, while Google DeepMind contributes its expertise in machine learning and AI systems for robotics applications.
 
Google reveals AI ‘reasoning’ model that ‘explicitly shows its thoughts’ (2 minute read)
Google unveiled Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking, an experimental AI model that shows its reasoning process while answering complex questions. The model breaks down problems into smaller steps, potentially competing with OpenAI's o1 reasoning model, and is available for testing on Google's AI Studio.
 
Google to Offer AI-Generated Conversational Answers in Search (3 minute read)
Google plans to introduce an AI Mode option on its Search page, offering conversational answers from a Gemini-like chatbot alongside traditional results. This new feature will be accessible via a tab near the top of the search results page, including links to external websites and a follow-up question search bar.
 
📱

Tech Products

Apple cancels plan to sell iPhone as a subscription service (3 minute read)
Apple has scrapped plans for an iPhone hardware subscription service, dissolving the team behind it. The service, intended to offer monthly payments and yearly upgrades, aimed to boost iPhone sales and recurring revenue. Facing setbacks and delays since 2022, the project was ultimately canceled due to regulatory concerns, including stricter rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
 
Leak: This is Lenovo’s rollable display laptop (2 minute read)
Lenovo is developing a ThinkBook Plus laptop with a rollable display that extends upward, potentially launching in 2025. The innovative design allows for enhanced multitasking, with leaked images showing examples like watching videos or referencing documents while working on presentations.
 
ChatGPT's Mac app gets a glowup with new coding and notetaking features (4 minute read)
OpenAI introduced new features for ChatGPT's macOS app, including Advanced Voice Mode for voice commands and "Working with Apps" to interact with coding and notetaking tools. The AI assistant can now analyze code, offer suggestions, and write directly into apps like Xcode, Apple Notes, and Notion, making it a more active collaborator across multiple applications.
 
🚀

Space News

New physics sim trains robots 430,000 times faster than reality (2 minute read)
A new AI system called Genesis creates realistic 3D environments for robot training using text commands. The open-source platform, developed in Python, generates physically accurate simulations and data, potentially revolutionizing how researchers design robot testing scenarios and create artistic assets for games and videos.
 
The New Glenn rocket’s seven powerful engines may light up as soon as today (2 minute read)
Blue Origin is preparing to test-fire seven BE-7 engines on its New Glenn rocket at Launch Complex-36 in Florida. This final test before the rocket's debut flight is crucial for NASA's Artemis Program, as New Glenn will launch lunar landers and fuel elements for Moon missions.
 
Axiom Space shuffles space station assembly sequence – to get it standalone sooner (4 minute read)
Axiom Space has revised its space station assembly plan to achieve independence from the International Space Station (ISS) by 2028. The company will now launch its power and thermal module first, followed by other modules, potentially in response to uncertainties surrounding the ISS's retirement date and growing concerns about the aging station's hardware issues.
 
🌀

Miscellaneous

Almost half of developer revenue now comes from subscriptions (2 minute read)
Global app spending reached $127 billion in 2024, up 15.7% from the previous year, driven entirely by Apple's App Store. Subscription-based apps, though only 5% of all apps, accounted for 48% of revenue across both app stores, explaining increased spending despite a 2.3% decline in downloads.
 
You can now use ChatGPT on WhatsApp: Here's how (2 minute read)
OpenAI has integrated ChatGPT with WhatsApp, making it globally accessible by adding 1800-CHATGPT to contacts. A new toll-free ChatGPT hotline in the US offers 15 minutes of free usage, with both services aimed at increasing accessibility. The WhatsApp version currently supports only text input, while OpenAI works on authenticating existing users and expanding features.
 
As firms abandon VMware, Broadcom is laughing all the way to the bank (2 minute read)
VMware, now under Broadcom, faces challenges in 2025. It's focusing on large accounts, taking over 500 directly and cutting out channel partners, while allowing partners to manage 1,500 major accounts. The channel is in turmoil due to program changes and poor communication. Forrester predicts VMware's top 2,000 customers will reduce deployment by 40%. Despite this, Broadcom is expected to boost profits through price increases, cost-cutting, and limited competition in virtualization.
 
🍿

Bite-Size Stories

This Switch 2 mockup could be the most accurate representation of Nintendo's next handheld (4 minute read)
A new Nintendo Switch 2 mockup, based on rumored specs, showcases magnetically attached controllers, dual USB-C ports, a wider kickstand, and Hall Effect joysticks, with a possible launch in March 2025.
 
Meta’s AI video editing features are coming to Instagram next year (2 minute read)
Meta's upcoming AI video editor for Instagram, Movie Gen, will allow users to easily modify outfits, backgrounds, and add elements to videos, with the company aiming to launch it in 2024 as part of its efforts to expand AI capabilities.
 
Starlink’s first nationwide satellite texting service goes live in New Zealand (2 minute read)
New Zealand launched nationwide satellite texting through Starlink and One NZ, focusing on rural areas with poor coverage, but it's limited to four smartphone models and has slow transmission times, with plans to expand compatibility and add voice calling.