Category: Tech Made Simple

A Temporary Reprieve for Users as FCC Extends the Update Deadline for Foreign-Made Routers and Drones Until 2029

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TP Link wireless router in front of product box

The FCC’s bans on foreign-made Wi-Fi routers and drones initially included an expiration date on software updates, but the commission has now extended the cutoff from 2027 to 2029.  As PCMag reports, on Friday, the FCC’s Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) issued an extension that permits previously authorized foreign-made drones and Wi-Fi routers to “continue to receive software and firmware […]

Attention Stressed-Out Teachers, Students and Parents: Canvas Has Been Restored after Hack

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hands holding smartphone with padlock images for cybersecurity

Access to Canvas has been fully restored following last week’s widespread outage that ensnared thousands of universities , schools, and online home school providers. However, Canvas’s developer, Instructure, has temporarily shut down the “Free-For-Teacher” service after hackers exploited it to infiltrate the platform. The Free-For-Teacher Accounts As PCMag reports, for hours on Thursday, May 7, students and professors struggled […]

Is the Vision Pro Heading for a Tech Graveyard?

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woman wearing Apple Vision Pro headset

Apple has reportedly stopped work on its Vision Pro headset and shifted staff to other teams within the company, MacRumors reports. As PCMag reports, once touted as “the next big thing” in tech, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro in 2023 and launched in early 2024. The headset, powered by the M2 chip, had a slow start, with […]

Spotify Rolls Out Green ‘Verified’ Badges to Prove an Artist is Human

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Spotify logo on smartphone with earbuds

Major music-streaming platforms are being flooded with AI-generated tracks, so Spotify has decided to roll out a preemptive strike in the form of a new verification badge to prove to listeners that an artist is actually human. As PCMag reports, to earn a badge, which will appear as a light green checkmark, an artist needs to have consistent listener […]

New FCC Rules Could Mean ‘Sevenfold’ Capacity Increase for Starlink

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Starlink app on smart phone

SpaceX’s Starlink could see a “sevenfold” increase in capacity under new rules approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) this week to improve satellite internet services. “Americans are now about to see a big upgrade,” said FCC Chair Brendan Carr. As PCMag reports, the commission introduced the new rules earlier in April before approving them at a meeting last week. […]

Taylor Swift and other Celebrities are Protecting themselves from AI Abuse

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Taylor Swift in metallic dress at 2018 AMA's

Taylor Swift recently filed a series of trademark applications designed to protect the star from AI-enabled impersonations. As Fast Company reports, Swift already holds a wide array of trademarks, but these latest filings, at least one intellectual property firm suggests, serve a new purpose: protecting the timbre and character of her voice itself through what is […]

Microsoft says its Built-In Windows 11 Antivirus Is Enough Protection for Most Users

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Windows 11 displayed on smart phone in front of laptop

Microsoft is weighing in on whether you should install third-party antivirus software on a PC, telling users the built-in Defender should be enough.  As PCMag reports, Microsoft quietly took an official stand in a Learning Center article published earlier this month, which Windows Latest later spotted. “For many Windows 11 users, Microsoft Defender Antivirus covers everyday risk without requiring additional […]

OpenAI puts a Pause on “Adult Mode” for ChatGPT Indefinitely

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Exterior of OpenAI HQ against blue sky and white cloud

You may never get to experience ChatGPT’s adult mode (not that you wanted to, of course). OpenAI has confirmed to the Financial Times (FT) that it is putting the project on hold as it shifts focus toward its core products. As PCMag reports, this news comes after The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that some of the company’s staffers and advisors were […]

The PBS Artemis II documentary is streaming on YouTube

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Artist's rendering of NASA's Artemis SLS on launchpad

If you’re going through Artemis II withdrawls, have we got good news for you! As Endgadget reports, the crew of NASA’s Artemis II mission have safely returned to Earth, but if your Moon fever has yet to break, or you’re curious to get a big picture view of how the second of a planned five Moon […]

Google Joins Amazon in Investing Billions in Anthropic

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Anthropic on screen behind smartphone display of Claude with logo

Google plans to invest up to $40 billion into Anthropic in what could be viewed as a circular deal with the AI startup (and frequent competitor), according to Bloomberg. As Endgadget reports, the search giant has invested in Anthropic at multiple points in the past, but this new investment comes after an announcement that the AI startup had signed […]