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Yahoo’s missed birthday is the most sad thing on the Internet

by technovatica.com on

Imagine saying this line today: “The most popular index on the World Wide Web is Yahoo.” Granted, the terminology is a little obscure, but the notion that Yahoo was the most popular anything seems improbable. But there was a moment, decades ago, when Yahoo was so big that its name ended with an exclamation point. It had a unique understanding of the Internet. And while we would have envisioned enormous, global celebrations to commemorate its 30th birthday.

Instead, the date of January 30th, 2024 (30 years after Stanford University students Jerry Yang and David Filo created it), went almost unnoticed. The still-relatively young Facebook received significantly more coverage for its 20th anniversary on February 4.

That description of Yahoo, in 1995, comes from PC publication, which was the largest and most influential computer publication in the United States. I worked there back then, and we were serious: nothing beats finding what you’re looking for on the fast developing World Wide Web. The surprising thing was that Yahoo was not a real index. Yes, Yahoo spidered the web like all other early search engines, but there was nothing like Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to help you locate things.

It was never my favorite “search engine,” and primarily for that reason. Alta Vista proved to be far more effective for me. There was no questioning Yahoo’s power or supremacy. It was such a big event that PCMag’s parent firm, Ziff Davis, collaborated with Yahoo to establish Yahoo! Internet Life. I know, a real print magazine about wonderful things on the Internet doesn’t sound right. It looked like a wonderful idea at the time, and it delved further into Internet culture than any previous publication. The journal continued during some of Yahoo’s most successful years, until the dot-com bubble burst in 2002.

A once-mighty brand

Still, I believe Yahoo lost its path long before the Internet underwent its first major shift. I recall Yahoo signing a deal in 2000 to have Google power all searches on its website. That’s correct, one of the first and previously most acclaimed Internet search platforms sold a fundamental business to its main competitor. I thought Yahoo was abandoning up, but I was mistaken; Yahoo never gave up. It was just the beginning of decades of economic machinations to expand and build the service. This included developing an excellent range of mobile capabilities and returning the platform to its original search engine in 2004.

Yahoo stayed busy, occasionally frenzied over the decades, offering new services Forging relationships, changing leadership like others change shirts, and establishing a media empire that once swallowed great names like Katie Couric and David Pogue of The New York Times. It still has an excellent mail system and is the location I go to view live stock market charts. However, unlike Google or Apple, it does not occupy a special place in my mind.

Yahoo’s once-changing leadership continued to try to steer the firm toward brighter horizons, most notably under former Google executive Marissa Mayer (now CEO of Sunshine Contacts), who presided over one of the worst data breaches in industry history.

While that appeared to be a fatal wound, Yahoo persevered despite giving up a significant portion of its media empire dreams.

After Verizon paid $4.5 billion for Yahoo in 2017, the firm changed its name to Altaba, a word with significantly less significance than “Yahoo!”

Still standing

Yahoo may have lost its sexiness, but it remains a powerful internet presence. According to some measurements, the Yahoo.com homepage is the most popular on the internet. Yahoo populates it with a combination of original content from publications such as TechCrunch and Huffington Post, as well as syndicated news from other big news outlets.

Search remains at the top of the Yahoo Home page, although it is a distant third in popularity after Google and Bing, the latter of which has recently experienced a boom because to the advent of Bing AI (now CoPilot). It’s telling that, as Google and Microsoft compete for AI-powered search, there is no YahooAI.

It is difficult to connect today’s Yahoo with the 1990s’ clarion call, “Yahoo!” Most people, both online and offline, could yodel in three notes. There were billboards featuring the once-iconic emblem.

It’s a shame because Yahoo! was not always dominating. Yahoo helped define the original World Wide Web and lay the groundwork for search and services that, in some ways, others, such as Google, followed. It’s possible that we wouldn’t have the Internet now if Yahoo hadn’t helped to popularize and spread it during the 1990s.

I didn’t see anyone pause to celebrate or even acknowledge Yahoo’s milestone. And that is just sad.

Yahoo’s trajectory may be a warning tale for the Facebooks (Meta), Googles, and perhaps the TikToks of the day. Nobody is too big to fail or be all but forgotten.

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Applications

Did we just get our first look at Windows 12? If that’s the case, the new operating system won’t arrive until 2025

by technovatica.com on

We may have just caught our first peek of Windows 12, but we don’t know for sure. What we do know is that Microsoft is making significant changes with Windows test builds.

XenoPanther on X (previously Twitter) discovered that the internal Canary versions of Windows 11 – those in the early testing channel, in other words – have just been forked, with a new build 27547 being introduced.

As you may be aware, the most recent Canary channel build is version 26040, which includes a new Voice Clarity feature for better video chats.

So we now have builds in the 26XXX and 27XXX ranges, which raises the obvious question: Is the latter Windows 12 in its first test phase? Let’s go over that in more detail next.

Analysis: Captain, I’m giving her everything she has!

According to Zac Bowden, a well-known Microsoft leaker (of Windows Central renown), the next version of Windows is likely to be the 26XXX branch, which is currently thought to be Windows 11 24H2 due later this year.

That means the 27XXX preview versions could be the next version of Windows, arriving in 2025 (though these builds are unlikely to be tested by Windows Insiders for some time). As a result, the (tentative) conclusion is that this might be Windows 12, or an entirely new Windows, whatever the name may be.

(Although we should further note that technically, Windows 11 24H2 will be all-new. Not the front-end thinking, but the fundamental foundations (it will be built on a new platform called Germanium, which will provide significant performance and security gains deep beneath the hood).

At any rate, this pretty well confirms that Windows 12 (or next-generation Windows, whatever the ultimate name is) will not be released this year, but rather next year. After all, Windows 10 will be phased out in 2025, thus it makes sense that a new operating system will arrive at the same time (October 2025).

As we’ve previously stated, one of the risks of introducing Windows 12 this year is that it will divide the desktop user base into three camps, which is inefficient and difficult to organize updates. So that scenario is neatly averted if Windows 12 does not arrive until 2025.

On a side point, Microsoft uses codenames for its OS development semesters the next one should have been arsenic, but the software giant avoided it since it was viewed as “scary and violent,” according to Bowden, and is now using the codename Dilithium instead. This is very cool for Star Trek aficionados (maybe Duranium will be the next in line when another incompatible real-world element appears).

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Applications

Samsung’s latest Galaxy AI features are free for a short period

by technovatica.com on

Samsung’s new Galaxy AI features, which were unveiled during the first Galaxy Unpacked event in 2024 and will be included on the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus, and Galaxy S24 Ultra phones, will be free until 2025.

This was not made obvious at the Unpacked event, but a careful check at Samsung’s terms and conditions for the Galaxy S24 webpage reveals that “Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices.” Different conditions may apply to AI functionality offered by third parties.

So, it appears that features such as the AI-powered Generative Edit will require a charge or subscription to access at some point next year. It is also unclear how much this would cost, and what specific functions would be subject to a paywall and which would not.

The Galaxy AI functions include live translation, smart photo editing, intelligent note summaries, real-time language translation, and the useful ‘Circle to Search’ tool.

It’s worth noting that some of the AI features are incorporated within the phone, while others are cloud-based and require an internet connection; this could be how Samsung justifies the price.

So, according to these terms and conditions, Samsung Galaxy S24 consumers will only get around two years to experience the AI advancements, unless Samsung extends the duration or quits the idea.

Unsurprisingly, Samsung kept this information private because some have already taken to social media to express their dissatisfaction with paying a subscription for their phone, which could affect sales of the new flagship phone by discouraging potential purchasers.

Users of previous devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and Galaxy Tab S9 series, will also benefit from some of the cloud-based Galaxy AI functions.

It’s yet unclear which features will be supported and which are exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series. The Galaxy AI upgrades for these older smartphones are expected to be launched before June of this year.

This has occurred before

Apple tried a similar strategy with the Emergency SOS via Satellite function on the iPhone 14, initially offering two years of free service but later changing it to three years of support.

Meanwhile, Google’s Magic Editor is free for Pixel phones, with extra skills available to everyone through the subscription-based Google One. This also includes cloud storage, a VPN, and monitoring the dark web for your data.

This subscription-based method appears to contradict Samsung’s promise to OS updates, which might keep the Samsung Galaxy S24 in consumers’ hands for seven years of updates.

Overall, time will tell if this is the start of a new trend of paying for new smartphones just to discover that some features are hidden behind a paywall, and it may become another cost to consider when purchasing a new phone.

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Applications

Chrome’s Incognito Mode continues to collect your data, according to new fine print

by technovatica.com on

In an effort to be more upfront with users, Google has clarified the language on Chrome’s Incognito Mode disclaimer, stating unequivocally that the firm does gather personal data.

“This won’t change how data is collected by websites you visit and the services they use, including Google.” The updated phrasing was found by tech news site MSPowerUser in the most recent Chrome Canary update for desktop and mobile. We installed the browser on our devices to double-check, and we can confirm the line is present.

The bullet points following the disclaimer are largely the same. One of the headers now states “Chrome won’t save the following information” followed by the list rather than simply “Chrome won’t save”.

Although unconfirmed, the language upgrade is most likely the outcome of a recent lawsuit settlement. In 2020, Google faced a $5 billion class action lawsuit alleging it of gathering user data from “web browsers operating in private mode.” The business claimed that every time a user accessed an incognito tab, Chrome plainly stated that it or other websites may collect information on them.

However, the judge presiding over the case did not buy the reasoning, adding that “Google never explicitly told users that it does so”. On December 28, 2023, the two sides reached an undisclosed settlement agreement.

Pending update

It is unclear when the phrasing will make its way from Canary to the stable version of the browser.

If you’re not familiar with Canary, it’s an experimental version of Chrome designed for developers who want to test out new features before they appear. It is not intended for the average individual because it is unstable and susceptible of crashing at any point.

Canary features sometimes take a long time to launch, but given that it’s only a few lines of text, we could see the Incognito Mode refresh arrive soon. Ars Technica reported in late December that the settlement must be filed to the court by the end of January. That court must approve the deal by the end of February.

So we could see the updated phrasing as early as March. We contacted Google for more information. This story will be updated later.

Keep in mind that this does not alter the company’s behavior. It will still collect data about you. The main change now is that Google informs individuals that it is gathering data.

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Applications

Microsoft announces new Copilot Pro subscription service, which boosts the AI helper in Windows 11 for $20 per month

by technovatica.com on

Microsoft is enhancing Windows Copilot with Windows Copilot Pro and introducing Microsoft 365 Copilot to businesses of all sizes.

Windows Copilot and 365 Copilot are Microsoft’s newest AI digital assistants to aid users with a variety of chores and projects, which we first revealed last year, and they’re getting a significant boost with higher-tier AI features.

Microsoft officially launches Copilot Pro, which will be available for individual customers to subscribe to for $20 a month (per user) beginning today, January 16.

This version of Copilot will enable individuals to improve their productivity and user experience by leveraging the best of Copilot’s AI capabilities, capability, performance speed, and ability to access Copilot at peak hours.

This also grants customers with a Personal or Home membership access to Copilot Pro in Microsoft 365 products such as Word, Excel, and OneNote, as well as PowerPoint on PC, Mac, and iPad. This is identical to the existing Microsoft 365 Copilot for enterprise clients, which needs an enterprise membership; however, these Copilot AI capabilities will now be available to Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers.

The best of Copilot’s offerings

If you join up for Copilot Pro, you will have priority access to the most recent OpenAI models, such as OpenAI’s cutting-edge GPT-4 Turbo, as well as the ability to design and customize your own Copilot GPT bot to a topic of your choice.

Copilot Pro will provide consumers more control over how and what they do by allowing them to switch between models and experiment with different choices to improve their experience.

Users will be able to create and shape their personalized Copilot GPTs in a fresh new Copilot GPT Builder (identical to the commercial version released last year) by answering a few simple prompts, and Microsoft promises it will be available soon.

You may also expect Microsoft to update their AI image generation with Image Creator from Designer (previously known as Bing Image Creator). With Copilot Pro, you will receive one hundred boosts (faster image creation processes), increased image detail and quality, and the landscape image format.

Along with the launch of Copilot Pro for individual use, Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be offered to a broader range of commercial customers, notably small and medium-sized organizations. Copilot subscriptions will now be available through Microsoft partners with no employee minimum, cheaper prerequisites, and increased availability.

New updates to Copilot and a new Copilot app

For those who want to continue exploring with Copilot for free, there is something to be aware of. The free edition of Copilot now includes Copilot GPTs, which let you to personalize and tailor a Copilot to discuss a specific topic of your choice. Today, you should be able to see some of the already existing subjects, such as fitness, travel, and cuisine.

In addition to these advancements, Copilot will be available on iOS and Android, as well as the Microsoft 365 mobile app. With these new apps, you’ll be able to have a single AI run across your devices, capable of analyzing information from your online usage, PC usage, and the apps you use to Make its assistance more context-dependent.

The Copilot app includes the same strong tools as the PC version, including GPT-4, Dall-E 3’s image generating capabilities, and the ability to enter your own images and have Copilot respond to them.

Copilot will be added to the Microsoft 365 app on iOS and Android smartphones over the next month for Microsoft account holders, allowing them to export the content they generate as a Word or PDF document. Microsoft’s ambition is that you would be able to summon Copilot almost instantaneously, whenever you need it, regardless of which device you are currently using.

Microsoft is only getting started

It also appears that many more Copilot Pro capabilities are in the works, similar to how we’ve seen numerous enhancements to the ordinary version of Copilot in Windows 11. Speaking with The Verge, Divya Kumar described Microsoft’s current release timetable as “rolling thunder.”

With Copilot Pro, Microsoft hopes to attract the attention of “power users like creators, researchers, programmers, and others” who may be interested in the latest developments that it and its collaborator OpenAI have to offer.

Microsoft recently overtook Apple as the world’s most valuable firm, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Microsoft’s Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, Yusuf Mehdi, asserts that Copilot enables “every person and organization on the planet to achieve more.” If there is a reason why you would want or perhaps require digital support or advice, it is evident that Microsoft is happy to satisfy your needs.

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Applications

The Rabbit r1 is an AI-powered sidekick that resembles a future version of Siri

by technovatica.com on

During CES 2024, California-based firm Rabbit Inc. unveiled their brand-new mobile device, which intends to revolutionize how consumers interact with smartphone UIs via artificial intelligence.

It’s called Rabbit r1, but before we get into what it does, let’s watch a recent keynote video that provides useful background information. Jesse Lyu, the company’s CEO, claims that modern smartphone interfaces are not intuitive. He claims there are far too many apps that do not connect with one another. Lyu dislikes having to switch from app to app just to complete simple chores, thus Rabbit Inc. set out to design a device that would automate all of these procedures, which is the r1.

Personal Assistants

A Large Action Model, sometimes known as LAM, is housed inside. It is an artificial intelligence model that can learn how consumers interact with apps and then duplicate that behavior. The software understands complicated interactions without the requirement for an additional API (Application Programming Interface). This technology serves as the backbone for the company’s proprietary operating system, rabbitOS.

Users of rabbit OS will be able to construct automated scripts known as ‘rabbits’ that will do tasks using voice commands. These assistants behave similarly to the Google Assistant. The key distinction with Rabbit’s gadget is that all tasks are completed via a single interface. You won’t have to open apps and log in simply to accomplish one task.

For example, suppose you want the r1 to handle your grocery shopping. First, you record the process of opening a supermarket app, selecting your items, and finally checking out. Next time you need to buy groceries, pull out the r1, press the button on the side, and orally instruct it to repeat the steps from your previous grocery shopping trip. That’s the essence of how it works.

The programs you write can even be monetized and distributed through the startup’s future shop, Rabbit Hole.

Hardware specifications

In terms of hardware, the little device is said to be about the “size of a stack of Post-it notes” and weighs 115g (4oz). It features a 2.88-inch touchscreen, a push-to-talk button, and a scroll wheel for navigation. The Rabbit r1 is powered by a 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P35 processor and has a ‘all-day’ battery. Other prominent features include compatibility for cellular connectivity and an AI-powered rotating camera.

The Rabbit R1 is currently available for pre-order in Luminous Orange. It will cost you $200, “with no additional monthly subscription required.” According to the official page, it is compatible with music, ridesharing, and retail apps, to mention a few. US orders will ship out in late March, and international orders will go out later in the year. An exact date has not been provided.

In some ways, the Rabbit r1 is a simplified smartphone with a stronger focus on artificial intelligence. It will be interesting to see how it compares to the ones from the tech titans. Can it compete, or will it be dismissed as a mere toy? It’s difficult to say.

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Applications

6 CES 2024 trends to watch: AI everywhere, Meteor Lake computers, smart appliances, metaverse, and more

by technovatica.com on

The future is right around the corner, and you’ll get a glimpse of it in early January. Every year, the technology sector gathers in Las Vegas for CES, an annual tech industry show where goods for the coming year are previewed, tested, and discussed. It’s like catnip for the world of technology.

Flat-screen TVs, soundbars, and other consumer goods have traditionally been CES highlights, and TechRadar has a nice round-up of what to anticipate from CES 2024. I don’t see much change in the usual venues at this year’s event. But that doesn’t mean innovation has ceased; here’s my perspective on the key themes shaping the show, as well as the goods and innovations I anticipate to see – when they emerge in addition to those I’d like to see more of.

And, because CES is also the launchpad for more hype than a rap album, I’ve highlighted a few places where the hot air will be the most intense.

1. AI is everywhere, particularly on your PC

For a long time, artificial intelligence has been driving consumer electronics. I chatted with LG Electronics President and CTO I.P. Park around a half-decade ago, and he told me that AI might simplify complex processes and let customers get more out of their equipment. “When you’re driving a modern luxury car most people are probably using only five percent of the entire feature set of the car,” he explained to me. “Because it’s too complex… what AI will hopefully do is solve the problem of using complex systems in order for the devices to become smart.” “Smart devices will also understand exactly what you want,” Park noted. He stated that it would be included in everything LG produces.

So, how far have we come in the last five years? I’d say that it’s not all that much. Until last year, when generative AI (for better or worse), chatbots, and Microsoft’s declaration that AI would be baked into a revolutionary new version of Windows due out sometime next summer. They’ll probably call it something terrible like Windows 1124H2, but consider it Windows 12. AI PCs created for it will be all over the place at CES 2024.

2. Serious AI for Appliances

What about Park’s remarks? Is your vacuum currently AI-powered? Is your iron aware of how much steam is too much? Why aren’t our appliances better if AI is in everything, enveloping us like the Midi-chlorians who allowed Luke utilize The Force? Yes, today’s washers and dryers employ artificial intelligence to detect humidity levels and regulate accordingly. But is this artificial intelligence? Is this something that requires intelligence or just better sensors? And, for example, no standard-size oven can tell if your Thanksgiving turkey is completely moist.

Robot vacuum cleaners, in particular, are booming. It’s going to be a dirty war, with popular names like Eureka and Roomba battling against lesser-known names like Narwal and Ecovacs. (Do you see what I did there?) And there’s a lot of creativity: Switchbot debuted a vacuum that attaches straight to your water pipes, allowing it to clean itself before returning to work for you at IFA 2023 in Berlin. And, since Matter added support for robovacs in version 1.2 of its kinda useful standard, they should ideally interact more seamlessly with the rest of your digital stuff. Perhaps Matter will matter?

3. Smarthome: The smart grid has arrived

When it comes to smart homes, the industry is changing.

As the electricity sector finally becomes smarter, whole-home chargers and solar power cells have become a huge emphasis for the consumer electronics industry. It’s a logical progression for battery and charger manufacturers, beginning with Anker, which debuted the Solix brand in June and will likely announce more in the lineup at CES. Consider Solix and its ilk to be enormous battery packs for your home. Its maximum capacity 180kWh array can supposedly power a standard house for a week, which may be useful if your local grid is disrupted by bad weather.

Coplanar, a Palo Alto, California-based start-up that sells portable hydrogen power generators and whole-home energy devices, offers an unusual spin on the standard battery. It is a renewable clean energy source that produces only water and heat as byproducts rather than combustion. What could possibly go wrong with hydrogen power?

4. Cars go electric, not self-driving

While the worlds of technology and automotive appear to be colliding quicker than Vin Diesel and his cronies, the market for self-driving cars has already burst like a punctured tire. GM’s Cruise self-driving car company lost $1.4 billion in 2022 alone, and Ford took a beating, writing off $2.7 billion in 2022 and announcing in its earnings report that it would shift its focus away from the Level 4 autonomous systems being developed by Argo AI and toward driver-assistance technology such as adaptive cruise control and lane-switching assistance.

Meanwhile, tech businesses are itching to get into the automotive industry. Chinese firms such as Xiaomi and Huawei are diving headfirst into this market, and we should expect to hear from a slew of other electric vehicle startups such as Lucid, Polestar, Fisker, and Faraday Future. Okay, perhaps not Faraday Future.

5. Women’s health technology rules the world

The convergence of health and technology is a priority for CES, which explains the surge in panels, keynotes, and talks on the subject. Linda Anegawa, Noom’s Chief of Medicine, Jesse Ehrenfeld, President of the American Medical Association, Stephen Hoge, President of Moderna, and Gail K. Boudreaux, President and CEO of Elevance Health are among those speaking at CES.

They represent all elements of the vast field of health, from Abbott’s award-winning pacemaker breakthroughs to smart beds, health monitoring, fitness gadgets, digital physicians, and more. However, one area stands out above the rest: women’s health.

Of course, there is technology for both genders. Withings is well-known in the smart health space, having created the linked blood pressure monitor in 2011. And it keeps innovating with health devices: we have it on good information that the business is planning a multipurpose handheld device that looks interesting for 2024. NuraLogix, which measures your blood pressure fairly accurately with a 30-second video, also wowed us at CES last year. We’re hopeful that by 2024, this technology will be commercially available.

Look for an array of smart beds and massage chairs on the show floor, which usually manage to give me a rush of fresh energy. (How come I don’t have one of these yet?)

6. VR/AR/MR, 6G, and other hot topics

Is it ridiculous? Maybe! Is it overrated? Absolutely! Dare we call it plain vanilla ridiculous? We certainly do! However, improvements and work in augmented reality are being done that may lead to an augmented future – with or without Mark’s Meta.

Soundscape creates a musical metaverse based on Unreal Engine 5, for example, supporting avatars for an interactive VR music event. The company recently announced relationships with GRiZ, Slash, Evanescence, Goose, and others, and pledges future collaborations with major labels before and after the CES 2024 debut. I’d even go to a virtual concert. And using VR in healthcare is an excellent application of this technology. From immersive virtual reality and augmented reality to haptic feedback for PTSD treatment, there is some realism among the filth that can help restore lost senses.

AR is also just plain entertaining, with VR for automobiles, AR for astronauts, and MR for everything in between. But will it have an impact on your life anytime soon? We seriously doubt it.

Meanwhile, keep an eye out for large corporations slipping the phrase 6G into presentations and displays. We understand what you’re thinking… We’re right there with you.

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Applications

The top 2023 Google searches, including the songs we hummed the most

by technovatica.com on

Google has revealed the top searches for 2023 in a variety of categories, including the most popular movies, TV shows, music, and much more.

So, in the world of film, the most Googled movie was Barbie, which just edged out Oppenheimer (you may have suspected that’d come in second, considering the whole ‘Barbenheimer’ thing).

Jawan came in third, followed by Sound of Freedom, and John Wick: Chapter 4 came in fifth, just keeping Avatar: The Way of Water out of the top five.

The Last of Us is the most popular TV program search, followed by Wednesday – no surprise considering the buzz created by the latter (which was amazing) and the gaming connection with the former (which was also excellent).

Ginny & Georgia are next, followed by One Piece and, in fifth place, Kaleidoscope.

In the world of music, the most sought song was or Idol by Yoasobi (supposedly the theme music from the anime series Oshi no Ko), followed by Try That In A Small Town by Jason Aldean. Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53 (Shakira and Bizarrap) came in third, followed by Unholy (Sam Smith and Kim Petras) and Cupid (Fifty Fifty) in fifth.

Shakira was the most sought musician, followed by Jason Aldean (who mirrored his position in the song bracket), Joe Jonas, Smash Mouth (whose singer Steve Harwell sadly passed away this year), and Peppino di Capri.

Check out the entire breakdown of Google’s search phrase popularity in 2023, which covers everything from news to sports stars to more obscure topics like the top searches for museums.

Our ever evolving searches

Google’s rankings for the top songs used with its ‘hum to search’ functionality, two of which were, oddly, by the Imagine Dragons – Bones was number one, and Believer was number five. Yoasobi’s Idol also made an appearance (pun intended) at number three.

In terms of movies, the top actors were Jeremy Renner, Jenna Ortega, Ichikawa Ennosuke IV, Danny Masterson, and Pedro Pascal (who should have been higher, surely?).

We’d be remiss if we didn’t highlight the top game searches, with Hogwarts Legacy taking the lead ahead of The Last of Us. Connections came in third, followed by Battlegrounds Mobile India, and Starfield came in fifth, just defeating Baldur’s Gate 3 into sixth place.

It’s also worth mentioning that Google debuted its Trends Time Capsule, which examines popular searches from the past. Using this, we can see that World of Warcraft, for example, was the most searched game from 2005 to and including 2010. Minecraft held the top slot for six consecutive years, from 2012 to 2017, but Warcraft surpassed it by returning to the top spot in 2020-2021.

There is plenty interesting content to explore here, and you will most likely find these various ranks to be a time suck. We most certainly did – but what was the most popular sauce in 2002…

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Applications

Meta’s new VR headset design resembles the next-generation Apple Vision Pro.

by technovatica.com on

Meta has revealed a stunning XR headset that appears to combine the Meta Quest Pro, Apple Vision Pro, and a few more exclusive features. The only disadvantage? Anything like what Meta has shown off is probably years away from being released.

Douglas Lanman, Meta’s director of display systems research, demonstrated a representation of Mirror Lake, an advanced prototype that is “practical to build now” based on the technology Meta has developed, during a discussion at the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences. This XR headset (XR is a catch-all term for VR, AR, and MR) combines design elements and features from the Meta Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro, such as the Quest Pro’s open side design and the Vision Pro’s EyeSight, with new tools like HoloCake lenses and electronic varifocal, to create something better than anything on the market (via UploadVR).

We’ve covered electronic varifocal earlier on TechRadar, when Meta’s Butterscotch Varifocal prototype won an award, so we won’t go into too much detail here. Simply defined, electronic varifocal tries to emulate the way humans focus on objects that are close or far away in the real world by combining eye-tracking with a display system that can move closer or further away from the headset wearer’s face. Meta describes it as a “more natural, realistic, and comfortable experience.”

HoloCake lenses, a portmanteau of holographic and pancake, aid in enabling this varifocal system while reducing the size of the headset.

Pancake lenses are used by the Meta Quest 3, Quest Pro, and other current headsets like as the Pico 4 and Apple Vision Pro, and they can be much smaller than lenses formerly used by headsets such as the Quest 2.

To further reduce the size of the optics, HoloCake lenses employ a thin, flat holographic lens rather than the curved one used by a pancake system – holographic as in reflective foil, not as in a 3D hologram you may see in a sci-fi film.

The sole disadvantage is that lasers must be used instead of a standard LED backlight. This can raise costs, size, heat, and safety concerns. Having to rely on lasers, on the other hand, could be viewed as an upgrade because these can typically create a wider and more vivid variety of colors than regular LEDs.

When will we be able to obtain one? Not for a long time

Mirror Lake, unfortunately, will not be arriving anytime soon. Lanman described the headset as something “[Meta] could build with significant time,” meaning that work hasn’t begun yet – and even if it has, we may be looking at it for years.

On this issue, Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has previously stated that the technology on which Mirror Lake is based might be visible in goods “in the second half of the decade,” implying a release in 2026 and beyond (maybe late 2025 if we’re lucky).

This corresponds to when we expect Meta’s next XR headset, such as the Meta Quest Pro or Meta Quest 4, to be released. Meta typically teases its headsets a year in advance at Meta Connect events (as it did with both the Meta Quest Pro and Quest 3), so the earliest we’ll see a new gadget is September or October 2025. Meta Connect 2023 came and went without a preview of what was to come.

Waiting a few years would also give the Meta Quest 3 some time in the spotlight before the next great thing comes along to eclipse it, and it would also allow Meta to watch how the Apple Vision Pro performs. Apple’s XR headset is the polar opposite of Meta’s Quest 2 and Quest 3, with Apple giving very high-end hardware at an extremely high price ($3,499, or roughly £2,800 / AU$5,300).

If Apple’s bet comes off, Meta may choose to change its strategy by introducing an equally high-end and expensive Meta Quest Pro 2 that offers a more significant increase over the Quest 3 than the initial Meta Quest Pro gave over the Quest 2. If the Vision Pro fails, Meta will not want to follow suit.

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Applications

Google Drive’s missing files problem has been resolved; here’s how to proceed.

by technovatica.com on

Some Google Drive users have lately reported that the online storage service has been erasing files from their machines dating back months. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, Google has just released a few strategies that may help you recover your information.

It is possible that even after attempting Google’s procedures, your files will not be recovered, therefore this is not a sure solution. However, Google claims that its remedies are only for “desktop users on version 84 who experienced issues accessing local files that had yet to be synced to Drive,” implying that the solutions are quite limited in reach.

According to internet forums, many people have lost files from months ago, which may contradict Google’s statement that the patch is just for files that haven’t been synced to Drive. I’ve lost files due to this glitch, yet I sync my Google Drive app on a regular basis. Still, if you are afflicted, it is worthwhile to try Google’s suggestions.

The first technique necessitates downloading the most recent version of Google Drive. After that, you’ll need to use Google’s recovery tool. To do so, launch Drive for desktop and navigate to the app’s icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (MacOS). Shift-click the Settings (cog) button, then pick “Recover from backups.”

That will start the healing process. If there are files to recover, you’ll see a notification that says “Recovery has begun,” otherwise “No backups found.” If a backup exists, you’ll see “Recovery is complete” and a new folder with your unsynced files will appear on your desktop.

When the utility is finished, you may receive a “Not enough disk space” notice. In this instance, you can try again after freeing up disk space, or you can use the next approach to recover the files to a different drive.

Select a different drive

To run the recovery process on a separate drive with greater free space, you’ll need to use the command line, which is a little more sophisticated. To do so, you’ll need to download the most recent version of Drive for desktop. Close the program and launch a command prompt (Windows) or Terminal (MacOS).

Run the following command, with the quotation marks, on Windows: “C:Program FilesGoogleDrive File Streamlaunch.bat” –recover_from_account_backups

On macOS, type “/Applications/Google Drive.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Drive” (with the speech marks). –recover_from_account_backups

To define where recovered files should be saved, use the command line option ‘–recover_output_path’. In Windows, the utility will run in the background, while in macOS, it will run in the foreground. When finished, a folder called Google Drive Recovery will emerge in your chosen output location (by default, the desktop) holding your recovered files.

Restore data from a backup

If neither of the previous two methods work for you, there is one more to try, and it may assist if you previously disconnected your account or removed the Google Drive cache from your machine.

However, the procedure requires either a Windows backup or a macOS Time Machine backup. Check out the ‘Advanced troubleshooting options for data recovery’ section of the Google Drive support page for further information on this last option.

If you still can’t get your files back after all of that, you’ll need to notify Google by providing feedback using the Google Drive app. To include diagnostic logs, use the hashtag #DFD84 and check the box.

A real annoyance

This entire unfortunate situation has been quite inconvenient for some Google Drive customers; after all, the whole idea of using the service is to keep your information safely synced, not to have them erased.

I’m all too familiar with this problem, having lost files as a result of it. They’re in their folder on my PC one minute and gone the next. Sometimes I can locate them in my computer’s trash, and other times they’re in Google Drive’s trash, but occasionally files simply vanish without a trace.

With luck, Google’s proposed solutions will be able to put an end to this problem, or at the very least assist users in retrieving files they thought had been erased. However, while this Drive upgrade may assist in restoring your information after the fact, we do not know if it will prevent your papers from being erased in the first place. In the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring for a more permanent solution.

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