In this episode of Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti talk the latest developments in self-driving tech, Sonos' work on a new streaming box, an AI-assisted Beatles song winning a Grammy, and the current state of Meta's Quest platform according to developers.

- Uber is expanding its partnership with Waymo, allowing people in Austin to summon a Waymo robo-taxi through the Uber app. Abrar shares her experiences with self-driving cars and discusses the evolving relationship between Uber and Waymo.

- Sonos is reportedly working on a new streaming box codenamed "Pinewood," which includes an HDMI switch to address inconsistencies in smart TV firmware and software. The device is expected to cost between $200 and $400, and it aims to provide a full-featured streaming sound setup.

- An AI-assisted Beatles track, "Now and Then," won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance, sparking conversations about the role of AI in music and art. The US Copyright Office has stated that AI tools used to assist in the creative process don't undermine the copyright of the work.

- Developers are struggling with declining sales and visibility on the Meta Quest app store, despite record revenue for Meta Reality Labs. Meta's focus on its own Horizon Worlds app seems to be at the expense of traditional VR games. Some developers find it more profitable to sell on other platforms like Steam and PlayStation VR.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti

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This episode sees Mikah Sargent walking through the newly announced Apple Invites app. This event invitation tool allows one to invite friends and family to an occasion (like a BBQ) even if the recipients don't have an iPhone. Importantly, a user needs to have an iCloud+ subscription in order to create an event.

Host: Mikah Sargent

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In this episode of iOS Today, hosts Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard dive into a comprehensive comparison of popular note-taking apps for iOS, examining their unique features and use cases. They also discuss Apple's surprise launch of a new event planning app called Apple Invites.

• Apple Notes: New iOS 18 features including Math Notes, collaborative note-taking capabilities, and family wish list sharing functionality
• Freeform: Apple's infinite canvas app that enables collaborative brainstorming, room planning, and freeform content organization with drawing support
• Bear: A beautiful Markdown-based notes app with custom keyboards and nested tags, available with a free tier and subscription options
• Obsidian: A powerful, customizable note-taking app with community plugins and the ability to create personal wikis
• Drafts: An advanced text editor that creates new drafts automatically, featuring powerful actions, custom themes, and extensive widget support
• Notion: A versatile workspace tool with templates for various use cases, featuring databases, calendars, and collaborative features

News

• Apple launches new "Invites" app requiring iCloud+ subscription to create invitations. It features shared photo albums, weather information, Apple Music playlist integration, and Apple Intelligence for custom backgrounds

Feedback

• Question about limiting group chat notifications in driving focus mode
• Request for help with continuous reading of non-Kindle ebooks using iOS accessibility features
• Discussion of potential workarounds including sending content to Kindle and exploring alternative solutions

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

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On Hands-On Tech, Mikah helps Mark rein in Siri after a recent update caused Mark's Siri to start having activation issues and responding inconsistently to voice commands.

Send in your questions for Mikah to answer at hot@twit.tv

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Bookshop.org is now offering a Kindle alternative. How hackers are hijacking WordPress sets to put out malware. And how people are freaking out about DeepSeek since it made a huge splash this past week.

• Dan Moren is joining Mikah Sargent this week! Dan talks about how Bookshop.org is now selling e-books, but Dan has concerns about how this could present technological challenges with DRM and app store fees.
• Mikah shares how hackers are hijacking WordPress sites and using them to push out malware for both Windows and Mac machines.
• Mikah also talks about how DeepSeek has made a huge splash in the technology world since this past Sunday and what has happened with the technology community and AI as a whole.
• And Eric Migicovsky, founder of the smartwatch company Pebble, joins Mikah to talk about exciting news with Pebble.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Eric Migicovsky

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In this episode, Mikah Sargent walks through step-by-step instructions for turning off the new Apple Intelligence features that are enabled by default on iPhones, iPads, and Macs running the latest software. Disabling Apple Intelligence will turn off capabilities like enhanced writing tools, accessing ChatGPT via Siri, and more.

- Apple Intelligence is a set of AI features now enabled by default on iPhones, iPads and Macs running the latest software.
- Some users may want to disable Apple Intelligence and stick with standard device functionality
- On a Mac:
- Go to System Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
- Toggle off "Apple Intelligence"
- This will disable Apple Intelligence features and revert Siri to basic functionality
- On an iPhone or iPad:
- Go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri
- Toggle off "Apple Intelligence"
- This disables enhanced features and changes "Talk and Type to Siri" option to just "Talk to Siri"
- Toggles off on-device AI models which frees up storage space
- Models can be re-downloaded by re-enabling Apple Intelligence in settings
- Typing to Siri can be enabled separately via accessibility settings when Apple Intelligence is off

Host: Mikah Sargent

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Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard check out the often-overlooked Tips app on Apple devices, showing how it can be a powerful tool for discovering features and learning device functionality. They explore how the app has evolved from basic instructions to become an essential resource for both new and experienced users, complete with interactive demos and deep links to settings.

• Get Started section contains essential setup checklists for new devices, covering Face ID, Apple account, iCloud backup, and emergency contacts
• Navigate Your iPhone feature provides interactive tutorials with animations for basic gestures and controls
• Practice mode lets users try gestures with real-time feedback and haptic responses
• What's New in iOS section highlights latest features and updates
• Genius Picks section showcases expert-curated tips, including lesser-known features like Vehicle Motion Cues for reducing motion sickness
• Complete user guides for iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod, Apple TV, and AirPods
• Tips widget can be added to home screen and customized for different Focus modes
• Search function helps quickly find specific features or solutions
• Tips can be bookmarked and shared with others

Feedback

• Question about disabling CarPlay navigation prompts to home/work

Shortcuts Corner

• An explanation of how to customize the Apple Health data export based on specific health data types (steps, sleep, blood oxygen, etc.)

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Rosemary Orchard

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What's going on with Siri? iOS 18.3 update is out now, along with a fix to a zero-day flaw. You can buy iPhones on eBay with TikTok installed on them as TikTok is still not available for download on the App Store. And on January 27th, 2010, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad at an Apple event.

• Siri is super dumb and getting dumber.
• iOS 18.3 is now available for everyone.
• Apple makes a change to its AI team and plans Siri upgrades.
• Apple fixes zero-day flaw affecting all devices.
• iPhone's with TikTok installed.
• Update now: iOS 18.3 and macOS Sequoia 15.3 include 20+ security updates.
• Apple Music pays artists more than 2x Spotify's average rates, per report.
• Trump's chip tariff threat takes aim at Apple's TSMC partnership.
• iPhone SE 4 appears in new photos and video, notch and all.
• Apple releases tvOS 18.3, HomePod 18.3, and visionOS 2.3 for all users.
• Apple earnings are coming.
• Office printer mishap sparks landmark gender pay discrimination lawsuit at Apple.
• Apple buys Boylston Street building for $88 million.
• Apple's next immersive Vision Pro film involves bull riding and arrives soon.
• Apple introduces the 2025 Black Unity Collection.
• Apple Watch bands are safe to wear, says Apple, after lawsuit filed.
• Oscar nominations completely snub Apple TV+.
• Severance - Tim C.
• Apple announced the iPad 15 years ago today.

Picks of the Week:

• Mikah's Pick: LARQ Bottle PureVis 2
• Alex's Pick: Power Prompter
• Andy's Picks: Retrobatch 2

Hosts: Leo Laporte, Alex Lindsay, Andy Ihnatko, and Mikah Sargent

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