Hasta La Gadget!

As I’ve said (repeatedly) for the last few months, Sony has run circles around rivals with its A7 series full-frame mirrorless cameras, most recently the A7 III and A7R III. When Nikon and Canon finally released their own models (the EOS R and Z7/Z6)…

In the inky depths of the Gulf of Mexico, pearly white corals crisscross the seafloor, their translucent tentacles swaying to the current like flower petals on a midnight breeze. Lophelia pertusa brings life to what is often considered a cold, dead wasteland—and now, scientists are now bringing it back to the surface…

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Apple has made no secret that they are a very privacy-centric business, where they would never use a customer’s information for profit. If you’re looking for additional proof that Apple means what they say, a report from The Information (via 9to5Mac) has revealed that the company might have acquired a company by the name of Silk Labs.

For those who are unfamiliar with Silk Labs, they are a startup founded in 2015 by former Mozilla employees, Andreas Gal, Chris Jones and Michael Vines. The startup is a privacy-focused startup that develops AI, where the goal is developing AI that can run locally on a device as opposed to the cloud.

What this means for consumers is that instead of your questions to Siri being parsed at a remote server in a different state or country, it will be done on your phone which means that it reduces the chances of someone else, including Apple themselves, from potentially listening in or having your data compromised.

In fact it was just not too long ago that Apple filed a patent for a version of Siri that could work offline which would be similar to what this acquisition could help Apple achieve. Apple has not commented on their acquisition, but that’s pretty normal and we doubt that we would get more than their boilerplate statement.

Apple Acquires Privacy-Focused Artificial Intelligence Startup , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Ah, wonderful to see you again, sir. The usual? Kool-Aid Grain Alcohol Martini with a twisty straw. Of course. And I see you’re wearing a new watch. The MQT Essential Mirror. Quite striking.

I see the watch has a quartz ETA movement – an acceptable movement by any standard – and a very elegant face and hands combination. What’s that? It has a quickset date? Of course, no watch over $200 would skimp on that simple complication. $251 you say? On a silver mesh band, also known as a Milanese? A relative bargain, given its pedigree.

Of course, sir. I’ve spoken with the chef and she’s preparing your Ritz crackers with Easy Cheese as we speak. Do tell me more about this watch. It seems to be one of your only redeeming features.

What was that? No, I said nothing under my breath. Do go on.

Made in Berne, Switzerland, you say, by a pair of watchmakers, Hanna and Tom Heer, who left their high-paying jobs to make watches? And their goal is not to create a beautiful quartz piece that is eminently wearable yet quite delicate? Laudable, sir, laudable. I especially like the thin 41mm case. It’s so light and airy! Not unlike your Supreme baseball cap.

No, of course sir, we still give away all the mints you can eat after the meal. If you’d like I can tie that lobster bib around your neck. There we are. Nice and snug.

And they make a marble version? Wonderful! That hearkens back to the Tissot Rock Watches of yore. A delight, truly.

You’ve got a bit of cheese in your beard. Let me get… oh. I’m sorry to say that my hand got into the way of your pendulous tongue. I’m very sorry, sir.

Well, it’s been wonderful chatting with you. I’ll leave you to your Rick and Morty comics. What’s that? Caviar in an ice cream cone? With sprinkles? Of course. I’ll see what I can do. I do commend you, sir, all things being equal, on your taste in watches.

What do you look for first when picking out a new smartphone? Android or iOS? The processor chip inside? The size and resolution of the screen? How many cameras? You probably have your spec of choice, but don’t sleep on these less-considered differentiators.

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