Hasta La Gadget!

Meta is giving its AI assistant a better “memory” in an effort to make the chatbot more useful. The company’s latest AI update allows the assistant to “remember certain details that you share with it in 1:1 chat” and uses your past activity on Facebook and Instagram to make more personalized recommendations.

With the change, which will initially be available to the US and Canada, Meta AI will be able to track your preferences based on information you share in chat with it. In a blog post, the company uses the example of food allergies and other dietary restrictions so meta AI will “remember” to recommend recipes that fit your requirements.

But the assistant will also be able to track other details about you, including information about your personal life and relationships. (Meta will allow you to track Meta AI’s memories about you and remove specific details.) And, notably, Meta AI can now use your past activity across Facebook and Instagram to inform its interactions with you.

Meta

For example, the company notes that Meta AI may suggest weekend activities based on the location you’ve identified on your Facebook profile and specific Reels you’ve watched. Meta’s systems know a lot about their users, so these types of recommendations could be pretty far reaching and as eerily-accurate as Meta’s in-app advertising.

When asked for more details about what types of Facebook and Instagram activity may be used for these types of suggestions, a Meta spokesperson pointed to the company’s Help Center. “Other information from your profile like your age and gender, and interests based on your activity across our products, such as the types of content, including ads, you view or interact with and how you interact with it,” it states, “may be used to help personalize your interactions with AI.”

The latest Meta AI updates comes amid increasing hype around China-based DeepSeek, an AI assistant that’s currently the top app in Apple’s App Store. The sudden popularity of the assistant, which was purportedly developed for less than $6 million, has rattled investors and some in the AI industry. Meta’s Chief AI Scientist, Yann Le Cun, however, said Monday that “the market reactions to DeepSeek are woefully unjustified.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-ai-will-now-use-your-facebook-and-instagram-activity-to-inform-its-recommendations-201218403.html?src=rss

Pebble is back, baby. On Monday, Google (which owns Pebble’s IP via its Fitbit purchase) open-sourced the OG modern smartwatch’s software. Although that paves the road for anyone to make new Pebble-esque wearables (or custom firmware for the old models), one high-profile figure has already raised his hand: Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky.

Google says the open-source PebbleOS includes most of the software’s source code. The only exceptions are proprietary code for chipset and Bluetooth software. Google’s Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry and Liam McLoughlin wrote that developers face “a non-trivial amount of work” in finding replacements for the stripped-out pieces of code. Migicovsky says he spurred the project by asking friends at Google if they would open-source the software.

The Pebble founder, who went on to run Beeper (the iMessage for Android app that sparked a short-lived war with Apple), wrote on his blog that he wants his planned smartwatch to be a modern take on the original Pebble — a spiritual successor that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. “No one makes a smartwatch with the core set of features I want,” he wrote. “I had really, really, really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has.”

Kickstarter

His wishlist for the as-yet-unnamed product includes an always-on e-paper screen, long battery life, a “simple and beautiful user experience,” physical buttons and hackability (like custom watch faces). Those were indeed the hallmarks of the innovative and charming Pebble, which broke Kickstarter records and preceded Apple, Samsung and Google’s models by several years.

“The new watch we’re building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well,” the Pebble founder wrote, adding that his team still needs to nail down the product’s exact specifications and timeline. “It runs open source PebbleOS, and it’s compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces.”

Developers can get Google’s open-sourced Pebble OS on GitHub. And if you’re interested in Migicovsky’s as-yet-unnamed spiritual successor to the 2013 smartwatch, you can sign up for updates on its webpage.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-open-sources-the-pebble-smartwatchs-software-and-its-creator-is-making-a-new-model-220526568.html?src=rss

Yes, Google Maps is renaming the “Gulf of Mexico” to the “Gulf of America,” but you won’t see it when you open the app just yet. In a series of tweets, the News from Google account has revealed that the Maps app will roll out an update with the name change after the US government updates the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS), which serves as the “federal and national standard for geographic nomenclature.” Google Maps will also change the name of the highest mountain peak in North America from Denali, the name given to it by Alaskan Natives, to Mount McKinley when GNIS reflects its new official designation. 

Google said it’s a longstanding practice for the company to apply name changes in Maps only after they’ve been updated in official government resources. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week to change the body of water’s name, and the Interior Department announced on Friday that it’s now officially known as the Gulf of America. 

However, only users in the US will see it labeled as such. It will still be called the Gulf of Mexico for users in Mexico, while users from outside either country will see both names in their Google Maps app. Google said that another official longstanding practice is to show official local names when they vary between countries, and as Reuters notes, it has applied the rule to many other areas with naming and territorial disputes like the Sea of Japan. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/google-maps-will-rename-gulf-of-mexico-to-gulf-of-america-but-only-for-us-users-043726929.html?src=rss

Pebble is back, baby. On Monday, Google (which owns Pebble’s IP via its Fitbit purchase) open-sourced the OG modern smartwatch’s software. Although that paves the road for anyone to make new Pebble-esque wearables (or custom firmware for the old models), one high-profile figure has already raised his hand: Pebble creator Eric Migicovsky.

Google says the open-source PebbleOS includes most of the software’s source code. The only exceptions are proprietary code for chipset and Bluetooth software. Google’s Matthieu Jeanson, Katharine Berry and Liam McLoughlin wrote that developers face “a non-trivial amount of work” in finding replacements for the stripped-out pieces of code. Migicovsky says he spurred the project by asking friends at Google if they would open-source the software.

The Pebble founder, who went on to run Beeper (the iMessage for Android app that sparked a short-lived war with Apple), wrote on his blog that he wants his planned smartwatch to be a modern take on the original Pebble — a spiritual successor that doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel. “No one makes a smartwatch with the core set of features I want,” he wrote. “I had really, really, really hoped that someone else would come along and build a Pebble replacement. But no one has.”

Kickstarter

His wishlist for the as-yet-unnamed product includes an always-on e-paper screen, long battery life, a “simple and beautiful user experience,” physical buttons and hackability (like custom watch faces). Those were indeed the hallmarks of the innovative and charming Pebble, which broke Kickstarter records and preceded Apple, Samsung and Google’s models by several years.

“The new watch we’re building basically has the same specs and features as Pebble, though with some fun new stuff as well,” the Pebble founder wrote, adding that his team still needs to nail down the product’s exact specifications and timeline. “It runs open source PebbleOS, and it’s compatible with all Pebble apps and watchfaces.”

Developers can get Google’s open-sourced Pebble OS on GitHub. And if you’re interested in Migicovsky’s as-yet-unnamed spiritual successor to the 2013 smartwatch, you can sign up for updates on its webpage.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/wearables/google-open-sources-the-pebble-smartwatchs-software-and-its-creator-is-making-a-new-model-220526568.html?src=rss

On the same day Apple launched iOS 18.3 to the public, its dedicated sports app got a few tweaks — including beefed-up soccer coverage. Apple Sports also now has a new way to navigate favorites and broadcast info for each game’s page.

Apple has invested heavily in soccer for Apple TV+, scooping up the exclusive global rights to Major League Soccer (MLS) until 2033. The streaming service also has several exclusive MLS documentaries, including one about Lionel Messi. His arrival in America’s premier soccer league quickly doubled the service’s subscriptions. In a far less expensive move, today’s Apple Sports update adds the ability to track match scores from England’s FA Cup, the EFL Championship and the League Cup.

The update adds a couple of UI tweaks, too. You can now swipe left or right to quickly scroll through your favorite teams and leagues. And it’s easier to find out how to watch games: Each page now shows which network each nationally broadcast game is on.

Apple Sports arrived in February 2024 as an easy, ad-free way to track scores and standings — including on the iPhone’s Lock Screen through Live Activities. The app launched with support for basketball, hockey and soccer, the three major sports active last February. It was later updated to include baseball and football ahead of MLB and the NFL’s opening days. In December, Apple added the ability to schedule Live Activities and a tab in the Play-By-Play section for video highlights.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/apple-sports-adds-the-fa-cup-and-other-uk-soccer-tournies-202654579.html?src=rss