Strava has announced a partnership with Spotify to integrate listening controls directly onto its app. Before, anyone recording on the fitness tracker had to switch to the Spotify app — arguably not too big a hassle, but time consuming nonetheless. 

Once a Strava user confirms they want to stream Spotify on the app, a little widget for it will appear in the bottom left of the recording screen. Clicking it brings a popup over the map to provide options to pause or switch whatever's being listened to. 

Spotify

Strava claims to have 100 million users worldwide, but, with Spotify's 500 million listeners (and many fitness tracker competitors on the market) the integration is a clear sign Strava wants to keep and grow its audience. Mateo Ortega, Strava's Vice President of Connected Partnerships emphasizes as much: "This new feature further solidifies Strava's position at the center of connected fitness and continues to demonstrate the power of the global community of active people on Strava."

Strava is also taking control of creating Spotify's "Workout" playlist from April 20th. What "Strava-curated sounds" look like is something we'll have to wait and see. 

In the meantime, while both apps offer paid options, you can get away with trying out Spotify on Strava using the free versions of each.

Sony's semiconductor division has announced that it's making a "strategic investment" in Raspberry Pi as a way to bring its AI tech to a wider market. The idea is to give Raspberry Pi users around the world a development platform for its Aitrios edge computing (on-chip) AI platform used for image sensing functions like facial recognition. 

"We are very pleased to be partnering with Raspberry Pi Ltd. to bring our Aitrios platform — which supports the development of unique and diverse solutions utilizing our edge AI devices — to the Raspberry Pi user and developer community, and provide a unique development experience," said Sony Semiconductor Solutions president and CEO Terushi Shimizu.

The Raspberry Pi 4 and other devices from the company give users PC-like power in a small form factor. Originally designed as an educational platform to teach robotics, coding and more, it has become popular as a way for coders to prototype IoT (Internet of Things) and other devices.  

The addition of Sony's Aitrios could make it even more useful. Unlike cloud AI, it runs directly on chips (edge computing) to reduce latency, and Sony has pitched the system for uses like surveillance, security and more. Examples cited on a dedicated website include inventory monitoring and retention, customer counting, license plate recognition and "detailed employee analysis." Sony says it preserves privacy by analyzing data strictly on-chip and only sending metadata to the cloud. 

Sony is already involved with Raspberry Pi as a "longstanding and valued strategic partner," the company said. It recently provided imaging chips with autofocus capability and helped Raspberry Pi get its UK manufacturing plant up to speed in the early days of the company.

Back in 2021, the New York Police Department (NYPD) cancelled a planned deployment of the Spot robot dog [aka "Digidog"] following a public backlash. Now, New York City's current law and order mayor Eric Adams has brought the robot dog back for use in "hazardous situations," The New York Times has reported. "Digidog is out of the pound," Adams said at a press conference yesterday in Times Square.

The NYPD will acquire two of the robots for $750,000 and only use them in hostage and other critical situations. "I believe that technology is here; we cannot be afraid of it,” Adams said. “A few loud people were opposed to it, and we took a step back [but] that is not how I operate. I operate on looking at what’s best for the city."

Spot/Digidog is built by Hyundai's Boston Dynamics, and is designed to be used in dangerous situations like security and inspections. It was also tested for use in combat by the French army, primarily for reconnaissance.

During its previous tour of duty with the NYPD, police used Spot to gather information about a gunmen barricaded inside a building. On another occasion it was deployed during a home invasion, also to give officers eyes inside the house. After critics brought up potential concerns over surveillance and privacy, however, then-mayor Bill de Blasio elected to cancel a $94,000 lease on Spot. "It’s creepy, alienating and sends the wrong message to New Yorkers," a city spokesperson said at the time. 

Along with Digidog, the NYPD announced testing of two other types of security and surveillance tech. The Guardian HX from StarChase shoots GPS tracking tags onto vehicles from a handheld or car-mounted launcher, allowing officers to find them without the needed for a chase. The other is the Knightscope's K5 ASR, a "fully autonomous outdoor security robot" that the NYPD wants to use for collecting intelligence.

"This is the beginning of a series of rollouts we are going to do to show how public safety has transformed itself," Adams said at the press conference. However, the move was condemned by Albert Fox Cahn from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. "The NYPD is turning bad science fiction into terrible policing," he told the NYT in a statement. "New York deserves real safety, not a knockoff from 'Robocop.'"

More than a month after hiring a couple of former DeepMind researchers, Twitter is reportedly moving forward with an in-house artificial intelligence project. According to Business Insider, Elon Musk recently bought 100,000 GPUs for use at one of the company’s two remaining data centers. A source told the outlet the purchase shows Musk is “committed” to the effort, particularly given the fact there would be little reason for Twitter to spend so much money on datacenter-grade GPUs if it didn’t plan to use them for AI work.

The project reportedly involves the creation of a generative AI that the company would train on its own massive trove of data. It’s unclear how Twitter would utilize the technology. Insider suggests a generative AI could augment the platform’s search functionality or assist the company in rebuilding its advertising business. In any case, the report colors Musk’s recent decision to sign an open letter calling for a six-month pause on AI development.

Musk has been a vocal critic of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research organization he co-founded in 2015. “I’m still confused as to how a non-profit to which I donated ~$100M somehow became a $30B market cap for-profit. If this is legal, why doesn’t everyone do it?” Musk said in one of his recent Twitter missives against the lab’s for-profit subsidiary, OpenAI Limited Partnership.

However, a recent report from Semafor suggests his feud with OpenAI is more personal. In 2018, Musk reportedly told Sam Altman, one his fellow co-founders at OpenAI, the lab was falling too far behind Google. Musk then suggested that he should be the one to run the firm, a proposal Altman and OpenAI’s other founders rejected.

The power struggle led to Musk’s departure from OpenAI, though publicly both parties maintain Musk left due to a conflict of interest involving Tesla. At the time, OpenAI said the billionaire would continue to fund its research. However, according to Semafor, Musk’s payments stopped after his departure – despite a promise to provide the firm with roughly $1 billion. The sudden shortfall left OpenAI scrambling to raise cash. In 2019, the organization announced it was creating a for-profit subsidiary to secure the capital it needed to fund its work. That same year, the firm announced a $1 billion investment from Microsoft. When OpenAI opened ChatGPT to the public in November and the chatbot began to dominate headlines, Musk was reportedly “furious.” One month later, he cut OpenAI’s access to Twitter’s “firehose” of data. And now it would appear he wants to compete against his old organization head-on.

The Playdate's Catalog games store has received its first update since its launch last month, and it's a small but eclectic five-title mix that even includes a productivity app. The official headliner, Core Fault, is a survival game that has you piloting a mining droid as it collects resources and dodges unhappy aliens. However, the real star might be Crankulator. Yes, it's exactly what it sounds like — it's a calculator that uses the handheld's crank to enter values. It can even use a synthetic voice to relay calculations like a modern-day Speak & Math.

Other additions include the physics-driven flight game Gravity Express, the mahjong adaptation Sparrow Solitaire and the spooky puzzle solver Life's Too Short. The prices range from just $1 for Life's Too Short through to $10 for Gravity Express and Sparrow Solitaire. As with the initial game batch, these are effectively impulse buys.

The Catalog selection is still tiny at 21 titles. For comparison, the first "season" included with the Playdate provides 24 games. However, this first expansion might give an idea of what to expect — namely, a modest but steady stream of quirky experiences built around the console's black-and-white display and unusual controls. They likely won't replace epics like the latest Legend of Zelda game, but they're not meant that way. These are quick fixes you can play while you're waiting for the bus or taking a work break.

Artifact, the news aggregation app from the creators of Instagram, now has some social features following its latest update. Users can now create profiles and comment on any article in the app.

Taking a cue from Reddit, Artifact will let you upvote and downvote other users' comments, which will factor into commenters' reputation scores and help to moderate discussions. The app is also using artificial intelligence for moderation.

Artifact says the reputation score "represents the earned trust from the community and will help you weigh people’s opinions and help us filter out bad behavior." The goal, according to a blog post, is to foster a positive community in which everyone feels encouraged to take part. The app will let you know when your comments get upvotes or downvotes. You'll also be notified when your contacts comment on things they read.

Artifact

You'll need a profile, which is optional, to comment on articles. Profiles can include your photo and bio (adding both will apparently boost your reputation). You'll need to provide a verified phone number to create one. A phone number is also needed if you want to move to a different device and retain your Artifact history and preferences.

Instagram founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger unveiled Artifact back in January. It uses AI to curate news and present you with things it reckons you'll want to read. "We have a strong and growing community and sometimes the most important voices are never interviewed or quoted," Systrom wrote in an Artifact comment. "These discussions give everyone a chance to participate and have a voice."

In a bit of a coincidence, Artifact is gaining true social components on the same day that Substack is rolling out its Twitter-esque Notes feature. In a sense, the two relative upstarts are trying to take on established social media platforms at their own game.

American officials are taking further steps to set rules for AI systems like ChatGPT. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is asking for public comments on possible regulations that hold AI creators accountable. The measures will ideally help the Biden administration ensure that these models work as promised "without causing harm," the NTIA says.

While the request is open-ended, the NTIA suggests input on areas like incentives for trustworthy AI, safety testing methods and the amount of data access needed to assess systems. The agency is also wondering if different strategies might be necessary for certain fields, such as healthcare.

Comments are open on the AI accountability measure until June 10th. The NTIA sees rulemaking as potentially vital. There's already a "growing number of incidents" where AI has done damage, the overseer says. Rules could not only prevent repeats of those incidents, but minimize the risks from threats that might only be theoretical.

ChatGPT and similar generative AI models have already been tied to sensitive data leaks and copyright violations, and have prompted fears of automated disinformation and malware campaigns. There are also basic concerns about accuracy and bias. While developers are tackling these issues with more advanced systems, researchers and tech leaders have been worried enough to call for a six-month pause on AI development to improve safety and address ethical questions.

The Biden administration hasn't taken a definitive stance on the risks associated with AI. President Biden discussed the topic with advisors last week, but said it was too soon to know if the technology was dangerous. With the NTIA move, the government is closer to a firm position — whether or not it believes AI is a major problem.

A federal judge denied Holmes’s motion for release on Monday as she appealed her conviction on four counts of fraud and conspiracy, as reported by The Guardian. As a result, the Theranos founder is scheduled to report to prison on April 27th.

Holmes has appealed her conviction to the federal ninth circuit court of appeals based on questions about the “accuracy and reliability” of evidentiary and procedural issues in the trial. However, US district court judge Edward Davila ruled Monday that the appeals didn’t meet the burden of a “substantial” questioning of facts or law. According to the judge, the request didn’t address the conviction’s underlying wire-fraud issues against investors. Therefore, it wouldn’t warrant a reversal or new trial (the legal standard for remaining free pending appeal) even if the appeals court agreed with her assertions.

However, the judge ruled against prosecutors hoping to brand Holmes as a flight risk after learning that her partner bought her a one-way ticket for a flight to Mexico. Although the judge described the ticket purchase (and failure to cancel it post-conviction) as a “bold move” and “perilously careless oversight,” he gave her the benefit of the doubt, ruling she was “not likely to flee or pose a danger” to the public.

Last November, the Theranos founder was sentenced to over 11 years in prison for defrauding investors after a jury found her guilty last January. Founded in 2003, Theranos claimed to produce a long list of revealing health results using only a single drop of a patient’s blood. The company raised hundreds of millions of dollars from high-profile investors before internal whistleblowers sourced a 2015 Wall Street Journal story revealing that the startup’s underlying technology was bogus. The story has since become a cautionary tale, with podcasts, books and a recent Hulu miniseries cashing in on the one-time Silicon Valley golden child’s downfall.

Universal Audio only got into the hardware guitar effects game about two years ago with the Golden Reverberator, Starlight Echo Station and Astra Modulation Machine. It quickly capitalized on its initial success by introducing three amp simulators in pedalboard-friendly formats. And now the company is adding three more units to the lineup: the Del-Verb Ambience Companion, Galaxy ‘74 Tape Echo & Reverb and Max Dual Preamp & Compressor.

These $349 pedals aim to capture the sound of several classic effects with powerful digital emulation. The form factor is the same as the rest of the UAFX pedals — so you get two foot switches, six knobs and stereo ins and outs, enclosed in a beefy aluminum enclosure. The only immediate difference between the new members of the family and the original six is the price. Universal Audio is one of the few companies actually lowering prices. The company says some minor changes were made to the knobs and packaging, and that the feature set is actually slightly simpler than past pedals, which allowed it to shave $50 off the price.

The Del-Verb Ambience Companion combines delay and reverb into a single pedal. One half of the pedal lets you pick between a spring reverb modeled on a "60s American guitar amp" (presumably a Fender Deluxe), a vintage German plate reverb or a late 70s digital reverb. The other side houses a tape echo emulation, an analog bucket brigade delay (BBM) and clean digital delay.

Galaxy on the other hand, goes all in on specifically modeling the Roland Space Echo. That includes its much loved preamp and spring reverb effect. There's even a tape age parameter for dialing in just the right amount of lo-fi grit. UA claims it's "the most authentic emulation of the classic mid-'70s Roland Space Echo hardware", but I'm sure Roland would beg to disagree. 

Lastly the Max combines emulations of several iconic compressors with a recreation of Universal Audio's own 610 preamp. You can choose between the UA 1176, Teletronix LA-2A and DynaComp compressors, which cover everything from gentle tube squeeze to lo-fi crush. Multiple compression algorithms can even be stacked with the UA preamp to get some truly wild tones and textures. 

It has no effect on the sound quality, but these are also probably the best looking of the UAFX pedals yet. The combo of baby blue and rich brown on the Del-Verb is delightful, and the single bright-red knob plus deep blue inset on the Max has a lovely vintage charm. The Del-Verb Ambience Companion, Galaxy ‘74 Tape Echo & Reverb and Max Dual Preamp & Compressor are available now through all of the usual retailers for $349. 

Bastl Instruments is no stranger to quirky takes on musical instruments and now they're adding a portable stereo mixer to the lineup. The company just announced Bestie, a tiny mixer with plenty of vintage vibes and control options. This 5-channel stereo mixer boasts individual channel mutes and gain boosts up to +20 dB, so it should integrate nicely with a diverse array of instruments, from guitars to synthesizers and beyond.

This is a Bastl product, though, so innovation comes in the form of a built-in stereo distortion and saturation tool. Low-noise preamps accompany each channel, shining a spotlight on any saturation effects you apply. The effects go from subtle to absolute destruction with the twist of a dial. The company says that it will create a “distinct tremolo-like effect” when pushed to the maximum.

Design-wise, the Bestie takes many cues from its cousin, the Dude monophonic mixer. The form factor is portable and it is powered by a USB-C connection or four AA batteries. There are five stereo channels, translating to five audio sources, but there is a slight caveat. Just like many ultra-portable mixers like Teenage Engineering’s TX-6, the Bestie features tiny 3.5mm input jacks.

These jacks offer instant integration with gadget-like instruments, such as Korg Volcas and the like, but you will need an adapter (or five) to connect to professional-grade synthesizers, guitars and just about anything else. Unlike Teenage Engineering’s mixer, however, it looks like there is enough room in the back of the Bestie to accommodate 3.5mm to ¼-inch stereo jack adapters.

Bastl Instruments

There is one other point of mention to separate Bastl’s new mixer from the pack. At $200, this thing is extremely budget-friendly. Compare that to the TX-6’s mammoth price tag of $1,200 and you can see the appeal. There are other mass-market portable mixers at this price range, but none with this kind of unique audio pedigree. The Bastl Bestie stereo mixer is available to demo at this week’s NAMM 2023 conference and is currently available for preorder, with products shipping out in the coming weeks.