Exploring Android 14 📱, Unveiling Secret Algorithms 💻, and Remembering a Tech Legend 📡

Tech News 📡 

Android 14 Unveiled with Source Code Now on AOSP

Google has released Android 14, introducing several new features and improvements since its first developer preview in February 2023. The update brings AI-generated wallpapers, Ultra HDR for images, built-in Health Connect support, enhanced privacy with a recommended six-digit PIN, improved accessibility features, lossless USB audio support, and the ability to use certain Android smartphones as webcams. Exclusive features for Pixel devices and performance improvements are also highlighted, with the source code now available on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

Amazon Accused of Making $1B with Secret Price-Spiking Algorithm

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Amazon, alleging illegal monopoly maintenance, with a particular focus on a secret algorithm, dubbed "Project Nessie," which was purportedly used to manipulate rivals’ pricing algorithms and lock competitors into higher prices. The Wall Street Journal revealed that Amazon allegedly utilized this algorithm to enhance its profits across various shopping categories, leading competitors to increase their prices. Although Amazon ceased using the algorithm in 2019, the FTC is pushing for more public access to redacted information in the complaint, while Amazon refutes the allegations.

Trending Startups📱

Gist AI: Summarize Everything with a Click

Gist AI offers a Chrome extension that enables users to succinctly summarize content from websites, YouTube videos, and PDFs, both online and locally stored, using ChatGPT. The tool extracts key points, allows for deeper exploration into summary sources, and enables users to jump directly to relevant moments in YouTube videos. Gist AI emphasizes ease of use and time-saving, providing instant summaries and facilitating quick skimming of content, while also offering a feature to summarize PDFs and enhance comprehension by breaking down lengthy content into smaller parts.

We Are Learning: Create Immersive Learning Like a Pro

We Are Learning provides a platform that allows users to create immersive learning content with ease, requiring no specialized skills in areas like game design, programming, or 3D modeling. The platform, which is trusted by various entities, enables users to create interactive stories in a few easy steps: setting up a scene, writing a script, animating, and sharing. It also offers features like engaging 3D animations, AI assistance for scriptwriting, and the ability to create content in multiple languages. The platform aims to be affordable and scalable to users' needs, offering various plans to cater to different user types.

AI 🤖 

OneDrive to Integrate Copilot Skills in Upcoming Overhaul

Microsoft plans to revamp OneDrive, integrating Copilot into the cloud storage service and encouraging users towards its web interface, OneDrive Home. The overhaul will introduce features like "Open-in-app" to launch desktop apps from files in the browser interface, offline functionality in the browser, and the ability to work on files flagged for offline access without internet connectivity. Copilot skills, aimed at aiding users in file organization and management, are set to be introduced, with functionalities like moving files and creating folders based on user instructions. Additional security tools and administration reports are also slated to be part of the new offerings.

Decoding Google's RankBrain and Its Impact on Search

Google's RankBrain, an artificial intelligence system, plays a pivotal role in determining search results on Google. It utilizes machine learning to comprehend search queries and refine its understanding over time, enhancing the relevance of search results. RankBrain interprets the user's intent behind a search query, even if it's spelled or phrased differently, and uses this understanding to filter and present the most pertinent results, thereby continuously improving Google's search algorithm by learning from new data and user behaviors.

Coding & Development 🖥️  

Safety vs Performance: Analyzing Sort Implementations in C, C++, and Rust

Lukas Bergdoll explores the intricacies and challenges of implementing sorting algorithms in C, C++, and Rust, focusing on avoiding undefined behavior (UB) and its impact on performance. The analysis delves into the difficulties of crafting generic high-performance sort implementations, particularly when dealing with user-defined comparison functions and complex generic implementations. It also scrutinizes the consequences of not adhering to a strict weak ordering in user-defined types or comparison functions and the concept of safe and unsafe interfaces in Rust and C++.

GPT Pilot: A Developer's Co-Pilot for Building Scalable Apps

GPT Pilot, a development tool, assists developers in constructing scalable applications from scratch while they supervise the implementation. The tool, which utilizes GPT-4, enables developers to specify the kind of app they want to build, after which GPT Pilot asks clarifying questions, creates product and technical requirements, sets up the environment, and begins coding the app step by step, akin to a real-life development process. GPT Pilot acts as a coder, while the developer acts as a lead dev, reviewing code and assisting when necessary, aiming to generate fully working, production-ready apps with the developer's oversight.

Miscellaneous 🌀️  

Remembering Steve Jobs, 12 Years On

Yesterday marked the 12th anniversary of the passing of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and former CEO, who left an indelible mark on the tech industry. Jobs, who passed away at the age of 56 following a cancer diagnosis, is remembered for his visionary leadership that transformed multiple industries, from computing to music and mobile phones. His legacy continues to be celebrated and remembered by many around the world, reflecting on the impact of his innovations and leadership in technology and design.

Appwrite: An End-to-End Backend Server for Web, Mobile, Native, or Backend Apps

Appwrite offers a comprehensive backend server solution for various application types, including Web, Mobile, Native, and Backend apps, by packaging a set of Docker microservices. It abstracts the complexity and repetitiveness required to build a modern backend API from scratch, allowing developers to build secure apps faster. Appwrite provides a myriad of services, including user authentication, databases, storage, Cloud Functions, and more, enabling developers to integrate their apps with various functionalities easily. The platform also supports multiple APIs, such as REST, WebSocket, and GraphQL, and is designed for easy scaling with a microservices architecture.

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