Amazon Astro home robot: How to preorder Alexa bot
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Amazon Astro home robot: How to preorder Amazon’s $1,000 Alexa bot and all its new gear

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Amazon’s home security robot Astro

If Amazon’s invite-only product launch this week hinted at anything, it’s that the tech giant isn’t afraid to create an air of exclusivity. While the new Echo Show 15 and Halo View fitness band with a screen, some of Amazon’s bigger surprises and out-there devices — like the $1,000 Alexa-powered Astro robot and flying Ring drone Always Home camera — may be harder to get, through sign-up emails rather than the typical on-demand click-to-buy offer we’ve come to expect.

There’s a lot to unpack from Amazon’s device-filled reveal. While Hey Disney for Echo devices (here’s more on Echo wake words) and Alexa Together, a new subscription service for caregivers, play into the existing Echo speakers and Alexa assistant in general, Amazon Astro, which is an Alexa voice assistant, security camera and robot all in one, has already raised privacy concerns. And the Ring line has been subject to criticism about privacy issues for years.

Still, if Astro, the flying drone and all the rest have captured your attention as they have ours, we’ll tell you what you need to know to preorder and buy Amazon’s top devices announced earlier this week. This story has been updated.

Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET

Astro is a new robot that brings AI to your home. You can sign up to request an invite today and Astro will ship later this year. It’s an adorable robot that follows voice commands and keeps an eye on your home with its periscope camera. Astro can show a live view via the mobile app, so you can check on your home when you’re away. Astro works with Alexa Together and Ring Protect Pro, and comes with a six-month free trial of the latter. Anticipating criticism, Amazon offers some privacy features with Astro:

  • No-go zones
  • Do not disturb features
  • Alexa’s standard privacy features

Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET

Amazon partnered with the Honeywell Home thermostat team to create an Energy Star-certified smart thermostat that competes with Nest. Most customers may be able to get the thermostat for free after utility rebates. It’s an Alexa-enabled thermostat that supports routines and automatically adjusts temperatures. It’s available for preorder now and will ship starting Nov. 4. A few of the top features you can look forward to include:

  • Control your thermostat using the Alexa app or voice commands
  • An energy dashboard to breakdown your usage on your Echo device or the Alexa app
  • Thermostat Hunches, which automatically adjusts the temperature

Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET

Amazon’s new Echo Show is bigger than previous models. Now, it comes with a 15.6-inch display and only comes in one color: black. However, you can mount it on the wall or place it on a stand. The newest model now has facial recognition for personalized alerts and more when the hub recognizes your face, tightening the competition with Apple. It also comes with personalized to-do lists, like Google’s Hub Max. But the Echo Show 15 comes with a few highly anticipated features.

  • Custom sounds that allow Alexa to listen to specific noises in your home (available in 2022)
  • Visual ID to give you more customized calendars and reminders
  • Customizable Alexa widgets

You can sign up to receive an email when the Echo Show 15 is available for preorder.

Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET

The Amazon Glow is a brand-new kid-friendly smart device (yes, it’s different to the Echo Glow night light). Kids can use the video screen to chat with long-distance family and friends. It includes a silicone mat to read, play and draw with loved ones. You’ll also get a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus for access to digital books, games and more. The Amazon Glow comes with a two-year worry-free guarantee if you happen to break it. You can request an invite to the Glow program today.

  • Games and activities from Mattel, Disney, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street
  • Pre-approved contacts using the Amazon Glow app
  • Camera with privacy shutter

Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET

The Halo View is a new addition to Amazon’s Halo family. The latest Amazon fitness tracker has a few new features, including an AMOLED color display screen. Halo View users can also look forward to Halo Fitness and Nutrition services that will help with exercise and healthy eating. It benefits the Halo user in several ways, including the movement, emotional tone and the camera’s body analyses. And it still works with the original Halo band. But these new additions might be worth upgrading from Amazon’s Halo.

  • 7-day battery life
  • Water resistant down to 50 meters
  • Skin and temperature tracking

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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