Jobs: Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone
Based on Jobs' demo of the iPhone, Apple has once again set the bar for others to follow, and they are far behind. Jobs said Apple is five years ahead of competitors with its software, and he is not that far off. Microsoft certainly has a lot to learn from Apple once again in creating usable operating systems and user interfaces. If the iPhone works as good as Jobs' demo, it will be a hit product.
With a 3.5-inch, 160-pixel per inch patented touch screen, the iPhone solves the user interface problem according to Jobs, making the rigid keys of mobile phones antiquated. Instead of being forced into using the hard keyboard for every application, the touch screen enables the interface to fit the application. Jobs dissed styluses as not being that useful and too easy to lose, but the first add-on will be a stylus, especially for using the soft keypad.
The touching and scrolling user interface for accessing music and other applications is super slick, with all the nice effects from Mac OS X graphics. "The software at least five years ahead of others," Jobs said. iTunes is used synch all media and data, such as contacts and calendar, to iPhone.
The killer app for the phone is making calls, Jobs said. The phone includes, contacts, calendar, visual voice mail, SMS messaging and quad band GSM + Edge, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The software enables multiple SMS messaging sessions at once.
The camera application also takes advantage of OS X capabilities. Using your fingers, you can resize photos on the iPhone and easily switch between portrait and landscape modes.
As an Internet communicator, the iPhone supports rich text email (IMAP or POP3), a fully usable HTML Web browser (Safari), Google Maps, widgets and Wi-Fi and EDGE networking. The landscape mode makes reading Web pages much easier and you can "pinch" the screen to resize the page. The iPhone also supports mutliple browser windows, like tabbed browsing, at once.
Update: Jobs said the phone delivers five hours of battery life and 16 hours of audio playback. The 4GB version is priced at $499 with a two-year contract; the 8GB version, $599. Apple has filed over 200 patents related to the device, which will be available in June. Cingular is the exclusive distributor in the U.S.
Bonus pic: The iPhone that was not to be
OpenAI makes 'Memory' available to all ChatGPT Plus subscribers - how to use it
Successfully using AI chatbots such as ChatGPT depends on including as much background information with every prompt as you can to ensure you get the intended results you want. This process can be time consuming and repetitive -- that's where ChatGPT's Memory feature comes in.
Also: Yikes! Microsoft Copilot failed every single one of my coding tests
On Monday, OpenAI announced that its Memory feature is now available to all ChatGPT Plus subscribers, making it possible for the chatbot to remember any user-supplied insights or information that could prove useful when formulating subsequent answers.
Memory is now available to all ChatGPT Plus users. Using Memory is easy: just start a new chat and tell ChatGPT anything you’d like it to remember.
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) April 29, 2024
Memory can be turned on or off in settings and is not currently available in Europe or Korea. Team, Enterprise, and GPTs to come. pic.twitter.com/mlt9vyYeMK
For example, in the demo video above, ChatGPT saves to Memory that the user "lives with a golden retriever named Ellie and a Maine Coon cat named Teddy," as well as other personal facts, including that the user is traveling to Canada in July for vacation, has a two-year-old daughter named Lina, and more.
ChatGPT can use this information as context when generating a future related answer. For instance, this same user could ask the chatbot to explain a rainbow to their daughter and wouldn't have to restate that the daughter is two years old or loves jellyfish because ChatGPT would already have that information saved.
As seen in the video, the user asks ChatGPT to "create a photo of my pets riding a surfboard, please," and because the AI already knows what pets the user has, it's able to generate the image with no further direction.
OpenAI first tested the feature earlier this year, but the company says it has since made improvements. For example, the AI chatbot now lets you know when it used your inputs to update memories, as seen in the demo above.
Also: GitHub releases an AI-powered tool aiming for a 'radically new way of building software'
OpenAI also makes it easier to manage memories by simply hovering over the message that says "Memory updated." Clicking on this message lets you then view the entirety of your Memory history and edit it to remove any memories you would rather not have saved.
If you who would rather keep your personal information as separate as possible, you can turn Memory on or off in settings, as well as delete individual memories.
To turn the feature on, click on your profile in the lower left-hand side of the screen, followed by Settings, Personalization, and then toggle Memory on or off. If you click Manage, you'll be able to see all your saved memories and make changes from there.
Under the personalization tab, you will also see the option to turn the Custom Instructions feature on or off, which -- like Memory -- works to prevent you from having to type out the same information -- in this case, instructions -- repeatedly.
Also: The best AI chatbots: ChatGPT isn't the only one worth trying
The feature is currently available to all ChatGPT Plus subscribers, with the exception of those in Europe or South Korea. The company said that the feature is coming to Team, Enterprise, and GPTs, but provided no details about a potential timeline.
Artificial Intelligence
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One of the best QLED TVs I've tested is not made by Samsung or Sony
TCL unveiled the 115-inch model of its popular QM8 series at CES. We've been testing the smaller 65-inch size.
ZDNET's key takeaways
- TCL's QM8 model is one of the best QLED TVs we've tested, with bright colors and vivid imagery.
- It's also secretly perfect for gaming, thanks to its 4K output, vibrancy, and 120Hz refresh rate display.
- A few drawbacks include the low-sound speakers and the inability to turn on when you power a connected console/device.
The TCL QM8 made our list of the best 85-inch TVs, and the other versions are just as good. It features a QLED panel as well as support for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for better picture quality and virtual surround sound. This TV's dedicated gaming mode allows you to monitor frame rates and VRR status. Plus, our testing of the QM8 proves itself to be a well-rounded TV -- and for a price that is a little easier on the wallet than competing brands.
ZDNET RECOMMENDS
TCL QM8
TCL's latest 65-inch TV features a QLED panel and a 120Hz refresh rate.
I'm sure you've heard of TCL and even seen its more budget-friendly TVs at Walmart or on Amazon, but the QM8 is the brand's newest iteration of its mid-range line, boosting a QLED screen with support for Dolby Vision as well as HDR10+, which helps to create bolder colors and deeper contrast.
Also: Hisense's U9N QLED is a new super-bright TV that gamers will want
Setting up the HDR was a quick, 2-3 minute process, and you can make changes later in the TV's settings; and when you set up game consoles like the PlayStation 5, you can set up game-specific HDR settings.
There's also a dedicated game mode, which can be accessed by holding the hamburger menu button while using a game console via HDMI. The mode creates a top and bottom bar, which allows you to monitor your frame and refresh rates as well as choose different color temperature settings or even share screenshots and videos of your gameplay.
Also: Best TVs for the PS5: LG, Samsung, Hisense, and more
The picture quality of the QM8 is much better than what I was expecting, being more familiar with TCL's budget TVs. The QLED panel is bright, clear, and vibrant, which makes it a great choice for gaming as well as for revisiting old favorite shows and movies.
I sat down for my semi-regular re-watch of the original Teen Titans show from Cartoon Network, and even though the cartoon is twenty years old, the resolution upscaling was clean, eliminating that odd "fuzziness" that older, pre-1080p media can have.
And by playing around with the picture settings, I was able to tweak contrast and color to really take advantage of the dynamic art style, which is full of dark shadows and bright, colorful superhero costumes.
For gaming, the QM8 worked wonderfully with both my PS5 and Nintendo Switch, offering smooth playback and great picture quality. Though I will say to keep in mind that your Switch hardware may not support 4K output, especially if it's a first-iteration model (which is what I have).
Also: Best TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, and TCL compared
Although the Switch graphics looked a bit chunky with some titles, especially Wheel of Fortune (but it sort of added to the charm,) they never looked bad, per se. Other games like Hades looked amazing, with smooth animations and on-screen action, and vivid colors.
The built-in speakers of the QM8 sound respectable but quiet, so I recommend picking up a soundbar like the TCL Alto 6+ to boost dialogue and enhance the sound in movies, music, shows, and games.
Another drawback to the QM8 is that it doesn't automatically power on when a connected device is. I own several other televisions, and each of them automatically turns on when I power on a game console or DVD player. It's a very small gripe, but it's a quality-of-life feature that I personally like to have in my TVs.
ZDNET's buying advice
TCL's QM8 is one of the best QLED TVs you can buy today, with a price point that undercuts competing models from Samsung, Sony, and LG. For just about all things visual, including gaming, the TV gets the job done. And if you want to make the experience even better, I suggest pairing the set with one of the best soundbars available.
