With the intrusiveness of Windows 11, and possible subscription-based Windows 12, a few people have been looking at alternatives. One of those is Linux…which despite several more user-friendly flavors, is still mainly being used by hobbyists and gamers. Another alternative is the very user friendly but more pricy MacOS. Actually, the OS is free…but Macs certainly aren’t…you pay that Apple premium price! Now, androidauthority.com reports that a bug has given us a peek at the AluminumOS, which is Google’s planned replacement for the ChromeOS. Ok, so Chrome is limited…here’s the deal…Aluminum merges the ChromeOS AND Android into a computer-based OS. The bug showed some screen shots, including a split screen shot with multitasking. There is a status bar and task bar similar to what you would find on Windows or a Mac. Some Google watchers are calling for Google to just work on making an Android OS that runs on PCs…THAT is something that would give Microsoft some serious heartburn!

With the success of Meta’s Ray-Ban AR glasses, and the report that Apple will be coming out with such a product late this year or early 2027, Snap has spun off its Specs AR glasses into a standalone company. According to techcrunch.com, the new company will be releasing a new consumer version of Specs this year. Snap has been working on AR glasses tech for some 10 years onwards. Specs has touted the ‘spatial nature’ of the glasses, meaning there are a lot of user experiences that can be enjoyed that aren’t possible with a phone. The spatial experience is mainly powered by the 4 cameras, which allow for hand tracking and enable the Snap Spatial Engine. Specs do run a distinct OS called the Snap OS. There is a built-in browser, AI, and the ability to run games. No word on the release date of the next gen version…or pricing. Hopefully, they will weigh less than the hefty 8 ounces the present model hangs on your face and ears!

Pet care may be the last place you think of when it comes to consolidation, but now Rover has acquired Meowtel, the cat-focused pet sitting marketplace. Geekwire.com notes that Meowtel has a network of over 4,000 cat sitters in 8,000 cities in the US. Meowtel will continue to function independently, according to the report. Rover  is the world’s largest online marketplace for pet care, connecting users with sitters, dog walkers, and trainers for services like boarding and daycare. Now, you will have to check if your pet sitter or walker is an independent operator, or part of a conglomerate!

Amazon is laying off 16,000 employees. Engadget.com reports that Amazon is calling this as an effort to make organizational changes to ‘reduce layers and remove bureaucracy.’ Affected employees in the US will be given 90 days to look for another internal role and will receive severance pay if they do not find any. Amazon just eliminated 14,000 roles back in October 2025 across its games, logistics, payment and cloud computing divisions— with the availability of AI technologies being one of the main reasons for the layoffs. Amazon employs some 1.1 million people in the US, which is down about 4% since the pandemic expansion. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.