Spotify has had a huge footprint already, and now they have announced that they have over 750 million active monthly users! Engadget.com reports that the number is up 11% over a year ago. Even since third quarter, it’s a big move…they had 713 million then. Spotify says that part of the growth can be attributed to AI…although last year they promised to get rid of some of the ‘AI slop’ on the platform and have ‘artist-first AI music products.’ 

My joy can hardly be contained. Facebook is now dropping a new AI feature that lets you animate your profile pic and restyle Stories and Memories. According to theverge.com, you will also be able to add animated backgrounds to text posts to make them pop in the feed. With all the billions Meta has poured into its AI, they…like Google…are determined to try to make you use it. What kind of animated pics, if you are leaning on trying them? You’ll be able to give a still photo motion with some preset types of animations, including “natural, party hat, confetti, wave, and heart, They will be adding animations in the upcoming year, too. 

Google has rolled out expanded tools to let users delete sensitive data about themselves. TechCrunch.com notes that this is in conjunction with Safer Internet Day. The ‘Results about you’ tool already allows users to remove Search results containing their phone number, email address, or home address, and it can now also be used to request the removal of results that include information such as a driver’s license, passport, or Social Security number, the company said in the update Tuesday. Once you confirm your details, Google will automatically monitor Search results and notify you if they show up. Unfortunately, your data can’t be removed from the web entirely, but at least it can be kept out of seach results. They also hare making it easier to request removal of non-consensual explicit images. Now, click the 3 dots and select ‘remove result,’ then tap ‘it shows a sexual image of me.’ Good stuff for Google to give to users. 

YouTube is ‘rejiggering’ its YouTube TV plans. In a report from 9to5google.com, there are now alternatives to chunking down $82.99 a month for over 100 channels. The new plans are genre-specific. The Sports Plan is $64.99 a month, or shave $10 bucks off if you pay yearly and are a new user. This gets you all ESPN, FS1, and NBC Sports Network…around 35 channels. If sports isn’t your thing, you can go for the Entertainment Plan at $54.99 a month…or $44.99 a month for 3 months for new accounts. This has FX, Hallmark, Comedy Central, Bravo, Paramount, Food Network, HGTV, and others. There is a News+Entertainment+Family  Plan too, which is $69.99 a month and has Disney, Nick, National Geographic, Cartoon Net, PBS Kids. The Sports+News plan is $71.99 a month and gets all the sports channels above plus CNBC, Fox News, MS Now, CNN, CSPAN, Bloomberg, and Fox Business. It’s nice to get more ‘a la carte’ choices, but still pricy…and a drag that there isn’t just a pure news channel. Yes, I’m a news nerd.

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

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Trifold goes on sale the end of this week, January 30th. Engadget.com reports that the price, expected to be $2000-$2500 has blown right past that…it will cost a rather astounding $2900! It is thicker, but gives you basically a tablet sized screen when fully opened…so the thought is, you will only need one device, and that allegedly takes some of the sting out of the high price. If mass production can bring the price down, and the screen creases have really been eliminated, this could be pretty cool in the future. By the way, like Henry Ford’s famous Model T, you can have any color you want, as long as it’s black. The Z Trifold has 512 gigs of storage. 

Google is bowing a new feature that will allow users to ask follow up questions directly from the AI overviews that now top all searches. According to techcrunch.com, users will be able to jump into a conversational back-and-forth with AI Mode. Google also announced that it is making Gemini 3 the new default model for AI overviews globally. Google says its testing shows that users prefer an experience that flows naturally into a conversation and that asking follow-up questions while preserving context from AI Overviews makes Search more helpful. 

Amazon is closing all its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh locations, which amounts to 72 stores nationwide. Geekwire.com says that the online giant will focus on its Whole Foods Market stores and grocery delivery from amazon.com. The Go and Fresh stores have been something of a 10 year long experiment, with the draw of ‘just walk out,’ avoiding check stands and the wait. The Go and Fresh stores will close after February 1st. Some Fresh stores will ultimately reopen as Whole Foods locations. Amazon says it will likely come up with new retail experiments in the future. The company has reported that it is now one of the top 3 grocers in the US, which over $150 billion in sales and 150 million customers shopping for groceries per year. 

Some new research shows that AI is causing more job losses in the United Kingdom than in other major countries. Theguardian.com reports that the study was commissioned by investment bank Morgan Stanley. It shows that net job losses in the UK the last 12 months were minus 8%…and that British businesses reported an average 11.5% increase in productivity. The US businesses reported similar productivity, but actually had an increase in job creation. The jobs most likely to be cut were early career jobs…Gen Z workers are most concerned for their jobs, while end of career baby boomers seemed less concerned…and appear to be in safer positions due to knowledge and experience. The AI related job reductions have hit white collar jobs most…finance and creative industries, and professional services like law, accounting, consulting, and marketing. 

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

The White House went ballistic this morning with a report that Amazon was going to start posting the added costs of the Trump tariffs on items…calling it a ‘hostile and political act.’ Now, geekwire.com reports that Amazon has stated that this is not going to happen. An Amazon spokesman, Tim Doyle, said “The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen.” On the other hand, China owned Temu is now adding ‘import charges’ of about 145%…that according to CNBC. One place you will see tariffs impact Amazon pricing…that’s from the third-party sellers, which make us some 60% of the company’s store sales. 

Apple appears to be on track to release its first folding iPhone in the second half of 2026. According to 9to5mac.com, it will come with a premium price of between $2100 and $2300…a couple hundred less than has been suggested previously….but still a ton of money. Folding phones had been growing by some 40% per year until 2024, when they are just up about 5%, and now they are expected to see a sales decline in 2025, so Apple entering the market will be a real boost. As we have reported, Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the apple folder will have an inner 7.8 inch display, with a 5.5 inch display outside, and no dreaded crease on the inner screen. It will be a book style like the Samsung Fold series. Some predictions are for less cameras, due to the thinness of the device, and also no Face ID..they will have Touch ID on a button. The iPhone Fold is predicted to be skinny at 4.5 mm unfolded and 9 mm folded. 

Google has enough going on with Android that they are going to give the mobile system its own showcase a week prior to Google I/O. Engadget.com notes that this is the first time they have done so. Google says  it has “so many new things to share” regarding Android, hence this edition of The Android Show. The presentation will feature Android Ecosystem president Sameer Samat. Android will still be featured at I/O, where Google is promising to reveal “even more special announcements and surprises.” Multiple Android keynotes are scheduled for the event. The Android Show: I/O Edition will air on May 13 at 1PM ET. Google I/O takes place a week later, starting on May 20.

ChatGPT is adding shopping features to let users look for products and then purchase them from a merchant websites after a redirect from ChatGPT. According to arstechnica.com, the feature resembles Google Shopping. When you click on a product image, ChatGPT will serve you multiple retailers like Amazon and Walmart on the right side of the screen, complete with buttons to finish the purchases. Unlike Google’s algorithm-based approach to product recommendations, ChatGPT reportedly attempts to understand product reviews and user preferences in a more conversational manner. If someone mentions they prefer black clothing from specific retailers in a chat, the system incorporates those preferences in future shopping recommendations. One key distinction between ChatGPT shopping and Google Shopping involves how products appear in results. While Google often includes sponsored product placements, OpenAI’s product results merely come from search—for now. Chat”GPT search product lead Adam Fry says “They are not ads…they are not sponsored.” 

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