☎️ ChatGPT is now available via phone

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Greetings! Your latest quick tech update is here:

☀️ On this day: On December 19, 1974, Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS) began selling the Altair 8800 microcomputer kit. Priced at $397, this do-it-yourself kit marked a pivotal moment in personal computing, inspiring future developments in the industry.

What’s happening:

• ☎️ OpenAI launches ChatGPT on WhatsApp and phone

• 🤝 Apple eyes Tencent, ByteDance for AI in China

• 🔒 Privacy vs. access: Apple and Meta battle in Europe

• 🚨 TP-Link routers may face US ban over security risks

• 💻 GitHub hits 150M devs, unveils free Copilot tier

• + 📊 Daily poll and results

• + 📈 Trending tools and resources

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Hand-picked news:

☎️ OpenAI launches ChatGPT on WhatsApp and phone ↗️LINK

• What: OpenAI introduced a 1-800 number (1-800-CHATGPT) for US users to have voice conversations with ChatGPT, offering 15 minutes of free monthly calls. International users gained a WhatsApp integration for text-based interaction, albeit with feature limitations and daily caps.

• Why: The initiative aims to make ChatGPT accessible to non-tech-savvy users and extend its reach via traditional phones and popular messaging platforms. This approach bridges gaps in accessibility and usability.

• Impact: By leveraging phones and WhatsApp, OpenAI expands its audience, reimagining AI’s role in everyday communication. Future updates, such as image analysis in WhatsApp, could enhance these tools further.

🤝 Apple eyes Tencent, ByteDance for AI in China ↗️LINK

• What: Apple is in early talks with Tencent and ByteDance to integrate their AI models into iPhones sold in China. This comes after Apple rolled out ChatGPT-based features globally but faces China's strict generative AI regulations.

• Why: With ChatGPT banned in China, Apple needs local partnerships to offer competitive AI capabilities. Declining iPhone market share, fueled by rivals like Huawei with advanced AI features, adds urgency to these efforts.

• Impact: A successful partnership could reshape China’s AI landscape, benefiting both Apple and its local collaborator. Meanwhile, competition intensifies as firms like Huawei and Baidu expand their AI-powered offerings.

🔒 Privacy vs. access: Apple and Meta battle in Europe ↗️LINK

• What: Apple and Meta are clashing over the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires tech giants to grant competitors access to their platforms. Apple accused Meta of making excessive interoperability requests that could compromise user privacy, while Meta dismissed Apple’s claims as baseless.

• Why: Apple argues that granting Meta broad access to iOS would jeopardize security, citing risks like app tracking and data exposure. Meta counters that Apple is using privacy as a pretext to limit competition.

• Impact: The dispute underscores tensions between tech giants and EU regulators, with significant implications for privacy, competition, and platform interoperability across Europe.

🚨 TP-Link routers may face US ban over security risks ↗️LINK

• What: US authorities are investigating TP-Link routers for national security risks, citing vulnerabilities and their use in cyberattacks. A potential ban on the Chinese-made devices could occur next year, following probes by Commerce, Defense, and Justice departments.

• Why: TP-Link routers have been linked to botnets, custom malware, and critical vulnerabilities exploited by Chinese hackers. Their affordability and dominance (65% of the US market) raise additional concerns over pricing tactics and market control.

• Impact: A ban could disrupt millions of users and reshape the US router market. It reflects heightened scrutiny of Chinese tech, with geopolitical tensions influencing regulatory decisions and the future of consumer technology.

💻 GitHub hits 150M devs, unveils free Copilot tier ↗️LINK

• What: GitHub announced a free tier for GitHub Copilot in VS Code, offering 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages monthly. Users can choose between AI models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet or GPT-4o for coding help, bug fixes, and file edits.

• Why: Celebrating 150M developers on GitHub, this move continues GitHub’s tradition of offering free tools to empower developers and democratize AI-assisted coding.

• Impact: Copilot Free lowers barriers to entry for AI coding tools, enabling broader adoption. Its integration into VS Code and GitHub’s dashboard expands accessibility, driving innovation across its massive developer community.

Today’s Poll:

Vote and find out about the result tomorrow.

Yesterday’s Poll Result:

AI-Powered Search Engines: Disruptive or Overhyped?

• A) Disruptive – They’ll disrupt Google’s monopoly - 61% 🏆

• B) Overhyped – Google’s dominance will remain strong - 39%

Readers opinion:

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Awesome ChatGPT Prompts: This repository contains a variety of prompts for use with ChatGPT. 

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