September 6, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

🎵 Spotify considers removing lyrics from ad-supported tier

📱 Why USB-C on the iPhone 15 could be a nightmare

🕵 U.S. spy agency developing smart surveillance clothing

UP FIRST

Spotify considers removing lyrics from ad-supported tier

The streaming service believes it could persuade more people to sign up to its paid Premium tier

If you use Spotify’s free ad-supported tier and love using the app to check out the lyrics of the songs you listen to, an unpleasant surprise could be coming your way.

Why? Because the company is experimenting with making lyrics exclusive to its Premium subscribers.

Some Spotify users on the ad tier have recently noticed that they’ve lost the ability to see the in-app lyrics, which usually appear at the bottom of the display when a song starts. Instead, a message appears suggesting they “enjoy lyrics on Premium,” together with a link to subscribe to the service.

The music streaming giant has confirmed that it’s currently testing the idea with a limited number of Spotify users.

If it sees an uptick in sign-ups among those who've lost access to lyrics, the company will be encouraged to roll it out more widely. But if there's any kind of backlash among users of the free tier, Spotify may end up ditching the idea ...

SMARTPHONES

Why USB-C on the iPhone 15 could be a nightmare

If the situation turns out to be anything like it is for Android, things might get tricky

Anyone interested in next week's launch of the iPhone 15 knows that it’ll be the first-ever iPhone to feature a USB Type-C connector, with its proprietary Lightning port gone forever.

Apple made the move after a new EU law demanded that all gadgets use a common charging connection by the end of 2024 to reduce waste and hopefully make everyone's lives a little easier when it comes to cables.

But in the case of Apple’s upcoming iPhone, things may not be so straightforward. In fact, it may mark the start of plenty of “confusion, disappointment, and further big bills," especially if you want to take advantage of the change in order to charge your iPhone at the fastest possible speed.

Many people are already familiar with the challenges – not to mention the cost – of getting the right fast-charging equipment for a modern Android phone, and the concern is that the same difficulties could be coming to owners of the iPhone 15 ...

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

U.S. spy agency developing smart surveillance clothing

It would enable agents to record their environment hands-free and
without having to wear bulky and rigid devices

Imagine some extremely versatile high-tech garments such as a shirt or pants with sensors, cameras, and wires well and truly embedded, enabling the wearer to record audio and video of their immediate surroundings.

Interested in using such “active smart textiles (AST)" for intelligence gathering, the U.S. government is reportedly investing millions of dollars in their development. The program even has a name: SMART ePANTS (Smart Electrically Powered and Networked Textile Systems).

According to the person in charge of the project, the goal is to take the individual components and “convert them, to integrate them, into a single device that you can wear.”

The high-tech – and washable – garments could assist agents working in intelligence, counterterrorism, and national security agencies, as well as first responders in high-stress environments such as crime scenes and arms control inspections ...

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