#android-authority — Public Fediverse posts

#AndroidAuthority:
"
Maybe the FCC was onto something: These routers are phoning home to China with a secret backdoor
Of course, because they predate the ban, the FCC continues to permit their sale
"
"The FCC is only targeting new routers, while all these super-insecure old Zbtlink models can continue to be sold."

https://www.androidauthority.com/routers-china-backdoor-3695345/

8.8.2026

#Amazon #Backdoor #China #Cybersicherheit #Cybersecurity #FCC #IT #Roouter #USA #VulnCheck #Wiflyer #Zbtlink

@techwire more like chinese open source models are riding a wrecking ball through big tech ai - as it should be

#lies and stats #Tech #Technology #TechNews #AI #Gadgets #Software #Cybersecurity #Apple #Google #Microsoft #Startup #OpenSource #AndroidAuthority [Android Authority]

Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit – Android Authority

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General technology

Before I knew it, ChatGPT went from a useful tool to time-wasting a habit

AI became my new endless doom-scroll without me noticing.

By Andrew Grush, December 21, 2025•

There are plenty of mixed opinions on AI’s potential benefits and harms, but I’ll admit I’ve been somewhat hooked on it from day one. I tend to dive deep into subjects with AI for short bursts that might last hours or on-and-off for a few days, and then drift away for weeks or more when life gets busy with things that are obviously more important. Slowly but surely, though, I realized I was doing less and less when it came to other personal interests. While my AI use never disrupted my real-life obligations or relationships, it was starting to cannibalize my hobbies.

Recently, I started scrolling through my massive ChatGPT log entries. Some were simple entertainment, and others were deep thoughts that frankly got a bit heavy. There were more interactions than I’d ever care to count. That’s when the thought hit me: “Has this become my new doom scroll?” I started wondering how I got to that point, how much time I was wasting, and why it felt so addictive. Eventually, I took a deeper look at my AI usage patterns and then took a step back.

Do you think you’re dependent on or addicted to AI chatbots like ChatGPT?

144 votes

How I got here and why it proved so addictive for me

According to ChatGPT, about 75% of users ask for practical guidance, seek information, or get help with writing and work tasks. This overlaps heavily with what people traditionally use search engines for. As I already mentioned, I love diving deeply into random subjects, so I fall squarely in this camp. That said, I also use AI as a sounding board for my thoughts.

Typically, I put it in a mode like Professional or Efficient and add a few custom instructions so it isn’t overly sycophantic and will push back on my weaker ideas. This can involve history questions, alternate-history scenarios, or philosophical musings. Yes, I know how to party.

AI is fast and doesn’t judge. That’s quite the dopamine hit.

To be clear, I don’t rely on AI for anything truly important. I mostly use it for personal creative work or low-stakes questions I can verify elsewhere. As someone with ADHD who loves to daydream, I also often use it to explore hypothetical rabbit holes where accuracy isn’t the priority.

So how did this turn into an addiction? AI hits several brain-level incentives for me:

• It’s fast: I don’t have to wait for a human reply or dig across multiple sites for basic answers. Yes, fact-checking is still necessary, but it’s hard to deny the convenience.
• No judgment or boredom: My wife, mom, and friends will sometimes let me info-dump about space, philosophy, or whatever else I’m fixated on, but I quickly wear out my welcome. AI doesn’t get bored.
• It’s easy, low effort: My life has been extremely hectic lately. When I finally get a moment to unwind, I want something easy and slow-paced. In the past, that meant TV or books. Lately, it’s meant long conversations with a chatbot.

For me, this feels very similar to the dopamine loop people get from YouTube, TikTok, or doomscrolling social media. A rabbit hole here and there is harmless, whether web-based or AI-based. The problem is when an occasional time-sink becomes a regular habit that eats into everything else.

I kept noticing it was suddenly midnight or later and thinking, “Oh, I meant to play a board game with the kids,” or “watch that show with my wife,” but yet again, time had slipped away. I’m far from alone, either.

Government organizations have already warned that AI companions could represent a new frontier of digital addiction, and many teens are turning to AI chatbots as emotional outlets, offering a kind of pseudo-friendship traditionally reserved for human relationships. While I’ve never lost sight of the fact that the AI talking to me is a non-human algorithm designed to placate me, many people have also had their realities turned upside down by getting too cozy with the AI to the point they feel like it’s their closest friend. The term has been dubbed “AI psychosis” and is very real for those impacted by it.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Here’s how ChatGPT went from a useful tool to a time-wasting habit

Mapy Google przestaną być „pożeraczem baterii”? Testowany jest nowy tryb monochromatyczny

Mapy Google to jedna z najbardziej przydatnych, ale i najbardziej energochłonnych aplikacji w każdym smartfonie.

Google w końcu zdaje się dostrzegać ten problem i przygotowuje dedykowany tryb oszczędzania energii, który ma działać znacznie inteligentniej niż ogólnosystemowy „battery saver”.

Jak donosi serwis Android Authority, który przeanalizował kod najnowszej bety aplikacji (wersja 25.44.03.824313610), funkcja ta ma drastycznie zmienić sposób wyświetlania nawigacji, gdy poziom naładowania baterii jest niski. Kluczem do oszczędności ma być przełączenie ekranu w tryb monochromatyczny.

Ekstremalny minimalizm

Po aktywacji nowego trybu, kolorowy i pełen detali interfejs map zostanie zastąpiony przez czarno-biały, minimalistyczny widok. Aplikacja ma ukryć wszystkie zbędne elementy wizualne, pozostawiając na ekranie tylko absolutne minimum niezbędne do nawigacji: wskazówki dotyczące następnego skrętu, dystans oraz szacowany czas dotarcia do celu.

Co ważne, ten tryb ma działać niezależnie od głównego systemu oszczędzania energii w Androidzie. Oznacza to, że użytkownik będzie mógł go włączyć w dowolnym momencie, nawet przy pełnej baterii, aby po prostu wydłużyć czas pracy urządzenia podczas długiej podróży. Analiza kodu sugeruje, że tryb będzie można aktywować przez naciśnięcie przycisku zasilania telefonu w trakcie nawigacji.

Są też pewne kompromisy

Nowe rozwiązanie nie będzie pozbawione wad. Wczesne analizy wskazują, że tryb monochromatyczny może nie działać w orientacji poziomej, co będzie problemem dla kierowców korzystających z uchwytów. Ponadto, uproszczenie interfejsu może być zbyt radykalne – z ekranu mogą zniknąć np. nazwy ulic, co utrudni orientację.

Tryb oszczędzania energii ma wspierać nawigację pieszą, samochodową i rowerową, jednak wsparcie dla transportu publicznego nie jest na razie potwierdzone. Funkcja jest wciąż na wczesnym etapie rozwoju i nie wiadomo, kiedy (i czy na pewno) trafi do stabilnej wersji aplikacji.

Mapy Google niebawem z nową funkcją? Przycisk „Aerial” połączy Street View z widokiem z lotu ptaka

#aktualizacja #Android #AndroidAuthority #bateria #googleMaps #mapyGoogle #monochromatyczny #nawigacja #news #trybOszczędzaniaEnergii