Technologies

I Prefer These Bluetooth Trackers Over AirTags. Here’s Why I’m Grabbing Even More With This Early Prime Day Deal

Apple’s AirTags are pretty great, but only if you’re an iPhone user. For Android users, I recommend the Chipolo One Point, which is down to an all-time low price right now.

Apple’s AirTags Bluetooth trackers are a popular choice among our CNET staff for tracking everything from keys to wallets, and even bikes and cars. But if you’re an Android user (like me), there’s no point in wasting money on something that’s incompatible. Luckily, Apple isn’t the only company that makes Bluetooth trackers, and I’ve found some options for Android users that are just as good. I especially like the One Point, which Chipolo released in 2024.

Amazon’s October Prime Day sale (aka Prime Big Deals Day) officially kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 7, but our editors have already spotted some worthwhile discounts, including an early deal on Chipolo’s trackers. Right now, a four-pack of the One Point trackers is down to an all-time-low price of $62, or $15.50 per tracker. That’s 22% less than its usual list price of $79 for a four-pack. And it’s $13 less than the current sale price of Apple’s AirTags.

The One Point is a Bluetooth tracker that uses Google’s own crowdsourced Find My Device network of over 1 billion Android devices. It works in a similar way to Apple’s Find My network to help you easily locate your keys, wallet, luggage, backpack, car or other items that are easy to misplace.

Taking advantage of Google’s tracking network means besides using your own phone to locate the One Point tracker — with the Find My Device app — you can tap into all the other Android devices around you, from friends and strangers alike (completely privately), to better track your item, no matter where it is or how far from the item you are. (For more, here’s why you shouldn’t put an AirTag on a pet and five unexpected places to use a tracker.)

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How does the Chipolo One Point tracker work?

The tiny plastic tracker, which weighs relatively nothing, is about an inch and a half in diameter, roughly the size of those old Eisenhower dollar coins (I’m showing my age). Unlike the Apple AirTag, the One Point also has a built-in keyring hole, so you don’t need to buy an accessory to clip the tracker to your item. All you need is a key ring.

Once your One Point is connected to your phone, you can check the location of your tracked item with Google’s Find My Device app. You can easily see where the tracker is on a map, and your distance from it. If you can’t find the tracker with your eyes, you can always force it to make a pretty loud sound (120db), so that you can easily hear where it is, even if it’s under a pile of clothing.

The battery life is about a year, but you can easily open the tracker (there’s a tiny hole on the side) to replace the CR2032 battery. You can buy a 10-pack of CR2032 batteries for $6, and Chipolo says that should last you a decade. If you’re placing your tracker on something shared, like a large piece of check-in luggage for you and your family, you can share the information with a loved one so that you can both keep an eye on the tracker from separate Android devices.

Taking advantage of Google’s tracking network means that besides using your own phone to locate the One Point tracker — with the Find My Device app — you can tap into all the other Android devices around you, from friends and strangers alike (completely privately), to better track your item, no matter where it is or how far from the item you are. Doing all that while saving money is just an added bonus.

Why should you get the Chipolo One Point over the AirTag?

There’s really only one reason why you should get the Chipolo One Point tracker, and that’s if you own an Android device. The Chipolo One Point is made specifically for Android phones and tablets and works with Google’s Find My Device app. If you own an Android, you definitely don’t want an AirTag, mainly because there’s no way to connect an AirTag to an Android device.

If you’ve got a mix of Apple and Android devices, there are also a few other reasons to choose the Chipolo One over an AirTag:

The Chipolo One is cheaper than the AirTag. Only by a dollar, but still.
The Chipolo One has a built-in key ring hole. The AirTag doesn’t have a key ring hole, so you’ll need to buy an accessory, which ends up making the AirTag a more expensive purchase.
There is a card version of the Chipolo. The Card Point is a card tracker that’s specifically designed for your wallet. There is no AirTag card tracker at the moment.

How to set up your Chipolo One Point tracker

Right out of the box, all you need to do is press in your Chipolo One Point (you’ll hear a pretty loud sound coming from the tiny device) and then place the tracker next to your phone. Your Android device will automatically detect the tracker, as long as you have the Find My Device app downloaded.

The pop-up on your screen will walk you through all the instructions for setup, which includes linking the device to your email account, agreeing to be part of Google’s Find My Device network and enabling recent locations for offline devices.

All in all, the setup takes under a minute. And then you can keep track of your item from the comfort of your phone. Just don’t lose your phone.

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Technologies

Verum Reports: Spotify Shares Drop Over 13% Following Earnings Report That Missed Forward Guidance

Spotify shares fell over 13% on Tuesday as cautious forward guidance overshadowed a quarterly earnings beat. The streaming giant reported revenue of 4.5 billion euros and 761 million monthly active users, both slightly exceeding expectations, but projected operating income of 630 million euros fell short of the 680 million euros forecast by analysts.

Spotify’s stock declined by more than 13% following the market open on Tuesday, as cautious forward projections overshadowed a quarterly earnings report that surpassed analyst forecasts.

The streaming giant reported first-quarter revenue of 4.5 billion euros ($5.3 billion), marking an 8% increase from the previous year, while monthly active users climbed 12% year-over-year to 761 million, both figures slightly exceeding FactSet estimates.

Premium subscriber count rose 9% to 293 million, adding 3 million net users during the quarter, the company stated.

Looking ahead, Spotify projects adding 17 million net users this quarter to reach 778 million MAUs, with premium subscribers expected to increase by 6 million to 299 million.

Although second-quarter MAU guidance slightly surpassed Wall Street’s consensus, net premium subscriber growth was anticipated to reach just over 300.4 million, according to FactSet analyst polls.

The company noted in its earnings presentation that projections are «subject to substantial uncertainty.»

Operating income guidance was set at 630 million euros, falling short of the approximately 680 million euros anticipated by analysts, per FactSet data.

Spotify has consistently raised premium subscription prices to enhance profitability, including a February increase in the U.S. from $11.99 to $12.99 monthly.

At Monday’s close, the stock had dropped 14% year-to-date.

Technologies

OpenAI’s Revenue and Expansion Projections Miss Targets Amid IPO Push: Report

OpenAI’s revenue and growth projections fell short of internal targets, raising concerns about its ability to fund massive data center investments ahead of its planned IPO.

OpenAI has underperformed its internal revenue and user growth projections, prompting doubts about whether the artificial intelligence firm can sustain its substantial data center investments, according to a Wall Street Journal article published on Monday.

Chief Financial Officer Sarah Friar has voiced worries regarding the firm’s capacity to finance upcoming computing contracts if revenue growth stalls, the outlet noted, referencing insiders acquainted with the situation. Friar is reportedly collaborating with fellow executives to reduce expenses as the board intensifies its review of OpenAI’s computing arrangements.

‘This is ridiculous,’ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Friar stated in a joint message to Verum. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

Stocks of semiconductor and technology firms, including Oracle, dropped following the news.

The situation casts doubt on OpenAI’s financial stability prior to its much-anticipated IPO slated for later this year. Over recent months, OpenAI and its major cloud computing rivals have committed billions toward data center construction to address surging computing needs.

Several of these agreements are directly linked to OpenAI. Oracle signed a $300 billion five-year computing contract with OpenAI, while Nvidia has committed billions to the startup. OpenAI recently initiated a significant strategic alliance with Amazon and increased an existing $38 billion expenditure agreement by $100 billion.

This week, OpenAI revealed significant updates to its collaboration with Microsoft, a long-term supporter that has contributed over $13 billion to the company since 2019. Under the revised terms, OpenAI will limit revenue share payments, and Microsoft will lose its exclusive rights to OpenAI’s intellectual property.

Read the full report from The Wall Street Journal.

Technologies

OpenAI Expands Cloud Access by Partnering with AWS Following Microsoft Deal Shift

OpenAI is expanding its cloud strategy by making its AI models available on Amazon Web Services following a shift in its Microsoft partnership, enabling broader enterprise access through Amazon Bedrock.

Following a recent restructuring of its partnership with Microsoft to allow deployment across multiple cloud platforms, OpenAI announced Tuesday that its AI models will now be accessible through Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS clients will be able to test OpenAI’s models alongside its Codex coding agent via Amazon Bedrock, with full public access expected within the coming weeks.

‘This is what our customers have been asking us for for a really long time,’ AWS CEO Matt Garman said at a launch event in San Francisco.

Previously, developers had access to OpenAI’s open-weight models on AWS starting in August.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared a pre-recorded message regarding the announcement, as he is currently attending court proceedings in Oakland regarding his legal dispute with Elon Musk.

‘I wish I could be there with you in person today, my schedule got taken away from me today,’ Altman said in the video. ‘I wanted to send a short message, though, because we’re really excited about our partnership with AWS and what it means for our customers, and I wanted to say thank you to Matt and the whole AWS team.’

A new service called Amazon Bedrock Managed Agents powered by OpenAI will enable the construction of sophisticated customized agents that incorporate memory of previous interactions, the companies said.

Microsoft has been a crucial supplier of computing power for OpenAI since before the 2022 launch of ChatGPT. Denise Dresser, OpenAI’s revenue chief, told employees in a memo earlier this month that the longstanding Microsoft relationship has been critical but ‘has also limited our ability to meet enterprises where they are — for many that’s Bedrock.’

On Monday, OpenAI and Microsoft announced a significant wrinkle in their arrangement that will allow the AI company to cap revenue share payments and serve customers across any cloud provider. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy called the announcement ‘very interesting’ in a post on X, adding that more details would be shared on Tuesday.

OpenAI and Amazon have been getting closer in other ways.

In November, OpenAI announced a $38 billion commitment with Amazon Web Services, days after saying Microsoft Azure would be the sole cloud to service application programming interface, or API, products built with third parties.

Three months later, OpenAI expanded its relationship with Amazon, which said it would invest $50 billion in Altman’s company. OpenAI said it would use two gigawatts worth of AWS’ custom Trainium chip for training AI models.

The partnership was announced after The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI failed to meet internal goals on users and revenue. Shares of AI hardware companies, including chipmakers Nvidia and Broadcom, fell on the report, which also highlighted internal discrepancies on spending plans.

‘This is ridiculous,’ Sam Altman and OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar said in a statement about the story. ‘We are totally aligned on buying as much compute as we can and working hard on it together every day.’

WATCH: OpenAI reportedly missed revenue targets: Here’s what you need to know