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Tech News
Energizer’s Gigantic Battery Phone Just Ran Out of Juice
Earlier this year, the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop made a splash at Mobile World Congress thanks to its massive size and 18,000mAh battery. But while everyone wants better battery life on their smartphones, it turns out no one wants it so bad that they’d be willing to lug around an inch-thick brick. Today, the … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Color-Changing LEDs Pave the Way to Impossibly High Screen Resolutions
An international collaboration between several universities around the world has led to an innovation in LEDs that could potentially result in a giant leap forward when it comes to increasing the resolution on TV screens and mobile devices. For the first time ever, a single LED can now change color all by itself. The current … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Backdoors in Huawei Equipment Discovered by Vodafone Italy in 2009
Vodafone Italy discovered backdoors in its Huawei home internet routers and software between 2009 and 2011 according to a new report from Bloomberg News. The backdoors have reportedly been fixed, but the revelations are still bad news for Huawei as the Chinese tech giant tries to secure contracts to build 5G infrastructure around the world. … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsNews
Anki, Maker of Adorable Robots That Don’t Do All That Much, Abruptly Shuts Down
Robotics company Anki, the manufacturer of an adorable line of tiny home robots like Cozmo and its bigger brother, the $250 Vector, has unexpectedly and abruptly folded, Recode reported on Monday. According to Recode, CEO Boris Sofman told staff they would lose their jobs on Wednesday—and that nearly 200 employees would be given one week’s … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Sold Fewer Pixels at the Start of 2019 Than the Year Before, Despite Launch of Pixel 3 Line
Google doesn’t sound like it’s had a great time trying to sell consumers on its Pixel line of phones lately, in part because there’s too much competition for high-end devices—at least according to remarks made during an earnings call with Ruth Porat, chief financial officer of Google’s parent company Alphabet. Per the Verge, Porat said … Continued
By Tom McKay -
Tech NewsFacebook
Mozilla Calls Out Facebook for ‘Failing’ on Ad Transparency
Over at Facebook, it’s been a year of controversy and climbing profits. In an effort to address critics who say Facebook’s advertising business — the money maker that fuels the world’s biggest social network — is used to unfairly sway elections and amplify misinformation, the Silicon Valley company launched an expanded Ad Library last month … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
UK Police Want Rape Survivors to Hand Over Their Phones
Survivors of sexual assault in England and Wales will now risk having their case dropped if they don’t hand over their electronic devices to police, giving law enforcement access to some of their most intimate personal data. Victims also risk being charged with entirely separate crimes if they choose to comply. According to the Associated … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Apple, Enough With the Slow-Ass Chargers
You may not know it, but your iPhone—if an iPhone 8 or later—is capable of much faster charging. The only problem is, Apple doesn’t give you the stuff necessary for it. But a new rumor claims that could be changing, and it should. Apple’s phones are currently shipped with a standard 5W charging cube. If … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsTech Policy
New Research Shows Why the Sprint/T-Mobile Merger Could Be a Disaster for Your Wallet
Despite a lengthy process that started way back in the spring of 2018, today Sprint and T-Mobile agreed to extend the deadline for their proposed merger another two months until June 29th. However, even if the FCC ends up approving the deal, after seeing a new study by mobile data analysts Rewheel, it’ll be hard … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
The Pet Rock of the Future Is a $75 Wireless Meditation Pebble
Do you ever feel like you need to collapse? Overwhelmed with the pace of life, work and social obligations, and the flurry of apocalyptic news notifications. Do you ever slump over and stare at all the rectangle boxes that drain you of energy and happiness, but are always low on power, slowly dying, and creeping … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
Walmart’s Plan to Decimate Netflix Is Reportedly ‘Shoppable Content’
Walmart has big plans to bring you the family-friendly original content you never asked for on its streaming service—but it also reportedly wants to get you to buy stuff while you’re watching. Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reports that the big box retailer plans to use Vudu, the streaming service it aquired in … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Workers Set Up Phone Banks To Demand Congress Put an End to Forced Arbitration
Over the last several months, Google workers have organized and protested unfair labor practices, and while these efforts first started by pushing for change within their own company, they’ve since expanded to all workers. And on Monday, Google employees are urging people around the country to call Congress to end the practice of forced arbitration. … Continued
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Tech News
Did Twitter Keep Tabs on Journalists’ Political Leanings?
The question is not at all hypothetical. Much of the coverage of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s ongoing press tour has focused on splashier news, like him appearing on the podcast of antivaxxer Ben Greenfield to recount his alarming personal health practices. But in guest spots on the podcasts of atheist philosopher Sam Harris and standup-turned-MMA-commentator … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook’s Future As a Digital Graveyard
It’s not a wild notion for Facebook adoption to dramatically slow down over time. And while a certain board member may be hellbent on cheating death, our own mortality is even more inevitable than Facebook’s decline. Researchers are now looking at the intersection of these two realities, posing the question—will Facebook soon be more graveyard … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
United and Delta Cover Their Seatback Cameras in Bid to Stop Freaking You Out
Evidently registering that no one wants to be stared down by a camera for the entirety of their flight, United and Delta are now covering the tiny in-unit cameras in the back-of-seat entertainment units on their planes. American Airlines may be considering a similar move. BuzzFeed News last week reported on the small, black stickers … Continued
By Catie Keck -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Hungry Hackers Use McDonald’s App to Steal $1,500 in Fast Food
It’s unclear if there is one mysterious Hamburglar hacker or multiple scammers, but for months, users of the Canadian McDonald’s app, “My McD’s,” have been complaining about someone gaining access to their accounts to fuel their feeding frenzies. Last week, Canadian journalist Patrick O’Rourke, managing editor of Mobile Syrup, became the latest known victim of … Continued
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Tech NewsNews
A Theory About Why Last Night’s Game of Thrones Was Too Dark to Watch
Last night’s Game of Thrones supposedly showcased the largest battle ever shot for TV. I say supposedly because I couldn’t see most of the action—nor could a lot of other people, who complained all over Twitter that the episode was too dark. After the episode ended, I was curious. I would like to assume that … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech NewsGadgets
Leaked Pic of Moto’s Bendy Razr Reboot Looks Damn Good
The foldable phone era has had a rough start. So, when rumors started swirling that Moto was going to revive the Razr and give it a bendy display, it seemed like a dicey proposition at best. But just recently, a purported leaked image of said Razr reboot hit the net, and some of those fears were quickly … Continued
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Tech NewsSamsung
You Animals Love Vertical Video So Much Samsung Made a TV That Turns Sideways
It was bound to happen at some point. Realizing that young people like to look at social media on their phones, Samsung is releasing a new TV in Korea that can flip from landscape mode to portrait mode. That means millennials can beam their Snapchat to a big screen, and who knows if that’s a … Continued