Monday, 1 April 2019

Apple recruits Tesla's head of electric powertrains










Just because Apple scaled back its self-driving car team doesn't mean it's out of the game. If anything, it made a potentially significant hire.

Google Maps adds Snakes game in app for April Fools’ Day 8 Snakes on a ... train?









The company says that the game is rolling out now to iOS and Android users globally today, and that it’ll remain on the app for the rest of the week. It also launched a standalone site to play the game if you don’t have the app.
Users can find the game in the menu of the Maps app. To play, you select a city (Cairo, São Paulo, London, Sydney, San Francisco, Tokyo, or the entire world), and swipe to move your train or bus around the map to pick up passengers and landmarks.

Sunday, 31 March 2019

Forget AirPods 2, Apple Accidentally Leaks Upgraded Rival











Interested in AirPods 2? Put your money away because Apple has just accidentally leaked a second pair of its premium wireless buds and, for many people, they will be the better buy…

Google Removes Anti-Gay App After Backlash








Google removed an app that promoted so-called “conversion therapy” from its Play Store, following pressure from an LGBT rights lobby.

Saturday, 30 March 2019

Google goofs by accidentally leaking new Nest Hub Max smart display







Google made a big goof today when, in what seemed like a relatively minor update to the connected home section of its online Google Store, it accidentally leaked the existence of a new Nest product. In the image, captured before it was taken down by Android Police, you can see Google touting the benefits of the new Nest Hub Max, as it’s called.

Thursday, 28 March 2019

Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 drops to just $700 for 6-hour flash sale









Its latest flagship the Galaxy S10 might be getting the most attention these days, but Samsung is still trying to generate some sales of last year’s Galaxy Note 9 ahead of its own refresh this coming summer.

Google is taking a cautious step back into the world of robotics









Google is reportedly “retooling” its troubled robotics efforts, according to a report from The New York Times. The new operation is simply named Robotics at Google and will be led by AI scientist Vincent Vanhoucke.

The 10 best smartphones you can buy right now

1. SAMSUNG GALAXY S10/S10 PLUS









While the Galaxy Note 9 is a stunning device, Samsung pulled out all the stops on the S10 Plus with a newer processor, more RAM, larger capacity battery, and two extra cameras when compared to the Galaxy Note 9. You will not find any other smartphone today that packs in as much technology and capability as the Galaxy S10 Plus and it clearly deserves the top spot.

Last year's S9 Plus was a solid Android smartphone, but the S10 Plus improves upon that device with an ultra-wide camera, much longer battery life, greatly improved software with One UI (update is coming to the S9 Plus), and the ability to wirelessly charge up other devices.

Wednesday, 27 March 2019

Huawei launches powerhouse P30 and P30 Pro smartphones.











Huawei has revealed its new range of P30 flagship smartphones at a launch event in Paris.The company revealed the P30 and P30 Pro smartphones at the event, which both include aselection of powerful features.Huawei’s P30 and P30 Pro offer great new camera functionality in addition to an overhauled design which minimises the presence of the front camera notch while expanding the edges of the OLED display.Major changes include the addition of in-screen optical fingerprint sensors on both the P30 and P30 Pro, with the P30 Pro also getting support for wireless charging.

Tuesday, 26 March 2019

He Tried to Bilk Google and Facebook Out of $100 Million With Fake Invoices









A Lithuanian man and his associates found a bold way to steal from Facebook and Google, according to his guilty plea last week: They asked for money via email.
More specifically, they sent fraudulent invoices to the California-based tech giants. The invoices were apparently good enough to persuade Google, which is owned by Alphabet, and Facebook to wire a total of more than $100 million for them from 2013 to 2015, according to the Justice Department.

Apple is launching a new credit card for iPhone owners









Monday’s Apple event in Cupertino, California, was all about the company’s ever-expanding suite of services — which currently bring in about $10 billion per quarter and have only become more important to the company as it’s reached what looks like a plateau in iPhone sales. In addition to the new Apple credit card, Cook announced a subscription gaming service called Apple Arcade, a new streaming service called Apple TV Channels, a subscription news service called Apple News+ (in which Vox is participating).

Monday, 25 March 2019

Man stole $122m from Facebook and Google by sending them random bills, which the companies dutifully paid










Last week, Evaldas Rimasauskas of Lithuania plead guilty to US wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering charges, admitting that he had stolen $99m from Facebook and $23m from Google between 2013 and 2015.

Liveblog: Apple unveils its TV service and more at the March 25 “It’s show time” event









At 10am Pacific on Monday, March 25, Apple and its partners will take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, Calif., to talk about a new TV-streaming platform, a new magazine-subscription service, and possibly much more. We'll be liveblogging the event as it happens, so join us here a few minutes before the show for all the updates.

Sunday, 24 March 2019

GOOGLE FINED $1.7 BLN FOR SEARCH AD BLOCKS IN THIRD EU SANCTION










The European Commission, which said the fine accounted for 1.29 percent of Google's turnover in 2018, said in a statement that the anti-competitive practices had lasted a decade.
BRUSSELS - Google was fined 1.49 billion euros ($1.7 billion) on Wednesday for blocking rival online search advertisers, the third large European Union antitrust penalty for the Alphabet business in two only years.

Facebook Admits It Can't Control Facebook Live -- Is This The End For Live Streaming?




In the aftermath of Christchurch has come the admission from Facebook that they can’t control Facebook Live. There’s too much content in general but not enough abhorrent content in particular to properly train their AI. And relying on users to report real time infringements has proven wholly inadequate.

Apple’s next iPhone might be able to wirelessly charge other devices










Huawei and Samsung recently introduced a helpful feature in some of their latest phones — the ability charge other devices wirelessly off of the new phones, allowing you to share a bit of your battery life in a pinch.

Friday, 22 March 2019

Tips on how to get more space in your Google storage










For many of us, Google storage is the modern-day hard drive. It’s the place where our most important thoughts, documents, and memories reside. But just like with a traditional hard drive, the space isn’t infinite, and running out of room can be a real problem.


Samsung Galaxy S10e vs iPhone Xr – The real flagship battle










The price of flagship smartphones has been increasing rapidly, with Apple and Samsung among the greatest offenders.
Over the last four years, the price of a flagship Samsung smartphone has increased by 73%, while the price of a new iPhone has risen by 82%.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is a genius










Samsung’s Galaxy S10 smartphone was recently launched in South Africa, offering cutting-edge features across an attractive range of models.
Whether you opt to purchase the great-value Galaxy S10e, the flagship Galaxy S10, or the larger Galaxy S10+, you will have access to the same powerful processor and intelligent features.

Thursday, 21 March 2019

Apple is on a hardware-launching bonanza ahead of its big TV announcement









Apple has announced four new products so far this week, an unusual spree of releases for the technology giant which usually prefers to reveal new products as part of a flashy stage show. This week’s announcements of new versions of the iPad Mini, the iPad Air, the iMac and Apple’s AirPods were made quietly, through press releases posted early in the morning.


AirPods finally get update with wireless charging, Siri and more talk time













Apple introduced its second-generation AirPods
With some new and improved features. The second generation of AirPods have finally arrived.
Following a hardware update cycle that saw new iPads on Monday and refreshed iMacs on Tuesday, Apple released the long-awaited update to AirPods Wednesday.

Keeping the same name and largely same design as the original AirPods first released in 2016, the new earbuds start at $199 and come with a new wireless charging case, the ability to wirelessly summon Siri and Apple's new H1 chip which promises to add an extra hour of talk time.


Google Fined $1.7 Billion by E.U. for Unfair Advertising Rules.









LONDON — European authorities on Wednesday fined Google 1.5 billion euros for antitrust violations in the online advertising market, continuing its efforts to rein in the world’s biggest technology companies.

The fine, worth about $1.7 billion, is the third against Google by the European Union since 2017, reinforcing the region’s position as the world’s most aggressive watchdog of an industry with an increasingly powerful role in society and the global economy. The regulators said Google had violated antitrust rules by imposing unfair terms on companies that used its search bar on their websites in Europe.
br /> Europe’s regulatory

Tuesday, 19 March 2019

Foldable phones are about to make the US very jealous










The US is falling behind on phone design, and foldables are the proof. This year’s Mobile World Congress was full of foldables, from Huawei’s sleek Mate X to Xiaomi’s triple-folding model to TCL’s angular DragonHinge design to Oppo’s prototype to the clunky Royale FlexPai to LG’s sort-of-cheating V50 second screen.

ZTE’s next phone could slide sideways to reveal its cameras









Renders claiming to show an unannounced phone from ZTE called the Axon S have appeared online, showing a slider that moves horizontally to conceal its cameras.

Apple updates $399 iPad mini with Apple Pencil support

Apple has updated the iPad mini for the first time in three and a half years, refreshing the tablet with a new processor and support for the Apple Pencil stylus. The iPad mini now has last year’s A12 Bionic processor, instead of the A8 from 2014. Its storage is decreasing to 64GB, but its price remains the same at $399. Alongside the iPad mini, Apple also announced a new 10.5-inch iPad Air for $499.

Monday, 18 March 2019

What’s the Deal with Virtual Reality?

Has all the hype about virtual reality intrigued you? What’s going on with this virtual reality stuff anyway?


By now, virtual reality (VR) has probably made it on to your radar screen in some way. Maybe you’ve only heard about it in bits and pieces, or maybe you’ve tried it yourself. Whatever the case, virtual reality feels like it could be the new generation of advanced technology. So, what’s going on with virtual reality? How does it work? What impact is it having on your brain?

Google is about to reveal its plan to take on the $140 billion gaming industry, but experts are skeptical it has a chance

Google is getting into gaming.

The tech giant best known for its search engine and Android operating system for smartphones now seeks to take a stab at revolutionizing the $100+ billion gaming industry currently dominated by incumbents like Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. As Google seeks to diversify its revenue sources beyond digital ads, gaming presents a massive opportunity for the company.

How Apple stores changed for the worse, according to a former employee.

 Nothing stays the same for as long as we'd like it to.Time -- and its evil leech, money -- can warp things beyond recognition.When it comes to Apple stores, they've long been regarded as a fundamental pillar of the Apple experience.Malls still beg for an Apple store to open, because it changes the tone of the neighborhood.

Sunday, 17 March 2019

Demand for iPhone has gone ‘from bad to worse,’ analysts claim




There may be ‘iPhone fatigue’ after all.
Several Wall Street analysts claim public demand for Apple’s flagship handsets is getting worse, particularly in China.
The reports come after Apple published weak results for the latest quarter, underscored by steep declines in revenue from China and slowing iPhone sales.

Google denies working with the Chinese military after Trump criticism






Google denied "working with the Chinese military" on Saturday after President Donald Trump publicly criticised the company in an evening message posted on Twitter.

Qualcomm wins first US trial in patent dispute with Apple.



Qualcomm Inc. won the first U.S. jury trial in its global dispute with Apple Inc. over how much the iPhone maker should pay for using the chipmaker’s patented technology.

Apple AirPods Vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds: Which Wireless In-Ears Should You Buy?




Apple launched its true-wireless in-ear buds, the AirPods, more than two years ago. Now, Samsung has released its AirPods-killer, the Samsung Galaxy Buds. I’ve been using the AirPods since literally the day they were announced, and the Galaxy Buds from moments after they were revealed.