Month: August 2019
Apple suspends humans ‘grading’ recordings
Apple has suspended the practice of having human contractors listen to Siri recordings after concerns were raised about user privacy. A report by The Guardian last week revealed the company used the programme to listen to a small number of recordings from the voice assistant to grade them. The report said contractors had regularly heard…
Google to offer Android users choice of search engines
Google will allow users across Europe to choose their preferred search engine when setting up a new Android smartphone from next year, following last year’s record EU fine. In July 2018 the tech firm was told to pay £3.9 billion by the European Commission competition authorities for allegedly abusing its market position through the Android…
Facebook removes accounts for ‘spreading misinformation’
Facebook has announced the removal of hundreds of accounts from the social network originating in the Middle East. The company said it had found and removed two separate operations involved in “co-ordinated inauthentic behaviour” which was trying to mislead other users. Facebook said both operations – one originating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and…
Younger mobile phone users ‘suffering from load rage’
It takes young people in the UK less than one minute to get annoyed while waiting for phone content to download, research suggests. The survey of UK smartphone users by Chinese phone maker OnePlus suggests that young people are five times more likely to lose their temper because of slow download speeds than older phone…
Gaming star Ninja leaves Twitch for Mixer
Fortnite superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has left Twitch and is taking his video game live streams to Microsoft’s Mixer platform. Blevins’ move ends a hugely profitable partnership with Twitch, a live streaming giant owned by Amazon. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities Twitch has provided me,” Blevins told The Associated Press. “But as I looked…
Alexa gains free ad-supported Amazon Music
Devices using Alexa in the UK can access a selection of free ad-supported music from Amazon Music, as competition against the likes of Spotify heats up. The tech firm said it is making playlists and stations available to users at no extra cost, marking Amazon’s first step into free music streaming funded by advertising. People…
How to Throw an Extravagant Party
You probably have attended parties on different occasions, and you may have noticed a difference in the design and arrangement of each gathering. The choices you make for your party will determine its caliber. Throwing an extravagant party does not mean you go beyond the budget, or get into debt. It only means you make…
Playing mobile games ‘more effective stress reliever than mindfulness’
Playing games on a smartphone may relieve work stress more effectively than using a mindfulness app, according to a study. Researchers at UCL in London and the University of Bath gave students a 15-minute maths test before asking them to play a shape-fitting game, use a mindfulness app or twirl a fidget-spinner toy. They completed…
NASA space telescope finds ‘first nearby super-Earth’
A NASA planet spotting telescope has uncovered another three planets, which scientists say include the first nearby super-Earth. The planet, called GJ 357 d, orbits a star around 31 light years away in the so-called habitable zone, an area far enough from its star not be too hot but close enough to not be too…
Ofcom approves BBC plan to extend iPlayer catch-up option
Ofcom has approved the BBC’s plan to extend the iPlayer catch-up window to 12 months, subject to “certain conditions and guidance”. The broadcaster intends to change iPlayer from a 30-day catch-up service to make programmes available for 12 months as standard, with some available for longer.All children’s programming will be available for five years under the…
