An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Bad news for lovers of smaller phones: the iPhone 12 mini has sold poorly compared to other phones in the iPhone 12 lineup — poorly enough that analysts wonder whether Apple will remain committed to the smaller phone design moving forward. A data firm called Counterpoint Research found that the iPhone 12…
Tag: Apple
Amazon Plans Wall-Mounted Echo as Smart Home Command Center
Amazon is developing a new Echo device with a large touchscreen that attaches to the wall and serves as a smart home control panel, video chat device and media player, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the plans. From a report: The company’s Lab126 hardware division is designing the device to be a digital command center, showing users upcoming calendar events,…
Developer Exposes Multiple Scam Apps on the App Store, Some Bringing in Millions of Dollars in Revenue
Over the past several weeks, developer Kosta Eleftheriou has been highlighting many apparent scam applications on the App Store. The formula for each scam application is virtually identical, and it centers on fake reviews and ratings paired with a deceptive weekly subscription. From a report: Eleftheriou is the developer behind FlickType, a popular Apple Watch keyboard application that brings gesture typing…
Evading Censors, Chinese Users Flock To U.S. Chat App Clubhouse
“The U.S. app Clubhouse erupted among Chinese social-media users over the weekend,” reports Bloomberg, “with thousands joining discussions on contentious subjects…undisturbed by Beijing’s censors.” On the invite-only, audio-based social app where users host informal conversations, Chinese-speaking communities from around the world gathered to discuss China-Taiwan relations and the prospects of unification, and to share their knowledge and experience of Beijing’s crackdown…
‘I Checked Apple’s New Privacy Nutrition Labels. Many Were False.’
Long-time Slashdot reader Futurepower(R) shared this investigation from the Washington Post’s technology writer: When I spot-checked what a couple dozen apps claim about privacy in the App Store, I found more than a dozen that were either misleading or flat-out inaccurate… Apple’s big privacy product is built on a shaky foundation: the honor system. In tiny print on the detail page…
Customized Apple-Themed Game Boy Color Doubles As An Apple TV Remote
Italian YouTuber Otto Climan modded an original Game Boy Color handheld to act as an Apple TV remote. Gizmodo reports: Otto Climan started with an original Game Boy Color handheld that they upgraded with a backlit LCD display because the GBC arrived well before Nintendo stopped using dim screens that strained your eyes. For the custom white case adorned with Apple’s…
Google Explores Alternative To Apple’s New Anti-Tracking Feature
Google is exploring an alternative to Apple’s new anti-tracking feature, the latest sign that the internet industry is slowly embracing user privacy, Bloomberg is reporting, citing people with knowledge of the matter. From the report: Internally, the search giant is discussing how it can limit data collection and cross-app tracking on the Android operating system in a way that is less…
Pakistan Forced Down Apps Made By a Persecuted Religious Minority
An anonymous reader quotes a report from BuzzFeed News: Over the last two years, the government of Pakistan has forced Google and Apple to take down apps in the country created by developers based in other nations who are part of a repressed religious minority. The move is part of a crackdown led by the country’s telecommunications regulator targeting the Ahmadiyya…
Parler CEO John Matze Says Company’s Board Fired Him
John Matze, CEO and co-founder of far-right friendly social media platform Parler, said on LinkedIn Wednesday that he has been terminated. Axios reports: Parler has been at the center of controversy since Amazon Web Services, Apple and Google unplugged the network last month for its lack of content moderation related to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In a memo obtained by…
Facebook Testing Notification To Users About Apple Privacy Changes
Facebook is testing a notification that notifies Apple iOS users about ways the tech giant uses their data to target personalized ads to them. Axios reports: The test is happening in light of upcoming changes to Apple’s privacy settings that will make it harder for Facebook and others to collect data on Apple users for ad targeting. Facebook warned investors last…