THOUGH CHROME LAUNCHED in 2008 as a scrappy upstart, it has for years been the dominant web browser, with over 60 percent market share on both desktop and mobile. So when Chrome adjusts its features or policies, it impacts a huge chunk of people worldwide. And a recent change to how Chrome treats logins has shown how poorly those alterations can go over.
Category: News and Views
Amazon insists on putting Alexa where no one wants it | Mashable
In Jeff Bezos’s vision of the future, microwaving a potato is a multi-step, error-ridden, complicated affair.
This much was made clear at a press event in Seattle today, where Amazon unveiled a host of new household products that integrate with the company’s voice assistant, Alexa. In doing so, Amazon succeeded in more than just debuting a voice-controlled microwave. Indeed, in the course of today’s IRL informercial the company managed to do something much more remarkable: give life to the adage that just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.
Is Your Smartphone Making You Dumb? | Psychology Today
Imagine that after a routine medical exam your doctor delivers some devastating news: Since your last checkup, your cognitive performance has plummeted. Your ability to connect with others has eroded. And your memory for everyday events is no longer operating as it once did.
As it turns out, there is a cure and it won’t cost you a penny. The treatment is simple: All that’s required is that you put away your smartphone.
Few of us will have this conversation with our doctors. But perhaps we should. Over the last few years, scientists have begun studying the way cell phones affect the human experience. And the early results are alarming.
Walmart is where the trade war comes home | Money CNN
Two weeks ago, Walmart asked the Trump administration to walk back its plan to put tariffs on Christmas lights, shampoo, dog food, luggage, mattresses, handbags, backpacks, vacuum cleaners, bicycles, cooking grills, cable cords and air conditioners.
In a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the company said expanded tariffs on Chinese imports would hurt its customers, its suppliers and the US economy.
What is Amazon Storefronts? | Business News Daily
Amazon Storefronts is a new way for small and medium-sized businesses to sell products directly through Amazon. Amazon has established a separate section where it will highlight small businesses, feature curated collections of unique products and provide a platform for an online small business experience. Instead of navigating thousands of online sellers, Amazon wants customers to interact with small businesses and have an intimate, mom-and-pop-shop experience through the online platform.
Amazon prices for cases of water fluctuate ahead of Hurricane Florence | Business Insider
Amazon is being criticized for appearing to inflate prices as residents of North and South Carolina prepare for Hurricane Florence to make landfall.
Many local grocery and warehouse stores have sold out of basics like cases of water, so some locals have turned online to buy goods to prepare for the storm. What they’ve found is water cases that cost over $20 for a few dozen bottles — far more than their usual cost.
Google fights plan to extend ‘right to be forgotten’ | BBC News
European rules that allow individuals the “right to be forgotten” online could be extended worldwide.
The European Court of Justice is hearing evidence on the matter and will rule in 2019.
Google argues that extending the law could turn it into a tool for censorship, in “less democratic” regimes.
France’s regulator said that Google is currently not respecting the rights of citizens to have information erased.
Apple’s 5G iPhone conundrum | TechCrunch
Wednesday is Apple’s big product release day, where analysts expect the company to release the next edition of the iPhone. While the usual upgrades to the screen, CPU, and storage are expected as always, one major lingering question is how the company is going to handle 5G, the next-generation telecommunications standard.
The conventional wisdom among analysts is that Apple will ignore 5G in 2018 and 2019 just as it took extra time to rollout 3G and 4G chipsets in its phones. A typical example of this analysis comes from Chris Smith at BGR, who says that “We already saw what Apple did when 4G LTE came out. The company waited for carriers actually to offer decent coverage before launching the first 4G iPhone. That was the iPhone 5, by the way, which launched more than a year after the first Android-based LTE phones came out.”
Crypto Market is Crashing Hard Again, Here’s Why | Mashable
The cryptocurrency market is bleeding for the second consecutive day, with prices of most popular coins down double digits in the last 24 hours.
Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is down 12.4% in this period according to CoinMarketCap and is currently trading at $6,426. Other coins are having it even worse: Ethereum is down 20.5%, Ripple is down 13.3%, Bitcoin Cash is down 20.1% and EOS is down 22.3%.
For Ethereum, the second largest coin by market cap, this is the low point of the year. The cryptocurrency hasn’t been priced this low since August 2017.
Facebook, Twitter executives head back to Capitol Hill for another grilling | Money CNN
The Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing on foreign use of social media to influence US politics took place Wednesday morning with two of the big tech companies that senators wanted to hear from present — and one empty chair.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey were in the room and testifying. Google had offered to send Kent Walker, its senior vice president of global affairs, but the committee declined, saying it wanted someone more senior. Google did not offer anyone. So next to Sandberg and Dorsey was an empty chair, with a placecard for Google.
