Do you own an iPhone 8? If so, you may have problems. Apple has recently reported that a small percentage of iPhone 8s "contain logic boards with a manufacturing defect. Affected devices may experience unexpected restarts, a frozen screen, or won't turn on." The company has isolated the defect to phones manufactured between September 2017 to March 2018, in Hong Kong, India, Japan, China, New Zealand, Macau, and the United States. To find out if you've got one of the impacted iPhone 8s, … Read more
Android Still Tracking Users With Location History Turned Off
According to Google's support page on the matter, disabling your phone's "Location History" in your phone's privacy settings will prevent Google from tracking every move you make. The support page reads as follows: "You can turn off Location History at any time. With Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored." That doesn't leave much in the way of wiggle room. A pity it's not even close to being true. A new investigation conducted by the Associated Press reveals … Read more
Social Media App Filters Could Alter Beauty Perception
File this one away under "unintended consequences." There's a newly emerging trend in the medical community called "Snapchat Dysmorphia" that's leaving plastic surgeons around the country to sound the alarm, and in some cases, scratch their heads in disbelief. Recent research conducted at Boston University has discovered that the digital filters featured prominently in social media services like Snapchat are influencing how Millennials think about beauty. It's causing significant numbers of … Read more
Android Gets New OS Update Named Android Pie
Android 9 is finally here, at least for some users. As of today, if you have any of the following phones, you can get the latest update: The Google Pixel The Pixel XL The Pixel 2 The Pixel 2 XL The Essential Phone The company is currently working with other vendors to make the new update available. So if you've got an Android device other than those listed above, you should have access to the new version later this fall. As to features, there's a lot to like. Google … Read more
Microsoft Is Keeping Classic Skype, For Now
Microsoft recently found itself on the receiving end of more than a little user rage when they made significant changes to Skype, with the release of version 8. The company's original plan was to model Skype 8 after several different social media services, but the users found the new interface to be both annoying and frustrating. On the face of it, Skype 8 boasts a number of impressive enhancements, enabling users to screenshare inside calls, connecting with up to 24 users simultaneously and … Read more
The Internet May Be Hurting Your Sleep
Can you imagine life without the always-on internet? If you're like most people today, it's a simply indispensable tool, and the thought of suddenly being without it makes you shudder and brings images of the Dark Ages to mind. It's glorious, no doubt, and it really is a remarkable tool, but unfortunately, it's not all upside. A recent study funded by the European Research Council has concluded that access to broadband internet access costs you as much as 25 minutes of lost sleep every … Read more
Girl Scouts Can Now Earn New Badges For High Technical Skills
The girl scouts have officially moved into the 21st century. The Girl Scouts of America recently announced the creation of a whole raft of new badges that address (in the organization's words) "some of society's most pressing needs." A total of 30 new badges will be available exclusively for girls between the ages of five to eighteen for efforts and advocacy in the following areas: Computer Science Cybersecurity Environment Robotics Space Exploration Badges are awarded on … Read more
Bug In Facebook May Have Unblocked People You Blocked
Facebook recently announced a site bug that impacted the privacy settings of more than 800,000 of its users. If you're one of the unfortunate souls who has been affected, then people you had formerly blocked may have become unblocked, and can now see your posts. For many people, that's not a huge deal. In some cases, say for example, if you blocked your ex-girlfriend, boyfriend, or wife and were impacted, they may be able to see things you don't want them to. Facebook's official statement … Read more
Yahoo Messenger Will Shut Down In July
It's the end of the line for Yahoo Messenger. As of July, it will be no more, marking the end of an era. The announcement comes just six months after AIM (the old AOL messaging program) was shut down. The first major messaging programs from the early days of the internet will soon be a thing of the past. Users will have six months to download their chat histories from Yahoo Messenger. If they haven't gotten what they need by then, they'll lose their chance forever. It probably won't … Read more
