Samsung is working on a secret phone that folds into a square
If you miss flip phones, you will like Samsung’s latest foldable phone that will reportedly debut early next year. According to reports, Samsung is working on its second foldable phone, which will fold like a flip phone. The screen would be 6.7 inches and would fold out into a compact square.
Game of Thrones and HBO lead in nominations for the 2019 Emmy Awards
Game of Thrones and HBO led the pack in the nominations of the 2019 Emmy awards, which were announced on Tuesday. Critical darlings like Chernobyl and Veep also received numerous nominations. Here's the complete list of nominees.
The FTC wants to know if Juul used influencers to target e-cigarettes at minors
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has started an investigation into marketing practices used by popular e-cigarette company Juul, but the company told Digital Trends that it spent very little on influencer marketing and never targeted teens.
Nike tightens its grip on smart shoes with new laces controlled by Siri
Nike's newest shoe is a modern take on a the classic Huarache sneaker with laces that can be controlled by Apple's Siri. The Nike Adapt Huarache, which the company announced on Thursday, uses FitAdapt self-lacing technology that is paired with Apple’s Siri to tighten or loosen your laces.
Tesla launches car insurance for its customers, promising 30% cheaper rates
Elon Musk's Tesla is getting into the insurance business: the company just launched Tesla Insurance to customers in California. The company said on Wednesday that they would offer rates that are between 20% and 30% lower than other insurance companies. Tesla said it would expand the program to other states in the future
Apple apologizes for letting contractors listen to Siri recordings of sex
Apple issued a rare apology for allowing contractors to listen to Siri recordings and announced Wednesday they won't be listening to your Siri conversations by default anymore. The contractors had overheard recordings that included couples having sex, discussions of private medical information, and even drug deals
Facebook has strict new rules for political ads ahead of the 2020 election
Ahead of the 2020 election, Facebook announced changes to its ad policies that will require new disclosures for political ads that appear on the site and Instagram. Facebook said that they will ad “confirmed organization” disclaimers beginning mid-September.
India’s Chandrayaaan-2 lunar lander sent back a gorgeous photo of the moon
India’s Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft just captured a mesmerizing photo of its view of the moon. The spacecraft reached the moon’s orbit on August 20, after launching on July 22. On Thursday, the Indian Space Research Organisation tweeted the first photo of the moon the uncrewed mission has captured.
Instagram has more ads than ever and it’s all Facebook’s fault
If you’ve noticed more ads while scrolling Instagram, you're not alone. Last year, Facebook gave Instagram instructions to “roughly double” their ads. The Facebook-owned app displays its ads in the Stories feature, right in your feed, and in the Explore feature.
Phone companies say they finally have a way to block robocalls for good
Twelve of the biggest American phone companies, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, took a pledge on Thursday to start using a new technology that would identify and block robocalls. The carriers are partnering with 51 attorneys general and will announce the pledge in Washington.
The real reason fake social media accounts will haunt us for years to come
Over the past week, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn have all disclosed that they've removed legions of fake accounts from their platforms. Phony accounts on social media are nothing new, but the problem seems to continue even though platforms say they're working to stop it.
Here’s your first look at Harley-Davidson’s new line of ebikes
Harley-Davidson introduced a new line of prototype electric bicycles, giving us our first look at the iconic motorcycle company's ideas for the world of ebikes. While described as future concepts, the images are an intriguing preview of where the company could be going with its ebike design.
Is Facebook biased against conservatives? Here’s what a GOP-led report found
A new report by former Arizona GOP Senator Jon Kyl took a look at whether Facebook is biased against conservatives. The report found that conservatives don't trust Facebook, but found little in the way of anti-conservative bias on the platform.
Elon Musk likes Newt Gingrich’s $2 billion moon base prize
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk really likes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's idea to award a $2 billion prize to anyone who can build and run a base on the moon. Gingrich proposed the contest, which would allow private space companies to compete to see who can establish and run the first lunar base.
India’s lunar mission just got one giant leap closer to the moon
India’s uncrewed lunar mission entered into the moon’s orbit on Tuesday, bringing it within striking distance of its historic goal, according to an announcement from the Indian Space Research Organisation. The Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft is expected to land on the surface of the moon on September 7
Facebook is hiring actual human journalists to fight fake news
Facebook is looking to hire journalists whose job will be to fight fake news. The social media giant said it plans to hire a team of journalists that will curate a dedicated news section known as the News Tab within the mobile app. Facebook posted job listings for journalists on Tuesday, August 20.
China is running Hong Kong disinformation campaigns through Facebook and Twitter
Facebook and Twitter removed accounts from their platforms that they say were focused on discrediting the protest situation in Hong Kong. The two social networks announced that they found accounts, pages, and groups that had coordinated, manipulative content regarding the Hong Kong protests.
Buy less, give more: Amazon will donate products you don’t buy to charity
Amazon will now donate all unsold and returned products to charities with a new initiative the company is calling Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Donations. Marketplace sellers on Amazon can use the FBA program to donate eligible products starting in September. Currently, many unsold products end up in landfills.
Amazon’s facial recognition updates can detect fear, among other emotions
Amazon’s facial recognition software can detect emotion on people’s faces, including fear. The company announced improvements in gender identification and emotion detection, including: Happy, sad, angry, surprised, disgusted, calm, confused, and fear.
British Airways will test virtual reality headsets for first-class passengers
First-class passengers on British Airways will soon get even more perks when the airline begins testing a new virtual headset. For the rest of the year, first-class customers on select international flights can watch in-flight entertainment through custom VR headsets for the eight-hour flight duration.
Facebook admits it was listening to your private conversations, too
Facebook outsourced contractors to listen in on your audio messenger chats and transcribe them. Contractors were not told why they were listening in on audio recordings and did not know why they were transcribing them. Facebook confirmed the reports but said the company is no longer transcribing audio.
CBS and Viacom merge into ViacomCBS to create original premium content
Media giants CBS and Viacom announced on Tuesday plans to reunite that will combine the companies into one as ViacomCBS. The combined content library of ViacomCBS will include more than 140,000 TV episodes and 3,600 films, with plans to create new, original content as well.
You can get up to $500 if you ever owned a first-gen Google Pixel
If you had an original Google Pixel, you could be eligible to file for a $500 claim. The claims website is now open to people who bought an original Pixel or Pixel XL in the U.S. that was manufactured before January 4, 2017. Pixel owners could get up to $500 if multiple defective devices were purchased.
Domino’s swerves around traffic by expanding its ebike pizza delivery service
Your Domino’s pizza could now be delivered to you via ebike, according to an announcement from the pizza company. Through a partnership with Rad Power Bikes, Domino’s is hoping to solve the problems of traffic congestion and the difficulty of finding parking for those delivering pizza in a car.
Third-generation Snapchat Spectacles capture photos and video in 3D
Snap Inc. announced new Spectacles sunglasses on Tuesday so that you can capture your world in a 3D view. The Spectacles 3 glasses have two cameras on both sides of the frames that can capture depth and dimension, similar to how our eyes see the world, so your followers can see from your perspective.
Facebook could pay another multibillion-dollar fine over facial recognition
Facebook could have to pay yet another multi-billion dollar fine after losing an appeals court decision on Thursday regarding the company’s use of facial recognition data. The company could appeal the decision and take it all the way to the Supreme Court.
The FBI wants to get its hands on your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram data
The FBI is looking for a partner to collect data from your social media profiles, which could pit it against new privacy policies Facebook agreed to as part of its $5 billion settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Hackers can fake WhatsApp messages that seem like they’re from you
A WhatsApp security vulnerability has been revealed that could allow someone to intercept or manipulate messages within personal conversations in the app. A 2018 report from Check Point Research found three vulnerabilities within the popular Facebook-owned app. One of the three issues has been fixed, Check Point says.
Elizabeth Warren says screw your ISP. Let’s make the internet a public utility
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced her plan to increase rural internet access by creating what she called a “public option for broadband." Warren laid out a plan to increase municipal broadband to bring a high-speed internet connection to every American home