Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to talk about the EU investigation into Apple Music, and journalism versus surprises.
Amazon Fired Pregnant Women. Now They Are Suing.
Working conditions in Amazon’s fulfillment centers have long been a matter of controversy. Now, a number of pregnant women who worked in the warehouses are filing lawsuits. CNET looked into the cases.
CNET reviewed seven lawsuits against Amazon filed by pregnant warehouse workers who were fired over the last eight years and alleged that the company failed to accommodate their needs. The requests included longer bathroom breaks and fewer continuous hours on their feet, according to the lawsuits, but in all of the cases the expectant mothers were fired after telling their managers they were pregnant. Six of the cases were settled out of court. These cases fuel the perception that Amazon and CEO Jeff Bezos have created grueling conditions at their US fulfillment centers in the rush to build the online marketplace for everything.
App Usage Can Predict Cognitive Decline in Older Adults
An Apple research paper called “App Usage Predicts Cognitive Ability in Older Adults” says that iPhone usage can help predict cognitive decline in older adults [PDF].
To characterize smartphone usage among older adults, we collected iPhone usage data from 84 healthy older adults over three months. We find that older adults use fewer apps, take longer to complete tasks, and send fewer messages. We use cognitive test results from these same older adults to then show that up to 79% of these differences can be explained by cognitive decline, and that we can predict cognitive test performance from smartphone usage with 83% ROCAUC. While older adults differ from younger adults in app usage behavior, the «cognitively young» older adults use smartphones much like their younger counterparts. Our study suggests that to better support all older adults, researchers and developers should consider the full spectrum of cognitive function.
How to Charge Your Smartphone Correctly
Antonio Villas-Boas says there is a right way and a wrong way to charge our smartphones.
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you might be reducing your phone battery’s lifespan with certain charging behaviors.
Specifically, if you often charge your phone overnight or keep it plugged in for hours after it’s reached 100%, you’re accelerating the aging process of lithium-ion smartphone batteries.
I don’t think this is entirely correct though. Most smartphones have something called trickle charge, which helps extend the battery life by slowing the charge rate and pulsing the electric current on and off to reduce battery load once it reaches 80%. Apple explains here.
New vs. Used/Refurb, USB Disconnects, Notifications, and Ethernet Locations – Mac Geek Gab 760
This week your two favorite geeks tackle your questions about USB disconnects, «no Internet connection» reports, creating short video clips from long segments, and when (and whether!) to buy new or look for refurb/used. Listen as John and Dave talk you through all of this and much, much more. Press play, download, and enjoy learning at least five new things!
Glasses As Health Tracker, TMO Tips – TMO Daily Observations 2019-05-03
Andrew Orr and Charlotte Henry join host Kelly Guimont to talk about Apple making glasses as health trackers and share some tips and tricks.
Facebook is Building its Own Cryptocurrency-Based Payments System
Facebook is developing its own payment system based on cryptocurrency. The Wall Street Journal reported that the social network is bringing in finance firms and online merchants to support its efforts.
The effort, should it succeed, threatens to upend the traditional, lucrative plumbing of e-commerce and would likely be the most mainstream application yet of cryptocurrency. It comes as the social-media giant is under intense pressure from regulators, users and shareholders to address privacy shortcomings. At the heart of the initiative, under way for more than a year and code-named Project Libra, is a digital coin that its users could send to each other and use to make purchases both on Facebook and across the internet, according to people familiar with the matter.
Warren Buffett Pleased With Apple's Earning Report
Warren Buffett was pleased with Apple’s latest earnings report. He told CNBC that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, ‘haven’t changed our [Apple] holdings.” It holds around $50 billion worth of Apple stock.
“I was pleased with what they reported,” Buffett said, while noting he never makes investment decisions based on a single quarterly report. “What they talked about and reported is consistent with the reason we own $50 billion-plus of Apple.” Berkshire owned more than $40 billion worth of the tech giant as of end of last year, according to its 2018 annual letter. The conglomerate decreased its stake in Apple by nearly 3 million shares in the fourth quarter of 2018, but Buffett said at the time that the selling wasn’t under his direction.
Man Swallows AirPod - And It Still Worked
A man in Tawain recently fell asleep listening to his AirPods. When he awoke, he could on find one. The Daily Mail reported that the missing AirPod was found in his stomach…and it still worked.
Ben Hsu fell asleep with the pair of wireless headphones still in his ears but woke up unable to find one of them. Using an iPhone tracking feature he discovered the device was still in his room and heard its beeping sound following him around. He said: ‘I checked under my blanket and looked around but couldn’t find it – then I realized the sound was coming from my stomach.’ The Navy recruiter, from Taiwan’s south-western port city of Kaohsiung, said he did not feel any discomfort.
News+: Stories of Being the Neighborhood Tech Support
In CNET’s latest issue of its magazine, Dan Ackerman shares some stories from his days as the neighborhood tech guy. Warning: This is a PDF magazine, and the story starts on page 42.
It’s a big responsibility being the first responder for domestic technology emergencies, but most of us secretly relish knowing that our friends and neighbors think we’re so smart (especially when we usually just Google the answer, like they should have done in the first place).
This is part of Andrew’s News+ series, where he shares a magazine every Friday to help people discover good content in Apple News+.







