John Biggs writes how the Apple Watch changed the world. Not just the watch industry, but people in general.

Watch analysts believe that Apple created a halo effect. Of the millions of people who bought and wore an Apple Watch, a majority had never worn or thought about wearing a watch. Once they tried the Apple Watch, however, and outfitted it with leather bands, fancy Milanese loops and outfit-matching colors, the attitude changed. If wearing watches is so fun and expressive, why not try other, more storied pieces?

China is exporting its Great Firewall tech to other authoritarian countries, like Russia and Uganda, so they can censor their citizens better.

A new report from Freedom House — a US government-funded NGO — supports this. During 2018, the authors found, «internet freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year.»

«A cohort of countries is moving toward digital authoritarianism by embracing the Chinese model of extensive censorship and automated surveillance systems,» Freedom House said.

Book publishers want to breathe new life into the industry by making tiny books the size of a smartphone.

This month, Dutton, which is part of Penguin Random House, began releasing its first batch of mini books, with four reissued novels by the best-selling young-adult novelist John Green. The tiny editions are the size of a cellphone and no thicker than your thumb, with paper as thin as onion skin. They can be read with one hand — the text flows horizontally, and you can flip the pages upward, like swiping a smartphone.

I know this is a moot point but I already have smartphone-sized books inside my smartphone. Still though, I’m sure these will be popular among commuters and travelers.

The U.K. government wants Apple to open up the NFC chip so citizens can scan their passports. It will help EU citizens apply for residency after Brexit.

Home secretary Sajid Javid visited Apple in Cupertino to discuss the matter. Apple is said to be resistant and has not promised yet that it will change its NFC policy. The report says the government is “continuing to engage with Apple at the highest level”.

The Dutch government is also pressuring Apple to adapt its NFC policy, as it also wants to offer apps for its citizens with integrated passport scanning.

I think Apple will eventually add this capability as things slowly start to shift digitally. Imagine keeping not only your credit cards and boarding passes in the Wallet app, but your passport and driver’s license as well.

Kids apps have a lot more ads than you might think, and they could contain inappropriate advertising.

A stunning 95 percent of commonly downloaded apps that are marketed to or played by children age five and under contain at least one type of advertising…Often the ads are intrusive, spread across in a banner or even interrupting play…One app geared to young children had a popup that linked to a political game showing a cartoon version of Trump trying not to push the red button that will send nukes…