Popular Science: Your smartphone is gross. Learn how to clean it properly . “With most phones now at least water resistant—if not waterproof—and designed to take a few knocks, cleaning your phone won’t be difficult, so you won’t accidentally end up with an overpriced paperweight. But it is a good idea to keep most of your normal cleaning products and any abrasive materials in the cupboards.” I find having a case really helps a lot, too…
smartphones
Ars Technica: Activists’ phones targeted by one of the world’s most advanced spyware apps
Ars Technica: Activists’ phones targeted by one of the world’s most advanced spyware apps. “Mobile phones of two prominent human rights activists were repeatedly targeted with Pegasus, the highly advanced spyware made by Israel-based NSO, researchers from Amnesty International reported this week.”
New Indian Express: Google will require all devices to run Android 10 after January 2020
New Indian Express: Google will require all devices to run Android 10 after January 2020. “The US-based search giant Google is making it compulsory for smartphone manufacturer to ship devices with Android 10 after January 31, 2020. After the above mentioned date, Google will only approve new devices running the latest Android version, Android 10 and the company will stop approving new devices running Android 9 Pie.”
Fast Company: Cheap smartphones have a disturbing secret
Fast Company: Cheap smartphones have a disturbing secret. “Seventeen dollars for a smartphone sounds like a great deal, especially for people living in poverty who can barely afford rent. But there’s a problem: low-cost smartphones are privacy nightmares.”
New Scientist: App can detect signs of eye diseases in kids by scanning your photos
New Scientist: App can detect signs of eye diseases in kids by scanning your photos. “Camera flashes often can make people’s pupils look red in photos. More rarely, flashes can make them appear white – which is usually just a trick of the light but can be a sign of disease, including an eye cancer most common in young children. Since 2014, a free app that uses artificial intelligence to scan people’s photos for instances of so-called white eye has been available for iOS or Android devices.”
Mashable: 4 climate change apps every tech-savvy advocate needs to download
Mashable: 4 climate change apps every tech-savvy advocate needs to download . “Your smartphone isn’t only your connection to the world — it can also be your connection to the conversation around climate change. With these four apps, awareness and action are at your fingertips.”
Earth: Smartphone app uses AI to help African farmers prepare for climate change
Earth: Smartphone app uses AI to help African farmers prepare for climate change. “The new PlantVillage AI tool integrates tens of thousands of data points across Africa, with hundreds more being collected every day. The AI assistant has the capacity to keep farmers informed in various ways, such as offering advice on flood mitigation, soil conservation, or on which crops are the most suitable for which regions.”
