Harvard Gazette: Are Google and smartphones degrading our memories?
Harvard Gazette: Are Google and smartphones degrading our memories?. “Harvard psychologist updates influential book with latest in research on ability to recall.”
The Verge: Google’s Pixel 6 And 6 Pro Launch Event Live Blog
The Verge: Google’s Pixel 6 And 6 Pro Launch Event Live Blog . “This is easily the most important Pixel the company has launched in years, it’s a launch where the company says it is taking on flagships from Apple and Samsung at the high end. Google hasn’t really talked big game about its phones before, so even if we’ve seen a lot of rumors, how Google goes about making this launch happen will be interesting.”
TechCrunch: Google pulls ‘stalkerware’ ads that promoted phone spying apps
TechCrunch: Google pulls ‘stalkerware’ ads that promoted phone spying apps. “Google has pulled several ‘stalkerware’ ads that violated its policies by promoting apps that encouraged prospective users to spy on their spouses’ phone. These consumer-grade spyware apps are often marketed to parents wishing to monitor their child’s calls, messages, apps, photos and location, often under the guise of protecting against predators. But these apps, which are often designed to be installed surreptitiously and without the device owner’s consent, have been repurposed by abusers to spy on the phones of their spouses.”
Ubergizmo: Ophthalmologist Uses The iPhone 13 Pro’s Macro Camera To Check On Patients’ Eyes
Ubergizmo: Ophthalmologist Uses The iPhone 13 Pro’s Macro Camera To Check On Patients’ Eyes. “In a post on LinkedIn, Dr. Tommy Korn, an ophthalmologist has shared how he actually manages to use the iPhone 13 Pro’s Macro mode when looking into the eyes of his patients. It turns out that Macro mode might have more uses beyond capturing close up photos of flowers and insects, because based on the sample photos he attached to his post, the details are actually surprisingly good.”
New York Times: ‘Stalkerware’ Apps Are Proliferating. Protect Yourself.
New York Times: ‘Stalkerware’ Apps Are Proliferating. Protect Yourself.. “Flash Keylogger is part of a rapidly expanding group of apps known as ‘stalkerware.’ While these apps numbered in the hundreds a few years ago, they have since grown into the thousands. They are widely available on Google’s Play Store and to a lesser degree on Apple’s App Store, often with innocuous names like MobileTool, Agent and Cerberus. And they have become such a tool for digital domestic abuse that Apple and Google have started in the last year acknowledging that the apps are an issue.”
CNET: FCC aims to crack down on SIM card swapping scams
CNET: FCC aims to crack down on SIM card swapping scams. “Citing a litany of complaints from consumers who’ve suffered significant distress, inconvenience and financial harm, the US Federal Communications Commission launched a rule-making process Thursday aimed at cracking down on SIM card swapping scams. Key among the new proposals: stronger authentication standards, and notification procedures whenever someone tries to redirect a phone number to a new device or carrier.”
How-To Geek: How to Convert Images into a PDF File on iPhone
How-To Geek: How to Convert Images into a PDF File on iPhone. “Do you have photos on your iPhone or iPad that you’d like to convert to a PDF file? You can use Apple’s free Shortcuts app to make a PDF file out of your images. We’ll show you how to do that.”
Popular Science: Use your phone to identify plants, landmarks, and other mysterious objects
Popular Science: Use your phone to identify plants, landmarks, and other mysterious objects. “You don’t need us to tell you just how smart the smartphone has become: From recognizing our voices to plotting complex routes in seconds, this device is a real box of tricks. With the right app, they can also help identify what’s in the world around us, whether it’s the breed of the dog that’s just come up to make friends with you, or information about a landmark you’re visiting.”
The Register: Mobile mobile museum looks to chart the history of portable phones
The Register: Mobile mobile museum looks to chart the history of portable phones . “A very-literally-mobile museum boasting over 2,000 exhibits is to go online and on the streets this year to show off the evolution of the mobile phone from 1984 to the present day – and its founders are looking for donations to fill a few gaps in the collection.”
Digital Photography Review: Historik app uses AR to combine the modern world with historical events, landmarks
Digital Photography Review: Historik app uses AR to combine the modern world with historical events, landmarks. “Augmented reality (AR) may be modern technology, but entrepreneur Chris Whalen wants to use the tech and a new app, Historik, to bring back the past. Using a smartphone with AR capabilities, Historik can recreate historic buildings and objects at specific markers and let users learn more about the past, swipe through artifacts and even explore an old area in full 3D. Users will even be able to set up self-guided tours.”
BBC: Spying concerns fuel the market for more secure tech
BBC: Spying concerns fuel the market for more secure tech. “‘People do not seem to understand that security and smartphones as one [single] concept simply do not exist,’ says Pim Donkers. Mr Donkers is a co-founder and chief executive of Switzerland’s ARMA Instruments, a technology company which produces super-secure communication devices. So, more than most, he is keen to warn people about the potential security weaknesses of their smartphones.”
Gizmodo: You Told Your Apps To Stop Tracking You, but They Didn’t Listen
Gizmodo: You Told Your Apps To Stop Tracking You, but They Didn’t Listen. “The App Tracking Transparency (ATT) settings that came bundled in an iOS 14 update gave iPhone users everywhere the power to tell their favorite apps (and Facebook) to knock off the whole tracking thing. Saying no, Apple promised, would stop these apps from tracking you as you browse the web, and through other apps on your phone. Well, it turns out that wasn’t quite the case. The Washington Post was first to report on a research study that put Apple’s ATT feature to the test, and found the setting… pretty much useless.”
Input Magazines: How to scan objects in 3D with your iPhone
Input Magazine: How to scan objects in 3D with your iPhone. “With Apple rolling out Object Capture on MacOS and including advanced LiDAR sensors on the current generation of iPhone, it’s clear that the company is taking 3D scanning seriously. If you’ve never made a 3D scan before it might seem like a daunting process, but this guide will get you up and scanning with your iPhone in no time.”
