New York Times: How to Stop Apps From Tracking Your Location. “At least 75 companies receive people’s precise location data from hundreds of apps whose users enable location services for benefits such as weather alerts, The New York Times found. The companies use, store or sell the information to help advertisers, investment firms and others. You can head off much of the tracking on your own device by spending a few minutes changing settings. The information below applies primarily to people in the United States.”
smartphones
The Verge: The Problem With Studies Saying Phones Are Bad For You
The Verge: The Problem With Studies Saying Phones Are Bad For You. “Every other week, there’s a new report about what staring at a screen is doing to your brain. It’s hard to know what to trust, and that could be because scientists haven’t been measuring screen time correctly.”
MIT Technology Review: Your smartphone’s AI algorithms could tell if you are depressed
MIT Technology Review: Your smartphone’s AI algorithms could tell if you are depressed. “Depression is a huge problem for millions of people, and it is often compounded by poor mental-health support and stigma. Early diagnosis can help, but many mental disorders are difficult to detect. The machine-learning algorithms that let smartphones identify faces or respond to our voices could help provide a universal and low-cost way of spotting the early signs and getting treatment where it’s needed. “
CNET: Russian search giant unveils its first smartphone, the Yandex.Phone
CNET: Russian search giant unveils its first smartphone, the Yandex.Phone. “Yandex is following in Google’s footsteps once more. Having built Russia’s largest search engine, the Moscow-based tech giant has recently debuted a virtual assistant, a smart speaker — and, now, a phone.”
CNET: Deprived students chose smartphones over food, researchers find
CNET: Deprived students chose smartphones over food, researchers find. “Researchers at the University of Buffalo found that students preferred food deprivation over smartphone deprivation. In other words 76 students aged between 18 and 22, chose their phone over food.”
Medium: Six Years With a Distraction-Free iPhone
Medium: Six Years With a Distraction-Free iPhone. “Over the years, as new apps came out — Facebook, Instagram, news, games, etc — I installed them. They were shiny, they were free, and they helped me ‘get my money’s worth’ out of my phone. Every app created new responsibilities. More inboxes to check and more feeds to read. Every app latched onto my brain, tethering my phone to my skull with invisible string.”
Google Blog: Bringing Google Fi to more people on Android and iOS
Google Blog: Bringing Google Fi to more people on Android and iOS. “Starting today, Project Fi is available on more phones: our plan now works with the majority of Android devices and iPhones. And since we’re officially expanding our device support, we’re making our name more official, too: we’re now Google Fi.”
