BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Are Apple and others' tech launches a better watch because of Covid?
"Developers, developers, developers, developers, developers." In 2000, footage of a sweaty, high energy Steve Ballmer, the then chief executive of Microsoft, became a viral hit after he walked on stage and shouted the same word over and over again. It was one of many moments over the last 30 years of a live tech event throwing up a must-see moment. But recently, tech fans have been st ... Read more
2021-04-19 20:41:15
Priti Patel: Facebook encryption plan ‘must not not hamper child protection’
Facebook's plans to roll out encryption across its messaging services could jeopardise ongoing work to combat child abuse, the Home Secretary is to warn. Such encryption means only the sender and recipient can read messages. "We cannot allow a situation where law enforcement's ability to tackle abhorrent criminal acts and protect victims is severely hampered," Priti Patel will tell a c ... Read more
2021-04-18 20:46:58
Facebook board delays decision about Trump's possible return
Facebook's Oversight Board has delayed its decision regarding former US President Donald Trump's possible return to Facebook and Instagram. Mr Trump was banned from Facebook in January after the Capitol Hill riots. The Board said the delay was due to the time it has taken to review over 9,000 public responses to cases. A decision was originally due by 21 April. In a statement on Twitter, the Bo ... Read more
2021-04-16 20:47:04
Google Earth time-lapse feature winds clock back 37 years
Google Earth has launched a time-lapse feature that lets users wind back the clock and see how the world has changed over several decades. The feature uses millions of satellite images from the past 37 years to let people scroll through time. It allows people to see, for example, the retreat of glaciers alongside global warming, or the deforestation of the Amazon over time. The company says it ... Read more
2021-04-15 20:12:24
Omegle: 'I'm being used as sex-baiting bot' on video chat site
Warning: this story contains disturbing adult themes. Michael was 14 when he first went on to the video chat site Omegle. He'd heard about it at school and was intrigued by its notorious reputation for unpredictable and weird encounters. Within a few hours of being paired at random with strangers, he says he was linked up with an older woman who persuaded him to show her his penis. "I'm n ... Read more
2021-04-14 20:05:39
Estate agent's hi-tech house tour exposes personal data
An estate agent has apologised after a 3D tour of a house for sale in Devon was published with a substantial amount of personal information visible. Financial paperwork in the study could be read by zooming in on the image. It included a shares dividend cheque, an insurance policy document and an invoice for a stairlift. Some family photos had also been left unblurred. Fowlers estate agent said ... Read more
2021-04-13 20:36:35
Users can appeal Facebook's editorial decisions
Facebook's Oversight Board is to begin reviewing content which has been allowed to remain on the platform despite requests to remove it. Previously the board only heard appeals from users about content they felt had been unfairly removed - or referrals which came from Facebook itself. The board has the power to overrule Facebook's original content decisions. Its 20 members include former Danish ... Read more
2021-04-13 20:35:28
Microsoft makes $20bn bet on speech AI firm Nuance
Microsoft Corp plans to buy a tech firm known for helping to develop Apple's Siri speech recognition software in a deal valued at $19.7bn (£13.3bn). The purchase of Nuance Communications is the second largest in Microsoft's history, after its acquisition of networking site LinkedIn in 2016. Microsoft said it would bolster its software and artificial intelligence expertise for healthcare companie ... Read more
2021-04-12 20:03:42
Environment takes centre stage at London games festival
The Now Play This festival was a virtual event this year with a focus on games which looked at the environmental issues the world is facing.
Games included exploring a deserted Venice in the year 2089 and creating and maintaining a lake and the ecosystem around it, Cristina Criddle found out more for BBC Click.
2021-04-11 21:33:00
Elon Musk's Neuralink 'shows monkey playing Pong with mind'
Neuralink, Elon Musk's computer to brain interface firm, has released a video it claims shows a monkey playing the video game Pong with its mind. Its brain signals were sent wirelessly via an implanted device. The hope is that the interface could eventually allow people with neurological conditions to control phones or computers remotely. One expert said the fact no wires were used represented ... Read more
2021-04-09 21:28:05