BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Coronavirus: Apple and France in stand-off over contact-tracing app
France is pressing Apple to let its forthcoming coronavirus contract-tracing app work in the background on iPhones without building in the privacy measures the US company wants. The country's digital minister confirmed the request in an interview given to Bloomberg. France's system would let it glean more information about participating smartphone owners than Apple and its partner Google want to ... Read more
2020-04-21 20:45:42
Netflix sign-ups jump during coronavirus lockdowns
Netflix has seen subscriber numbers surge this year, as lockdowns around the world keep people at home where they want to be entertained. Almost 16 million people created accounts in the first three months of the year, the firm said. That is almost double the new sign-ups it saw in the final months of 2019. However, the streaming service, which is behind some multi-million dollar productions, s ... Read more
2020-04-21 20:45:09
Mumsnet launches subscription plea in 'squeaky-bum time'
Mumsnet, the UK's biggest parent platform, has launched a subscription service following a steep decline in ad revenue. The £4.99 monthly fee is not compulsory, and does not yet offer any bonus features, although Mumsnet said it would look at building extra tools. Founder and CEO Justine Roberts said: "Frankly, it is squeaky-bum time." She has taken a salary holiday and other staff ha ... Read more
2020-04-21 20:44:32
The stealthy little drones that fly like insects
When Storm Ciara swept across the UK in February, Alex Caccia was strolling on Oxford's Port Meadow watching birds take to the air. He marvelled at their indifference to high winds: "While airliners were grounded by the weather the birds couldn't care less!" It was more than just a passing thought for Mr Caccia, who is the chief executive of Animal Dynamics, a technology start-up apply ... Read more
2020-04-20 21:50:14
Coronavirus: Why are there doubts over contact-tracing apps?
There are growing tensions over the best approach to coronavirus contact-tracing apps and whether or not the technology can live up to its promise. Smartphone software is being developed to alert users when someone they were recently near becomes infected. But the Ada Lovelace Institute has said there is "an absence of evidence" such tools are practical, accurate or technically capable ... Read more
2020-04-20 21:49:48
Facebook bans events that violate social distancing orders
Facebook has banned event listings that violate government social distancing policies. On Monday, the social media giant removed the listing for anti-quarantine protests in California, New Jersey, and Nebraska. The discussion sparked outrage from some including the son of President Donald Trump who claimed the company's move violated free speech. Protests have been planned for across the US cal ... Read more
2020-04-20 21:49:23
Facebook reveals Gaming app to rival Twitch and YouTube
Facebook has launched a dedicated gaming app earlier than planned, in its latest attempt to grow its presence in the online gaming world. Facebook said the "accelerated" launch was a direct response to the Covid-19 lockdown. The app lets users follow high-profile gamers, watch live gaming streams and leave comments without interacting with the rest of Facebook. It also lets gamers bro ... Read more
2020-04-20 21:48:58
Coronavirus: AI steps up in battle against Covid-19
It feels as if a superhuman effort is needed to help ease the global pandemic killing so many. Artificial intelligence may have been hyped - but when it comes to medicine, it already has a proven track record. So can machine learning rise to this challenge of finding a cure for this terrible disease? There is no shortage of companies trying to solve the dilemma. Oxford-based Exscientia, the fi ... Read more
2020-04-19 21:24:29
Coronavirus: UK's first 'TikTok house' opens during outbreak
Six of the UK’s most popular TikTok content creators have moved in together and are trying to meet a surge in demand from teenagers in lockdown, despite some doubts about the timing. The Bytehouse collective planned the move prior to the coronavirus pandemic and completed it before the UK lockdown on 23 March. It is the UK's first "TikTok house", a phenomenon already established in the ... Read more
2020-04-19 21:24:06
Coronavirus: Will Covid-19 speed up the use of robots to replace human workers?
As a pandemic grips the world, a person could be forgiven if they had forgotten about another threat to humanity's way of life - the rise of robots. For better or worse the robots are going to replace many humans in their jobs, analysts say, and the coronavirus outbreak is speeding up the process. "People usually say they want a human element to their interactions but Covid-19 has changed t ... Read more
2020-04-19 21:23:44