Category: News
ShinyShiny snippets: Oppo latest to launch foldable phones
Image: Oppo Chinese companies seem really keen to get their phones out before the end of the year, as hot on the heels of the Xiaomi 13 launch, there’s now the Oppo Find N2 and Oppo Find N2 Flip – two new foldable phones designed to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Samsung Galaxy Z…
ShinyShiny snippets: Could TikTok be banned from US?
Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much these days, but have joined forces to unveil bipartisan legislation that would ban TikTok across the US. Representatives on both sides of the political divide in the House of Representatives and Senate have spoken out against what they perceive as a threat to national security. Those concerns were…
ShinyShiny snippets: Twitter dissolves Trust and Safety Council
Twitter has dissolved its Trust and Safety Council, the advisory group of nearly 100 independent civil, human rights and other organisations. The company, now run by Elon Musk, formed the council in 2016 to address hate speech, child exploitation, suicide, self-harm and other problems on the platform. It had been scheduled to meet with Twitter representatives on…
ShinyShiny snippets: Twitter re-launches Blue Tick from $8 a month
Twitter's paid-for verification feature is rolling out once again on Monday. It was paused last month after being swamped by impersonators. It is still $8 per month - but there is now an increased fee of $11 for those using the Twitter app on Apple devices. Twitter's owner Elon Musk has previously said in tweets…
ShinyShiny snippets: Google opens technology centre for disabled
An alarm clock for people who are deaf is on display at the Google tech centre. Image: Google If you design technology with disabled people in mind, you design technology better for everyone. This was the sentiment from Google as it opened its first UK research and development centre dedicated to…
ShinyShiny snippets: Elon Musk’s Neuralink to begin ‘brain chip’ trials
Image: Neuralink Elon Musk said on Wednesday he expects a brain chip developed by his health tech company to begin human trials in the next six months. During a presentation by Musk’s company Neuralink, Musk gave updates on the company’s wireless brain chip. In addition to forecasting clinical trials, Musk said…
ShinyShiny snippets: Batteries thrown in household waste cause hundreds of fires
Batteries thrown in household rubbish bins cause about 700 fires every year in dustcarts and waste-processing centres, local authorities say. Lithium-ion batteries can explode if damaged or crushed. The Environmental Services Association says resulting fires cost fire services and waste operators some £158m a year. Non-profit organisation Material Focus, which surveyed local authorities, runs an online search tool…
ShinyShiny snippets: Plans to remove harmful content axed from Online Safety Bill
Controversial measures which would have forced big technology platforms to take down legal but harmful material have been axed from the Online Safety Bill. Critics of the section in the bill claimed it posed a risk to free speech. Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan denied weakening laws protecting social media users and said adults would have…
ShinyShiny snippets: WhatsApp launches ‘Message Yourself’ feature
WhatsApp has started rolling out a feature to let you chat with yourself. Sending messages to your own account can be a way to keep a piece of information easily accessible, right next to your other WhatsApp conversations. Called ‘Message Yourself’, the feature lets users send notes, reminders and shopping lists to themselves on WhatsApp.…
Hack Friday: Over 10 million Brits victim of online shopping scams
Over 10 million Brits have fallen victim to online shopping scams, it was revealed today, as 19 million UK shoppers embark on the biggest bargain hunts of the year. Research from cybersecurity company NordVPN can reveal that 20.7% of UK adults have been scammed while shopping online — equivalent to 10.6 million people. With Black Friday just a couple…
