ShinyShiny: TikTok boss faces grilling at US congressional hearing

Bruising, damaging, relentless. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew faced four-and-a-half hours of questioning at a US congressional hearing on Thursday. As one congressman pointed out, some people run marathons quicker than that. Mr Chew will certainly be feeling it, after a torrid time giving evidence. Many tech execs have stood before Congress, and they often…

ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok facing complete US ban

TikTok is facing a complete ban in the US over fears that China is using the app as a covert tool for spying and spreading propaganda. CEO Shou Chew will testify before Congress on Thursday, with members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee set to raise their concerns about how much access the Chinese…

3 in 4 women play mobile games daily, report claims

Mobile gaming is soaring in popularity as the 'go-to' for women of all ages for relaxation, stress relief and mental stimulation, according to a new global research report commissioned by GameHouse. In celebration of Women's History Month, GameHouse commissioned Pollfish to survey over 800 US and UK consumers aged 18 years+ through 65 years+ about…

ShinyShiny snippets: Oppo Find X6 and X6 Pro launch with cameras galore

We were left impressed with Oppo's Find X5 Pro last year, so naturally, we have high expectations for its successor. As announced earlier, the upcoming Oppo Find X6 Pro meets the basic requirements you'd expect from a 2023 flagship: Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, Sony's IMX989 "1-inch" sensor for the main camera, a bright 6.82-inch 3,168 x…

World Sleep Day: 10 tips for a better night’s rest

A top sleep expert has given 10 top tips on how to curate your bedroom space for the perfect night of slumber – including banishing the floordrobe, putting bed socks on and keeping anything work-related away from the bed. Ahead of World Sleep Day (Friday 17th March), expert Hannah Shore has also revealed that watching…

ShinyShiny snippets: US vinyl sales overtake CDs for first time since 1980s

Vinyl record sales outperformed CDs in the US for the first time since 1987, according to a new report. Just over 41 million vinyl records were sold in 2022, to the tune of $1.2bn (£.99bn). Only 33 million CDs were sold, amounting to $483m. It was the 16th consecutive year of growth for record sales, about…

ShinyShiny snippets: Meta to cut another 10,000 jobs

Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has announced that it will cut 10,000 jobs. It comes months after the tech giant laid off 11,000 employees in November 2022. Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the cuts would be "tough", and formed part of a "year of restructuring".In addition to the 10,000 jobs being lost,…

ShinyShiny snippets: Nokia launches G22 phone with DIY repair kit

Finnish mobile manufacturer Nokia has partnered with repair specialists iFixit to release the smartphone G22, which comes with replaceable parts and toolkits so that customers can fix their phone themselves. The collaboration was born from the increasing demand for home solutions, as more people integrate repair into their lives, iFixit explained. "People want to fix things themselves, and we're happy…

How to combat April bill hikes – including energy and mobile phones

With numerous utility and tax bills set to rise in April, millions of consumers will be wondering how the increases will impact them, what support is available, and looking for ways to save money.  In conjunction with Which? we advise consumers on what hikes they can expect, and how they can reduce costs. 1. Energy…

ShinyShiny snippets: WhatsApp could be banned in UK, boss warns

WhatsApp could be banned in the UK, its head has warned. The UK’s upcoming Online Safety Bill could force the app to weaken the end-to-end encryption that currently secures messages on the service, said Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp at parent company Meta. If the government forced the company to weaken that security, WhatsApp…