An X challenger named itself T2 at launch to compete with Twitter, but that name is no longer used. The company announced on its platform that the X competitor will be called “Pebble.” Pebble users received a brief explanation for the name change: “A pebble is something small and unassuming. …
Read More »Bluesky reaches 1 million users
One of the most popular post-Twitter apps reached a milestone on Tuesday. Bluesky strategy and operations manager Rose Wang posted a screenshot on X, formerly Twitter. The X competitor famously only allowed app access through a waitlist and user invitations, keeping the platform’s population small as it scaled. https://x.com/iamrosewang/status/1701735196679356887?s=20 Bluesky …
Read More »The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max up close
We braved the press scrum to show you the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. USB-C is the big news across the line. Since Apple introduced the Lightning port exactly 11 years ago, a refresh was overdue. Add to that recent EU legislation to universalize USB-C and the fact that …
Read More »TikTok Shop launches in America
After months of testing, TikTok Shop launched in the U.S., where it has over 150 million users. The rollout includes a dedicated shop tab on the home screen, live video shopping, shoppable ads, and creator affiliate programs. TikTok began testing its U.S. e-commerce initiative last November. Over the last few …
Read More »Hacker Flipper Zero spams iPhones with Bluetooth pop-ups
Hackers can spam your iPhone with annoying pop-ups urging you to connect to a nearby AirTag, Apple TV, AirPods, and other Apple devices using a popular and cheap hacking tool. Anthony, a security researcher, demonstrated this attack using a Flipper Zero, a small device that can be programmed to wirelessly …
Read More »Some Chinese government officials are barred from using iPhones
China has banned central government officials from using iPhones at work as its relationship with the U.S. deteriorates. The Wall Street Journal reported the move, which could hurt Apple’s reputation in its second-largest market. According to the report, government employees are also asked not to bring foreign devices to work. …
Read More »EU confirms Digital Markets Act applies to six tech giants, mostly US
The EU has identified six tech giants whose market power it hopes to reduce by applying proactive, pro-competition rules on how they can operate “core platform services”. Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft are the “gatekeepers”. The Digital Markets Act has designated 22 core platform services operated by the …
Read More »India warns Android users of malware attacks
India has warned its citizens of an advanced Android malware that can access sensitive data and give hackers control over infected devices. Indian Defence Ministry’s Controller General of Defence Accounts issued an advisory on DogeRAT, a Remote Access Trojan discovered by cybersecurity startup CloudSEK. The note said the malware, which …
Read More »Meta will deprecate Facebook News in the UK, Germany, and France
Social network to “better align” investments, reducing news focus Meta announced today that it will end Facebook News in the U.K., Germany, and France in early December. The social network said it was part of its “ongoing effort to better align our investments to our products and services people value …
Read More »Will AI models always hallucinate?
Large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT all lie. The mistakes range from bizarre and harmless—claiming the Golden Gate Bridge was transported across Egypt in 2016—to dangerous and problematic. A mayor in Australia threatened to sue OpenAI after ChatGPT misrepresented his plea to a major bribery scandal. Researchers found that …
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