BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Starlink: Why is Elon Musk launching thousands of satellites?
Elon Musk's SpaceX company has been launching thousands of satellites into orbit. Many people say they've seen them in the skies. They're part of the Starlink project, which aims to provide high speed internet services from space, to remote areas on Earth. What is Starlink and how does it work? Starlink provides internet services via a huge network of satellites. It is aimed at people who li ... Read more
2022-07-31 20:12:37
Best Payment Apps for August 2022: Apple Cash, Cash App, PayPal and More
Make purchases with your phone and send money online using these top payment services. For settling debts with friends, cash is on its way out. Americans' use of paper money for person-to-person payments dropped below 50% for the first time ever in 2021, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. On the flip side, usage of online services for interpersonal payments nearly doubled whe ... Read more
2022-07-29 19:49:55
Netflix's Biggest Hit Shows and Movies Ever, Ranked (According to Netflix)
Every week, Netflix updates rankings of its all-time most popular series and films, hoping it'll help you find something to watch. Netflix, for years, was notoriously tight-lipped about its viewership. But after a few years of dropping stats for some of its programming, Netflix launched a website in mid-November posting charts of its most popular shows and movies from the past week, as well as a ... Read more
2022-07-29 19:49:30
The Low-Cost VR Honeymoon Is Over
Get ready for a wave of expensive VR headsets. Even with a $101 price hike, the Meta Quest 2 may be the cheapest of the bunch. Call it a summer surprise. Meta suddenly ratcheted up the entry-level price for its two-year-old Quest 2 VR headset, jumping from $299 to $400 starting Aug. 1. A product getting more expensive two years after its release doesn't normally happen. But these aren't really no ... Read more
2022-07-29 19:48:57
Apple Needs Another Affordable 5G iPhone
Shortly after Apple launched the iPhone 13 in September, I wrote about why the iPhone 11 was (and is) still a great deal at $500. It has Face ID, a sharp dual camera system and a large screen for $300 less than the iPhone 13. What's not to like? There's only one setback that gives me some pause when recommending the iPhone 11: It doesn't have 5G. A few years ago, 5G was just a buzzword that tech ... Read more
2022-07-29 19:48:10
Instagram U-turns on TikTok-style revamp
Instagram says it is pausing a rollout of new features on its app following backlash online from users, influencers and celebrities. Among the new features was an increase in recommended video content, in a similar style to rival app TikTok. The display and feeds were criticised as people felt they were not seeing photos from friends and family as much. Meta, Instagram's parent company, said it ... Read more
2022-07-29 19:46:30
Google's DeepMind AI Solves 3D Structures of the 'Entire Protein Universe'
This breakthrough could finally put the decades-old protein folding problem to rest. It wasn't until 1957 when scientists earned special access to the molecular third dimension. After 22 years of grueling experimentation, John Kendrew of Cambridge University finally uncovered the 3D structure of a protein. It was a twisted blueprint of myoglobin, the stringy chain of 154 amino acids that helps ... Read more
2022-07-29 03:48:52
Apple's iPhone Is Powering Through the Slowing Economy
Over the past week, many of tech's biggest names have sounded alarms about the economy. Google parent Alphabet and Facebook parent Meta have reported surprise drop-offs in online advertising spending. And Intel shocked investors with a 22% drop in sales, its biggest revenue drop in more than a decade. Apple, meanwhile, kept chugging. The iPhone maker said its sales actually grew in the three mon ... Read more
2022-07-28 19:50:41
Asus Zenfone 9 Gets All the New Phone Specs Into a Small Size With Big Cameras
The Asus Zenfone 9, revealed Thursday, can give fans of smaller phones all the specs and power of larger, more expensive flagship phones. The Zenfone 9 includes the newest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, a 120Hz high refresh rate screen, two rear cameras, Android 12, dual speakers and a headphone jack. I tested the $800 version of the Zenfone 9 for a few days, which includes 16GB of RAM and 256GB o ... Read more
2022-07-28 19:50:20
Intel's Profit Plunges as We Stopped Buying All Those PCs
The chipmaker blames economic uncertainty and its own problems for a grim financial quarter. With the COVID spending spree on PCs at an end and consumers spooked by inflation and a worsening economy, Intel's profit and revenue plunged in the second quarter, the chipmaker said Thursday. Intel's own problems, like quality issues with the chips that fill tech giants' data centers, also were a major ... Read more
2022-07-28 19:49:35