BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Norfolk County Council sues Apple in class action
A case led by Norfolk County Council against Apple has been granted class-action status by a judge in California. The Council claims a pension fund it runs lost money after Apple allegedly misled shareholders in 2018 about the performance of its business in China. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez-Rogers' decision means Apple could face significantly larger damages if it loses. The BBC has approached Apple ... Read more
2022-02-15 18:46:54
74% of ransomware revenue goes to Russia-linked hackers
New analysis suggests that 74% of all money made through ransomware attacks in 2021 went to Russia-linked hackers. Researchers say more than $400 million worth of crypto-currency payments went to groups "highly likely to be affiliated with Russia". Russia has denied accusations that it is harbouring cyber-criminals. Researchers also claim "a huge amount of crypto-currency-based m ... Read more
2022-02-14 18:54:13
Fusion race kicked into high gear by smart tech
A US company is speeding up the path to practical fusion energy by using Google's vast computing power. By applying software that can improve on its own, TAE Technologies has cut down tasks that once took two months to just a few hours. Google has lent the firm its expertise in "machine learning" in order to help accelerate the timeline for fusion. Nuclear fusion promises a plentiful ... Read more
2022-02-13 19:13:24
Crypto exchange Binance to take $200m stake in Forbes
Binance, one of the world's biggest cryptocurrency firms, will take a $200m (£147.6m) stake in Forbes in the latest twist for the 105-year-old media brand. Forbes, known for its ranking of billionaires, said the deal would help make it a leader supplying information about digital assets, like Bitcoin. But news of the investment sparked questions among media watchers about potential conflicts of ... Read more
2022-02-13 19:12:31
Arm boss: We can do it by ourselves
After years of major regulatory struggle in the UK, US and EU, what would have been the biggest computer-chip deal in history is now dead in the water. But the new boss of Arm, the Cambridge-based company often described as one of the UK's biggest technology success stories, is upbeat. And although he blames the failure of Arm's planned sale to Nvidia on a "challenging regulatory environmen ... Read more
2022-02-11 18:25:31
Apple moves to stop AirTag tracking misuse
Apple plans to introduce a number of changes to make it harder to misuse AirTags to track someone. The button-sized devices are designed to work with Apple's 'Find My' network to locate lost items. The company said its changes to the device will make suspicious tags easier to find, and alert users earlier that an AirTag may be travelling with them. In January, a number of women told the BBC the ... Read more
2022-02-10 19:52:26
Samsung phones with parts made from fishing nets
Samsung has announced a range of new Galaxy smartphones, offering improved cameras and the option of a stylus. The firm talked up the use of recycled materials such as repurposed fishing nets and used water bottles. Its "Galaxy for the Planet" is a five-year plan to eliminate plastics in packaging and stop manufacturing waste going to landfill. Experts welcomed the green initiative. ... Read more
2022-02-10 19:51:58
BT to introduce inflation-busting price rises
BT has said most customers will see bills rise by more than 9% from the end of March as households are squeezed by cost of living pressures. The telecoms giant said broadband and phone bills will jump by 9.3% following a "dramatic increase" in data usage over the last few years. Affected customers will pay an extra £3.50 a month on average from 31 March. But households on certain pack ... Read more
2022-01-20 19:48:23
Wordle developer donates in-app spend to charity
The developer of a game with the same name as smash hit Wordle has donated money made from his app to charity, after people mistakenly downloaded it. Steve Cravotta said he had seen more than 200,000 downloads of his Wordle game in a week, after its namesake went viral. While the hit web-based Wordle has no app, people were spending money on in-app purchases in Mr Cravotta's game. That money wi ... Read more
2022-01-20 19:47:36
Apple AirTags - 'A perfect tool for stalking'
Amber Norsworthy lives in Mississippi with her four children. It had just turned 3pm when she got home on 27 December. She received a notification on her phone. "My phone made a ding that I'd never heard before", she says. The notification told her that an unknown device had been following her movements. Ms Norsworthy, who's 32, went on to the 'Find My' app on her iPhone. "It s ... Read more
2022-01-20 19:46:33