BATTERYFORPC BLOG
John McAfee: Anti-virus creator found dead in prison cell
Anti-virus software entrepreneur John McAfee has been found dead in a Barcelona prison cell hours after a Spanish court agreed to extradite him to the US to face tax evasion charges. The Catalan Justice Department said prison medics tried to resuscitate him, but were not successful. It said in a statement that "everything indicates" McAfee took his own life. A controversial figure in ... Read more
2021-06-23 20:05:50
Rembrandt's The Night Watch painting restored by AI
The missing edges of Rembrandt’s painting The Night Watch have been restored using artificial intelligence. The canvas, created in 1642, was trimmed in 1715 to fit between two doors at Amsterdam’s city hall. Since then, 60cm (2ft) from the left, 22cm from the top, 12cm from the bottom and 7cm from the right have been missing. But computer software has now restored the full painting for the firs ... Read more
2021-06-23 20:05:20
Tinder boss says Covid changed how we swipe right
Tinder's signature "swipe left, swipe right" approach to match-making is no longer enough to satisfy singles used to lockdown dating, its CEO has said. People used to match in order to meet in real life, Jim Lanzone told the BBC - but that changed when virtual dating became the norm in lockdowns. Now the dating app is shifting towards more "holistic" profiles so users can get ... Read more
2021-06-22 20:16:46
Facebook's VR ads test loses first game after backlash
The first game developer signed up to test Facebook's plan to put adverts into Oculus VR games has reversed course after a backlash from players. It comes days after Facebook announced it would place adverts inside players' headsets, starting with shooter game Blaston. It was the only named title listed to take part. But its maker, Resolution Games, has now said its game "isn't the best fi ... Read more
2021-06-22 20:16:01
Snapchat removes controversial speed filter
Snapchat is removing a feature that displays how fast a user is travelling when taking a picture or video footage. Parent company Snap said it was because the speed filter was "barely used". But the company is being sued by the parents of two young men, who allege the filter encouraged their sons to drive at dangerous speeds and three deaths were due to "negligent design". S ... Read more
2021-06-21 19:36:08
German watchdog probes Apple's market dominance
Apple is under investigation by the German competition watchdog. The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) said the initial investigation will look at whether the company is of "paramount significance across markets". Apple said it looked forward to "having an open dialogue" with the FCO about any of its concerns. Facebook, Amazon and Google have faced similar probes this year, after ... Read more
2021-06-21 19:35:42
German watchdog probes Apple's market dominance
Apple is under investigation by the German competition watchdog. The Federal Cartel Office (FCO) said the initial investigation will look at whether the company is of "paramount significance across markets". Apple said it looked forward to "having an open dialogue" with the FCO about any of its concerns. Facebook, Amazon and Google have faced similar probes this year, after ... Read more
2021-06-21 19:35:35
TikTok owner ByteDance sees its earnings double in 2020
ByteDance, the Chinese company behind the smash-hit video app TikTok, saw its earnings double last year. An internal memo released to staff showed that the firm's total revenue jumped by 111% to $34.3bn (£24.7bn) for 2020. The figures underscore TikTok's continued global popularity. It comes as ByteDance and several other Chinese technology giants have come under increasing pressure from govern ... Read more
2021-06-20 19:38:46
Food-delivery apps up to 44% more expensive, survey finds
Food-delivery apps have experienced a huge boost during the pandemic - but a snapshot investigation from consumer watchdog Which? suggests they may not be the cheapest option. It compared the costs of meals from five eateries, bought directly and ordered on apps Deliveroo, UberEats and Just Eat. On average, a takeaway cost 23% more on an app than ordering directly. The app companies said their ... Read more
2021-06-20 19:38:20
HarmonyOS: Hands-on with Huawei's rival to Android
Huawei has revealed a new tablet and smartwatch running HarmonyOS, its new operating system that it is developing to replace Google's Android.
The Chinese communications giant said it would develop new software after former President Donald Trump put the company on a US trade blacklist.
BBC Click's Chris Fox went hands-on with HarmonyOS and found it had a lot of similarities with Android.
2021-06-18 19:48:09