BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Apple lists products that pose risk to pacemakers
Apple has listed products it says should be kept a "safe distance" away from medical devices like pacemakers and implanted defibrillators. The list includes iPhone 12 models, Apple Watch and MacBook Pro. Many consumer-electronic devices contain components, such as magnets, which can interfere with medical devices. The BBC has asked for comment from Apple, which has promoted heart heal ... Read more
2021-06-28 20:02:28
EE to reintroduce Europe roaming charges in January
Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January. Those joining or upgrading from 7 July 2021 will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European destinations from January 2022. EE, which is part of BT Group, previously said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges in Europe. It is the first UK operator to reintroduce the ... Read more
2021-06-27 19:54:04
Apple claims 'sideloading' apps is 'serious' security risk
Apple claims that allowing developers to distribute apps outside its official App Store would "expose users to serious security risks". A new report from the company argues strongly against allowing so-called sideloading of apps. The report suggests a range of hypothetical problems including ransomware and financial scams. It comes as Apple is under pressure from regulators and some d ... Read more
2021-06-27 19:53:36
Google tracking cookies ban delayed until 2023
Google has delayed its plan to block third-party cookies from its Chrome internet browser. Cookies track users' internet activity and allow digital publishers to target advertising. They are already blocked by a number of Google's rivals, including Apple, Microsoft and Mozilla. But critics say Google's ban forces ad sellers to go direct to the tech giant for this information instead - giving it ... Read more
2021-06-25 19:53:03
Is Windows 11 the beginning of the end for Skype?
Microsoft has officially announced Windows 11, its new operating system which will replace the current version over the next few years. Among all the new features are two seemingly small but related things that jumped out. First - Microsoft Teams, the video-calling app which saw a boom during 2020's pandemic, will be integrated into Windows 11 by default. And second - Skype will not be, for the ... Read more
2021-06-25 19:52:45
EE to reintroduce Europe roaming charges in January
Mobile operator EE will charge new UK customers extra to use their mobile phones in Europe from January. Those joining or upgrading from 7 July 2021 will be charged £2 a day to use their allowances in 47 European destinations from January 2022. EE, which is part of BT Group, previously said it had no plans to reintroduce roaming charges in Europe. It is the first UK operator to reintroduce the ... Read more
2021-06-24 19:49:55
Microsoft unveils Windows 11 operating system
Microsoft has unveiled Windows 11, its "next generation" operating system, at a virtual event. The new software will let Android apps run on the Windows desktop. Product manager Panos Panay promised smaller, faster security updates - a common complaint for Windows users - and said they would happen in the background. Windows 11 will also let users configure multiple desktops for work, ... Read more
2021-06-24 19:49:38
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