BATTERYFORPC BLOG
Coronavirus: Google Duplex AI arrives in UK to ask about opening hours
Google’s AI phone assistant Duplex is contacting businesses across the UK and asking them what their coronavirus business hours are. It is using the responses to update company listings shown on Google Search and Google Maps. The Duplex AI assistant can be used by people in the US and New Zealand to make restaurant bookings and other reservations. But those features are not yet coming to the UK ... Read more
2020-04-09 21:10:47
Coronavirus: Covid-19 detecting apps face teething problems
Two leading universities are trying to develop apps that listen to users' coughs and voices to predict whether they are infected with the coronavirus. But the two projects are taking different approaches to privacy. The Cambridge University effort seeks to keep volunteers anonymous, but says this is currently limiting its work. Meanwhile, a team at Carnegie Mellon University says it is critical ... Read more
2020-04-08 21:58:45
Facebook and Samsung donate thousands of devices to NHS
Mobile giant Samsung is donating 2,000 smartphones to the NHS, for staff to use in Nightingale hospitals. It will provide Galaxy XCover 4s phones, which are designed to be more robust and can be used while wearing gloves. Samsung said NHS England had already ordered an extra 20,000 phones and tablets, which it had agreed to supply at cost price, without taking a profit. Facebook is also donatin ... Read more
2020-04-08 21:58:23
Coronavirus: Call for apps to get fake Covid-19 news button
Social networks need a dedicated button to flag up bogus coronavirus-related posts, an advocacy group has said. The Campaign for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) said the apps had "missed a trick" in combating the problem. The call coincides with a study that indicates 46% of internet-using adults in the UK saw false or misleading information about the virus in the first week of the coun ... Read more
2020-04-08 21:58:01
Tesla cuts staff pay as coronavirus halts production
Electric car-maker Tesla will reduce staff pay and put non-essential workers on furlough while production of its vehicles is stopped due to coronavirus. Work at its factory in Fremont, California halted on 23 March. In a letter to staff, the company said it hoped to resume operations on 4 May, "barring any significant changes". Most remaining workers will face a pay cut of 10%, while ... Read more
2020-04-08 21:57:39
Zoom banned by Taiwan's government over China security fears
Zoom has been banned from government business in Taiwan in the latest setback for the hugely popular video-calling app. It follows revelations that some Zoom traffic was "mistakenly" routed through China, which does not recognise Taiwan's independence. Taiwan's government said public bodies should not use products with security concerns "such as Zoom". But competitors like G ... Read more
2020-04-07 21:00:11
Coronavirus: YouTube tightens rules after David Icke 5G interview
YouTube has banned all conspiracy theory videos falsely linking coronavirus symptoms to 5G networks. The Google-owned service will now delete videos violating the policy. It had previously limited itself to reducing the frequency it recommended them in its Up Next section. The move follows a live-streamed interview with conspiracy theorist David Icke on Monday, in which he had linked the technol ... Read more
2020-04-07 20:59:49
Coronavirus: Twitter boss pledges $1bn for relief effort
Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter and payment app Square, has said he will donate $1bn (£810m) towards efforts to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. According to Mr Dorsey, the donation represented approximately 28% of his wealth. He made the announcement on Twitter, writing that the "needs are increasingly urgent". Mr Dorsey did not lay out exactly where the funds would be sent to he ... Read more
2020-04-07 20:59:24
Apps to help you stay social during lockdown
Having a social life while having to stay indoors could be a challenge.
BBC Click's Chris Fox comes to the rescue highlighting the apps and technology you can use to make a variety of video calls, play games with other people online, go dating and even share VR experiences.
2020-04-07 20:58:20
Airbnb hosts defy lockdown laws with 'Covid-19 retreats'
Airbnb hosts advertising properties as coronavirus hideouts are "dangerous and irresponsible", the government says. Owners have listed homes as being "Covid-19 retreats" and "perfect for isolating with family" in the British countryside. New coronavirus laws say holiday accommodation should be provided only to keyworkers needing to self-isolate. But some listings o ... Read more
2020-04-07 00:11:02