It’s that time of the week, folks! Let’s take a look at what Leaf and Core reported on this week, as well as a few stories from around the web that you should definitely check out.
We witnessed the death of Google+, found some glaring security vulnerabilities for Huawei technology, And caught Apple violating its own App Store guidelines. Not to mention I post what prosecutors will undoubtedly call “a how-to post on finding stolen credit card information,” and the death of a poor excuse for an ethics board.
From around the web, we’ve got some crazy stories as well, so sit back, open a dozen tabs or so, and let’s get reading.
In This Article:
Leaf and Core Rewind
G+ Bites the Dust as Does Google’s AI Ethics Board
On April second, we witnessed the death of Google Plus. The network that has languished in obscurity, getting by only thanks to the grace of Google’s life support, has finally passed away. The death of the network was met with absolutely no outrage on other social networks, and a whole lot of snark from tech news bloggers. Of course, it was also a time of reflection for the network that could have been, but never was.
From the Google employee walkout in 2018. Photo: Stephen Lam/Reuters
Speaking of Google’s poor planning and dead products, Google also killed off their AI Ethics board. That is, they shuttered the board, not that they harmed the board members. The ethics board was attacked by multiple groups for featuring a drone company owner, as well as an avowed homophobe, transphobe, and nationalist. Bigotry doesn’t mix with ethics, and the board has already collapsed.
Apple News+ Violates App Store Guidelines
Apple’s App Store guidelines are made to protect users from apps that would otherwise take advantage of them. However, it seems their own apps do just that. Apple News+ violates a number of App Store guidelines, giving Apple’s product an advantage over the competition.
r/Games Shut Down
So much hate, all from one place.
Reddit’s gaming subreddit shut down on April Fools Day to raise awareness for a growing concern on the gaming subsection of Reddit. Homophobia, transphobia, misogyny, and racism have become a growing problem in gaming, and few places exemplify that better than Reddit, especially r/Games.
TWO Security Problems for Huawei: A British Report and a Microsoft Investigation
A U.K. report showed that Huawei still has existing security problems since last year. Meanwhile, Microsoft hunted down a possible security flaw in Windows only to find that Huawei was the culprit. Things aren’t looking so good for the company the U.S. government considers a national security threat.
Want a Credit Card? Facebook Can Help!
Hey, looking to buy some stolen credit cards? Facebook can help you find a group selling the cards and even suggest other groups selling credit card information. Oops?
Here’s how that works.
iPhone Batteries Will Get Bigger!
Charging the Galaxy Buds is as easy as putting the case on your Samsung Galaxy S10 Phone
According to a reliable analyst, the 2019 iPhone batteries will be larger than those found in the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Plus. This will be to accommodate bilateral wireless charging, so users will be able to charge their AirPods with their iPhones.
Who doesn’t want a little more battery life?
Around the Web
Eddy Cue Repeatedly Visited Washington Post, New York Times in Failed Apple News+ Bid: Roger Fingas, AppleInsider
Apple News+ hasn’t been off to a good start. However, the company tried in vain to get two of America’s most popular and reputable newspapers into the service, The New York Times and the Washington Post. According to a report, neither wanted to give up such a large portion of their subscription revenue to Apple, which is rumored to be 50%.
Apple News+ has only the LA Times and Wall Street Journal, and only the Toronto Star in Canada. As such, its daily news features are extremely lacking.
The iPhone’s Camera Used to be a Selling Point. Now it’s a Settling Point: Vlad Savovo, The Verge
The iPhone camera is good at many things but in low light it cannot hang. Here are shots I just took in my near pitch black room pic.twitter.com/VwukXFE4UZ
— ben sin (@bencsin) March 30, 2019
The iPhone camera used to be better than any other smartphone camera on the market. However, now Oppo and Huawei have 10x optical zoom using prisms and telephoto lenses. Google’s single camera Pixel 3 can compete with Apple’s dual camera iPhone XS in nearly every way, and even outperform it in the dark. Samsung’s cameras have variable aperture, for better detail in bright light and less noise at night. Apple’s camera “innovations” have been a step behind the competition, and its middling position on DxO Mark’s rankings seems to reflect the attitude photographers have towards the once-great iPhone camera. Apple needs to play catch-up, fast.
The Women of ASMR Have to Become Experts in Cybersecurity to Protect Themselves From Creeps: Maria Sherman, Jezebel
Screenshot from one of Gibi’s ASMR videos
The New York Times had an article on ASMR, but one thing stood out to people who already enjoy ASMR, and that’s the difficulty women go through to create it. They often face stalking and harassment, and fear having their personal information published. Some guys even threaten and hunt down these women.
Many women won’t use their real names, and won’t even show their faces in YouTube videos just to avoid these problems. For ASMR creators (ASMRtists), the fact that they bring comfort, relaxation, focus, and a pleasurable tingling sensation in the head like a scalp massage, makes them form a kind of familiarity with their viewers. That can lead to views and revenue, but also put creators in danger.
PS: Gibi is one of my favorite ASMRtists, and you should totally check out her channel.
Apple Pay Comes to Singapore Transit, New York City Piloting in Spring: Roger Fingas, AppleInsider
Photo: Pratik Patel, Twitter
If you’ve been to New York, you’ve likely had to struggle with an MTA card swipe before. “Please Swipe Again,” it says, “Please Swipe Again at this Turnstile,” it repeats, followed by “Already Used.” The NYPD has been cracking down on turnstile jumpers, and they don’t really care what your excuse is. That’s all going to get a lot easier when the MTA starts allowing transit users to use Apple Pay to easily pay for their rides.
Apple Pay is already in use all over the world, including in Chicago and Portland in the U.S., and China and Japan elsewhere. It’ll be available in Singapore this year. The MTA is just a little slower than the rest, something else you’ll understand if you’ve ever had an interview or important morning meeting in the city.
Claimed Chassis Part Again Suggests Triple-Camera iPhone Coming this Year: Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac
Photo via 9to5Mac
A metal part is supposedly part of the upcoming iPhone. It matches previous sketchy schematic leaks, and appears to show a triple camera setup for the new iPhone. Will adding a third camera help the iPhone catch up to the competition? We’ll have to wait until the fall to find out.