Google doesn’t want Gmail to predict someone’s gender. The email service’s Smart Compose technology won’t suggest gender-based pronouns because the risk of offending someone is too high, Google product leaders told Reuters. Google’s Paul Lambert said the change came about after a company research scientist typed “I am meeting an investor next week” and Smart …
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The next generation of wireless technology is speeding your way. 5G will reach more than 40 percent of the world’s population and cover 1.5 billion people by the end of 2024, according to the latest mobility report from telecommunications company Ericsson, which says its networks currently carry nearly half the world’s mobile traffic. The report came out Tuesday. 5G, short …
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You won’t be able to see annotations on YouTube videos pretty soon. On Tuesday, the Google-owned video-sharing service said it will stop displaying video annotation on Jan. 15, citing a drop in the number of people who see the marked-up videos. Annotations only work on desktop computers, YouTube said, but video traffic has shifted to mobile, resulting in fewer viewers. The video-sharing service …
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Amazon looks to be trying to become even more involved in shoppers’ lives. The e-commerce giant is pushing to expand its Amazon Pay digital wallet into brick-and-mortar stores, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday. The service is mainly used online currently. Amazon reportedly wants to partner first with gas stations, restaurants and merchants that aren’t direct competitors. It’s unclear …
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Instagram is looking to change up profile pages. The Facebook-owned company said on Wednesday that you might see features rearranged on your profile page in the coming weeks. Icons, buttons and tabs may change, though content on your profile grid won’t change. This comes as Instagram tests different changes to improve user profiles “in phases and different combinations,” Instagram said in a …
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A new tool from Google that aims to help Android users control their screen time is now out of beta. Digital Wellbeing is available to Pixel phone users and Android One device owners with Android 9 Pie. The news was reported earlier Tuesday by 9to5Google. Google released Digital Wellbeing to Pixel users in August as part of an exclusive beta. The …
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The next version of Snap’s Spectacles may be very expensive. Snapchat’s parent company plans to introduce new Spectacles glasses with two cameras by the end of the year and sell them for $350, according to a Cheddar report Tuesday. The upgraded version is reportedly code-named Newport and will have an aluminum frame. The Spectacles’ dual cameras will enable the Snapchat app …
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Instagram influencers can say goodbye to fake fans. Instagram on Monday said it’ll begin removing fake likes, follows and comments from accounts that use third-party apps to boost their popularity on the platform. The Facebook-owned photo app will use machine learning technology to help identify accounts that boost their pages in such ways and remove the “inauthentic activity,” according to …
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SpaceX got the green light to send more satellites to space. The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved SpaceX’s request to build, deploy and operate over 7,000 satellites in the very-low-Earth orbit. SpaceX will also have more frequency bands added to its previously authorized satellites, according to the FCC’s release. The company’s Starlink program is designed to use satellites at a …
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US lawmakers are getting serious about stopping illegal scam calls. Republican Sen. John Thune from South Dakota and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey from Massachusetts on Friday introduced the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence (TRACED) Act, which will increase penalties; promote call-authentication and call-blocking technology; and give regulators more time to find scammers. The bill would broaden the authority …
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