July, 2020

• 13 July

  Track your heart rate and more with the Fitbit Versa Lite smartwatch for $100

  

  The Fitbit brand is synonymous with fitness bands, but the company also offers a few wearables that look more like watches. A bigger screen usually means a bigger price, but not today: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Fitbit Versa Lite for $99.95. It normally sells for $160; this ties …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  Coronavirus scams: How to protect yourself from identity theft during COVID

  

  For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. The ongoing spread of the coronavirus continues to create new crops of hackers, targeting people who are working from home, still awaiting stimulus or benefit checks, or just trying to stay healthy at home or on a socially distanced vacation. Scammers are even pretending …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  OnePlus Nord smartphone will have an ultrawide selfie camera

  

  Update, July 27: The OnePlus Nord is here. Read our in-depth review. Original story follows. The OnePlus Nord will have a 105-degree ultrawide selfie camera, which the Chinese phone maker said Monday will save its users from the embarrassment of using a selfie stick. The phone will come with “pretty much everything you could ask for,” according to the company. View …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  The awesome Ember self

  

  I count my Ember mug among my most prized possessions. It keeps my morning cuppa joe hot from the first sip to the last — which may sound like a trivial thing, but once you’ve tried it, there’s no going back. It was a gift, thankfully, because I could never bring myself to spend $100 on one. But $50? That’s …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  SoftBank reportedly considering sale or IPO of chip designer Arm

  

  Japanese conglomerate SoftBank is exploring the possibility of a full or partial sale or IPO of chip designer Arm Holdings, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday. SoftBank purchased the UK-based Arm four years ago for nearly $32 billion. ARM isn’t as well-known as mega chip companies such as Qualcomm and Intel, but its work lies behind the processors inside many …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  Amazon tightens warehouse storage rules to get ahead of holiday shipping rush

  

  Months into the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon continues to struggle with plenty of problems, such as out-of-stock sanitizing wipes, price gouging, shipping delays and disrupted supply chains. Expecting challenges to continue through this unprecedented year, the e-commerce giant revealed new plans Monday to prepare its huge logistics network for its first holiday-shopping season during a global health crisis. The retailer will …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  Apple reportedly paid Samsung a $950 million penalty for not ordering enough OLED panels

  

  Apple might’ve paid a penalty of around $950 million to Samsung Display for failing to purchase enough OLED panels to meet its contract, according to a report from Display Supply Chain Consultants, spotted earlier by MacRumors. The reported payment could mean that Apple didn’t meet projected iPhone sales, as many of the tech giant’s retail stores have been closed as …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  Is your iPhone battery healthy? What about your Mac or Apple Watch? How to check

  

  Several years ago, Apple was caught slowing down older iPhones without their owners’ knowledge or consent. Apple eventually came clean, explaining that as the health of the battery inside the iPhone degrades, the company decided to hobble performance in order to avoid random shutdowns and other potential issues.  After the blowback, Apple added a Battery Health feature to the iPhone, revealing …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  New Arm

  

  Apple has teased that it will ship the first computers running its own Apple A-series Arm chips later this year. Now, a new report from notable Apple watcher Ming-Chi Kuo, of TF International Securities, suggests that the first computers packing the new processors could be a 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and possibly a new MacBook Air as well.  In the report, …

  Read More »
• 13 July

  Facebook built a new fiber

  

  The robot rests delicately atop a power line, balanced high above the ground, almost as if it’s floating. Like a short, stocky tightrope walker, it gradually makes its way forward, leaving a string of cable in its wake. When it comes to a pole, it gracefully elevates its body to pass the roadblock and keep chugging along.   This isn’t …

  Read More »