While Amazon is working to push its big Prime Day summer sale this week, activists and unions are using the day to highlight their many concerns about the world’s biggest online store. Their concerns vary widely, from working conditions in warehouses to climate issues to its ties to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. …
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July, 2019
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15 July
Microsoft Surface Headphones are $160 off for Prime Day
When Microsoft released its Surface Headphones last year, I thought it might have trouble selling its first noise-canceling headphones for the same price — $350 — as highly regarded competing products from Bose and Sony. Most stores are now selling them for $250, but for Prime Day, Amazon has them for $190. You can read my full Surface Headphones review here. Note that …
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15 July
Huawei reportedly plans massive US layoffs
Huawei is planning major layoffs at its US research labs as it struggles under the weight of the Commerce Department blacklisting, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. The embattled Chinese telecom’s Futurewei R&D subsidiary employs about 850 people in Texas, California and Washington state. The layoffs may number in the hundreds, according to the Journal, which cited anonymous sources. A …
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15 July
Microsoft Office 365 banned in some schools over privacy concerns
One German state has told schools it’s now illegal to use Microsoft Office 365 under data protection laws. The Hesse Office for Data Protection and Information Freedom ruled that using the cloud platform could expose student and teacher personal information to access by US officials. The decision follows several years of debate in Germany over whether Microsoft software should be …
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15 July
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 gets speed boost for gaming phones, with Asus ROG Phone II up first
Gamers, rejoice. Qualcomm’s newest mobile processor has been built for speed — just in time for the rollout of ultra-fast 5G cellular networks. And Asus will be the first to use the chip, in its upcoming ROG Phone II. Qualcomm on Monday introduced the Snapdragon 855 Plus, a souped-up version of its high-end chip that powers many of the latest …
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15 July
Intel packs 8 million digital neurons onto its brain
The human brain is made of something like 86 billion interconnected brain cells, or neurons. Intel has now taken a notable step toward a digital equivalent, building a computer system with 8 million digital neurons. The system, called Pohoiki Beach, is packed with 64 of Intel Labs’ Loihi chips and will be available to researchers who can help the chipmaker …
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15 July
Prime Day portable charger deal: MyCharge power banks are 20% off
Amazon Prime Day has begun, and if you’ve been scrolling through deals on your phone all morning you might be in need of a portable charger. Anker and some of the other Chinese brands tend to dominate the portable charging arena these days. But we also like MyCharge, and several of its portable chargers are on sale at Amazon for …
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15 July
WhatsApp, Telegram had security flaws that let hackers change what you see
With this vulnerability, what you see on WhatsApp and Telegram might not be what was sent. Despite the secure messaging apps’ end-to-end encryption protecting people from government surveillance, researchers from Symantec disclosed flaws that could allow potential hackers to alter images and audio files. While the sender might have sent, say, a photo of a map, malware could exploit this …
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15 July
The Sonos Beam drops to $359 and comes with a $100 Amazon gift card
Happy Prime Day, cheeps! It’s a madhouse over here, with new deals coming at breakneck speeds. These are the absolute best Prime Day deals right now, and just for good Cheapskate measure, here are the best Prime Day deals under $25. (I haven’t even had time to add them yet, but you can get a Tile Mate for just $15 …
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15 July
US will let Huawei sell to companies within weeks, report says
Huawei may almost be out of the doghouse with the US. President Donald Trump banned the Chinese company earlier this year, but the government will reportedly start approving licenses for Huawei again soon. The government will begin approving licenses for US companies to reestablish partnerships with Huawei in two to four weeks, according to a Reuters report Sunday. This follows Commerce Secretary …
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