April, 2018

• 12 April

  Trump orders review of Postal Service amid Amazon accusations

  

  President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered an evaluation of the US Postal Service’s finances, after weeks of accusing Amazon of not paying its fair share of postage. In an executive order, Trump created a task force, chaired by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, to evaluate the Postal Service’s finances and operations. The order directs the task …

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• 12 April

  Huawei could beat Samsung to ‘world’s first’ foldable phone

  

  Chinese phone maker Huawei may be gunning for the “world’s first” foldable smartphone. The company reportedly plans to announce its foldable phone in November this year, according to Korean news outlet ETNews (via PhoneArena). Enlarge Image The foldable Huawei phone will reportedly use flexible displays from LG Display. LG Display If the concept of a folding smartphone that could double …

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• 12 April

  Cracking Open the Apple HomePod reveals a mix of iPhone chips

  

  Apple’s HomePod delivers superb sound quality, gives you access to Siri without using your iPhone, and lets you control your smart home devices through HomeKit. The $349 (£319, AU$499) smart speaker has a 4-inch high-excursion woofer, seven horn-loaded tweeters, and a six-microphone array (there’s a seventh microphone). It offers both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. To find out how Apple packed …

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• 12 April

  Dendy Direct is the latest video service to fall in Netflix era

  

  Dendy Direct is closing shop. After launching in 2014, the video-on-demand service, which lets you rent and buy the latest films and TV shows, will be pulled on May 14.  “Since launching the on-demand service 4 years ago, there have been several disruptors to the Australian VOD landscape,” Dendy’s press release read. This is of course a reference to the …

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• 12 April

  Firefox on iPhone now blocks websites from tracking you online

  

  If the Facebook privacy scandal has you freaked out, you might be interested to know that Firefox for iPhones and iPads now blocks websites from tracking your online behavior. Mozilla’s browser has an option called tracking protection that blocks tracking software embedded in websites — from website publishers, advertising companies and tech giants like Google and Facebook. Now that option …

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• 12 April

  Qualcomm ex

  

  An effort by Qualcomm’s former CEO to take the company private may actually have a chance.  Paul Jacobs left his role as the company’s chairman last month after Broadcom’s hostile takeover attempt failed. Qualcomm announced that Jacobs was looking at buying out the company his father, Irwin Jacobs, co-founded. At the time, such an offer seemed to have little chance …

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• 12 April

  SAP says business can solve the world’s problems (really)

  

  Absurdly Driven looks at the world of business with a skeptical eye and a firmly rooted tongue in cheek     He thinks business can solve the world’s problems. He’s an actor. SAP/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET Businesses are in a peculiar situation these days. They’re often stepping in to fight social problems, as (some) governments seem incapable of addressing them — …

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• 12 April

  New Google Go app aims to cure slow internet speeds in Africa

  

  Google is releasing an app intended to help internet users in Africa overcome poor connectivity and the high cost of data. The app, Google Go, reduces the amount of data needed to display search results by 40 percent and allows previous searches to be accessed offline, the search giant said in a company blog post. Voice search has been adapted …

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• 12 April

  Apple Business Chat rolls out to T

  

  T-Mobile users with an iPhone can now use Apple Business Chat, T-Mobile said Thursday. The messaging feature, which Apple launched in March, lets you do things like schedule appointments or place orders with businesses. In this case, T-Mobile users can change their rate plans and address, pay a bill, check their balances or even buy a new phone using Apple …

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• 12 April

  Optus apologises for racist job ad

  

  Optus, the second largest telecommunications company in Australia, has apologised for a racist job advertisement. Under “preferred” (mispelled as “preffered”) the job ad listed “Anglo Saxon”, suggesting that white people would be preferred for the position in an Optus store in the North Shore. Preferred: Candidates who are Anglo Saxon | @Optus apologises for advert saying it is ‘unacceptable’ | …

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