Geek News

Samsung plans to unveil its next Galaxy Note smartphone on August 9th and it will have an upgraded camera, sources told Bloomberg . The device will look similar to its predecessor , which came out last fall, but versions of the new phone will have an upgraded processor in some markets. Otherwise, Samsung fans can look forward to Bixby 2.0, which is debuting first on the Note 9 (note that the company hasn't officially named its upcoming Note phone, but...c'mon). The device will be revealed at the tech giant's "Unpacked" event in New York City, according to Bloomberg 's sources, and Samsung plans to release it as early as the end of August. Source: Bloomberg via Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2J5rj7y If N...

Some users in the UK and other parts of Europe are experiencing problems paying for purchases with Visa cards for several hours now, as first spotted by Bloomber g today . It turns out Visa is experiencing a network failure, with the company now saying it's investigating the issue. The company also confirmed on Twitter that there's a service disruption in Europe. The outage has caused several banks — including the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Ireland — to issue statements addressing the issue, noting alternative methods of payment that still work, like cash withdrawals through the ATM and Mastercard transactions. Still, in some places, Visa cards are working fine. We are currently experiencing a service disruption which is... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2Jkp17H ...

Don't panic, Mac users -- just because Apple only released iOS 11.4 at first doesn't mean it has forgotten about you. The company has posted a macOS High Sierra 10.13.5 update that supports Messages in iCloud, providing both more consistent chat syncing across your Apple-made devices as well as a way to free up space. You can delete a message on your iMac and expect it to vanish on your iPhone, or set up a new MacBook and access your entire conversation history. There aren't other stand-out features in 10.13.5, although it does include the usual host of security and bug fixes. Not that you'll necessarily mind. If you're fully immersed in Apple's ecosystem, this could significantly improve your ability to keep track of a chat as you change devices throughout your day. Source: Apple (1) , (2) via Engadget RSS Fe...

Apple is looking to expand its ad sales business, The Wall Street Journal reports today , which would represent a significant change in the company's business strategy. Until now, Apple has prioritized hardware sales as its main profit driver, but global smartphone sales are waning as people hold on to their expensive devices for longer periods of time. This means there's less money in phones and more of a need for Apple to expand its business beyond hardware. In turn, Apple has reportedly met with Snap, Pinterest, and other companies to gauge interest in an Apple ad network that would distribute ads across all their collective apps on iOS. Apple would share revenue with the apps displaying ads; the amount of that share would vary, the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2Lesjqx ...

We're still months away from getting to the next burst of 2018 flagship phones, but a report from Bloomberg this afternoon says one of the biggest of those phones may come sooner than expected. The Galaxy Note 9 is on track to be announced on August 9th, two weeks earlier than the Note 8 was announced last year, according to the report. Samsung reportedly intends to release the phone by the end of August. If that happens, it'd give Samsung more of a head start against this year's iPhones. Last year, the Note 8 only went on sale after the iPhone 8 and X had been announced in September, which could have depressed sales by losing would-be buyers to Apple's new tech. Supposedly, Samsung had actually be hoping to announce the Note 9 even... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2spMcDU ...

Instagram sat down with some reporters today to explain its algorithm and dispel some myths that persist about its app, TechCrunch reports. It turns out that the three factors that largely determine how your feed is organized include your interests based on past behavior, how recently a post was shared and how often you've interacted with or been tagged with the perso n posting the content. Other factors that influence your feed's rankings include how often you visit Instagram, how long you're there and how many people you follow. As for myths about Instagram, the company says that it isn't considering a chronological option but that it is listening to those who are dissatisfied with its algorithm. Additionally, Instagram says it doesn't hide any posts, its algorithm doesn't favor photo or video formats, the feed doesn't boost those who u...

The main reason most people get an Amazon Echo, with its onboard AI servant Alexa, is convenience. But, after a family in Oregon found out Alexa recorded at least one private conversation and sent it to a contact in their address book, you might want to sacrifice convenience for privacy and personal security. Or, maybe you should at least keep the microphone turned off when not in use. Not very convenient, I know. Danielle (who identified herself only by her first name) and her family were going about their normal lives when her husband's employee unexpectedly called them and urged them to turn off all the Amazon devices in their home. Alexa had apparently sent him recordings of conversations in their house — and they were clearly unaware of both the recording and the sending of the audio. The device's AI seemed to have selected someone in their address...

Samsung users in the UK will soon be able to get AI-powered medical consultations through preinstalled technology provided by Korean tech company Babylon. Those users will be able to consult doctors through video chat and also look up symptoms through the Samsung Health app, as reported by Financial Times . Interested users will have to pay $67 a year (£50) or $33 (£25) for a single appointment to Samsung, which will share profits with Babylon. Despite the deal, Babylon — which is in the middle of expanding its coverage to Chinese app WeChat and has an agreement with Saudi Arabia's ministry of health — is not a perfect service. Some National Health Service doctors in the UK have accused Babylon of only choosing to serve patients with... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2J40AfH ...

The controversial government contract that led thousands of Google employees to sign a petition in opposition and dozens to quit in protest will not be renewed, Gizmodo reports. Project Maven has been billed by Google as a small, "non-offensive" deal through which it would provide open-source AI software to the Pentagon that could help the military flag drone images requiring further human review. But the project has been decried by many of the company's employees who believe it could hurt efforts to hold the public's trust and went against Google's "Don't Be Evil" motto. According to three individuals who attended a weekly Google meeting this morning, Google Cloud CEO Diane Greene announced that the Project Maven contract would not be renewed when it expires next year. She said the backlash over the deal had been bad for the c...

Instagram revealed today how it organizes users' feeds, including how it considers different factors in its algorithm. Up until now, Instagram's feed was sort of a mystery science. Posts from family members and close friends show up near the top, which was the goal of the company's decision to move away from the reverse-chronological feed in 2016 , but the way the app filled in the blanks between those close friends was slightly mysterious. Instagram product lead Julian Gutman explained to TechCrunch and other outlets, including The Verge , today that it ranks three main factors when creating users' feeds: interest, recency, and relationship. Interest is how much Instagram thinks you'll care about a post, with the most important obviously... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts https://ift.tt/2LdqWs1 ...