Technology Simplified

Sharper handling and a roomier cabin highlight the second-generation BMW X4. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2tIL9zD

BSD firewalls pfSense vs OPNsense: technical comparison 4 by auslander | 0 comments on Hacker News.

This sleep tracker lives under your mattress and lets you wake up to tons of wonky data about how you slept. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2tTh1kn

Electrolux's EFME627UTT dryer is pretty, but for that price it needs more than just good looks. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2tR7Lxi

5 ways to slash your smartphone bills Remember, a smartphone is a small computer, and computers are expensive. Even older-model phones can cost hundreds of dollars, never mind the $1,149 you'd have to pay for an iPhone X with 256GB, or the Samsung Galaxy S9, which costs upwards of $950. via https://ift.tt/2tFJmeM

Benchmark partner Mitch Lasky, who has served on Snap’s board of directors since December 2012, is not expected to stand for re-election to Snap’s board of directors and will thus be stepping down, according to a report by The Information . Early investors stepping down from the board of directors — or at least not seeking re-election — isn’t that uncommon as once-private companies grow into larger public ones. Benchmark partner Peter Fenton did not seek re-election for Twitter’s board of directors in April last year . As Snap continues to navigate its future, especially as it has declined precipitously since going public and now sits at a valuation of around $16.5 billion. Partners with an expertise in the early-stage and later-stage startup life cycle may end up seeing themselves more useful taking a back seat and focusing on other investments. The voting process for board member re-election happens during the company’s annual meeting, so we’ll get more information when an a...

Ask HN: What's the best way to handle internal tech support? 3 by underyx | 3 comments on Hacker News. My company has around 1000 CS reps and 200 engineers. The CS reps very often need to ask the engineers questions, report bugs heard about from customers, etc. Us engineers also get bug reports about the internal tools we've developed for CS. Currently, all this is handled via a simple Slack channel. This is actually great, since there's no bureaucratic cost to getting in touch, unlike with a proper ticketing system, and having actual public conversations is the fastest way to resolve issues. But of course, we started seeing inefficiencies in other aspects. The same questions keep being asked over and over again. There's an FAQ linked in the channel topic and it's automatically posted in the channel every 12 hours, but it's still not enough, we still get tons of questions that could be self-solved without engineers' intervention. So, that made me curious,...

By CECILIA KANG from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2lK1MXg

Top tech for home and personal security Check out some of the hottest tech showcased at CE Week 2018 to keep your home and loved ones safe including the Ooma home security system, Relay, Cobra Connected Dash Cam and Kids Connect. via https://ift.tt/2KyQOC7

California passes sweeping data privacy bill Tech companies will have to disclose what personal info they take from users under new California privacy law; FBN's Hillary Vaughn reports from Los Angeles. via https://ift.tt/2IDu2E0

Navy solidifies plans to buy its 4th Ford-class aircraft carrier in mid-2020s The Navy is finalizing plans to build its fourth Ford-Class aircraft carrier in the mid-2020s as a substantial step in a long-term plan to extend surface warfare power projection for the next 100 years - all the way into the 2100s. via https://ift.tt/2yUmHAl

How a Chinese businessman became the largest supplier of pyrotechnics in the US 6 by acdanger | 1 comments on Hacker News.

Amazon is addressing one of the larger issues with its Echo Dot Kids Edition  — support for Spotify’s streaming music service, with the option to filter out explicit lyrics. The news was announced on Friday alongside new content from Disney for the Kids Edition device. However, Amazon says the Spotify support would not be available until next week. Lack of access to one of the most popular streaming services was one of my personal critiques with the Kids Edition. As a Spotify household, it was hard to use the device here because of its limited support for music services outside Amazon and iHeartRadio Family. Our favorite playlists and music was not available, because we don’t pay for Amazon’s on-demand music service. This will be a welcome change. When Spotify is enabled, Amazon says the explicit filter will also be turned on by default — but parents can turn it off on their FreeTime dashboard. Along with the support on the Kids Edition device, the update will also now allow Sp...

Anonymous browsing, converting slides, mosquito repelling apps and more: Tech Q&A I value my privacy. I hate all the tracking that happens online. Is there any way I can stop it for good? via https://ift.tt/2yUrSAl

By JOHN MARKOFF from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2tRYvsA

Eight low-tech ways to keep cool in a heatwave (2013) 3 by vanilla-almond | 0 comments on Hacker News.

Orange, squishy body armor material could save lives It’s bright orange, it’s squishy, it stretches like taffy - and it is unlike any body armor you've ever seen. Defense Specialist Allison Barrie has an up close look at a new orange goo, developed by D30, which is the key to ultra-lightweight body armor that can deliver incredible protection. via https://ift.tt/2lJuBDc

5 ways to screw up as a woman in technology 3 by sdpy | 0 comments on Hacker News.

This orange, squishy body armor material could save lives It’s bright orange, it’s squishy, it stretches like taffy – and it is unlike any body armor you’ve ever seen. via https://ift.tt/2KtISyG

I’m not sure if you’re aware, but the launch of Apple Maps went poorly. After a rough first impression , an apology from the CEO , several years of patching holes with data partnerships and some glimmers of light with long-awaited transit directions  and improvements in business, parking and place data , Apple Maps is still not where it needs to be to be considered a world class service. Maps needs fixing. Apple, it turns out, is aware of this, so It’s re-building the maps part of Maps. It’s doing this by using first-party data gathered by iPhones with a privacy-first methodology and its own fleet of cars packed with sensors and cameras. The new product will launch in San Francisco and the Bay Area with the next iOS 12 Beta and will cover Northern California by fall. Every version of iOS will get the updated maps eventually and they will be more responsive to changes in roadways and construction, more visually rich depending on the specific context they’re viewed in and ...

Google finally fixes Home and Chromecast: What to do June 28 Update: This story has been updated with Google's fix to end the outages. via https://ift.tt/2IBcEjp

Apple to challenge Amazon Prime with new all-in-one subscription Apple is eyeing a completely new way of delivering its many digital services to customers, according to a new report. via https://ift.tt/2lEYV1Y

AT&T’s newly announced Watch TV, a low-cast live TV streaming service announced in the wake of the AT&T / Time Warner merger, is now up and running. The company already has one over-the-top streaming service with DirecTV Now, but this one is cheaper, has some restrictions, and doesn’t include local channels or sports to keep costs down. At $15 per month, the service undercuts the existing low-cost leader Philo by a dollar, but offers a different lineup ( Fomopop has a nice channel-by-channel comparison between the two, if you’re in the market.) Both have 25 of the same channels in their packages, including A&E, AMC, Comedy Central, Food Network, Discovery, HGTV, History and others, but AT&T Watch is missing MTV, Nickelodeon, and Travl Channel. In total, Watch TV has over 30 live TV channels, plus 15,000+ TV  shows and movies on demand, and allows you to subscribe by way of updated AT&T Wireless plans . Non-AT&T customers can subscribe for $15 per month...

How to unfilter the censorship on your Facebook news feed Kurt the 'Cyber Guy' Knutsson explains. via https://ift.tt/2yWHTWo

Google might be planning a console. That doesn’t mean it will happen A new report suggests that Google is working on a game console, code-named Yeti. The reports about Google's game console are likely true, but that doesn't mean we will ever see it. via https://ift.tt/2KAYJis

New Instagram feature lets you add music to stories Instagram stories are about to get a lot more musical. via https://ift.tt/2IDgVTd

By J. D. BIERSDORFER from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2MxtYYJ

By BRIAN X. CHEN from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2Kz5MrC

The newest member of the R NineT family pairs ‘80s off-road styling with modern civility. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2IzDKY8

As LG's highest-end phone, the V35 ThinQ has a gorgeous display, water resistance and a headphone jack. But it can't quite catch the S9 Plus. from CNET Reviews - Most Recent Reviews https://ift.tt/2KAJZ2K

Massive DOJ operation nabs illicit Darknet vendors The Department of Justice along with other agencies said a year-long campaign nabbed more than 35 Darknet vendors trafficking in illicit goods. via https://ift.tt/2IGphK8

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2Kg9o2x

Are you being censored by social media? The 'Cyber Guy' Kurt Knutsson shares how you can filter your feed on 'Fox & Friends First.' via https://ift.tt/2KmUfg4

And there we have it: Bird, one of the emerging massively hyped Scooter startups, has roped in its next pile of funding by picking up another $300 million in a round led by Sequoia Capital. The company announced the long-anticipated round this morning, with Sequoia’s Roelof Botha joining the company’s board of directors. This is the second round of funding that Bird has raised over the span of a few months, sending it from a reported $1 billion valuation in May to a $2 billion valuation by the end of June. In March, the company had a $300 million valuation , but the Scooter hype train has officially hit a pretty impressive inflection point as investors pile on to get money into what many consider to be the next iteration of resolving transportation at an even more granular level than cars or bikes. New investors in the round include  Accel, B Capital, CRV, Sound Ventures, Greycroft and e.ventures; previous investors  Craft Ventures, Index Ventures, Valor, Goldcrest, Tusk Ve...

And there we have it: Bird, one of the emerging massively-hyped Scooter startups, has roped in its next pile of funding by picking up another $300 million in a round led by Sequoia Capital. The company announced the long-anticipated round this morning, with Sequoia’s Roelof Botha joining the company’s board of directors. This is the second round of funding that Bird has raised over just the span of a few months, sending it from a reported $1 billion valuation in May to a $2 billion valuation by the end of June. In March, the company had a $300 million valuation , but the Scooter hype train has officially hit a pretty impressive inflection point as investors pile on to get money into what many consider to be the next iteration of resolving transportation at an even more granular level than cars or bikes. New investors in the round include  Accel, B Capital, CRV, Sound Ventures, Greycroft and e.ventures, and previous investors  Craft Ventures, Index Ventures, Valor, Goldcrest...

Amazon is buying PillPack Watch out, CVS and Walgreens: Amazon on Thursday announced plans to acquire PillPack for an undisclosed sum. via https://ift.tt/2KyLiQ4

According to a report from The Information , Apple could choose to bundle all its media offerings into a single subscription. While Apple’s main media subscription product is currently Apple Music, it’s no secret that the company is investing in other areas. In particular, Apple has bought the distribution rights of many TV shows . But nobody knows how Apple plans to sell those TV shows. For instance, you could imagine paying a monthly fee to access Apple’s content in the TV app on your iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. In addition to that, Apple acquired Texture back in March . Texture lets you download and read dozens of magazines with a single subscription. The company has partnered with Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp., Rogers Communications, and Time Inc. to access their catalog of magazines Texture is still available, but it’s clear that Apple has bigger plans. In addition to reformatting and redistributing web content in the Apple News app, the company could add paid con...

After years of legal procedures, Apple and Samsung have reached an agreement in the infamous patent case . Terms of the settlement were undisclosed. So is everything clear between Samsung and Apple? Not so fast, as Bloomberg reports that Apple wants to use OLED displays from LG to reduce its dependence on Samsung. You might remember that Apple first sued Samsung for copying the design of the iPhone with early Samsung Galaxy phones. The first trial led to an Apple victory. Samsung had to pay $1 billion . But the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office later invalidated one of Apple’s patents. It led to multiple retrials and appeals, and the Supreme Court even had to rule at some point. After many years, Samsung ended up owing $539 million to Apple. According to Reuters , Samsung has already paid $399 million. If you look closely at the original case, it feels like it happened many decades ago. At some point, the Samsung Galaxy S 4G, the Nexus S and a few other devices looked a lot lik...