Author: Irene Hawkins

Irene grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and now lives in New York as a full-time environmentalist and a part-time journalist. She was previously an editor at local online newspaper, where she wrote about topics including technology, finance and the media industry.

You might have noticed that your Apple services conked out last Tuesday evening. According to Apple, an outage struck the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV Plus, and Apple Arcade.   Apple Outage Apple’s status page revealed the outage. The Verge also reports that Apple confirmed that only some users got hit. However, AppleCare in iOS and Apple School Manager added that all users got struck. https://twitter.com/verge/status/1311110909092409344?s=20 The status page now says that Apple had resolved 25 outages today.  Which Apple Services Got Hit by the Outage? According to The Verge, these are the Apple services that suffered the outage.   …

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The future of shopping is here. Amazon has announced new Amazon One devices that read customers’ palms for identification and payment. Seattle shoppers can already use them in Amazon Go stores. Now, Amazon plans to give it to every partner retailer.  Amazon One In Amazon’s statement, VP Dilip Kumar said that the Amazon One makes it easier for people to shop at their cashier-less stores. Shoppers can just walk inside, get their palms scanned, then buy the things they want. Their purchases go right away to their credit cards. Kumar is Amazon’s Vice President of Amazon’s physical retail operations. Amazon…

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Whether you use Roku or not, you can now enjoy the Roku channel on your mobile device. Roku is launching a mobile app for the Roku Channel, which hosts free shows you can stream on your devices.  The Roku Channel Mobile App Earlier, non-Roku users can only access the Roku Channel on the web. But with the app, they can use the Channel on their mobile. Gizmodo says that the Roku Channel mobile app will be on iOS and Android. However, the new app wouldn’t replace the Roku app that lets you control your devices. The new Roku Channel app…

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After suing Apple for pulling Fortnite from the App Store, Epic Games is doing the same to Google. Google had also dropped Fortnite from the Google Play Store, though gamers can still buy it on Android and the Samsung Galaxy Store. However, Epic Games put in a new wrinkle in its Google lawsuit. In its suit, Epic accuses Google of forcing OnePlus to break a deal to pre-install Fortnite on their phones. Moreover, Epic also charges Google of forcing LG to do the same thing with their phones. Google vs. Epic Games: OnePlus’ Fortnite Launcher According to The Verge, OnePlus…

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Japanese publisher Konami has made its name with games like Metal Gear, but it is also embracing esports. The company has opened an esports school in Japan that would help gamers become esports pro.  Konami’s Esports School According to Kotaku, students can go to the Konami school and learn how to play several video games. At the school, lecturers can teach them how to play games such as Pro Evo, eBaseball Powerful Pro Baseball, DotA, and Fortnite. Of course, video game lectures wouldn’t be as useful without hands-on experience. The school also offers gamers hands-on training for these games.  https://twitter.com/Kotaku/status/1310565436338171905?s=20…

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The popular multiplayer game Counter-Strike has been an esports staple for several years. Teams from all over the world win big money from Counter-Strike leagues. With those stakes, in esports, cheating gets more likely to occur.  As it cracks down on CS cheating, the Esports Integrity Commission has banned 37 Counter-Strike coaches. Some of these bans last a few months, while the rest go for up to three years.  Counter-Strike Coaches Ban Kotaku reports that the Commission banned the 37 coaches for exploiting a bug that helped their teams win unfairly. The bug occurred in the game’s spectator mode. In…

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TikTok lives for another day. A US federal judge has ruled to delay the September 28 TikTok ban. With the delay, the court would study if banning TikTok was legal in the first place. Moreover, users could still get the app from various app stores.  The US Government vs. TikTok TikTok has responded to the ban by filing two injunctions since September 18, according to Gizmodo. On Friday, the US government made its case to DC District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols. However, Judge Nichols stopped the ban outright.  https://twitter.com/Gizmodo/status/1310397722093027329?s=20 The US government had said that banning TikTok did not…

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With Sony announcing a November PS5 release, the company has also begun pre-orders for the new console. However, the pre-orders quickly became chaotic. Global retailers accepted pre-orders at different times, causing a massive mess for gamers racing for the PS5. Sony has apologized for the confusion.  Sony PS5 Pre-order Fiasco Kotaku reports that the mess began on September 16, right after Sony played its PS5 showcase video. First, Sony said that pre-orders would start as early as September 17. However, Walmart and other stores had different ideas. These stores activated pre-orders as soon as Sony’s showcase ended. Seeing this opening,…

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Working from home during COVID-19 causes a lot more stress than usual. Living under a pandemic means self-care is now more critical than ever. So, Google has updated Assistant to help you take time for self-care during the day.  Google Assistant and Self-Care The Verge reports that Google introduces a new Workday routine to Assistant. With the new routine, Assistant can now remind you, throughout the day, to set some moments aside for self-care. Aside from improving your work, Assistant also helps you stay healthy.   https://twitter.com/verge/status/1310344736633430016?s=20 How Google Assistant’s Self-Care Routine Works COVID-19 has drastically changed our habits. Staying at…

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TikTok is now cracking down on weight loss ads after much criticism. People have blasted TikTok for promoting unsafe diets. With its new policy, TikTok bans ads for diet apps and weight loss pills. TikTok’s Crackdown on Weight Loss AdsMoreover, the app is increasing restrictions on weight-loss ads. For example, ads for “weight management products” are now unavailable for people younger than 18. TikTok also wants these ads to stop promoting a “negative body image or negative relationship with food.” https://twitter.com/verge/status/1308988798215368707?s=20In a blog post, TikTok said that some weight-loss ads “do not support the positive, inclusive, and safe experience” the app fosters.…

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