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.

Back in May 2019, Spotify announced that it would be publicly testing a voice-controlled smart assistant for cars that the company called “Car Thing.” But nearly two years on, we haven’t heard much from the project — though that might change soon. A Car Thing with a totally new design and a bigger screen has appeared in FCC filings. This new version of the Car Thing seems like it will function similarly to the 2019 version — it’s a “voice controlled accessory for phone/Spotify App with supporting display and buttons,” according to a description found in the filings. “Bluetooth enabled…

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On January 8th, Twitter permanently banned President Donald Trump, and proceeded to play whack-a-mole as he attempted to dodge that ban by using different Twitter accounts, each of which Twitter suspended in turn. And yet less than a week later, a Trump video has been posted on the official @WhiteHouse account delivering a new video speech. The speech is not inflammatory — quite the opposite. It features Trump denouncing violence, lawbreaking, and vandalism. It contains messages many might have hoped Trump would issue immediately during or perhaps even before the attack on the US Capitol, to avoid the violence and…

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There aren’t many good ways to lose $220 million, but this New York Times article highlights a particularly egregious one — losing millions of dollars in bitcoin because you forgot the password to your digital wallet. Stefan Thomas’ 7,002 bitcoin (worth roughly $220 million) are locked away in an IronKey hard drive, according to NYT’s Nathaniel Popper. The problem is he can’t remember the password, and he’s just two failed password attempts closer to losing them forever due to IronKey’s strict security protocols. There is the possibility of paying someone to crack the drive, but Thomas would have to have…

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It’s the second week of 2021. Last week began with an insurrection, siege of the US Capitol building, and rejection of democracy, and it ended with all major social media companies banning the one-time impeached 45th president of the United States, Donald J. Trump. One of those companies was Twitter. On the Donald.win forum, Trump supporters announced a plan to show their discontent by protesting in front of the San Francisco headquarters earlier today. The building was empty, with Twitter employees working from home to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but there was still a heavy police presence to protect…

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Apple is removing Parler from the App Store, following accusations that the social media app was fostering calls to violence ahead of, and following, the raid on the US Capitol. As of this writing, the app still appears on Apple’s store, but we’re expecting that to change momentarily. “We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity. Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people’s safety. We have suspended Parler from the App…

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Twitter has lifted its ban on President Donald Trump, and his latest tweet is very different than the ones we’ve seen for many months. Though he does not say he lost, his latest video feels like a concession speech. “Now that Congress has certified the results, a new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th,” he says. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power.” Trump had issued a similar statement about “an orderly transition” this morning through a surrogate account — that of White House social media director Dan Scavino. The president’s own…

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Twitter is locking President Donald Trump’s account for 12 hours after removing three tweets that contained “repeated and severe violations” of its civic integrity policy. It says the account will be permanently suspended if violations continue, and it will not be unlocked unless Trump entirely deletes the three offending tweets. The decision comes after Trump tweeted a video that Twitter said posed a “risk of violence.” “As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our…

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President Trump has signed a new executive order prohibiting transactions with the companies behind eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s QQ and WeChat Pay. Transactions will be prohibited in 45 days. Reuters was the first to report the news. The full list of apps includes: Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office. US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross confirmed that the Commerce Department will “begin implementing the E.O.’s directives, including identifying prohibited transactions.” Reuters reports that the Commerce Department will do so before Trump leaves office on January 20th, citing an unnamed…

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Industrial sensor giant Teledyne will acquire FLIR, an Oregon-based company that makes thermal-imaging and night vision technology, the companies announced Monday. The deal is worth $8 billion in a mix of cash and stock. “At the core of both our companies is proprietary sensor technologies. Our business models are also similar: we each provide sensors, cameras and sensor systems to our customers,” Teledyne chairman Robert Mehrabian said in a statement. The companies’ sensors are “uniquely complementary, with minimal overlap,” he added, which could be important when regulators decide whether to approve the acquisition. You probably already know FLIR Oregon-based FLIR…

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Samsung will officially be announcing its latest lineup of Galaxy flagship phones — rumored to be the Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra — on January 14th, the company confirmed through invitations to a new Galaxy Unpacked event. The tagline: “Welcome to the Everyday Epic.” The event will kick off at 7AM PT / 10AM ET. The company is widely expected to announce three new smartphones at the event, successors to last year’s Galaxy S20 lineup: a pair of matching S21 and S21 Plus phones (that are expected to be largely similar, except for size), and a more premium…

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