Good morning Alarming news from the Middle East yesterday: Hundreds of pagers exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing several people and injuring thousands.
If you’re like me, your second thought after “Gosh, what a crazy headline” is… wait, pager?
Believe it or not, there are millions of pagers in use around the world in hospitals, casinos, and parking garages. They’re cheap, their reception is always good, and their batteries last forever.
So I guess I’ll press my pager, right? —Andrew Nusca
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The spirit of Kidstagram lives on
Remember in 2021, when Facebook, as the company was then called, launched a separate version of Instagram for children, which includes more controls for parents and would likely increase the user base but also Combating serious mental health and privacy issues among younger users?
Remember when US lawmakers and parent groups called on the company to completely abandon the so-called Instagram Kids, which resulted in “pause“ continue the project and continue working on parenting tools for teenagers?
That is exactly what it did. The company we now call Meta, just published a variety of strict privacy and parental controls that are automatically enabled for teenage users.
The new Teen accounts are private by default, have the strictest messaging settings (only people they’re connected to), and come with content filters (e.g. no violence) for areas like Explore and Reels. They also have nightly notification muting and time limit reminders that kick in after 60 minutes per day.
So far, experts, parents and advocates have responded positively to the tools… with the caveat that they should have come sooner. In 2021, for example. Oh well. —Kali Hays
Apple may have found its next banking partner
Like a new season of The BachelorApple is looking for a new consumer finance partner after Goldman Sachs reportedly ended its relationship last year.
The last rose could end up going to JPMorgan Chase, according to several Reports.
Despite criticism that an Apple deal entailed too many risks and too little profit, Goldman took the plunge in 2019 and attempted to expand its retail banking business on a broader basis.
Since then, the company has focused on areas of business it knows better, such as retail. (We would not say that it here for the wrong reasonsBut.)
Of course, JPM is not just any lender. It is the largest bank in the US by assets – more than twice as much as Goldman – and it would hold on to the concessions it needs from Apple to succeed. And it is reportedly doing so.
Can a new Apple Card partnership learn from the mistakes of the last? Stay tuned for the most dramatic season yet. -A
A small victory for Uber drivers
You may no longer be verified with X, but you will soon be with Uber.
The company on Tuesday introduced to add new features to its ride-sharing app, including a “verified” driver badge that it hopes will help weed out some of the rabble. (With apologies to a certain Transylvanian.)
The IDs allow drivers to see who is verified – and, more importantly, who is not – before getting into the back seat of the car.
Other new features allow drivers to request a PIN from a passenger before starting a ride – again for identity verification – and to block passengers who give them 2 or 3 stars. (Uber is already better than 1-star situations.)
The new features are intended to increase the safety of drivers on their platform, the much louder and they are prepared to use protests to demand better pay, safer working conditions and opportunities to address false complaints. —Jessica Mathews
We can’t deny that they like the new Apple Watch
Apple’s latest smartwatch has received mostly flattering reviews from retailers who were able to test it in advance.
Like almost every new device from the company, Apple’s Series 10 is touted as being faster and slimmer than its predecessors. But it also comes with stylish, FDA approved Health functions such as detecting whether the wearer has sleep apnea.
Reviewers liked several aspects of the $399 watch. The new model can be charged faster than before (up to 80% battery life in 30 minutes). The display is bigger and brighterIt can play Music It has a modest built-in speaker if you’re into that sort of thing.
In other words, the new Apple Watch should a place in the heart– assuming you don’t already have Apple Series 8 or later. —Jenn Brice
10 million Bluesky users can’t be wrong
It took Bluesky a year to gain two million users. Eight months later, it has surpassed the 10 million mark.
This is a big deal for anyone looking for a viable alternative to X, which has become a mixture of gladiator bluster and sleazy scams.
mastodon had a shot wanted to be the next Twitter but never managed to improve its usability. So the two big Elon-free options are Meta’s Threads and Bluesky, which started as a Twitter offshoot.
If you like algorithmically organized engagement bait, Threads might be for you. If you prefer a chronological feed of content from people you follow, Bluesky is your platform. (I know where my engagement lies.)
The company’s growth spurt is mainly due to a recent Influx of Brazilians who can no longer access X. But there is no doubt that the platform is on the rise again – even if it lacks revenue and is still living off the $8 million from last year’s seed round.
Not bad for a non-profit company based on a decentralized protocol. —David Meyer
Further data
—Teresa Ribera is Europe’s new antitrust commissioner. If confirmed, the Spanish socialist will decide whether to break up Google, and other issues.
—The Pentagon awards $269 million for military chip projects. Who would have thought that semiconductors would be so popular these days?
—BlackRock and Microsoft will launch a $30 billion fund. It turns out that all this AI stuff is really going to put a strain on our computing infrastructure!
—The fake Kamala Harris hit-and-run video traces back to a Russian troll farm. If you had visions of redhead toy when I said “troll farm” you should probably make an appointment for a colonoscopy.
—More Meta Ray-Bans are coming, thanks to a new contract with EssilorLuxottica. And probably Oakleys and Persols too. -A
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