The next Samsung Galaxy Z Flip foldable (foldable display) smartphone was leaked today from several angles. This device looks exceedingly similar to its predecessor, and for good reason. The first Samsung Galaxy Z Flip was part of Samsung's (rather sizable) test run for foldable displays. Now it's time to get the devices out into the world en masse.
Loot boxes have been in the news a lot in recent years, as the controversial form of in-game monetization has come under fire from pretty much all sides. For a lot of people, EA's Star Wars: Battlefront 2 seemed to be the tipping point when it launched at the tail end of 2017 with overreaching loot boxes, prompting multiple governments around the world to take a closer look at loot boxes following the outcry from players.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has dealt a new blow to Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE, alleging that they are both national security threats. With an official proclamation established, the FCC says that its Universal Service Fund cannot be used to purchase or otherwise support any services or hardware from either company. The move follows years of US government concern over potential espionage and security issues related to hardware from Chinese companies.
Wood alcohol may have found its way into a certain set of hand sanitizer bottles released to the public earlier this year. One voluntary recall was announced on behalf of Saniderm Advanced Hand Sanitizer, for their 1-liter bottles of consumer-level product. The recall was done after a news alert from the Food and Drug Administration for related toxic hand sanitizer manufacturing done by Eskbiochem SA de CV in Mexico.
Apple's prospective plans for a "modular system for head-mounted device" were revealed in a newly-public patent posted to the USPTO. The United States Patent and Trademark Office showed this document with inventors Paul X Wang and Dinesh C Mathew, as first filed in April of the year 2019. This could, possibly, point to part of Apple's design language for their eventual release of a pair of smart glasses, imbued with augmented reality abilities and tipped to be called Apple Glass.
Another major city in the United States, Boston, has banned the use of facial recognition technology for surveillance purposes, stating that not only does this tech trample 'on everyone’s rights to anonymity and privacy,' but it also enforces systemic racism and makes it easier for communities to target minorities. Boston joins five other regions in Massachusetts that have also banned their respective governments from using these systems.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is cracking down on the sale of various pesticide products sold on eBay and Amazon, particularly ones that are said to be misleading the public about their suitability for protecting against COVID-19. Both online retailers have been ordered to stop selling these products by the EPA, which says that several products targeted by this order are being marketed with various false or otherwise misleading claims involving the novel coronavirus.
The CDC is singing a familiar song: stop snuggling, kissing, or otherwise being physically affectionate with chickens. The message has been preached many times in the past, each in reference to outbreaks of Salmonella, a bacterial disease most commonly acquired through contaminated water or food. Salmonella is common among chickens, as well, and that's a problem for backyard farmers.
Following a delay caused by poor weather, the US Space Force and United Launch Alliance have successfully launched the military's secretive X-37B space plane. The craft was launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida using the Atlas V rocket, sending it off on its sixth space mission. Space Force recently revealed that the space plane is carrying multiple experiments, including some for NASA, though many details on the spacecraft remain a secret.
A "legal blueprint for mining on the moon" was tipped to be in the works in the White House under the U.S.-sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords. A report this week suggests that a draft pact has not yet been "formally shared" with any U.S. allies as of yet. This agreement would be made in association with NASA and ideally agreed upon by by government officials around the world.
Apple and Google revealed plans to implement Contact Tracing on the iPhone and Android devices of all sorts this week. The plan starts with Google and Apple creating the code that'll allow smartphones to anonymously "ping" one-another and keep a record of said pings. If one person tests positive for COVID-19, notifications will be sent to all devices that've been near the infected person in the recent past.
A statement was released today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in the USA on the origins of COVID-19. In the statement it's written, "The entire Intelligence Community has been consistently providing critical support to U.S. policymakers and those responding to the COVID-19 virus, which originated in China." They go on to agree with "wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified."