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Techmeme
April 28, 2020, 9:35 AM

Top News

Leo Kelion / BBC:
UK's NHS says it's making a contact tracing app that uses a centralized approach, giving it more insight into COVID-19's spread than Apple and Google's approach  —  The UK's coronavirus contact-tracing app is set to use a different model to the one proposed by Apple and Google, despite concerns raised about privacy and performance.
Bloomberg:
David Shepardson / Reuters:
Verizon and Comcast both say they will extend a commitment through June 30 to not cancel service or charge late fees because of the coronavirus pandemic  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N), the largest U.S. wireless carrier, said Monday it will extend …
Vjeran Pavic / The Verge:
DJI unveils Mavic Air 2 with upgraded camera sensor that can take 48MP photos and shoot 4K at 60 fps, claims 34 minutes of flying time, shipping May 11 at $799  —  A bigger sensor, a bigger battery, and redesigned controller come to DJI's mainstream drone  —  Two and a half years …
Chris Welch / The Verge:
Review of Google's second-generation $179 wireless Pixel Buds: sound quality has improved, but their silicone “stabilizer arc” can cause discomfort over time  —  Google's new earbuds finally go truly wireless and have improved sound quality  —  Google's original Pixel Buds came …
Paresh Dave / Reuters:
Interviews show some companies and retail stores are equipping existing security cameras with AI software to track social distancing and mask-wearing  —  OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - Stores and workplaces eager to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus are equipping existing security cameras …
Elizabeth Dwoskin / Washington Post:
As COVID-19 decimates the global economy, tech giants have a unique opportunity to expand their power, crush rivals, and improve their political fortunes  —  The global pandemic gives Silicon Valley titans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand their power, crush rivals and change their political fortunes.
Gizmodo:
Parolees say technical issues of Guardian, an app that uses GPS and biometric data for tracking, are causing problems like losing jobs and reincarceration  —  On the day Layla got out of prison and back to her home in Georgia, she was told she would need to purchase a smartphone …
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Twitter turned off the ability to receive tweet alerts via SMS messages in most countries last week  —  The ability to receive tweet notifications has been disabled  —  For the most part, you can no longer use Twitter as it was originally built to be used: over text message.
Devin Coldewey / TechCrunch:
Google's AI screening tool for diabetic retinopathy, trialed in Thailand, proved impractical in real-life testing, despite high theoretical accuracy  —  AI is frequently cited as a miracle workers in medicine, especially in screening processes, where machine learning models boast expert-level skills in detecting problems.
Ben Sandofsky / Halide:
An in-depth analysis of how iPhone SE leverages machine learning software to generate a portrait effect using a single 2D image  —  After four years, we have a new budget-conscious iPhone.  Like previous SE, it reaches that price point by sticking to components from previous generations. iFixIt found …

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Earlier Picks

Josh Constine / TechCrunch:
CNN:
Eduard Kovacs / SecurityWeek:
Adam Satariano / New York Times:
Neha Alawadhi / Business Standard: