Tag: electronics

Sony’s PlayStation Access controller offers a new social lifeline for gamers with disabilities
Technology

Sony’s PlayStation Access controller offers a new social lifeline for gamers with disabilities

CNN  —  Grant Stoner said that he has loved playing video games his entire life, and that his earliest memory is of playing Super Nintendo in his parents’ bedroom at roughly 3 years old. “Gaming, for me, has always been a social activity,” Stoner, a Pittsburgh native who has spinal muscular atrophy type 2, a neuromuscular disorder, told CNN. “Because I’ve never really, physically, been able to participate in schoolyard events or sporting events or what have you, so I would bond with family and classmates through gaming.” For people with disabilities, Stoner said gaming has served as a lifeline for forming friendships and community. But for years, he adds, the technology underpinning the gaming secto...
Medical imaging struggles to read dark skin. Researchers say they’ve found a way to make it easier
Technology

Medical imaging struggles to read dark skin. Researchers say they’ve found a way to make it easier

CNN  —  Traditional medical imaging – used to diagnose, monitor or treat certain medical conditions – has long struggled to get clear pictures of patients with dark skin, according to experts. Researchers say they have found a way to improve medical imaging, a process through which physicians can observe the inside of the body, regardless of skin tone. The new findings were published in the October edition of the journal Photoacoustics. The team tested the forearms of 18 volunteers, with skin tones ranging from light to dark. They found that a distortion of the photoacoustic signal that makes the imaging more difficult to read, called clutter, increased with darkness of skin. “When you h...
Apple continues its sweep to roll out USB-C to more devices
Technology

Apple continues its sweep to roll out USB-C to more devices

CNN  —  Apple (AAPL) quietly announced its next-generation Pencil that works with iPads and now includes USB-C charging. The change comes nearly a month after Apple retired its Lightning charger, a milestone moment toward universal charging amid pressure from EU regulators. Like previous models, the third-generation Apple Pencil is intended for taking notes, sketching and marking up documents. It also supports the hover feature, which allows users to preview and switch between different tools and app controls, when used with a 12.9-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th generation) and 11-inch iPad Pro (4th generation). The price is $79, down $20 from the second-generation Apple Pe...
iPhone 15 demand dips in China, analysts say
Technology

iPhone 15 demand dips in China, analysts say

CNN  —  Demand for Apple’s new iPhone 15 lineup is weaker in China than for last year’s models, according to analysts. Sales for the iPhone 15 are down 4.5% in China compared to iPhone 14 sales in the first two weeks after its launch, according to Counterpoint Research. Separately, Bloomberg reported on Monday financial firm Jefferies said iPhone 15 sales dropped by a double-digit percentage following strong customer demand for Huawei’s new Mate 60 smartphone line. Apple (AAPL) shares fell 0.08% following the reports. The reports come amid a floundering Chinese economy, a struggling housing market, and more competition among higher-end vendors in China, part...
India arrests executive of Chinese smartphone giant Vivo in fraud probe
Technology

India arrests executive of Chinese smartphone giant Vivo in fraud probe

New Delhi/Hong Kong CNN  —  An executive at Vivo, one of China’s top smartphone makers, has been arrested in India in connection with a money laundering probe, raising fears of a renewed crackdown on Chinese businesses in the country. Guangwen Kuang, the head of administration at Vivo India, was taken into custody on Tuesday by India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED), his lawyer, Mudit Jain, told CNN. The ED is the country’s main financial crimes investigation agency, responsible for probing money laundering and violations of foreign exchange laws. Kuang, a Chinese national, was arrested alongside three other people and would be held in custody for three days, according to a court document shared with CN...
Why you will be getting a cell phone text alert from National Wireless Emergency Alert System
Technology

Why you will be getting a cell phone text alert from National Wireless Emergency Alert System

CNN  —  If you hear a screeching alert go off on your cell phone – and everyone else’s cell phone – this Wednesday at 2:20 pm ET, don’t panic. The federal government said it will conduct on Wednesday afternoon a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The EAS portion of the test will send an emergency alert to all radios and televisions, while the WEA portion of the test will direct alerts to all consumer cell phones. “The purpose of the Oct. 4 test is to ensure that the systems continue to be effective means of warning the public about emergencies, particularly those on the national level,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is conducting the test in...
Pixel 8: Google unveils new phones built for ‘the generative AI era’
Technology

Pixel 8: Google unveils new phones built for ‘the generative AI era’

CNN  —  There’s nothing particularly new about Google’s latest-generation Pixel 8 smartphone hardware. That’s why the company is pushing hard to tout its AI-powered new software, which Google says was built specifically for the “first phone of the generative AI era.” At a press event in New York City, Google (GOOG) showed off the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro devices, which largely look the same as the year prior, albeit with more rounded edges. But inside, its new G3 Tensor chip unlocks an AI-powered world aimed at simplifying your life, from asking the device to summarize news articles and websites to using Google (GOOG) Assistant to field phone calls and ...
America’s national emergency alert test is coming to your phone at 2:20 pm ET today: Here’s what you need to know
Technology

America’s national emergency alert test is coming to your phone at 2:20 pm ET today: Here’s what you need to know

New York CNN  —  Today was the day for the US government’s big emergency alert drill, which sent a test message to every TV, radio and cell phone in the nation. Starting at approximately 2:20 pm ET on Wednesday, the federal government began conducting a nationwide test of its Emergency Alert System and Wireless Emergency Alerts. The EAS portion of the test sent an emergency alert to all radios and televisions, while the WEA portion of the drill sent an alert to all consumer cell phones. The test was being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in coordination with the Federal Communication Commission. Its purpose was to ensure that the systems in place continue to be an effective means ...
Apple working to fix iPhone 15 overheating issues
Technology

Apple working to fix iPhone 15 overheating issues

CNN  —  Apple is working on a software fix following reports that some of its new iPhone 15 models are overheating. The company told CNN the current overheating issues are not a safety risk and will not affect the long-term performance of impacted iPhone models. It also emphasized that iPhones have internal protections for components to help regulate the temperature if it gets too high. Apple also told CNN there are several circumstances that are causing its next-generation lineup to heat up. User complaints started to circulate after the latest iPhones hit stores on September 22. “We have identified a few conditions which can cause iPhone to run warmer than expected,” Apple told CNN in...
PlayStation head Jim Ryan is stepping down
Technology

PlayStation head Jim Ryan is stepping down

New York CNN  —  PlayStation boss Jim Ryan is stepping down from the company, Sony announced Wednesday. The Sony Interactive Entertainment President and CEO will be retiring in March 2024 after 30 years in the PlayStation business. Sony Group Corporation president, COO and CFO Hiroki Totoki will assume the role of SIE chairman next month to “support” the transition, and will take over as interim CEO once Ryan retires. Ryan joined SIE in 1994 and was appointed CEO in 2019. He had previously held senior positions at the company including president of SIE Europe, head of global sales and marketing at SIE and deputy president of SIE. Ryan led the launch of the PlayStation 5,...