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Facebook may restrict highly targeted political ads

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A spokesman didn’t confirm or deny the claims, but did reiterate to the WSJ that Facebook was “looking at different ways [it] might refine” its stance on political ads.

If the approach sounds familiar, it should. Google recently limited political ad targeting to age, gender and general location, making it difficult to manipulate specific audiences. Twitter also restricted issue ads by excluding important criteria and banning certain keywords. Facebook would really be following suit, although the approach as described would allow more narrowly targeted ads than others.

There’s certainly pressure to take action. The 2020 US presidential election is less than a year away, and there are concerns that hostile governments and unscrupulous politicians might use highly targeted ads to push fake claims and sway votes in important regions. A Facebook ban wouldn’t completely halt this practice, but it might discourage the kind of behavior seen in 2016.

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Amazon Music HD expands 3D audio library with Warner Music Group tracks

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“Listening to music is by nature a creative and emotional experience, and to take that experience a level deeper through Dolby Atmos is something we wanted to offer to both artists and fans,” Allan Coye, WMG’s SVP of digital strategy and business development, said in a statement.

WMG teamed up with Dolby to bring Dolby Atmos to its catalog of songs and albums. You can probably expect to hear more 3D music sooner rather than later too, as Dolby says it’s “working closely with artists, record labels, streaming services and consumer electronics manufacturers to make Dolby Atmos Music experiences widely accessible.

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Abode’s DIY home security system is now compatible with HomeKit

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The Iota gateway has a built-in 1080-pixel camera, which you can stream through the Home app. It has two-way voice and support for Z-Wave, Zigbee, Alexa and Google Home, making it one of the most flexible smart-home hubs to date.

HomeKit is available on the Iota through an update that’s rolling out today, and Abode says the Gen 1 and Gen 2 security systems will add HomeKit compatibility “in the near future.”

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‘Pokémon Sword & Shield’ had the best-selling launch of the series

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Fans had been clamoring for Sword & Shield leading up to their release. The games mark the first mainline entry into the series on a flagship Nintendo console; all previous ones were exclusive to the company’s portable offerings. With the ability to play console-quality games both on a TV and in portable mode, the Switch unified these two markets on one platform. So while gamers can get an immersive experience on the big screen, they can also take their Switch with them to trade and battle with their friends — a major component to the series.

Engadget’s review of Pokémon Sword & Shield found the games to tread a familiar path but are still excellent titles on the whole. With six million units sold, Sword & Shield are already the eighth best-selling Switch game (if treated as a single title). As time goes on, the pair will likely reach the ranks of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which have sold 19.01 million and 15.71 million units, respectfully.

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Loon will bring balloon-powered internet to the Amazon rainforest

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Working together with local infrastructure operator Internet Para Todos Perú (IpT), Loon will use its high-altitude balloons to provide internet access to parts of the Loreto Region of the Peruvian Amazon, where around 200,000 people live. According to the company, a quarter of people in this area lack 3G or better internet access, and many in rural areas don’t have reliable mobile service at all.

Loon has previously worked in Peru when its balloons provided internet access following a massive earthquake there in May this year. It also provided emergency internet in Northern Peru following the 2017 El Niño floods.

The system works using a network of balloons which operate at 20km (12.4 miles) above sea level, acting as “floating cell towers” which transmit 4G service from providers. The high altitude lets the balloons avoid hazards like air traffic, weather events and wildlife.

Before balloon launches can begin in Peru, however, Loon and IpT must first secure regulatory approval from Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.

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BMW spends billions to secure batteries and drivetrains for its EVs

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You may not have heard of CATL, but the Chinese company is the world’s third-largest supplier of EV batteries and also supplies electronics producers such as Panasonic and e-bike manufacturers like BYD. BMW Group will increase its order from CATL from four billion euros ($4.43 billion) announced last year to 7.3 billion euros ($8.09 billion) for a contract from 2020 to 2031.

In addition, BMW has signed a contract to purchase electric drive trains from Samsung SDI for 2.9 billion euros ($3.21 billion), running from 2021 to 2031.

Securing a supply of batteries is no small feat for an automotive company, due to limited supplies of the rare elements required for the manufacturing process. That’s why Ford will only be producing a limited number of its Mustang Mach-E vehicles.

BMW announced it will tackle the rare element issue by directly sourcing its own cobalt and lithium from mines in Australia and Morocco, then supplying the materials to CATL and Samsung SDI. The company says it is taking this step so it can be sure where its materials come from, in order to comply with environmental standards and respect the humans rights of the miners.

In 2021, the company plans to solidify its battery supply chain by reducing its dependence on these rare elements, with the fifth-generation electric drive trains produced without the use of rare earths.

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Apple has a plan to ensure iOS 13’s buggy launch doesn’t happen again

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The in-house switch-up isn’t surprising: iOS 13, the latest version of Apple’s smartphone operating system, was a bug-riddled mess at launch. Engadget’s Chris Velazco observed “a handful” of issues with the standard iOS 13 release across multiple iPhone handsets. These included a camera app that wouldn’t launch correctly and an operating system that couldn’t decide when the flashlight was actually on. Apple released iOS 13.1 less than a week later with an eyebrow-raising 24 bug fixes in the changelog. The next update, iOS 13.2, introduced an overly-aggressive RAM management system that had to be fixed with 13.2.2. Even more bugs were ironed out with version 12.2.3, which was released earlier this month.

The issues haven’t been extensive enough to trigger a mass switch-away from Apple’s ecosystem. They have contributed, though, to a growing sense that Apple-made software and firmware isn’t as polished as it used to be. As Bloomberg notes, this can be partly attributed to the growing complexity of smartphone and iPad software. Customers expect a reliable and responsive operating system, though — especially when they’ve just spent $700 or more on a new device.

According to Bloomberg, the new development strategy will apply to all of Apple’s platforms including iPad, watchOS, macOS and tvOS. The company is already using the new process for iOS 14, codenamed Azul, and has debated pushing some of the update’s features into iOS 15, due in 2021.

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Nintendo’s ‘Animal Crossing’ subscription plans cost as much as $8

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The pricier subscription level, the Cookie and Depot Plan, costs $7.99 per month for five fortune cookies. Fortune cookies are essentially loot boxes, and opening one rewards the player with a random item such as furniture or clothing. Players can pick cookies which have since left the game, and they will get more space to store items.

The other level is the Happy Helper plan, which costs $2.99 per month and allows players to designate a villager as their campsite helper. When players are logged off, their helper will collect items for them and assist them with tasks. They’ll also receive 60 extra Leaf Tickets (the in-game currency) every month.

This isn’t Nintendo’s first foray into mobile game subscriptions. Mario Kart Tour is also a free-to-play game with paid subscriptions as well as one-off purchases.

With Animal Crossing aimed primarily at children, however, it faces criticism for its promotion of gambling-like loot boxes. A 2019 report from the UK’s Gambling Commission found that 44 percent of surveyed young people aged 11 to 16 had paid money to open loot boxes. The commission previously warned that “the line between video gaming and gambling is becoming increasingly blurred,” increasing the risk of problem gambling behaviors among children.

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Snapchat’s Time Machine lens lets you slide between young and old

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Called Time Machine, the new Snap lens lets you change your appearance by dragging a slider across your screen. Slide to the left, and you’ll look younger. Slide to the right, and you’ll watch yourself age. Time Machine is available beginning today, and it works with both front and rear facing cameras, so you can test the lens on friends and family, too.

Snap

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PayPal buys money-saving service Honey for $4 billion

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That’s because PayPal has snapped up Honey, the popular money-saving service, in a deal worth $4 billion. It’s PayPal’s biggest ever acquisition and will see both companies attempt to further “simplify and personalize shopping experiences for consumers,” while helping more than 30,000 retailers get those customers through their online checkouts.

Over 17 million people already use a Honey app or browser extension. Once installed, Honey tracks price changes on retailer websites but can also automatically input coupon codes when a user enters an online checkout. If no coupons are available, Honey may also offer loyalty points that can be redeemed as gift cards.

Given that PayPal already has 24 million online merchants on its books, its latest acquisition will allow it to better target and personalize experiences for consumers the minute they arrive on a website. With companies like Apple, Google and Facebook moving further into the payment space, capturing the attention of shoppers at the start of their visit rather them helping them pay for their goods at the end could give PayPal the springboard it needs to become much more than just a payment company.

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