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Massive meta-study confirms the health benefits of cannabis
After digging through more than 10,000 separate clinical studies, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine on Thursday issued a groundbreaking, 400-page report on the potential benefits and detriments posed by cannabis use. The biggest revelation: cannabis has verifiable medicinal uses, which are backed by large amounts of high-quality science. This could spell the end for weed's categorization as a Schedule I narcotic.
FCC: Verizon and AT&T 'zero-rating' perks harm consumers
Tom Wheeler may be leaving, but he's going out swinging. After grilling carriers Verizon and AT&T last month over their "zero-rating" policies, the FCC chairman released a report saying its practices harmed streaming rivals and, ultimately, consumers. It particularly singled out AT&T's Sponsored Data service, saying it "unreasonably interfere[s] with [rival services'] ability to compete against AT&T's affiliate, DirecTV."
Nikkei expects Nintendo Switch will sell for less than $250 in Japan
It's almost a tradition: Nintendo teases a new product and Nikkei reports a key detail just before its official reveal. The Japanese paper successfully called the Nintendo DSi, key details of the 3DS and got pretty close to the Wii U's launch price. Now, paper is predicting a ballpark price for the Nintendo Switch. Nikkei says fans should plan to spend about ¥25,000 for Nintendo's next device in Japan -- about $215 at today's exchange rate.
Intel is reportedly backing away from wearables (update: it says no)
When Intel bought Basis back in 2014, there were hopes the acquisition would push the wearables firm to the next level. Sadly, things didn't go that way -- the company's first Intel-backed product had a tendency to catch fire, and was subsequently pulled from the market earlier this year. Now, any hope for a bounce back has been all but extinguished: according to a report from TechCrunch, Intel's wearable division is facing massive layoffs.
Twitter expands 'mute' and 'report' features to combat abuse
Twitter has such a bad troll problem that it may be the reason why Disney ultimately decided not to buy the social network. Now, even though it's probably too late to change Disney's mind, the company has enhanced a couple of features to help users get other abusive users off their backs. Over the coming days, you'll be able to mute not just people, but also keywords and phrases, usernames, emojis and hashtags to make sure nothing cruel or insulting slips into your notifications. If people keep tagging you in a conversation you want no part of, you'll be able to mute that thread to stop receiving notices, as well.
Cops' facial recognition database has half of US adults on file
American law enforcement agencies have created a massive facial recognition database. If you're an adult in the US, you might already be in it. According to a comprehensive report by the Center for Privacy & Technology at Georgetown Law, the law enforcement's database has 117 million American adults on file. That's one of two adults in the US or half of the 18-and-above population. The report says authorities used driver's license IDs from 26 states to build the database, which includes people who've never committed any kind of crime before.
Disney is reportedly considering a bid for Twitter
CNBC reported late last week that Google and Salesforce were interesting in buying Twitter. TechCrunch followed that up with its own report that the list of potential buyers included Microsoft and Verizon. The latest company to be mentioned as a potential suitor is Disney. Bloomberg reports that the company is working with financial advisers on a possible bid for the social network.
WikiLeaks revealed private info for 'hundreds' of innocents
WikiLeaks will tell you that it's providing valuable transparency while respecting the privacy of innocent people, but the Associated Press isn't convinced that it's walking that fine line. It just published a report showing that Julian Assange and crew published sensitive details for "hundreds" of innocent people, including financial records, identity details and medical files. Among the examples, it identified teen rape victims. Many of last year's leaked Saudi Arabia cables exposed details that could potentially ruin lives in the conservative country, such as the name of a man arrested for being gay and people who've secretly gone into debt.
GM reportedly tried to buy Lyft
General Motors is serious about gaining a foothold in the ride-sharing industry. Not only has the company established its own car-lending app and purchased the defunct Uber competitor, Sidecar -- but according to The Information, it's also been toying with the idea of buying Lyft. An interesting idea, but it isn't happening. Sources familiar with the matter say that car-hailing service has already turned GM down.
WSJ: This year's iPhone won't feature big changes
If you're eagerly awaiting a load of new features for this year's iPhone, you might be a bit disappointed come fall. The Wall Street Journal reports that the upcoming models will offer only modest changes from the current iPhone 6S and 6S Plus rather than a more robust redesign. Apple has been trotting out new designs every two years with the "S" models offering mostly internal tweaks in between. According to WSJ's sources though, that won't be the case this year.
Nest is reportedly working on an outdoor security camera
In a letter to employees posted by The Verge yesterday, new Nest CEO Marwan Fawaz reassured employees that the company wasn't for sale and stated that the focus should be on delivering new products currently in the works. Although a specific reference to a new gadget was redacted in the letter, Tech Insider reports that one of the new items mentioned is an outdoor version of the Nest Cam.
Rumors are flying about new Xbox consoles and streaming devices
E3 kicks off on June 12th and Microsoft will be there in full-force, showing off the latest and greatest Xbox games and hardware. The company hasn't yet revealed what it'll announce at the big show, but The Verge and Kotaku claim Xbox is working on two new devices -- however, that's where the reports' similarities stop.
Walgreens has told Theranos to shape up or ship out
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the relationship between Walgreens and Theranos is becoming fractious. According to the paper's unnamed sources, the drugstore has threatened to end its partnership with the troubled blood-testing startup. It's believed that Walgreens delivered an ultimatum to the firm in late January, saying that it needs to clean up its act within 30 days or be kicked to the curb. If true, then we could see the two part ways as early as the end of February. Walgreens is already doing its best to distance itself from its former BFF after shutting down the Theranos Wellness Center in Palo Alto and re-routing Theranos-branded tests to third-party labs.
US internet providers fail FCC's annual broadband test
A year after the FCC redefined broadband, 34 million Americans still lack access to the minimum standard, according to the commission's preliminary report. Specifically, 10 percent of the nation can't get internet speeds of 25Mbps for downloads and 3Mbps for uploads. While internet service providers did improve speeds significantly over last year, a lot of that came in urban areas, where only four percent of folks lack broadband connectivity. It's a different story in rural areas, however, where 39 percent of homes can't get a decently fast connection. The situation is the worst on tribal lands, where 41 percent of residents lack broadband.
Target is reportedly working on its own mobile payments, too
Walmart isn't the only major retailer developing its own mobile wallet. Reuters reports that Target is in the early stagings of planning its own payments system as well. While the company hasn't committed to launching just yet, it has reached out to credit card companies regarding how transactions will be handled. If you'll recall, Target is part of the CurrentC mobile wallet initiative, and plans to remain a member (alongside Walmart) of the Merchants Customer Exchange that's developing the software. The company says it's just exploring its options.
Apple Watch 2 will reportedly debut at March event
If the rumors are true, Apple's next big reveal will happen in March. 9to5Mac reports that Cupertino is planning to pull the wraps off of the Apple Watch 2 at the event, which would be the second consecutive year the company held a product announcement in that month. Details are scarce on version 2.0 of the company's smart watch for now, but reports suggest that Apple has a new camera, wireless connectivity, revamped sleep tracking and upgraded health sensor tech in the works for the device. Bands with built-in senors are also rumored to be on the way and the report says that the Watch 2 will go on sale in April.
WSJ: China's government wants homegrown, backdoor-free phones
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that China's government has now leant on ZTE to produce a smartphone using predominantly local hardware that'll run COS, a homegrown operating system that's designed to be immune to US-based hacking attempts. The paper goes on to say that Alibaba is now working with the nation's ministry of public security to develop another operating system that's secure enough for police officers to use. It's all part of the country's attempts to put water between itself and the US in a post-Snowden world after backdoors were found in numerous American-designed products.
Variety: ABC is prepping exclusive content for its streaming service
CBS isn't the only major network getting into the exclusive content game. According to Variety, ABC is planning to do the same. The programming will be available through WatchABC and the first show is said to be a scripted project starring stand-up comedian Iliza Shlesinger. You might remember Shlesinger from her Netflix specials. What's more, the network doesn't plan to use the new platform only as a means of keeping its properties to itself, but rather a testing grounds of sorts. If a show does well there, it could make the jump to primetime. If you'll recall, WatchABC provides live TV broadcasts (in some markets) and access to both to new and past episodes of shows, some of which require a paid subscription. Details are scarce on how much of the new exclusive content will require a pay TV plan, but this report follows similar moves by other networks.
Twitter will reportedly nix the 140-character limit with a new product
Do you find yourself needing more than 140 characters to get your point across on Twitter? Well, you might soon have an option that allows you to be a bit more verbose. Re/code reports that the social network is prepping "a new product" that will allow users to compose and share longer tweets. Details are scarce right now, but Re/code's sources indicate that the new feature/app/etc. will enable Twitter users to post long-form musings. What's more, the company is looking into other ways of relaxing that character count by not counting links and usernames in the tally. These developments would follow recent Twitter tweaks like the "retweet with comment" feature and dropping the 140-character limit on DMs. As is the case with any rumor like this, we may never see the changes make it to the company's apps or the web, but if it does, you can expect a few more words in your timeline.
BBC's license fee study muddies the debate it tries to solve
WIth the BBC's funding firmly in the government's sights, the broadcaster has published a new study attempting to highlight its value. With help from research agency MTM, the Beeb removed access to its TV and radio broadcasts, as well as its websites, from 70 households in order to find out whether they would be missed and whether British families would still be prepared to pay for a licence fee after a brief hiatus. While some are claiming the report is a victory for the BBC, its findings aren't as simple as they initially look.
