In spite of all the advancements we’ve seen in tech, the industry as a whole has consistently neglected people with disabilities. There have been some improvements, including video call apps like FaceTime, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts and more adding better support for sign language interpreters and closed captioning. And, this year, Instagram and TikTok finally added stickers that enable automated captioning for speech in videos, too. But major organizations continued to make decisions that exclude people with disabilities. The organizer of E3 2021, for example, failed its deaf and hard of hearing viewers during its live streamed show.There are too many individual transgressions and improvements to exhaustively detail here. Due to their sheer size, though, tech’s largest companies wield the greatest influence over what the rest of the industry does. By holding them accountable, we have a better chance of seeing widespread change in the way tech thinks about inclusive design. Here’s how Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook) and more did to improve the accessibility of their products and services in 2021.AppleApple has led the way in inclusive design for years, and in 2021 the company continued to launch new features that made its products easier for those with disabilities to use. In addition to updating its screen reader, VoiceOver, to enable better descriptions of images for the visually impaired, Apple also launched several new products.... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2021-12-31 21:00:34 UTC ]
If you're on the market for a new e-reader, Amazon's latest discounts on Kindles may have exactly what you've been looking for at a lower-than-expected price. Key among the sale items is the Kindle Paperwhite, which is down to $100. That's only $5 more than its record-low price, and it's the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-24 15:05:13 UTC ]
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Over the last two decades, Amazon has grown from an online bookstore into one of the largest tech brands on the planet. No longer just dealing in paperbacks and printing runs, Amazon now sell everything from TVs to wholefoods to clothing. And a huge part of their business model hinges... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-24 03:23:00 UTC ]
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Yes, I’ll probably want the iPhone 15 when it comes out. But as I consider a tablet for my six-year-old (so he’ll stop stealing mine), I don’t think a brand new device is necessary. Both economically and environmentally, refurbished tech might be a better bet if you don’t need the latest... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-23 14:00:28 UTC ]
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Like most big tech companies, Amazon collects large amounts of data on its users, in part of the purpose of targeting ads and training its Alexa voice models. Look in the right places, though, and much of this data collection can be minimized or prevented, and you can even opt out of... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-22 10:45:00 UTC ]
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Every year means new iterations of your favorite phones from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google, so you might be tempted to upgrade to your handset. But with some new phones costing over $1,000, keeping up with the latest and greatest can really take a toll on your wallet. So why not offset... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-21 15:15:17 UTC ]
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Reading some of your favorite Manga series may be getting a little easier soon: Kodansha, the publisher behind hit titles like Attack on Titan and Ghost in the Shell, has announced that it's launching a new digital reading platform in May. Simply titled, K Manga, the new app promises to launch... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-21 14:00:32 UTC ]
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In December, ByteDance confirmed it fired four employees who used TikTok to spy on the locations of two journalists. Now, Forbes reports the FBI and the Department of Justice have been investigating the incident. This investigation couldn’t come at a worse time, as ByteDance faces mounting... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-17 11:30:10 UTC ]
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You can no longer buy either print or Kindle Newsstand magazine and newspaper subscriptions from Amazon, as the company appears to implement yet another cost-cutting measure. The e-commerce giant announced that it was halting Newsstand subscriptions on March 9th (via The Verge) and that the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-17 09:28:33 UTC ]
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OpenAI unveiled GPT-4 today, its next-gen large language model that is the technical foundation for both ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Bing AI chatbots. It’s a profound upgrade, potentially opening the door for major advances in both the capabilities and features of today’s AI... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-03-14 19:29:22 UTC ]
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Amazon has kicked off another round of discounts for its Fire tablet lineup, with both standard and Kids models on sale. The highlight of the bunch is a deal that brings the latest Fire HD 8 down to $60. That's $5 more than the all-time low we saw over the holiday season, but still about $25 off... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-03-06 15:46:54 UTC ]
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Our Kindle Scribe review goes over pros and cons of the device, what customers say, its standout features, and more!- Jessica Pryde Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-02 11:36:00 UTC ]
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For voracious romance readers, there’s nothing better than the best Kindle Unlimited romance books 2023 has to offer. Find our picks, like The Cask by Danielle Allen. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-03-01 11:37:00 UTC ]
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Almost four years after it was announced, Pokémon Sleep, a mobile game that tracks your sleep, is finally on the way. According to yesterday's Pokémon Presents event, it’ll arrive sometime this summer, after it was meant to debut in 2020. It features Snorlax (of course) and Professor Neroli, a... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-28 12:15:44 UTC ]
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Amazon is adding new features to the Kindle Scribe. A new update gives the e-reader / digital notebook new brush types, including a fountain pen, marker and pencil — each with five thickness settings. The new tools respond to various pressures and angles, and you can use them anywhere you can... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-27 21:00:11 UTC ]
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Tear down the middle school geology posters: We have an update. A team at Australian National University (ANU) has found evidence of a new fifth layer to the planet, an iron-nickel alloy ball in the inner core. The scientists found the hidden core by studying seismic waves that travel up to five... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-27 12:15:33 UTC ]
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The AI news just won’t stop! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest on Bing AI – Microsoft is loosening up some recent restrictions, following reports of its bad behavior – as well as the rise of ChatGPT stories on the Kindle store. Spotify is also launching its own AI DJ, starring... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-24 13:30:19 UTC ]
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As was perhaps inevitable, ChatGPT—the free chatbot created by OpenAI that has been ruffling feathers ever since it was launched in November—has now spawned “a boom in AI-written e-books on Amazon,” according to Greg Bensinger at Reuters. Bensinger counted over 200 e-books in Amazon’s Kindle... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-02-22 17:10:52 UTC ]
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According to a report from Reuters, ChatGPT is listed as the author or co-author of at least 200 books on Amazon’s Kindle Store. However, the number of bot-written books is likely higher than that since Amazon’s policies don’t require authors to disclose their use of AI.Brett Schickler published... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-22 12:20:19 UTC ]
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Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite Kids tablet offers a more eye-friendly reading experience than the regular Kindle Kids, but that features comes at a premium price. Right now, though, they're on sale with the biggest discounts we've seen yet, letting you grab one for just $105 or $55 (34 percent) off... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-22 11:58:13 UTC ]
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ChatGPT is listed as the author or co-author of at least 200 books on Amazon’s Kindle Store, according to Reuters. However, the actual number of bot-written books is likely much higher than that since Amazon’s policies don’t explicitly require authors to disclose their use of AI. It’s the latest... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-02-21 20:30:39 UTC ]
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