How Facebook will pick the news you see in its app

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Facebook is really hoping it will all go better this time around. 

The company that keeps insisting it’s not in the media business intends to launch a news tab in the coming months, and appears keen on staving off another Trending topics-style fiasco. Part of this effort, it would seem, involves establishing editorial guidelines — enforced by actual humans — for the articles populating its upcoming section. 

In other words, employees of Mark “I consider us to be a technology company” Zuckerberg’s Facebook will be to some extent curating what news people read on the site. And, with the depressing fact that, as of last year, approximately 43 percent of Americans get their news on Facebook, we’re talking about a lot of people.  Read more…

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Lyft adds 911 button more than a year after Uber app

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Lyft’s “friendly” image has been tarnished lately, with safety issues plaguing ride-hailing app users.

To tackle the problems on the road for passengers, Lyft announced three new safety features Tuesday, including a 911 button for riders (and drivers) in the app. Calls for these types of tools have been growing louder in recent months as more incidents pile up and Lyft’s outdated safety system is revealed.

The emergency service button now comes up in both the rider and driver apps starting Tuesday with information about current location and vehicle info to tell emergency dispatchers information in a necessary situation.  Read more…

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Here’s what the new Apple Watch Series 5 looks like

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The next version of the Apple Watch is here and … it’s pretty much the same as last year’s Series 4.

As expected, it’s a relatively boring year for the Apple Watch save for one major change: an always-on display. While Android smartwatches have had displays that dim but don’t sleep, one of the defining features of the Apple Watch has been that its display sleeps when not in use. 

That is no longer the case. With the Series 5, Apple is introducing new watch faces that still display the time and some other data at all times. If you’re used to having your watch face go completely black when not in use, the change might take some getting used to, but I’m already a big fan of the change. It’s always seemed silly to me to have a watch that required you to physically lift your wrist in order to see the time. Read more…

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An aura reader’s guide to the new iPhone colors

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There are spiritual politics in iPhone colors. 

Apple debuted the iPhone 11 on Tuesday, which comes in the standard black and white, as well as a ruby red, cool yellow, fresh green, and delicious purple.

Sure, we can think of these vibrant strips of plastic as an Apple marketing tool, meant to convince us all to drop the fattest of stacks upon something “new.”

Or, we can hold this cynical perspective to be true, while also recognizing that our phones are our most intimate physical companions, microchips of our souls. And that, like the colors we choose for the objects that adorn us, they can both reflect who we are, and determine what we bring into our lives. Read more…

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iPhone 11 Pro competes with Android where it matters most: The camera

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Along with the iPhone 11, 10.2-inch iPad, and Apple Watch Series 5, Apple unveiled its most advanced iPhones to date: the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro and 6.5-inch iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Because I know you’re dying to know: The camera bump on the rear with protruding triple lenses is real and it’s big. You’ll probably get over it quickly.

The more important question is whether the iPhone 11 Pro offers compelling enough features to earn its pro name. Is it worth spending at least $999 instead of $699 for the iPhone 11?

It’s impossible for me to answer that from my short hands-on time with the iPhone 11 Pro and Max, but I can tell you this: There’s a ton to unpack. Read more…

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The curse of leaving makeup on in skincare videos comes for Millie Bobby Brown

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People are convinced that Millie Bobby Brown didn’t wash her face correctly in a recent video because she appears to leave on her eyeliner. 

Brown celebrated the launch of her vegan skincare line, Florence by Mills, by filming her night routine and posting the video of herself using her new products. As BuzzFeed reports, the original Instagram video was taken down, but a recording snagged by a fan is still immortalized on YouTube. 

She starts off by spritzing her face with some refreshing mist before gently scrubbing it. Then, she holds up a bottle of her face wash. 

“I’m really excited to use it, because I do still feel some of the makeup on,” she said in the video.  Read more…

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‘One less thing’: How Apple is becoming known for its no-show features

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Apple iPhone launch events are starting to feel a lot like Groundhog Day. I always start them in the market for a new iPhone, and always end them by deciding to stick with my trusty iPhone 6S for a little longer. 

As the 2019 unveiling began, I was sure I was going to be a sucker for the iPhone 11 in purple, a color I find to be insanely great. But I’d also hoped the rumors of a USB-C iPhone were true, so that I could finally ditch lightning cables altogether (my iPad Pro and MacBook both use USB-C). I hadn’t expected 5G, but I had hoped the screen would lose that crazy iPhone X notch. Hell, I would have been into the hotly-tipped reverse wireless charging feature, even though I don’t have any gadgets to reverse wirelessly charge. I’d find something! Read more…

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