Tech Sightings, August 5, 2014

Posted August 5th, 2014 at 2:13 pm (UTC-4)
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Google Removes ‘Bomb Gaza’ Game from App Store

An Android game called Bomb Gaza that let players use F16 fighters to “drop bombs and avoid killing civilians” in Gaza has been removed from the Google Play store in response to a public outcry. The game, which was downloaded up to 1,000 times since July 29, has been angrily described as “absolutely disgusting” and “utterly shameful” for glorifying the tragic situation in Gaza.

Study: An Hour of Video Games Per Day Can Be Good for Kids

A new study from Oxford University found that kids between the ages of 10-15 can benefit from playing video games for up to an hour a day. The study, thought to be the largest of its kind, looked at the positive and negative impact of video gaming among 5,000 UK children and teenagers.

Thousands Join Austrian Student’s Class Action Suit Against Facebook

More than 17,000 people have responded to last week’s plea from Austrian student Max Schrems, who asked a billion Facebook users to join a class action suit against the social media company for its alleged privacy violations.

Visit the Wrong Website, and the FBI Could End Up in Your Computer

Over the past two years, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has been experimenting with a powerful drive-by hacking technique to identify and prosecute anonymous Tor users who frequent criminal websites.

BlackBerry Internal Memo Shows Company Closing Book on Restructuring

After three years of extensive workforce reductions, Blackberry CEO John Chen says in an internal memo that the company will begin hiring in small numbers for development, sales and customer service, if the market remains stable.

Report: Xiaomi Unseats Samsung to Gain China’s Smartphone Throne

New data from Canalys shows China’s Xiaomi dominating the smartphone market in the second quarter of this year. The Chinese company replaced South Korea’s Samsung Electronics as the country’s largest smartphone vendor during that quarter.

Samsung’s Cellphone Foothold in Asia Is Challenged

Samsung Electronics is losing ground in both India and China, according to Hong Kong-based data tracker Counterpoint Technology Market Research. China and India are two of Asia’s fastest-growing cellphone markets; and their consumers are increasingly buying cheaper, local products.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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