Today’s Tech Sightings:
Half of the World’s Population Is on Facebook
Facebook’s daily active users now average 968 million, an increase of 17 percent over last year. According to Facebook, up to 1.49 billion users – half of the world’s online population of three billion – accessed the social network by the end of the second quarter of this year at least once a month.
Google Adds Pollution-Sensing Gear to Street View cars
Google and Aclima, a firm that builds environmental sensors, have teamed up to equip Street View cars with pollution-sniffing hardware. The data will be added to Google Maps to allow users to check for air quality in their area.
Consumers Fret Over Health Wearables Security
Fitness bands and other wearables might be useful, but they siphon user information – an issue that is becoming a concern. A recent survey showed that 25 percent out of 3,500 consumers are not confident that their personal data is safe in the hands of fitness and health trackers.
Windows 10 Questions and Answers
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 10, has a lot of new features that you may not know about. ZDNet addresses some of the questions and implications related to upgrading or making the move to this operating system.
How to Disable Windows 10′s Info-Hungry Digital Assistant
Windows 10′s intelligent digital assistant, Cortana, has won the hearts of users, but her help comes at the cost of parting with personal data. Writer Brad Chacos shares some tips about disabling Cortana in Windows 10 and what that entails.
Twitter Finally Has a Decent Windows App
If you are upgrading your computer to Windows 10, you’ll get a new Twitter app that supports multiple photos in tweets, photos in direct messages, and watching various videos from your Twitter timelines.
Google Translate App Now Allows Instant Visual Translations in Hindi
An upgraded version of Google Translate allows instant visual translations of printed text, as in street signs, for example, in Hindi and other languages. The text is instantly translated on the screen to the preferred language without the need for an Internet connection or mobile data.
Pakistani Teen Gets Rich Quick in E-Sports
Moving out of Karachi to Chicago in 2014, the Hassan family of eight crammed in a three-bedroom space, with tight budget and scarce job opportunities. But it took their 15-year old son, Sumail, who played Dota 2 or Defense of the Ancients 2 online, just one month in the U.S. to earn $200,000 as a professional gamer.
