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| Technology |
In today’s letter: An iPhone that lasts for days; helping a reader who was hacked; and evidence that phones are just too big. But first ...
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Critics of Amazon.com’s now-shelved plans to build a second headquarters in the Queens neighborhood of Long Island City demonstrated there on Thursday. Credit: Reuters
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Amazon’s decision to locate a piece of HQ2 in New York City ignited fierce debate. Was the deal bad for Queens? Too sweet for an already wealthy company? Not up for debate: Amazon’s decision to walk was a stunner. With the dust still clearing, lessons already are taking shape.
Maybe this is good news. The answer to overcrowding in Seattle and Silicon Valley isn’t to build another tech headquarters in an already crowded city, Keywords columnist Christopher Mims writes. It is to spread out.
What’s ❤️ got to do with it? Amazon’s list of requirements for HQ2 had all the usual stuff: access to real estate, education, transportation. What it didn’t have: love, columnist John Stoll writes in On Business.
Big Tech’s welcome mat is fraying. It’s tempting to think of Amazon’s troubled foray into New York City as a one-off. That would be a mistake, Heard on the Street writer Dan Gallagher says.
About those incentives. At the heart of the local uproar: a super valuable company was seemingly getting an incentives windfall. Going forward, such deals are likely to receive more scrutiny—in fact, they already are.
—Brian Fitzgerald & Wilson Rothman
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| New From David Pierce: Phones Are Just Too Big |
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Along the smartphone’s road to dominance, its goal shifted: It became a beautiful object to stare at, not a tool to use. I want the other way back, and I’m not alone. How do I know? PopSockets.
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Jurvetson Returns: Venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson is back on the investment scene with a new fund, more than a year after he was hit with allegations that he mistreated women and left the firm he co-founded.
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Wait for It: Tesla is finally cranking out its Model 3. Now Elon Musk is moving on to the next stage: servicing the sedans, as owners face unusually long waits for repairs.
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All in One Place: New steps to improve patients’ access to their health records are aimed at ending “electronic silos,” bringing together insurance, hospital and doctor records to digital devices such as smartphones.
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Fighting Fire With AI: The Pentagon said it is using its push into artificial intelligence to analyze reams of data gathered by drones to improve how wildfires are fought.
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Have You Lost Weight? As more employers launch high-tech wellness programs that keep tabs on workers’ exercise, sleep and nutrition, employees worry about privacy and the consequences of opting out.
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| The Rise and Tragic Fall of a Tech Genius |
Colin Kroll, who built Vine and HQ Trivia, shot to startup wealth and fame in his 20s. He wasn’t ready.
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Credit: Paul Ryding
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Episode 16: Fast News, Fast Food, Fast ... DNA Tests?
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David, Joanna and Christopher talk about Apple's subscription-news plans. Greg Bensinger explains why Silicon Valley suddenly can't get enough of food delivery. And Rolfe Winkler and 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki debate the merits of in-home DNA tests, in an excerpt from last week's WSJ Health Tech Conference.
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• Private citizens are surveilling license plates (Quartz)
• Why Amazon buying Eero feels so disappointing (Verge)
• AR will spark the next big platform: mirrorworld (Wired)
• Strange experience of being Australia’s first tech billionaires (NYT)
• The cost of Apple News (Stratechery)
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| Reader Mailbag: Your Tech Questions |
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This week, Personal Tech columnist Joanna Stern answers your pressing tech questions. Got one of your own? Reply to this email or write to us at personaltech@wsj.com.
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| Q: |
Since Apple quit the printing business, you can no longer order books via iPhoto. We were told to just download an app like Shutterfly and be on our way. What alternatives do you suggest?—Linda Loehr from San Diego
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| A: |
There are a few routes to go based on where your photos are stored. Since shutting down its printing options, Apple has worked with outside photo printing services, including Motif and WhiteWall, to integrate their services into the Photos app on a Mac running the latest operating system. (Apple provides more info on that here.)
If your photos are in Google Photos, Google has its own simple photo book feature. I’m in the process of ordering a few books for my own family through this service. I’ve used Shutterfly many times over the years, mostly for its affordable pricing and deals. I have also ordered some books in the last year or so through a service called Chatbooks.
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My personal email address book was hacked. I have changed the password twice in the last 30 days but I have been told that contacts have received an email that looks like it’s from me with an attachment I assume is infected with malware. What else should I do?—Larry Bricmont from Bay Village, Ohio
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| A: |
Start by alerting your contacts that your email was hacked and to be on the lookout for suspicious links or attachments from you. You may even ask them to confirm with you via telephone or another form of communication if they do get an email with an attachment from you.
Another wise step: Change the passwords on any accounts linked to that email address—that is, any accounts you use that email address to log into. (This is why I recommend using a password manager—they can be very helpful in situations like this.) On the most important accounts, make sure two-factor authentication is enabled. Check out this story for a good primer on two-factor.
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Note: Questions are edited for clarity and length.
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| R.I.P. Opportunity (2004-2019) |
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In this navigation camera raw image, NASA’s Mars rover Opportunity looks back over its own tracks on Aug. 4, 2010. Credit: NASA/JPL-CALTECH
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| Mini Review: The New Apple Smart Battery Case |
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Credit: Apple
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Smartphone circadian rhythm: Daytime, awake. Nighttime, charge.
With Apple’s $129 Smart Battery Case, it doesn’t have to be that way.
I put my iPhone XR in the case, which still sports a bulging rectangular battery on its back, and unplugged it Monday at 7:30 a.m. Without a single recharge, it lasted until noon Wednesday. Sure, the case is the size and weight of a cement truck. But more than 48 hours without a single trip to a wall outlet? Crazytown!
The new Smart Battery Case, available for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, works a lot like the previous generation. (Got an earlier iPhone? Sorry.) Slide your iPhone into the protective silicone case and the percentage of power remaining for both the phone and the case are displayed on the phone’s lock screen.
You can also see both battery levels in the iPhone notification center. Starting with both the case and the phone topped off at 100%, the case’s battery will drain first. There are more affordable options—the rigid plastic $100 Mophie Juice Pack Access, for example—but they don’t integrate with Apple’s iOS.
There is a new trick to Apple’s case: It supports wireless charging. That means the case can be juiced up on a wireless-charging pad, either with a phone in it or by itself. It’s still faster, however, to charge via a Lightning cable.
I wouldn’t use this case every day. It is ginormous and my iPhone XR can usually can make it through the day sans battery anxiety. But if you’re travelling or know you have a busy day coming up, the Smart Battery Case is smart to have.
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We want to know what you think! Reply to this email and share your feedback.
Brought to you by personal tech editor Wilson Rothman and deputy tech editor Brian Fitzgerald. You can email us at wilson.rothman@wsj.com and fitzy@wsj.com or find us on Twitter: @wjrothman and @BryFitz.
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