Kategorie: Tech, Gadgets & co

**Sugar's Big Twist Was More Than a Gimmick** _image: Apple_ For most of its first season, *Sugar* on Apple TV Plus presented itself as a fairly typical, albeit slickly produced, detective story. The show featured Colin Farrell in the lead role as John Sugar, a private investigator with a number of endearing quirks—he was obsessed with old movies, wasn't able to get drunk, and was beloved by dogs. Sugar's mission centered around solving a missing persons case that involved the granddaughter of a famous Hollywood director. However, by the end of episode six, the series introduced a twist that threatened to turn the story into something entirely different. But now that the finale of *Sugar* is out, it’s evident that the twist didn’t fundamentally alter the show's essence; rather, it…

### The EV Industry Can’t Shake its Human Rights Abuse Problem  *Workers walk in Glencore’s Mutanda Mine, which Tesla sources cobalt from, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 19th, 2023. | Photo by Emmet Livingstone / AFP via Getty Images* The rise of electric vehicles (EVs) promised a cleaner, more sustainable future. However, this burgeoning industry is still heavily tainted by a legacy of human rights abuses connected to the mining of essential minerals. #### Human Rights Abuses in Mineral Mining A recent report from the nonprofit Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) paints a grim picture. The report highlights persistent allegations of human rights violations in the extraction of minerals vital for the production of EVs, rechargeable batteries, and renewable energy technologies.…

### Get Ready for Amazon's Easter Deals: Echo and Fire TV Products at Astonishing Prices As we hop into the Easter season, Amazon is setting the stage early by announcing incredible price drops on its signature hardware products even before the official launch of its Easter deals. If you're in the market for Echo or Fire TV devices, you're in for a treat as prices are slashed, some even by half! Let's dive into what's on offer and highlight some of the standout deals you won't want to miss. #### Echo Devices: Smarten Up Your Home for Less The Echo lineup, known for bringing smart home capabilities to our living spaces, sees some notable discounts. For those looking to dip their toes into smart home technology or expand their smart…

### Keep Your HomeKit Devices Powered with HomeBatteries In the smart home world, staying informed about your device's battery level is crucial to ensure a seamless experience. For Apple HomeKit users, there is now a dedicated app that takes battery monitoring to the next level: HomeBatteries. Compatible with Mac, iPad, and iPhone, HomeBatteries positions itself as the go-to hub for keeping tabs on the battery health of your HomeKit accessories. While it's true that Apple's Home app, along with several others, can inform you about battery status, HomeBatteries shines especially bright for users with multiple devices to manage. Developed by Adam Foot, HomeBatteries aims to exceed the expectations set by the standard functionalities found in current apps. Alongside notifications for low battery levels and corresponding widgets, HomeBatteries organizes your battery-equipped…

**Anticipation Builds for Potential New iPad Launches as Early as Next Week** As we edge closer to spring, the tech world is abuzz with anticipation for Apple's next move, particularly in the realm of iPads. It's been a considerable while—almost one and a half years, to be exact—since Apple last refreshed its iPad lineup with the introduction of the latest iPad Pro in October 2022. Now, rumors suggest we might be on the cusp of witnessing the unveiling of new iPad models, possibly as soon as next week. **The Buzz from China and Expectations** Recent murmurs originating from China have sparked excitement among Apple enthusiasts. According to a post on the microblogging platform Weibo, cited by MacRumors, the first shipments of these eagerly awaited devices are already en route from…

**Amazon's Kindle Unlimited: Dive Into a World of Books for Free This Easter** In a delightful preview to its Easter specials, Amazon is currently offering a tempting deal for avid readers - Kindle Unlimited, its comprehensive reading subscription service, is available absolutely free for two months. Normally commanding a monthly fee of €11.75, this offer provides a remarkable opportunity for readers to save €23.50 while accessing a vast library of content. However, a point to note is the importance of cancelling the subscription timely if one decides not to continue after the trial period, as it automatically renews at the regular monthly rate thereafter. Kindle Unlimited - A Brief Overview Kindle Unlimited operates on an interesting model similar to that of a library, providing subscribers unlimited access to a select…

### Spotify's Artist Earnings Unveiled: A Look at the Numbers In the midst of controversies surrounding the music streaming industry, particularly with Apple's battle with competitors, a recurring topic has been the revenue artists earn from platforms like Spotify. Amid discussions, especially after a recent fine levied against Apple, critics often argue that Spotify's artist compensation is lacking. A common sentiment is, "Spotify pays artists so poorly, they have no ground to complain about Apple," a statement that has fueled many heated debates. In response to these criticisms, Spotify has taken the step to disclose numbers related to artist compensation, although it stops short of directly comparing itself to rivals such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal. Instead, Spotify presents several metrics devoid of context, showcasing its financial contributions…

### Streaming Shake-Up: Farewell to Deezer Free and Welcome MrBeast on Prime Video In the constantly evolving world of streaming, two significant developments have caught the attention of both music and video streaming aficionados. Deezer, a notable competitor in the music streaming arena, is tightening its belt on free access, while Amazon's video streaming service announces a direct challenge to Netflix's groundbreaking reality game show, "Squid Game: The Challenge," with a jaw-dropping prize pool. #### Deezer Free Bids Farewell Deezer, Spotify's fierce competitor, has decided to phase out its free service, Deezer Free, notifying Scandinavian users about the termination of the free access option, scheduled for the upcoming month. The decision mandates those wishing to maintain their Deezer account to switch to a paid plan. Options include a premium subscription,…

## Critical Bug Discovered in macOS Sonoma 14.4 Affecting iCloud Drive Versions If you're an Apple enthusiast who has eagerly updated your macOS to the newly released Sonoma 14.4 version on March 7th, and if you are utilizing iCloud Drive for document storage along with the "Optimize Storage" feature, you may need to brace yourself for potential significant data loss. A concerning issue has surfaced that could lead to the permanent deletion of saved versions of files stored in iCloud Drive.  ### Discovery of the Bug Howard Oakley, a reputable figure in the macOS community known for his contributions and development of over 40 macOS tools, has identified a critical flaw in the newest macOS Sonoma 14.4 version. When combined —utilizing macOS 14.4, iCloud Drive…

**Revive Your Mac’s Search Capabilities: Rebuilding the Spotlight Index** For those of us in the trenches of daily Mac usage, stumbling upon hiccups while searching for files, folders, or metadata via Spotlight is not uncommon. Whether you're making use of the Spotlight function pinned on the Mac menu bar or tapping into it through an active Finder window, frustrations tend to surface when you're met with painfully slow response times, missing result categories, or, at times, a stark absence of search results altogether. ### Why Rebuild the Spotlight Index? Spotlight's indexing issues can bring about a hefty dose of inconvenience, impacting not only general file searches but also the functionality of applications relying on Spotlight for internal searches—take Apple's Mail application, for instance. If you're nodding along to these dilemmas,…