COVID-19 - page 9

A company that makes low-cost home security cameras doesn’t sound like an organization you’d call for help in the fight against COVID-19 as it sweeps across the United States.

Wyze didn’t wait for a call.

Located in Kirkland, Washington, close to where the first U.S. cases surfaced, the company used its worldwide connections and ingenuity to help the local medical community fight the coronavirus pandemic. But it also helped consumers stuck at home better use Wyze’s iOS-compatible security cameras as webcams.

Apple’s websites for the U.K. and France were on Thursday updated to display COVID-19 advice from the government.

Large featured sections on their homepages remind visitors of the official advice related to the coronavirus pandemic. In the U.K., this includes the same National Health Service (NHS) video that can be found in the App Store.

Being stuck at home with nothing to do but watch the world collapse around us is kind of a downer, but there are some upsides. One is that people are getting creative. Like, literally creative — making more music, writing and sharing videos. The other silver lining is that app-makers are offering big discounts and extended trials for some amazing apps.

For instance, Apple now offers a free, three-month trial of its music-production app, Logic Pro X. And Ableton just matched this offer with its Live Suite.

Apple Cardholders facing sudden financial distress because of the COVID-19 pandemic can skip their April payments without interest.

Goldman Sachs, which backs the new Apple credit card, offered the same program to cardholders who had trouble making March payments.

You’re stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic, and maybe you’re spending lots of time keeping up with family and friends. But here’s an idea: Why not make a podcast? Not that you should stop actually talking to the people you like and love, but as a home project, making a podcast is a lot of fun.

And if you’re a musician, or you have kids, you can do a lot more than just monologuing into your iPhone’s mic. You can talk, add music, interview other family members, and anything else you can think of. Then, your friends and family will have a cool show to look forward to every day, or however often you publish.

Tim Cook on Wednesday confirmed that Apple has more than doubled its donation to China’s COVID-19 relief efforts. The iPhone-maker has now handed over more than 50 billion yuan ($7 million).

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have created an app that can detect COVID-19 simply by listening to you cough and talk.

The COVID Voice Detector analyzes voice recordings to detect signs of infection and is open to anyone who wants to use it. It’s the cheapest, most accessible method of testing so far — but it’s still “experimental” for now.

Janitors, landscapers, bus drivers and other contract hourly workers at Apple’s campus in Cupertino and other buildings will still get paid during work stoppages related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Apple CEO reassured retail employees earlier this month that they would still get paid while stores are closed, but there was some concern that other hourly workers’ pay would be eliminated. That’s not true though according to an Apple spokesperson who said the checks will still be flowing.

AT&T on Monday laid out its COVID-19 relief measures for ensuring that customers can stay in touch with friends, family, and colleagues while they’re stuck at home. Starting April 2, there will be a number of measures in place to keep subscribers connected — including 15GB of additional hotspot data.

To help people adapting to life in coronavirus lockdown, Apple Music has debuted a series of playlists under the title “Come Together.”

Covering a range of genres, and including some fun tongue-in-cheek titles like the “Social Distancing Social Club,” the hand-picked (hopefully wearing the necessary sanitary gloves) playlists are sure to entertain those locked in-doors. Which is seemingly everyone right now!

The Teamsters union wants Apple to step up to the plate to keep its contracted drivers protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teamsters Joint Council 7, representing more than 1,000 shuttle bus drivers for the world’s largest tech giants, want Apple and Tesla to commit to guaranteeing drivers will receive paychecks and healthcare during the pandemic. Other tech companies including Facebook, Electronic Arts, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Salesforce have all committed to doing this. However, it seems that Apple is one of the outliers.

Here’s a tip for small-business owners trying to fill out the Small Business Administration’s new online COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program application: Use Google’s Chrome browser, not Safari.

Unfortunately, the online form for the SBA’s COVID-19 loans doesn’t function correctly using Apple’s browser.

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter this morning to praise health care workers fighting on the frontlines to stop the spread of COVID-19.

This is what Cook had to say:

Kindle library books can provide hours of entertainment as you self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic. You likely can check out ebooks from your local library, just like a regular paper book.

In the United States, you typically can check out books using an Amazon Kindle or an iOS app. In other countries, you can use alternative e-readers or apps. By borrowing books online, you can avoid leaving your house — perfect when libraries are closed during COVID-19 lockdown — and you don’t need to leave your house to return anything, either. Returns happen automatically at the end of the borrowing period.

Let’s see how it works.

This public service announcement is brought to you by a magician who, like you, is stuck home in quarantine and spending a lot of time on his iPad.

“Magician” and “iPad” in the same sentence means Simon Pierro. The iPad magician cooked up some new quarantine -themed tricks to show off. (He also reminds fans to stay at home to help slow the spread of COVID-19.)

The United Kingdom’s biggest broadband providers are ditching data caps during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures to help those struggling to pay are also in place in an effort to keep everyone connected.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic won’t stop Apple from launching its 2020 iPhone lineup on schedule, according to a new report published Monday — but it could cause “disruptions” for future Apple products.

Cupertino’s largest manufacturing partner, Foxconn, is slowly recovering after the coronavirus outbreak last month caused huge labor shortages and factory closures. But Bloomberg warns Apple isn’t out of the woods yet.

U.S. government officials are using location data from millions of cellphone users around the country to track movement during the coronavirus pandemic, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The weekend report says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with state and local governments, have begun receiving reports concerning areas of “geographic interest” in the country. This could cover as many as 500 cities around the United States.

A new report published on Friday by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) details the many ways hackers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to exploit unsuspecting targets.

It includes new social engineering attacks that convince email users to give up sensitive data, and an increase in malware distributed via malicious links. Europol calls for law enforcement agencies to be vigilant and prepared.

Apple is jumping into the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with a new website and app that allow visitors to screen themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.

The company partnered with the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control for the new site and app, found at Apple.com/covid19 and on the App Store. The goal is to give people resources so they can stay informed on steps they can take to protect their health during the coronavirus outbreak.

If staying at home saves lives during the coronavirus pandemic, then binging on TV is your civic duty.

Networks and streaming services are stepping up to help us sacrifice, offering loads of free programming for any device while we wait out stay-at-home orders. Much of what we’re about to tell you in this guide to free streaming is available on a variety of platforms, from Apple TV to the iPhone, iPad, Macs and smart TVs. Chances are good you’ve already got everything you need to take advantage of these freebies.

Just can’t wait until Apple unleashes its new iPhones later this year? Our friends at ConceptsiPhone just published their most beautiful iPhone 12 Pro concept video yet and it looks like it almost came directly from Apple’s marketing department.

The detailed concept video shows off the most anticipated features on the 2020 iPhone lineup, including the new iPhone 4-inspired body in two new colors and LiDAR sensor that was just added to the new iPad Pros that came out last week.

Grab a napkin and get ready to drool:

U.K. health researchers launched a COVID-19 symptom-tracking app to help monitor the spread of the coronavirus this week — and it already rocketed to the top of the App Store charts.

COVID Symptom Tracker has reportedly been downloaded 750,000 times since it launched Thursday, making it the No. 3 most popular app overall in the United Kingdom and the top medical app. The app could prove to be a vital tool for health care workers in the fight against the coronavirus, and it’s coming to the United States soon.

The filthiest part of you computer is probably its keyboard. It’s the part you touch the most, it’s the part you likely use to catch the debris from your lunch, and it’s the part that you probably never clean, because you don’t look at it enough to get grossed out. And these days, as doctors warn us to wash our hands constantly (and correctly) to avoid the coronavirus, you probably want to make sure that your keyboard is not just clean, but sanitized.

This is a fairly straightforward process, so let’s get started.

Apple on Thursday placed the U.K. government’s public service announcement on COVID-19 at the very top of the App Store.

Customers who visit will be greeted first and foremost by chief medical officer Chris Whitty’s guidance on reducing the spread of the coronavirus. They will also see a handy link to the NHS app for iOS.