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You can now connect your iPhone to Windows 11 PCs via new Phone Link for iOS app

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https://twitter.com/Windows/status/1658140183273824256

Finally, Microsoft is rolling out the Phone Link for iOS app, allowing Windows 11 PCs to support iOS devices. As such, you should now be able to receive your iPhone notifications and perform messaging iMessage functions right from your Windows PCs and laptops.

Microsoft first tested the app with Insiders as a preview in February and started releasing the support to 39 languages across 85 countries in April. After promising to deliver it to everyone using Windows 11, it is now available for everyone. This latest feature should automatically appear on the Phone Link app for Windows, but users can visit Microsoft Store app in Windows 11 anytime to confirm the update. Also, note that iPhone devices must be running on iOS 14 or higher to access this ability.

The new iOS support will employ Bluetooth to establish a connection between the Windows PC or laptop and the iPhone. Through this, users should be able to see all the calls, messages, and notifications from their iPhones to their Windows devices via iMessage.

Yet, it is important to note that despite this new support, there are still some limitations in the functions of the Windows Phone Link app for iOS devices. For instance, unlike in its Android integration where it is possible to view phone call history, you won’t see the full chat history here. Also, it won’t allow you to join group iMessage conversations and run phone apps on the PC. Surprisingly, despite the iCloud Photos integration within the Windows 11 Photos app, this Phone Link update still doesn’t have support for it. Yet, given Microsoft’s recent works for Apple products, it is not impossible to happen. 

Fairspin: an online casino that guarantees honesty and security

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Fairspin is an online casino that is dedicated to providing a safe and enjoyable gaming experience for its players. With its advanced RNG technology, strict security measures, and transparent gaming practices, players can trust that they are playing on a platform that values honesty and integrity. In this article, we will explore the various aspects of cazinou online Fairspin operations and why it is a top choice for players who prioritize fairness and security in their gaming experience.

The history of Fairspin’s founding

The history of Fairspin’s founding dates back to 2018 when a team of professionals with extensive experience in the gambling industry decided to create a platform that would offer a new level of transparency and fairness to online gambling. The team realized that there was a lack of trust in the industry due to issues such as rigged games, hidden fees, and slow payouts. They saw an opportunity to create a better and more honest gambling experience for players.

The team began developing Fairspin with the goal of using blockchain technology to create a transparent and fair gaming environment. They wanted to ensure that all games were provably fair, meaning that the results were determined by a random number generator that could be verified by the player. They also wanted to offer fast and secure payments and 24/7 customer support to ensure that players had a positive experience.

In 2019, Fairspin was launched with a selection of over 500 games from top providers such as NetEnt, Microgaming, and Evolution Gaming. The platform quickly gained a reputation for its transparency and fairness, and it was recognized as the first blockchain-based casino to receive a Curacao eGaming license. Fairspin has continued to grow since its launch, expanding its game selection and adding new features such as cashback rewards and a VIP program.

Overall, Fairspin’s founding team set out to create a new standard for online gambling by prioritizing transparency, fairness, and security. Their commitment to these values has made Fairspin a popular choice among players looking for a trustworthy and enjoyable online casino experience.

The quality of random number generation at Fairspin

Fairspin is known for its high-quality random number generation (RNG) technology, which ensures that all games on the platform are fair and unbiased. The platform uses a cryptographic algorithm known as SHA-3 to generate random numbers, which is widely considered to be one of the most secure and reliable RNG algorithms available.

Fairspin’s use of blockchain technology also adds an extra layer of security to its RNG. Each game round is recorded on the blockchain, allowing players to verify the fairness of the results. This means that the outcomes of each game cannot be altered or tampered with in any way, providing players with an extra level of assurance that the games are fair and unbiased.

Fairspin collaborates with leading game providers like NetEnt, Microgaming, and Evolution Gaming to provide a fair and transparent gaming experience for its users, in addition to its advanced RNG technology. Independent third-party companies conduct regular testing and auditing of the platform to ensure that the games are fair and the RNG technology is functioning correctly.

Overall, Fairspin’s commitment to transparency and fairness extends to its RNG technology, which is designed to ensure that players have a fair and enjoyable gaming experience. With its advanced cryptographic algorithm and blockchain-based recording, players can trust that the outcomes of their games are truly random and unbiased.

Security and player data protection at Fairspin

Security and player data protection are top priorities at Fairspin, and the platform takes numerous measures to ensure that players’ personal and financial information is safe and secure. Fairspin uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to protect all data transmitted between players and the platform. This means that any sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card details, are encrypted and cannot be intercepted by third parties.

In addition to encryption, Fairspin also employs strict access controls and monitoring to prevent unauthorized access to player data. The platform’s servers are hosted in a secure data center that is equipped with advanced physical security measures, such as biometric authentication and 24/7 surveillance. This ensures that player data is protected against physical as well as digital threats.

Fairspin also has a strict privacy policy that outlines how player data is collected, used, and protected. The platform does not share player data with third parties without explicit consent, and all data is stored securely in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

Overall, Fairspin is committed to providing a safe and secure gaming environment for its players. Its advanced security measures, strict privacy policy, and use of encryption technology ensure that players’ personal and financial information is protected against unauthorized access and misuse. Players can enjoy their favorite games on Fairspin with confidence, knowing that their data is safe and secure.

Bonuses and promotions at Fairspin

Fairspin offers a range of bonuses and promotions to its players, providing them with additional opportunities to win and enjoy their favorite games. These bonuses and promotions are designed to cater to a wide range of players and preferences, from new players to loyal customers.

One of Fairspin’s most popular bonuses is its welcome bonus, which offers a deposit match and free spins on selected games. This bonus is available to new players and is a great way to get started on the platform.

Fairspin also offers regular promotions and bonuses to its existing players, including cashback rewards and reload bonuses. The platform’s VIP program provides additional benefits, such as personalized bonuses and exclusive access to games.

Fairspin’s bonuses and promotions are subject to terms and conditions, which outline the wagering requirements and other conditions that apply. These terms and conditions are designed to ensure that bonuses are used fairly and in accordance with the platform’s policies.

Overall, Fairspin’s bonuses and promotions are a great way for players to get more out of their gaming experience. Whether it’s a welcome bonus, cashback reward, or VIP benefit, Fairspin provides a range of opportunities for players to win big and enjoy their favorite games even more. With its commitment to fairness and transparency, players can trust that the bonuses and promotions offered by Fairspin are both exciting and fair.

French PM Courts Musk To Invest In France + A Billionaire Investor Dumps Entire Tesla Stake – Tesla News

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high-rise buildings during daytime

Today, there’s both good and bad news for Tesla. First, Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk being courted by the French prime minister to invest in the country. Second, for the bad news, a billionaire investor just dumped their entire Tesla stake for the first quarter of 2023. Here are the stories.

‘Choose France’

The most recent guest of French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron in his official residence at Élysée Palace is no other than Tesla’s CEO and billionaire, Musk. 

There, Macron courted the Tesla CEO to invest in France, pointing out that “we have so much to do together” and saying he also aims for investments from the other companies Musk manages, not just Tesla.  

The meeting happened ahead of the “Choose France” 2023 summit, aimed at attracting businesses and investors to invest in the Western European country. According to French media, France receives €13 billion or around $14 billion from various investors. Two hundred business leaders are gathering with the French prime minister on Monday.

After Macron met with Musk, the former took to Twitter to share his insights. He wrote, posting a photo of the two together, “With @ElonMusk, we talked about the attractiveness of France and the significant progress in the electric vehicle and energy sectors. We also talked about digital regulation. We have so much to do together. See you this afternoon at the #ChooseFrance Summit!”

Macron sees this event as an opportunity to regain the public’s trust as his popularity slumped after the French government raised the French retirement age. The Choose France 2023 summit will allow the prime minister to defend his pro-business reforms and seek attention to his advocacy for the environment, such as through his support for electric vehicles like Tesla’s.

Since the Prime Minister hosted the meeting in 2018, the number of investment opportunities from business leaders who have attended the event has reached record-high numbers. 

The news also came amidst Musk’s announcement that he is appointing a new Twitter CEO and will step down from the post. Twitter’s new CEO is now Linda Yaccarino. 

As soon as he announced this, Tesla shares incredibly went up as people now believe the billionaire will have more time to focus on Tesla. 

Dumping of Tesla stake

Now, we get to the bad news about Tesla. The family office of Hungarian-American businessman and philanthropist George Soros has dumped their entire Tesla stock for the first quarter of this year, a 13F filing published late last week indicated.

It was during 2022’s second quarter when Soros Fund Management added Tesla stock to its holdings, which reached around 132,000 shares by the end of that year. Should they hadn’t dumped the stock, the fund would have likely enjoyed major gains from the surge in Tesla’s stock price this year. 

Tesla shares significantly increased by 68 percent during the first quarter, and since then, the stock has pared its advance, now up to around 37 percent. 

HP To Block Customers From Printing Should They Use ‘Ink Cartridges From Cheaper Rivals,’ Faces Backlash – HP News

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In a world where things have mostly gone digital, printing documents and other content on paper may seem passé, but this is still a treasured activity. And for those who still find the need to have content on paper, they might face hurdles, especially with this news policy from the world’s leading printer brand, HP. 

The news came from The Telegraph, which reported that HP had released a new firmware update that would block customers’ printers if they use ink cartridges from rival brands. The company will disable your device if you try to use somewhat cheaper ink cartridges from competitor companies.

HP ink cartridges are usually not on the more affordable end of the spectrum. For instance, the HP 802 Small Ink Cartridge costs almost $10 on Amazon. 

HP has fitted its ink cartridges with a specific chip that the HP printer will register once an ink cartridge has been inserted. 

“Dynamic security equipped printers are intended to work only with cartridges that have new or reused HP chips or electronic circuitry,” HP said. “The printers use the dynamic security measures to block cartridges using non-HP chips or modified or non-HP electronic circuitry.”

HP printers previously just displayed a warning when they detected that the user had “third-party” ink cartridges. But this time, the devices will simply refuse to print. 

Prevent risks, protect intellectual property

According to the company, it did this since it believes “third-party cartridges that use non-HP chips or circuitry can pose risks to the hardware performance, print quality, and security.”

A separate news report in The Mirror indicated that HP introduced this update also because they want to keep the integrity of their printing systems and protect their intellectual property.

HP faces backlash about this

HP has good intentions for introducing this new policy. Still, instead of receiving affirmation from its customers, the company got a backlash from customers who feel they have been cheated with this update. 

For instance, @Lazecapri took to social media to air their grievances. They posted on Twitter, “We’ve been confused about why the printer won’t print. Turns out HP has ink cartridges that won’t work if you’re not paying their monthly subscription. That’s an absolutely crazy thing to do. Got my printer blocking the ink that’s IN THE CARTRIDGE”

But this has seemingly caused more problems. Twitter netizen @_RYB_J said their HP printer mistakenly detected they inserted a cheaper cartridge, disabling their printing. 

“My HP printer mistakenly thought I inserted a cheap rival cartridge and disabled the printer. It was a brand new HP cartridge from Office Max. A week or two out of warranty. Never buying HP again,” they said. 

Other HP news

Meanwhile, in other HP news, the company early last week announced it would reveal its second quarter fiscal 2023 earnings via a live audio webcast of a conference call to review these financial results on May 30th at 5 p.m. Eastern Time. 

Its second fiscal quarter ended on April 30th. 

Tesla’s camera now assesses driver’s drowsiness by counting blinks, yawns

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Tesla is now counting blinks and yawns to assess the drowsiness of the driver. The revelation was shared by Tesla feature leaker @greentheonly on Twitter, adding that the EV company might have plans to use this feature beyond Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.

Despite its advanced technology, Tesla continues to face various concerns about the different sections of its EVs, including its safety. In the past, we heard many news and complaints about the company not putting adequate effort into bumping up its driver monitoring. However, the company seems to be on the move now to address this by using the EV’s internal camera to analyze the driver’s actions indicating sleepiness.

“Looks like Tesla is planning a big boost to (camera based) driver monitoring,” @greentheonly tweeted. “They are now tracking additional things like how many yawns the driver had recently, how many blinks and how long they were, leaning. All this is to calculate how drowsy the driver is.”

The leaker also shared that the feature might also be working even when the EV is not on AP but added that it remains a secret what Tesla plans to do if the system detects the driver is unfit to drive.

And while the move sounds like an advancement in Tesla’s effort to improve its products, others find the idea troubling, expressing concerns about the use of cameras to assess the driver inside the vehicle.

“Does no one think that’s a tab bit intrusive?” A Twitter user commented. “Sure maybe while in AP but, a constant monitoring with a possibility of disabling a vehicle I’ve paid for based on what an AI or random person deems to be tired (not unsafe per day) driving is a touch unsettling.”

“The ability to gather all these data is a double edge sword,” another user said. “It’ll have some safety benefits but it will also be definitely abused by denying insurance claims and similar actions in the future. The asymmetry between consumers and corps is definitely tilting one way.”

This Employee Sues IBM For Not Giving Him A Pay Raise, But He’s Been On Sick Leave For 15 Years Already – IBM News

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black and silver stethoscope beside clear glass mug

A senior IT employee for IBM UK has filed charges against the company for discrimination because he allegedly did not receive a pay raise. However, this employee has also been on sick leave since 2008, or for already around 15 years. Here’s the news. 

15 years on sick leave

The IBM UK employee, Ian Clifford, said he was a victim of “disability discrimination” since his salary had not been raised in the 15 years he has been on sick leave. Under the health plan of IBM, this employee receives £54,000, or around $67,400 a year, and is guaranteed to receive the salary until he is 65. 

Clifford argued that IBM’s health plan was “not generous enough” because his salary would just depreciate over time because of inflation. 

The employee filed for sick leave in September 2008 and remained in this status until 2013, when he raised a complaint. Hearing his grievance, IBM offered Clifford a “compromise agreement” where he was placed under the company’s disability plan so he would not be dismissed. 

Under this plan, an employee who cannot report to work is not dismissed but remains an employee. They are also not obliged to work. 

Furthermore, an employee under this plan – until their recovery, retirement, or death – has a “right” to be paid 75 percent of the agreed earnings. Clifford’s agreed salary was £72,037 or almost $90,000 per year after 25 percent was deducted. This setup remains for over 30 years until Clifford reaches retirement age, which is 65 years old. 

Last February 2022, this employee brought IBM to an employment tribunal over “disability discrimination.”

“The point of the plan was to give security to employees not able to work – that was not achieved if payments were forever frozen,” Clifford to the media. 

‘Favorable treatment, very substantial benefit’

The employment judge handling the case, Judge Paul Housego, said he has already been given “favorable treatment” and a “very substantial benefit,” considering he is still getting paid even if he has been on sick leave for 15 years already. 

“However, this is not the issue for, fundamentally, the terms of something given as a benefit to the disabled, and not available to those not disabled, cannot be less favorable treatment related to disability,” Judge Housego stated, “It is more favorable treatment, not less.”

The judge also said that active employees getting pay raises while inactive employees like Clifford not getting this benefit might be a difference, but is not a detriment because of something from the disability. 

The IBM employee has been receiving a salary even if he has been on sick leave for 15 years. Do you think it is still fair for IBM?

You can now add birthday details of your family, friends in Google Contacts

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Google will now allow you to be reminded of a family member’s or friend’s birthday using Google Contacts for Android. The feature is now reportedly rolling out (though not widely), which should give you the option to add the birthday details of a person and choose whether to get notified about this.

If you are a person who can’t remember the birthdays of your loved ones and friends, getting reminders can be helpful. We already see it on various social media platforms like Facebook, wherein you’ll be notified about a friend’s birthday. However, not everyone is on Facebook. Yet, if you are one of those who use Google Contacts, it is now possible to get reminders for such a special day.

Those who now have the new feature will see it in the Highlights tab in Google Contacts. Under the For You section, an Add Birthday prompt should appear, and tapping will bring you to a list of your contacts with easy data entry. You’ll easily spot the contacts that lack birthday information through a cake icon placed after their names. If you tap them, you can set their birthday by scrolling through their birth month, date, and (optional) year. Once added, you can activate the notification for those particular contacts by going to their contact cards individually, tapping the menu, and selecting the new ‘Add birthday notification’ option.

All these works might sound a bit too much just to be reminded of someone’s birthday, especially if you compare it to Facebook, which automatically notifies you based on a friend’s profile details. Yet, it is still a welcome addition to Google Contacts. And with the fact that you can set the dates manually per individual contact, it is nice to know that you have the freedom to be notified only about specific people on your list.

Intel’s Newest Collaborations: Tie-Up With Samsung To Build 1st DRAM Supporting CXL 2.0, And More – Intel News

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Intel has recently collaborated with leading companies to develop its newest projects. First, the company partnered with Samsung to build the industry’s first DRAM supporting Compute Express Link (CXL) 2.0. Second, it tied up with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to develop enterprise-grade and secure generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Here’s the news scoop.

CXL 2.0 DRAM

On Friday, Samsung announced it is working closely with Intel to develop the industry’s first CXL 2.0 memory. Its collaboration with Intel is bound to ensure optimal support for its Xeon platform. 

Jim Pappas, director of Technology Initiatives at Intel, said, “Intel is delighted to work with Samsung on their investment towards a vibrant CXL ecosystem. Intel will continue to work with Samsung to foster the growth and adoption of innovative CXL products throughout the industry.”

The new project of these two companies is a 128GB CXL 2.0 DRAM module that supports the PCIe 5.0 interface with x8 lanes. This amounts to a total bandwidth of 35GB/s, slower than direct-attached system memory. However, with CXL 2.0, it can support memory switching and pooling, allowing several hosts to connect and allocate memory dynamically from the shared resources as needed. This offers data centers more efficiency and flexibility when computing resources. 

“As a member of the CXL Consortium Board of Directors, Samsung Electronics remains at the forefront of CXL technology. This breakthrough development underlines our commitment to expanding the CXL ecosystem even further through partnerships with data center, server and chipset companies across the industry,” Samsung’s vice president of New Business Planning Team, Jangseok Choi, said.

CXL is an open standard for connecting different types of memory to the CPU and is leveraged primarily for high-performance data center computing. Based on PCIe 5.0, CXL is optimized for high-bandwidth and low-latency communication in heterogeneous computing environments. 

The South Korean manufacturing conglomerate will start mass-producing the CXL 2.0 DRAM later this year. 

GenAI solution

Intel is entering into more partnerships. Last Thursday, the company, together with BCG, announced a strategic collaboration to enable GenAI with the use of end-to-end AI hardware and software from AI. This solution seeks to deliver fully custom and proprietary solutions to clients in the enterprise world while ensuring private data are still secure. 

Intel’s executive vice president and general manager of the Data Center and AI Group, Sandra Rivera, spoke about the tie-up. She said, “Generative AI requires a truly democratized approach that enables more secure and scalable choice so enterprises can safely benefit from the technology. Our collaboration with BCG allows us to help customers build generative AI applications that require technology optimized across the entire stack completely inside their chosen security perimeter.”

BCG leveraged the AI supercomputer from Intel, which AI-optimized Habana® Gaudi® hardware accelerators, Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, and production-ready hybrid cloud-scale software power. This AI supercomputer powers BCG’s GenAI model, and delivers insights based on more than five decades of proprietary and highly confidential data. 

BCG is a United States-based global management consulting firm since the 1960s. It is among the Big Three, together with Bain & Company and McKinsey & Company.

Australia, New Zealand-based iPhone 14 users get Apple’s satellite emergency service

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One of the best features of the iPhone 14 is its ability to connect to satellites for emergency services. It was first rolled out to a few countries, but Apple is now ready to expand it to two more locations: Australia and New Zealand.

Apple’s emergency satellite connectivity for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models running iOS 16.1 or later was confirmed in September last year. After the company launched it in November, it is now expanding to more countries, giving us a total of 14 locations where the function can be accessed: United States, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand.

During the announcement of the feature, Apple promised that it would be free of charge for two years for those getting or activating an iPhone 14. And given the feature was released a little late in Australia and New Zealand, the free trial period for users in these locations starts from the service availability date. However, now that it is getting more expansion and some of the first iPhone 14 devices getting near the end of their two-year free period, there are still no words from Apple about how much the service would actually cost.

If you are one of those lucky users who already have access to this feature, it can be activated when you go to a place without cellular and Wi-Fi coverage, and your location will be updated via satellite every 15 minutes. For someone to receive this information, nonetheless, note that a specific individual or group of people should already have access to your location (via the Find My app) before you step outside the cellular or Wi-Fi coverage.

Another condition that should be met includes a spot with a clear view of the sky and the horizon, as it won’t work under heavy foliage or when you are surrounded by other obstructions. Using your Find My app, you might be asked to turn left or right to connect to a satellite, which might take minutes. Just follow the guidance you’ll receive until the message is sent.

And while it is a requirement to have an iPhone 14 to access this feature, recipients of this location info sent via satellite can use any iPhone model as long as it runs iOS 16.1 or later. If the transfer of location is successful, the most recent location detail you’ll send will be available to their devices for up to seven days.

This renewed Sony WH-1000XM5 will save you nearly $60 today on Amazon

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WH-1000XM5 is one of the best headphones from Sony. The unit was announced by the Japanese company last year at $399. However, if you think that is too much for headphones, here is a discounted deal you might want to consider alongside other reasons why you should grab it now.

Amazon now offers a renewed Sony WH-1000XM5, giving you a 14% discount from the over-ear headphones’ original price. And despite its refurbished condition, you can be sure you’ll still be able to enjoy all the outstanding features of WH-1000XM5 that make it popular today.

To start, the wireless headphones sport Sony’s industry-leading noise cancellation-two processor that employs eight microphones for unprecedented noise cancellation. This allows its Auto NC Optimizer to modify and optimize the sound based on your specific needs by analyzing the shape of your face and even your environment, from plane to busy train station and more. With all of these things, you get a dramatic reduction in high-frequency noise. Sony says it is also armed with Edge-AI DSEE Extreme feature, which upscales compressed digital music files in real-time and restores high-range sound lost in compression.

Additionally, there are four beamforming microphones, precise voice pickup, and advanced audio signal processing, which means you’ll be able to make clear calls everywhere you go. Sony’s AI technology also extends to this section by using the headphones’ microphones and an AI-based noise reduction algorithm to precisely isolate the voice. You can also use its Speak-to-Chat smart feature to automatically stop the music when you talk and resume once your chat ends.

And if that is not enough, WH-1000XM5 can last up to 30 hours with the right settings, while its ultra-comfortable, lightweight design with soft-fit leather will allow you to wear it for hours without trouble. And for ultra-handsfree controls, WH-1000XM5 comes with lots of censor-powered smart capabilities enabling it to perform actions based on simple taps and headphone removal. Even more, it supports Google Assistant and Siri!

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