Beware of 'smartphone pinky' syndrome

On an average, a person spends well beyond five hours on a smartphone, every day. Due to the lockdown, idle time has increased which has led to drastic increase in the number of screen time. https://ift.tt/39LdIyH

Solid chip sales unlikely to cushion Samsung's virus hit first quarter profit

The coronavirus-driven global shift to working from home is set to have boosted demand for Samsung Electronics' memory chips from laptop makers and data centres, but first-quarter profits are likely to remain flat as the outbreak weakened consumer electronics sales. https://ift.tt/39KIoju

Apple's Newest Product: Face Shields for Health Workers Fighting Coronavirus

Apple has started designing and producing face shields for health workers, CEO Tim Cook revealed through a video tweeted on early Monday. https://ift.tt/2V7DlEm

5G Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Is Dangerous Fake Nonsense, UK Says

A conspiracy theory that links 5G mobile telecommunications masts to the spread of the novel coronavirus is dangerous fake news and completely false, Britain said on Saturday after masts in several... https://ift.tt/2ReQE58

How One Silicon Valley Factory Keeps Running in the Age of Coronavirus

The managers at Green Circuits - a small Silicon Valley electronics factory - thought they would have to close when the San Francisco Bay Area directed non-essential businesses to shut almost... https://ift.tt/2ReULOB

Quibi app review: works reliably, auto-flips between landscape and portrait, but no tablet-optimized mode, no family member profiles, and lacks a TV experience (Chris Welch/The Verge)

Chris Welch / The Verge:
Quibi app review: works reliably, auto-flips between landscape and portrait, but no tablet-optimized mode, no family member profiles, and lacks a TV experience  —  A mobile-only video app was always going to be a hard sell  —  After months of publicity, Quibi — the mobile phone app that's centered …

Jeffery Katzenberg and Meg Whitman's Quibi short-video streaming service launches with $1.8B in funding amid the Covid-19 pandemic (Nicole Sperling/New York Times)

Nicole Sperling / New York Times:
Jeffery Katzenberg and Meg Whitman's Quibi short-video streaming service launches with $1.8B in funding amid the Covid-19 pandemic  —  Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman had to cancel a starry Hollywood party for their short-video platform because of the virus.  But Quibi is still going live.

Summer internships go virtual in lockdown

Internship portals are also seeing companies coming in with vacancies for work-from-home opportunities that last for two, four or six months https://ift.tt/3aMe7C5 https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Lifestyle brands seek to make WFH fashionable

As the boundary between work and leisure becomes porous, websites of fashion brands have added WFH pop-ups that direct shoppers to browse outfits for conference calls, Zoom-ready dressing and loungewear. https://ift.tt/2ReJrSC https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

TikTok emerges most downloaded social media app

Compared to January 2020, social media downloads on iOS and Google Play during the lockdown in India in the first week starting March 22 went up 20%, exceeding over 49 million new downloads https://ift.tt/2JEMQ8L https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Lockdown triggers 35% slump in mobile recharge volumes

Industry executives and experts said physical recharges are almost down to nil as people aren’t being able to visit mobile stores or their nearest kiranas to recharge https://ift.tt/2Xbd1fj https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

PwC report: the total number of crypto M&A deals dropped from 189 in 2018 to 114 last year, while the value of M&A deals dropped from $1.89B to $451M (Nathan DiCamillo/CoinDesk)

Nathan DiCamillo / CoinDesk:
PwC report: the total number of crypto M&A deals dropped from 189 in 2018 to 114 last year, while the value of M&A deals dropped from $1.89B to $451M  —  Crypto companies kept buying each other last year even as both M&A and funding deal flow in the industry took a dive, according to a report released Monday by PwC.

Execs at US digital banks say European challengers, like N26, are underestimating the hurdles they will face in the US, like regulation and cultural differences (Protocol)

Protocol:
Execs at US digital banks say European challengers, like N26, are underestimating the hurdles they will face in the US, like regulation and cultural differences  —  Banking is becoming increasingly all-digital, and European upstarts want to dominate in the U.S. But it won't be that simple, experts say.

IIT-IIM contingency plans amid Covid-19 challenge: Shortening last semesters, interactive online courses

A number of private schools are set to begin new academic session this week, with online classes and modules. Kendriya Vidyalayas are consulting experts to work out both online and offline formats. https://ift.tt/2XnI9bR https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Retailers, online grocers restrict purchases; put cap on quantity to prevent hoarding

Retailers said indications of hoarding came from the increase in average bill values over the past few days and consumers making repeat purchases. https://ift.tt/34hTP0X https://ift.tt/eA8V8J