GM is training more first responders for EV emergencies in the US and Canada

GM is training more first responders to be able to handle emergencies involving electric vehicles. The automaker is “significantly expanding” its EV First Responder Training program in the United States and Canada as electric vehicle sales continue to grow. Its initiative will primarily focus on training firefighters and equipping them with the necessary knowledge about full electric vehicle technologies. GM says it’s hoping to dispel misconceptions when it comes to handling EVs in emergency situations. One of those misconceptions is that water is dangerous around EV batteries — turns out the recommended way to put out lithium-ion battery fires is by using copious amounts of water. 

Andrew Klock, a senior manager of education and development at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), said: “The best way for the public and private vehicle fleet owners to rapidly adopt EVs is to train firefighters and emergency responders on how to handle incidents involving battery powered vehicles. The fire service has had more than 100 years to gain the knowledge needed to respond to internal combustion engine fires, and it is critical that they are now educated on EV safety.” The NFPA held trainings of its own that had benefited 300,000 first responders, but it believes more than 800,000 members of the community still need further training.  

GM previously piloted the program in southeast Michigan, but now it’s conducting training events across Michigan and in Fort Worth, Texas, as well. Later this summer, it’s bringing the program to metro New York City and Southern California. Participants will have to attend four-hour sessions, with up to two per day, held in various venues, such as fire houses and dealerships. Interested first and second responders can register through the program’s dedicated website and earn a certificate from the Illinois Fire Service Institute if they score higher than 70 percent on the learning assessment by the end of their training. 

The automaker already has a few EV models on the market, including the Chevy Bolts, the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq. It has huge electrification plans for the future, though, and training responders could help make potential customers more receptive to the idea of switching to electric vehicles. GM aims to launch 30 EV models by 2025 and to exclusively sell EVs ten years after that.

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ races to its conclusion with a spot-on ‘Aliens’ riff

The following article includes significant spoilers for All Those Who Wander.Star Trek: Strange New Worlds has never been ashamed to tip its hat to the stories it’s riffing upon, some more obviously than others. This week’s episode, All Those Who …

The Apple Watch Series 7 drops to $312 at Amazon

Amazon has brought back a great price on the Apple Watch Series 7. The 41mm blue model is on sale for $312 right now, or $87 off its normal price. That’s close to the all-time-low price we’ve seen on the Series 7, but the best prices vary depending on your choice of color. If blue isn’t your style, the midnight, starlight and green models are on sale for $329 each at the moment, too.

Buy Series 7 (41mm, blue) at Amazon – $312

The Series 7 wasn’t a huge departure from the Series 6 that came before it, but Apple did make a few key updates. First and foremost, the Series 7 has more screen space, making it easier to see text and graphics. It’s also the first Apple Watch that’s IP6X dust resistant, so it’s a bit more durable than previous models. Finally, it supports faster charging that can power up the wearable from 0 to 100 in less than an hour.

Otherwise, the Series 7 shares most of the same features with the previous edition. It has an always-on display, built-in GPS, heart rate monitor, ECG tool and blood oxygen measurement capabilities, along with things like fall detection, Emergency SOS and more. Our biggest gripe with it is that its sleep tracking abilities are a bit lackluster. It mostly tracks how long you slept the night before as well as respiration rate, but you’ll get much more information from competing devices from the likes of Fitbit, Garmin and others. Nevertheless, we still consider the Apple Watch Series 7 to be the best smartwatch available right now. 

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Amazon discounts Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras ahead of Prime Day

If you’ve had any Blink cameras on your to-buy list, you’re in luck. Amazon has discounted both the Indoor and Outdoor versions of its compact, wireless security cameras for Prime members, so you can get a Blink Indoor one-camera pack for $55 and a Blink Outdoor one-camera bundle for $60. The wired Blink Mini has also dropped in price to $30, while the Blink Video Doorbell has been discounted to only $35.

Buy Blink Indoor (Prime exclusive) at Amazon – $55Buy Blink Outdoor (Prime exclusive) at Amazon – $60Buy Blink Mini (Prime exclusive) at Amazon – $30Buy Blink Video Doorbell (Prime exclusive) at Amazon – $35

Blink cameras are affordable options for those that want some kind of security camera network keeping watch over their home. Blink Indoor and Outdoor cameras share most of the same features: they record 1080p video and support infrared night vision, two-way audio, motion alerts and temperature monitoring. As the name suggests, the Blink Outdoor devices have a weather-resistant design, so you can mount them over your front door, above your garage and in any other outdoor space you want to monitor.

Arguably the best thing about Blink cameras is their wireless design. Neither the Indoor nor Outdoor devices need to be plugged in, rather they run on two AA batteries each and communicate wirelessly to the Blink Sync Module. That gives you much more freedom when it comes to placing these gadgets around your home. Plus, the batteries should last up to two years before you need to replace them.

If you’d rather try the system out before fully diving in, the Blink Mini is a good way to do that. It has all of the features the standard Blink cameras do, but it’s wired rather than wireless. While that makes it a bit less versatile, it’s hard to argue with a capable security camera that comes in at only $30.

As for the Video Doorbell, it combines the features of a Blink camera with smart doorbell features. Along with two-way audio and motion alert support, it’ll record videos in 1080p and you can choose to hardwire it to your existing doorbell system or keep it wireless.

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Apple now lets apps use third-party payment providers in South Korea

Apple has started allowing developers to use alternative payment systems for apps in South Korea, it announced. It made the move to comply with a new law in the nation requiring major app stores to allow alternative payment methods. Apple is still taking a cut from app transactions, though, albeit with a slight reduction in the fee. 

To use alternatives to Apple’s own payment system, developers must create a special version of their apps for the Korean App Store. Apple has approved four South Korean payment providers, KCP, Inicis, Toss and NICE and any others must be approved by Apple via a request on its developer website. Certain features like Ask to Buy and Family Sharing won’t be available, and Apple takes no responsibility for subscription management or refunds. 

Apple originally appealed the law, but eventually agreed to reduce its usual 30 percent commission to 26 percent. That effectively matches Google, which unveiled its Play Store compliance plans shortly after the law was announced with a four percent discounts on its usual commission. 

Apple has faced attacks on its policies over the past few years, kicked off after Epic Games sued it for removing Fortnite from the App Store. In the US, proposed Senate bills would force Apple to allow app sideloading on iOS and other measures. Last year, Apple published a 16-page report explaining why it should be able to keep its ecosystem closed. 

EU consumer groups file complaint against Google over ‘deceptive’ sign-up practices

Consumer groups in Europe have filed complaints against Google for using “deceptive design, unclear language and misleading choices” in its sign-up process, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) said in a press release. “Contrary to what Google claims about protecting consumers’ privacy, tens of millions of Europeans have been placed on a fast track to surveillance when they signed up to a Google account,” said BEUC deputy director Ursula Pachl. 

Europe’s GDPR rules are supposed to make it easy to choose settings that protect your privacy, but Google violates that principal when you create an account, it claims. It also emphasizes that having a Google account is a must for the Android users if they want to get apps from Google Play. 

“Signup is the critical point at which Google makes users indicate their ‘choices’ about how their Google account will operate. With only one step, the consumer activates all the account settings that feed Google’s surveillance activities. Google does not provide consumers with the option to turn all settings ‘off’ in one click,” the BEUC wrote. 

If you do want more privacy-friendly options, you have to use manual personalization involving “five steps with nine clicks and grappling with information that is unclear, complete and misleading,” it added.

The group noted that it first filed complaints about Google’s location-tracking practices three years ago and a decision has still not been made by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner in charge. Now, the BEUC has organized 10 consumer groups which have filed complaints in France, Norway, Greece and other EU member states. 

In reply, Google gave the following statement to TechCrunch: 

We know that consumer trust depends on honesty and transparency — which is why we’ve staked our future success on building ever simpler, more accessible controls and giving people clearer choices. And, just as important, doing more with less data. We welcome the opportunity to engage on this important topic with Europe’s consumer advocates and regulators. People should be able to understand how data is generated from their use of internet services. If they don’t like it, they should be able to do something about it. 

The company also said that it tried to follow EU guidance that requires a “two-fold obligation of being precise and complete on the one hand and understandable on the other hand.” It added that it based its choices on “extensive research efforts, guidance from DPA’s [data protection authorities] and feedback from testers.” 

The BEUC said Google’s practices haven’t changed since it first filed its complaint, though. “We need swift action from the authorities because having one of the biggest players ignoring the GDPR is unacceptable,” said Pachl. “This case is of strategic importance for which cooperation among data protection authorities across the EU must be prioritized and supported by the European Data Protection Board.” Google has faced the EU’s wrath before, receiving a $5 billion fine in 2018 over its app and browser choice practices. 

The Morning After: Snapchat+ is a $4 monthly subscription service for its most devoted users

Snap’s optional subscription service is here, offering “exclusive, experimental and pre-release features” for $4 a month. It’s apparently for “passionate” Snapchat users and launches this week in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Australia, New …

Amazon blocks listings for LGBTQ+ products in the United Arab Emirates

Amazon’s customers in the United Arab Emirates won’t find listings for LGBTQ-related products on its website anymore. According to The New York Times, the Emirati government has demanded the removal of products associated with LGBTQ people and issues and has threatened to penalize Amazon if it doesn’t comply by Friday. In response, the e-commerce giant has pulled individual product listings and restricted search results for over 150 keywords. The UAE criminalizes consensual same-sex relations, and punishment could include imprisonment and even the death penalty. 

Some of the search terms the website had restricted are broad enough to cover most items, including “lgbtq,” “pride” and “closeted gay.” However, some blocked search terms are more targeted, such as “transgender flag,” “chest binder for lesbians” and “lgbtq iphone case.” The Times says those terms didn’t produce any result when the publication tried them out. 

In addition, Amazon blocked several books in the region. Nagata Kabi’s My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness and Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist are two of the affected titles. In a statement sent to The Times, spokesperson Nicole Pampe said that as a company, Amazon remains “committed to diversity, equity and inclusion” and that it believes “that the rights of L.G.B.T.Q.+ people must be protected.” Pampe added, however: “With Amazon stores around the world, we must also comply with the local laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.”

Amazon is but one of the companies in the tech industry that has given in to the demands of a restrictive government in order to keep operating in a region. Netflix, for instance, previously pulled a show critical of the Saudi government, while Apple reportedly gave the Chinese government control of some of its data centers in the country. Google once developed a censored Chinese search engine called Project Dragonfly, though it ultimately terminated the initiative in 2019. 

Outside of regions with restrictive laws, Amazon is much less likely to remove items from its product listings. When a group of employees in Seattle called on the company to remove books that suggest kids who identify as transgender are mentally ill, Amazon said that as a bookseller, it has “chosen to offer a very broad range of viewpoints, including books that conflict with [its] company values and corporate positions.”