Posts Tagged: bank
You Now Need A Bank Account For Verizon’s $10 Auto Pay Discount
Verizon offers a sweet $ 10 discount if you enroll in their Auto Pay system, but with recent changes, you’ll need a bank account or a Verizon card.
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[Prime Day] Anker’s cable-free Nano Power Bank with built-in USB-C connector is down to just $23
I can’t count how many times I’ve travelled and realized that while I remembered to bring a charger or power bank along that I’d somehow forgotten to pack the requisite charging cable. Here with a perfect solution to the problem for both Android and the new iPhone 15 series is Anker whose 5,000mAh Nano Power […]
Come comment on this article: [Prime Day] Anker’s cable-free Nano Power Bank with built-in USB-C connector is down to just $ 23
Microsoft retracts AI-written article advising tourists to visit a food bank on an empty stomach
Microsoft reportedly published — and retracted — an AI-generated article that recommended people visit a Canadian food bank as a tourist attraction. The article “Headed to Ottawa? Here’s what you shouldn’t miss!” included recommendations for catching a baseball game, honoring fallen soldiers at a war museum and… swinging by the Ottawa Food Bank. Paris Marx first called out the story on X (formerly Twitter). “People who come to us have jobs and families to support, as well as expenses to pay,” the AI-written section about the food bank section read. “Life is already difficult enough. Consider going into it on an empty stomach.”
Before its retraction, the article appeared on Microsoft Start, the company’s AI-aggregated news service that replaced Microsoft News in 2021. After The Vergereported on the article and its highly inappropriate recommendation about “going into it on an empty stomach,” Microsoft senior director Jeff Jones told the publication, “This article has been removed and we are investigating how it made it through our review process.”
Microsoft is really hitting it out of the park with its AI-generated travel stories! If you visit Ottawa, it highly recommends the Ottawa Food Bank and provides a great tip for tourists: “Consider going into it on an empty stomach.” https://t.co/7bvGemDad2
— Paris Marx (@parismarx) August 17, 2023
The original URL now displays the message, “This page no longer exists. A new search page will load automatically.” The Verge uploaded screenshots of the initial story to Imgur.
The article’s author was listed merely as “Microsoft Travel,” suggesting real people may not have had any involvement in its creation. Microsoft Start’s “About Us” webpage claims it uses “human oversight” for the algorithms that “comb through hundreds of thousands of pieces of content sent by our partners” to help the company “understand dimensions like freshness, category, topic type, opinion content and potential popularity and publish according to user preferences.” The Windows maker reportedly laid off around 50 reporters from the division in 2020 while shifting to AI-generated news.
Microsoft is hardly the first company to get overzealous in its use of AI-created content. Early this year, CNET published numerous error-ridden financial explainer articles composed by artificial intelligence. More recently, Gizmodo’s parent company G/O Media posted an AI-composed (also mistake-filled) Star Wars article on the site, which deputy editor James Whitbrook called “embarrassing, unpublishable, disrespectful.” As the Associated Pressproceeds with measured caution on AI-assisted news coverage, other media outlets — including Microsoft’s news publishing wing — appear considerably more comfortable cashing in on fully AI-written articles, clearing the inevitable wreckage after the fact.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-retracts-ai-written-article-advising-tourists-to-visit-a-food-bank-on-an-empty-stomach-182701884.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Meet Tronsmart’s Bang 60W speaker with a built-in Light Show, Power Bank, and Dual Woofers for $110
If it’s a portable outdoor speaker you are on the hunt for then Tronsmart’s Bang 60W Speaker could be just what you need to become the life of the party. Sporting 60W of audio power thanks to its dual tweeters and woofers, the Bang 60W also packs in Bluetooth and NFC for seamless connectivity along […]
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Some Russian bank cards no longer work with Apple Pay and Google Pay
Following Western sanctions on Russia’s financial institutions in response to the invasion of Ukraine, customers of several of the country’s largest banks can no longer use their debit and credit cards in conjunction with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Among the affected organizations include VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie FC Bank, according to a press release from the Central Bank of Russia spotted by Business Insider.
Customers with those banks can still use their cards to make contactless payments, provided they support the feature. However, they won’t work overseas, and they can’t be used to make online purchases from retailers registered in countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia.
As The Verge notes, Apple Pay and Google Pay aren’t as popular in Russia as homegrown options like YooMoney. According to data from 2020, only 29 percent of Russians reported using Google Pay at the time, while 20 percent said they had used Apple Pay. As such, those restrictions aren’t likely to impact Russian consumers too much given they have access to alternatives. However, the possibility of excluding Russian banks from the SWIFT interbanking system could lead to things like currency volatility that would further hurt the country’s economy.
[Deal] Grab this EasyAcc 26,000mAh Power Bank for just $22.49 and save 50%
Having a power bank that can charge multiple devices simultaneously and still have some juice left in the tank is one of the fundamental features of this EasyAcc external charger that has a massive 26000mAh battery capacity. The 26000mAh Power Bank usually costs $ 45.99 but you can now buy it for just $ 22.49, which gives […]
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[Deal] At just £25, Samsung’s 10000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Charging is at its lowest ever price
Keeping your smartphone topped up on your travels isn’t the easiest thing to keep on top of even if you remember to bring a power bank with you, and especially so if you forget to bring the relevant power cable with you. But with many modern smartphones supporting wireless charging, why not expand your options […]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] At just £25, Samsung’s 10000mAh Power Bank with Wireless Charging is at its lowest ever price
EU lending bank aims to cut funding for fossil fuel projects by 2020
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More pressure piled on LeEco as CEO’s bank accounts and assets frozen
It’s no secret that LeEco is feeling the heat financially. The company is experiencing severe cash flow problems and had to halt its expansion plans, call off its acquisition of Vizio, pawn off some property, as well as lay off some staff in the U.S. Despite having received a cash injection of a couple of […]
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Forget your bank, hackers say we should worry about smart sex toy privacy
It’s natural to worry about data privacy, but we tend to do it about banks, passwords, and email accounts. A hacking team now says we should be concerned about the things smart sex toys reveal about our intimate lives as well.
The post Forget your bank, hackers say we should worry about smart sex toy privacy appeared first on Digital Trends.
This 9,000mAh portable battery bank can recharge itself in only 18 minutes
Portable power banks can take forever to recharge, but not the iTron. This 9,000mAh battery can recharge from zero to 100 percent in only 18 minutes, and it’ll have enough juice to charge your iPhone 6S after only five minutes.
The post This 9,000mAh portable battery bank can recharge itself in only 18 minutes appeared first on Digital Trends.
Vinsic 20,000mAh ultra-slim power bank review
The Vinsic 20,000mAh ultra-slim power bank is great for charging devices on the go. The high capacity will charge devices for days at a time before dying off. And its metallic profile is portable, weighing 537 grams for easy transporting. It features an ultra-slim body and is made of a hard aluminum alloy material that feels tough and sturdy in the hand. Users can charge their Android, iOS, Windows devices or just about any other USB-powered item.
Specs
- Capacity: 20000mAh
- USB Port: 2 x USB
- Input: 5V, 2A
- Output1: 5V 2.1A
- Output2: 5V 1A
- Input: 1x 10W (5V, 2A) Micro-USB input
- Dimensions: 6.81 inches, 4.8 inches, 0.51 inches
Design
The Vinsic power bank’s design really stands out. During my time with it, I found the design made me want to use it more frequently. Its super slim body and lightweight is very noticeable when put alongside competitors. The device is made out of strong aluminum alloy and features a smooth coating on the outside that wraps around the edges of the device. The rounded sides make it very attractable but also a bit slippery. From minor use the device has stood up very well to shuffling across tables and carrying in my backpack. No scratches, bumps or chips are visible.
You can count on this power bank withstanding any daily activities you might undergo; however, be aware that when kept in hot environments the device tends to heat up when in use. It may become hot to the touch in certain areas across the surface especially when dual charging in high temperature environments. But as far as durability goes, nothing seems to get in its way.
This power bank comes in four colors: Silver, Gold, Red and Grey.
Functionality
For the most part, the Vinsic power bank rises to the occasion. However, there are a few hiccups here and there. It features a large 20,000mAh battery capacity which is one of the largest available to date. With large capacity comes long charging time. Charging the device from 0% to full can be a bit time consuming. I found that it takes nearly twenty-four hours to fully charge the device, so I recommend putting it on before going to sleep.
All of the device’s ports lie on the top edge of the device. If you turn it over, you won’t find any ports on the underside of the device nor on the sides. The device charges via a 10W (5V, 2A) Micro-USB input. Inside the box, you get a rather short charging cable with USB 2.0 to charge via your PC. No wall adapter has been included.
One of the best things about the Vinsic power bank is that it contains two USB ports for charging rather than one. Output 1 charges at 5V and 2.1A and Output 2 supports 5V and 1A. This means you can charge two devices at the same time. Alongside the ports, Vinsic has included a touch screen panel than can be activated via a swipe of a finger to the left or right. A blue LED indicator will light up letting you know exactly how much battery you have remaining. When the capacity runs out, the LED will no longer light up. Unfortunately, the display goes off even when charging so you don’t have any indicator as to when your device has completed charging other than powering on the device. What I like is that the display shows an exact percentage to what battery capacity remains, rather than showing just bars. As one may guess, the percentage dips a lot faster when charging two devices simultaneously.
Following testing one could say that the Vinsic power bank closely resembles its listed capacity. It seems to hold up better than the majority of portable chargers (which don’t work as advertised). But I did notice that when the battery percentage gets closer to zero, it drains a bit faster. It also tends to draw extra power following the completion of 100%. For example, one might see the percentage drop a few extra points when leaving device(s) charging overnight. On the other hand, when leaving the power bank on standby, it rarely drops battery, which is always good. During testing, I was able to get about 5.5 full cycles for my LG G3 over the course of a few days.
Closing
After spending a few weeks with the Vinsic power bank, it exceeded the majority of my expectations. Even though one can experience a few hiccups here and there, it’s better than any other power bank I have used in the past. The large capacity is perfect for filling up your battery between classes, at work, or on the go. Its elegant design and lightweight make it great to bring just about anywhere and the durability can easily withstand life’s activities. For $ 49 on Amazon, it’s worth the extra penny and will make a great gift for power users time come the holiday season.
Come comment on this article: Vinsic 20,000mAh ultra-slim power bank review