Provided is a weekly snapshot of the recent technology, electronic waste, and IoT related news that HOBI’s blog reported on during the week 6/04-6/08.
All week long, Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) has been going on at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA. For developers, the event offers a chance to get a glimpse at what the company will be working with in 2018 so that they can begin to plan ahead. And for everyone else, WWDC 2018 is a sneak peek at the interface refinements and exciting new devices. The show reveals the latest in Apple news, innovation, and announcements. Provided is a look at some of the biggest rumors consumers were buzzing about prior to the start of the keynote.
Would You Like a Side of E-Waste With Your Meal?
While this may not sound very appetizing (or safe for that matter), millions of people are unknowingly ingesting food that could be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals and toxic compounds. A recent U.K. study by environmental scientists from the University of Plymouth shows that black plastic extracted from e-waste is being used to create food container; i.e. the black plastic containers used for takeout and frozen food items. At the moment, there is no way to pinpoint exactly where in the supply chain the black plastic from e-waste is entering the manufacturing process for non-electrical household items.
IoT Will Have the Most Impact on Businesses
We are in the midst of a digital transformation. New technology is continuing to play a role in the evolution of society, which includes the upheaval of consumer industries. Advancements in technology are also bringing about the rapid evolution of consumer expectations, blurred industry lies, and a crop of digitally-inspired market disruptors. And the two technologies that companies name as future investments are cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT), the latter of which will likely impact commerce by driving generational shifts by providing greater visibility across the fulfillment process, enabling retailers to track orders from the moment of purchase up to the moment it reaches the consumer’s doorstep, and much more.
Why You May Want to Reboot Your Wireless Router Now
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released a public service announcement warning consumers of a new malware threat called VPNFilter. More than 500,000 consumer-grade routers in 54 countries have been affected by the malware, which could used for a range of nefarious purposes like collecting personal information and even rendering your router inoperable. And while the FBI have warned small businesses to be aware of the malware, if you’re the owner of a home router, you’ll want to take a few precautions as well. Provided is a list of affected routers as well as steps on how to reboot your home router in order to protect your personal data.