A new study made the case for personalized diagnostic toilets capable of tracking health data from feces and urine.
Why it matters: Don't laugh — what comes out of your body can be very revealing about the state of your health. Smart toilets would enable us to track that health data at home, which suddenly seems more useful.
A new report recommends stimulus spending to help close the digital divide revealed by pandemic social distancing.
Why it matters: Right now many Americans can't easily access remote work or education, which leaves them behind and limits their ability to safely carry out social distancing. Stimulus spending could be diverted to address those gaps, which would also leave us better prepared to respond to the next pandemic.
Zoom will no longer be available for Google employees to use at on desktops at work as of this week, Buzzfeed News first reported and Axios has confirmed.
Why it matters: Zoom, which millions of people have turned to as a communications platform in the coronavirus era, is a competitor to Google's own Meet app. Google said Zoom did not meet its security standards for employees.
The major tech companies are scrambling to craft digital options for this year's summer intern class, as businesses remain shuttered due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Why it matters: Internships serve as key learning opportunities for students, but are also critical for the recruiting and diversity efforts of the Big Tech companies who compete fiercely for college talent.
Samsung is announcing a host of new smartphones in its mid-tier "A" series, including two models that support 5G cellular networks.
Why it matters: Adding 5G into mid-tier devices ensures that more people who buy a new smartphone this year will be ready to access such networks. As we reported in yesterday's Login, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile say they are moving full speed ahead on 5G deployment.
Common Sense Media is urging Congress to use the next round of coronavirus relief legislation to make sure all U.S. students can connect to the internet.
The big picture: The campaign, dubbed "Connect All Students," comes as a poll from the group and SurveyMonkey finds that teens are worried they'll fall behind in school due to the pandemic. The campaign launch and poll results were shared exclusively with Axios.
YouTube's product chief tells Axios that the Google-owned video site has removed thousands of COVID-19 videos — including some from the Brazilian president's channel — for violating policies related to the spread of medical misinformation.
Why it matters: Though criticized in the past for allowing misinformation to flourish, Facebook, Google and Twitter have all been taking a tougher stand when it comes to the coronavirus.
Intel announced Tuesday a $50 million coronavirus relief program designed to support more research, technology for patient care, and help for lower income students' distance-learning needs.
Why it matters: Intel's donation comes on top of an earlier $10 million pledge and amid other large donations from Apple, Microsoft, Cisco, Google, Facebook and others.
Coronavirus-related economic disruption and uncertainty could yet slow the pace of 5G deployment in the U.S. — but for now, the major carriers say they're moving full speed ahead.
Why it matters: The pandemic has highlighted the importance of connectivity as businesses shift to remote work and schools move classes online, making network performance more vital than ever.
