WhatsApp cofounder leaves following Cambridge Analytica scandal

The man who Mark Zuckerberg says taught him about the power of encryption is leaving the Facebook family.

The departure of WhatsApp CEO and cofunder Jan Koum comes after Facebook's biggest privacy scandal to date. And six months after WhatsApp cofounder Brian Acton left the company and joined the #DeleteFacebook movement. Facebook bought the chat app, which highlights and promotes encryption and user privacy, in 2014 for more than $19 billion. 

In a Monday Facebook post, Koum wrote it was time for him to "move on." He plans to spend time "collecting rare air-cooled Porsches, working on my cars and playing ultimate frisbee."  Read more...

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These VR gloves allow people who are blind to "see" art for the first time

NeuroDigital collaborated with Prague's National Gallery to create Touching Masterpieces, giving people who are blind a cool VR experience where they can "see" the art through touch. The haptic gloves vibrate to make the wearer feel as though they're feeling a 3D object.  Read more...

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Multiple pairs of really nice Bose headphones are up to $50 off on Amazon

Raise your hand if you've ever felt personally victimized by headphone companies suckering you into buying their cheap headphones, just to have them break a month later. (*Raises hand*)

We all know the tease that is spending $20 rather than $200 on headphones, but how much money are you really saving if you're constantly replacing them? Even if they don't break, they're still not staying in your ear or blocking noise to save your life.

It's time to ditch your crappy headphones once and for all and finally invest in a pair that you can rely on. Multiple pairs of headphones from Bose are up to $50 off on Amazon. Read more...

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Save $50 on a personal air conditioner that cools, humidifies, and purifies the air around you

It's easy to see why summer is everyone's favorite time of the year. It's the season synonymous with trips to the beach, lounging by the pool, numerous vacations, and all-around good vibes. Then again, it also brings about sweltering heat and literal sticky situations, resulting in unavoidable sweat stains and occasional crankiness.

Everyone knows that person: the sweaty guy or pit stain girl who's always way too hot to function and is constantly complaining that it's "too hot in here, right?"

If your office or home feels like the pits of hell in the summer, you're going to need more than a desktop fan to cool you down. That's where this personal air conditioner comes into play. Read more...

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T-Mobile and Sprint want you to be scared of China. Fear for yourself instead.

Fear is never the best foundation for a relationship, but it's exactly what T-Mobile and Sprint are counting on to fuel support for their proposed mega-merger. The deal would combine the two companies into a $146 billion behemoth better poised to compete with market leaders Verizon and AT&T.

But while T-Mobile and Sprint certainly want everyone to feel good about wireless competition, what they're really trying to stoke is fear of China.

The country isn't named in the official announcement, which is full of predictable talk of job creation, "synergies," and scale, scale, scale. You can tell a lot from a document's first line, though, and in this case Sprint and T-Mobile chose to emphasize that the merged company would have the network capacity to deploy 5G technology with a "breadth and depth critical to extend U.S. global internet leadership." Read more...

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Twitter sold data to a Cambridge Analytica-linked researcher — but it's not as bad as it sounds

Facebook isn't the only social network you need to worry about when it comes to protecting your personal data.

Twitter confirmed on Saturday to The Telegraph that it sold data access to the academic who also obtained millions of Facebook users' information without their direct consent, then sold that data to political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. 

SEE ALSO: How to find out if Cambridge Analytica stole your Facebook data

The researcher, Aleksandr Kogan, has been derided in recent weeks for creating a personality quiz on Facebook that was used to harvest data from millions of users and their friends. Read more...

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Best Buy is having a great sale on MacBook Air laptops all this week (through May 5)

Graduation is just around the corner for high school students everywhere. If your graduating senior is heading off to college, it might be nice to upgrade their tech before you send them on their wayBest Buy has awesome deals on MacBook Airs all week, so you can even save a little cash in the process too.

SEE ALSO: Best cheap laptops: 10 options for under $500

Through May 5, you can save up to $200 on various MacBook Air laptops. Each device also comes with a free 6-month subscription to Trend Micro Security to beef up your virus protection.

The cool Apple deals don't end there. When you visit your local Best Buy, you can trade in a working MacBook for a Best Buy gift card that can be worth up to $450. You can also trade in select iPad models to get a minimum $125 Best Buy gift card. Read more...

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Save $300 on a Canon DSLR camera at Walmart

For aspiring photographers or people who just want to make their Instagram pics look damn good, Walmart has this Canon DSLR camera on sale today for $300 off.

SEE ALSO: 10 of the best instant cameras based on internet reviews

The EOS Rebel T6i boasts a 24.2 megapixel sensor and features an EOS Scene Analysis function that automatically adjusts the camera to snap the best photos of any subject, whether you're taking portraits or shooting a pic with friends. It even has built-in Wi-Fi for immediate sharing to social media.

Walmart lists the price at $899.99, but you can save $300.99 and get it for only $599. Read more...

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French dude sues France for seizing France.com domain

A Frenchman is suing his home country after it seized France.com, the web domain he owned for over two decades.

Jean-Noel Frydman, who was born in France but lives in New York, registered the France.com domain name back in February 1994 before launching the website in June 1995According to Frydman, the original France.com website featured "information about French culture, the Francophile community and a small section on tourism to France." 

SEE ALSO: She pointed the way to a better Facebook... in 1988

Frydman claims that for the following two decades, France.com was in "constant partnership" with "various entities and branches of the French government." He says these government entities weren't just aware of the existence of France.com, Inc., but they "consistently encouraged and supported" the site.  Read more...

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The Amazing Prototype Designs Behind Apple's Modern Products

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Facebook's plan to combat fake news? Shrink it

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Amazon is having a great sale on Fitbit activity trackers

Fitbit activity trackers are great for helping you stay motivated while you track your fitness goals. If you've always wanted to get one, or if you're in the market for an upgrade, then this Amazon sale is for you. 

SEE ALSO: 6 of the best subscription boxes for fitness junkies

Three different styles of Fitbit devices are on sale today. Whether you like the classic Fitbit look, prefer a sleeker gadget like the Fitbit Alta, or you're looking for a smartwatch, these Fitbit deals are sure to please.

Check out the Fitbits you can save on today:

Fitbit Charge 2 — $119.95

Nothing beats the classic Fitbit look. The PurePulse tracks your heart rate continuously and it can record any of your workout stats from running to weight lifting to biking. It also records your cardio fitness level and scores you so you can work on improving it with each exercise. Read more...

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Best Buy is having a 24-hour online flash sale on must-have tech items like MacBooks, Apple Watches, and more

MacBooks. iPads. HP laptops. HDTVs. Vacuums. Apple Watches. Xbox and Nintendo Switch games.

What do all of those things have in common? They are massively marked down at Best Buy for Monday, April 30.

SEE ALSO: Best cheap laptops: 10 options for under $500

Best Buy is having a 24-hour online only flash sale today, and that's the sale lineup. (Cue heart eye emoji.) We don't know what this random Black Friday-ish sale is for, but we're not complaining.

And this isn't just some little $10 off sale: We're talking $200 off here, free Xbox games there — Best Buy is even offering up to $500 off select MacBook models including the MacBook Pro. We probably don't have to tell you this, but getting a brand new MacBook for under a grand is the next best thing to a miracle. Read more...

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'Sonic the Hedgehog' is teaching AI how to learn

Researchers at OpenAI have already proven AI can get really good at video games. Now they are teaching AI how to learn games quickly, like a human would. That's why they've challenged developers to submit their own code for an AI-only Sonic the Hedgehog competition. Read more...

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T-Mobile and Sprint to merge, Apple's rumoured VR headset video - CNET

In today's news, T-Mobile and Sprint sign a $26 billion merger deal, sources reveal Apple is working on a VR headset and Blue Origin blasts off.

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Facebook is testing out a new feature that feels very, very Reddit

Like...or dislike? The possibility of Facebook adding downvoting — the opposite of "liking" — for posts and comments on its network has tickled the fancy of many users. It could be great for getting rid of those pesky fake news posts, but it could also be used for trolling and it could turn Facebook into something more similar to Reddit, which is not everyone's cup of tea. 

The rumors aren't entirely unfounded: Facebook tested the feature for a small group of users earlier this year, and now it appears to be rolling it out to more users, primarily in Australia and New Zealand. 

SEE ALSO: Facebook's richer than ever, despite data privacy scandals Read more...

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UNICEF is fundraising through in-browser cryptocurrency mining

Taking control of one's browser to mine cryptocurrency has a somewhat of a negative connotation, but UNICEF Australia is seemingly doing it for good.

The charity has launched something called The HopePage, which allows people to make a donation by keeping the webpage open and using your computer's CPU to mine those digital dollars. It taps into an application by Coinhive, which mines Monero. 

SEE ALSO: In Mexico, this coding school gives returning immigrants a second chance

Each time you visit the page, you'll have to confirm and select how much processing power (between 20 to 80 percent) you want to give over.  Read more...

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Pro-tip: Tesla's autopilot doesn't mean you can sit in the passenger seat

Teslas can do some pretty amazing things. From self-parking abilities to its semiautonomous Autopilot mode, the cars can definitely feel like the future. 

And yet, that doesn't mean you can just kick back in the passenger seat while Autopilot is engaged.

SEE ALSO: 9 companies trying to be the 'Tesla of China'

A British Tesla owner has found himself in hot water for doing just that, though. Bhavesh Patel, has been banned from driving for 18 months after a court found him guilty of dangerous driving for sitting in the passenger seat while his Tesla drove through traffic, according to The New York Times. Read more...

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T-Mobile and Sprint sign $26.5 billion merger deal to accelerate 5G rollout

T-Mobile and Sprint have finally agreed to a $26.5 billion deal that will make T-Mobile the third-largest carrier in the United States, the companies announced Sunday. 

T-Mobile CEO John Legere will be CEO of the new company, which will continue under the T-Mobile name.

SEE ALSO: 5 things to know about 5G

The agreement comes after two previous failed attempts to merge the two carriers. The most recent was in November of last year, when talks between the two companies fell apart amid reported disagreements over Sprint's valuation and SoftBank's reluctance to cede control of Sprint. 

So what changed in the last five months? Well, T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom and Sprint parent SoftBank reached an agreement that valued Sprint at $26.5 billion for one. Sprint Chairman and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son will also serve on the board of the new T-Mobile, Bloomberg reported.  Read more...

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