Want to see mobile phones of the future? Then Barcelona is the place to be.

At this year’s Mobile World Congress tech show, smaller brands are trying to find novel ways to stand out from the crowd.

Foldable phones are old news in Barcelona – here it’s all about really bendy handsets. Motorola and Lenovo’s adaptive display concept mobile phone is so flexible it could wrap around a wrist, or be temporarily bent so that it can stand unsupported.

It’s just one of the weird and wacky ideas being floated by the mobile phone industry at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress tech show.

Unsurprisingly, manufacturers are going big on AI – like the Deutsche Telecom concept phone. Instead of using apps, the phone simply has conversations with the user and books them the flights and hotels they need, makes videos of their recorded memories, or gives them recommendations for places they want to visit.

And if you’ve ever been annoyed by someone playing loud music on public transport, close your ears now. ZTE is showing off its Nubia Music phone which comes with a high-quality ultra-loud built-in speaker.

These innovations are attempts to carve out a portion of a market that last year totaled 1.17 billion units, according to the market intelligence company International Data Corporation.

But the two top brands account for around 40 percent of those sales between them.

The mobile phone market is particularly challenging right now because it's dominated by two big players, Apple and Samsung. If you're a smaller player with lower volumes, you've got to find some ways to innovate and add some differentiation to your device. And that's one of the themes that we're seeing here at MWC from some of those players, says analyst Ben Wood.

Mobile World Congress opened on February 26 and ran until February 29.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Bendy phones and satellite connectivity – new handsets showcased at Barcelona’s MWC

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A group of Japanese doctors has filed a civil lawsuit against U.S. search giant Google, demanding damages for what they claim are unpoliced, derogatory and often false comments.

The lawsuit, filed on April 18 in Tokyo District Court, demands 1.4 million yen ($9,400) in damages for 63 medical professionals.

Google said in an emailed statement on April 19 that it is working “24 hours a day” to reduce misleading or false information on its platform, combining human and technological resources “to delete fraudulent reviews.”

The lawsuit claims groundless negative reviews have been posted on Google Maps, a very popular app in Japan that allows people to write ratings of various institutions and their personal reviews.

Some comments are irresponsible and appear to be written out of spite and the “word of mouth” remarks take on a life of their own and are nearly impossible to refute, according to the lawsuit. It said Google has done very little to fix the problem, despite complaints.

“The damage suffered is substantial, and the people have been powerless to fight back. We don’t agree that the platform shares no responsibility,” Yuichi Nakazawa, who leads the legal team for the plaintiffs, told reporters.

Some Japanese say they rely on what people say online about hospitals, including how long the wait was or what kind of care they got, rather than official sites. But those online comments may be inaccurate and even detrimental to health care, those behind the lawsuit say.

Japan boasts a relatively widespread and affordable healthcare system, making the medical sector a hot topic in one of the fastest-aging societies in the world. Class actions are relatively rare in Japan, though Google has been sued in the U.S. and various other nations, accused of misleading advertising, violations of privacy, and other problems.

The lawsuit in Japan is intended to highlight the potential dangers of Google's technology, the lawyers for the medical professionals say.

The damages they are seeking are symbolic, about 23,000 yen ($150) per plaintiff.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Japanese doctors demand damages from Google over ‘groundless’ reviews

Forget about red hot. A new color-coded heat warning system relies on magenta to alert Americans to the most dangerous conditions they may see this summer.

The National Weather Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention presented a new online heat risk system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors with a seven-day forecast that's simplified and color-coded for a warming world of worsening heat waves.

For the first time, we'll be able to know how hot is too hot for health and not just for today but for coming weeks, Dr. Ari Bernstein, director of the National Center for Environmental Health, said at a joint news conference by government health and weather agencies.

Magenta is the worst and deadliest of the five heat threat categories, hitting everybody with what the agencies are calling rare and/or long-duration extreme heat with little to no overnight relief. It's a step higher than red, considered a major risk, which hurts anyone without adequate cooling and hydration and has impacts reverberating through the health care system and some industries. Red is used when a day falls within the top 5% hottest in a particular location for a particular date; when other factors come into play, the alert level may bump even higher to magenta, weather service officials said.

On the other hand, pale green is little to no risk. Yellow is minor risk, mostly to the very young, old, sick and pregnant. Orange is moderate risk, mostly hurting people who are sensitive to heat, especially those without cooling, such as the homeless.

Heat is a threat to our health, CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen said. She said last year more than 120,000 people were taken to the emergency room in the United States because of heat. Last year was one of the deadliest years in decades for heat, according to government records.

“Heat waves are getting hotter, longer, more frequent and you're getting less relief at night,” National Weather Service Director Ken Graham said, citing numerous studies in the past decade. “So it's becoming increasingly serious.”

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

When red-hot isn’t enough: New government heat risk tool sets magenta as most dangerous level

California pet owners struggling to find a rental that accepts their furry, four-legged family members could have an easier time leasing new housing under proposed state legislation that would ban blanket no-pets policies and prohibit landlords from charging additional fees for pets.

Proponents of Assembly Bill 2216, which is awaiting a vote of the full Assembly, say the lack of pet-friendly housing is pushing renters to forgo secure housing or relinquish beloved pets to overcrowded shelters. They say the legislation would allow more tenants hiding pets to come out of the shadows.

But property owners and apartment associations are pushing back on the legislation, saying that they’re worried over the cost of repairs, liability over potential dog bites, and nuisance issues that might drive away other tenants.

Also, state lawmakers last year capped rental security deposits to one month’s rent, which some landlords say is not enough to scrub out urine and feces stains in carpets or repair damage to wood floors.

“If we continue to pass regulations that make it more difficult to provide housing, it’s going to drive up the cost of housing for both pet owners and non-pet owners. And that’s fundamentally unfair,” said Russell Lowery, executive director of the California Rental Housing Association.

The proposal authored by Assemblymember Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat and chair of the renters’ caucus, would not require all landlords to accept common household pets, such as cats and dogs. But landlords would have to provide reasonable justifications related to issues, such as public health or animal control for denying a tenant with a pet.

A landlord could not inquire about pets until after approving an applicant, and applicants would have to notify the landlord of pets at least three days prior to signing a lease.

The landlord also could not require additional rent or a security deposit for a pet. The landlord could also set “reasonable conditions,” such as leashing requirements and limits on the number of animals allowed in a unit based on the unit’s size.

Animal welfare groups are among those supporting the bill.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Tenants with pets could find more rentals under California bill

Special LP releases, live performances, and at least one giant block party were scheduled around the U.S. on April 21 as hundreds of shops celebrate Record Store Day during a surge of interest in vinyl and the day after the release of Taylor Swift’s latest album.

A wave of interest in physical records, especially LPs, has helped keep the independent stores going, said Chris Brown of employee-owned Bull Moose and a co-founder of Record Store Day. LPs have gotten a huge boost from Swift, who has been dubbed the “Vinyl Queen” for releases of her work in limited physical record offerings with specialized content and striking covers.

The Recording Industry Association of America said in its 2023 year-end report that revenues from vinyl records grew 10% to $1.4 billion last year. That was the 17th consecutive year of growth and it accounted for 71% of physical format revenues.

Record Store Day is a celebration of the estimated 1,400 independent record stores in the U.S. and thousands more worldwide that endure long after the demise of megastores like Tower Records.

While most people stream their music on services such as Spotify and Apple Music, old-school LPs remain popular for collectors who prefer the packaging and the listening experience of records.

“For me, records sound better than any CD,” said Michael Iffland, a 70-year-old retiree. “It’s just cool having a record in your hand, looking at the cover graphics, and listening to that wonderful sound.”

Owners and employees of the independent stores came up with the idea at a gathering in 2007 as a way to draw attention to their unique culture on the third Saturday of April. “For us, records have never gone out of style,” said Waric Cameron, co-owner of Josey Records in Dallas.

Record Store Day is typically marked by special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products and events featuring artists and labels.  There were 387 planned releases announced for this year’s Record Store Day.

Swift, who is credited by fans and record stores alike with igniting new interest in vinyl LPs, has not announced any special releases for this Record Store Day.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Record Store Day celebrates indie retail music sellers as they ride vinyl’s popularity wave

Volunteers help people pack up their tents and belongings in a city in rural Southern Oregon. The homeless here need to move to another park to avoid being cited by police for staying at one spot for too long.

“The situation’s only escalating, and we’re seeing more and more people unhoused. And at the same time, we’re seeing more and more friction and frustration from community members on both sides,” said Cassy Leach, a nurse and volunteer.

The homelessness problem in Grants Pass shows no sign of abating. But the situation here could also dictate how cities across the country interact with people living on the streets.

In April, the U.S. Supreme Court was considering a challenge by Grants Pass on federal rulings that say cities can’t fine or punish people for sleeping outside if there aren’t enough shelter beds available because doing so is unconstitutional. Grants Pass is asking the justices to review those rulings and allow it to fully enforce its anti-camping laws.

Charley Willison, an assistant professor at Cornell University, said, “If these civil or criminal penalties can be enforced, it will likely go back to a status quo of cycles of incarceration, which also facilitates cycles of homelessness.”

The tension in Grants Pass is centered in the city’s parks, where many homeless live. “Families are afraid to go to the parks. And it’s not just the campers or the homeless. It’s the drug use and the vandalism and the excessive littering,” said Brock Spurgeon, Grants Pass resident and member “park watch” group.

Despite the growing homeless population, the city only has one overnight shelter for adults. Run by a religious group, it has rules that prevent many from living there and has only 138 beds.

Grants Pass Mayor Sara Bristol says housing those living outside is an issue her hometown has to face, regardless of the way the Supreme Court rules.

“[...] Maybe then we can start policing the parks again, but we still have like 200 people who have to go somewhere. And so I just don’t really see how that resolves the issue,” said Bristol.

This article was provided by The Associated Press.

Bendy phones and satellite connectivity – new handsets showcased at Barcelona’s MWC

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