In today’s update of technology news: Samsung update will prevent Galaxy 7 phones from charging; Disney awarded gaze-tracking patent; American taxpayers each paid Apple about $6.
Samsung Electronics Co. says that a software update fo its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones will be released mid-December to prevent the phones from charging and rendering them useless.
The company says 93 percent of the recalled phones notorious for bursting into flame have been traded via its exchange program.
Verizon Communications says it won’t participate in the update since some users may not have another device.
But don’t try to take on an airplane. The U.S. Transportation Department has banned them from carry-on or luggage.
The eyes of Disney are upon you
The Walt Disney Company was awarded a patent for “Gaze Tracking and Recognition with Image Location,” that can follow where a theme park guest is looking.
Such a system can be used with computers to direct animatronics or and images or videos to interact with guests.
It works by calculating the ratio of the amount of white in the eyes of a guests and estimates where their gaze is directed by averaging he ratios for both eyes.
It can also be used to track the gaze of a group of people.
For more see: Disney tracks
Apple basically got $6 from every American taxpayer
Bloomberg and Ars Technica report that Apple has received something like $6 from every American taxpayer via interest payments on billions of U.S. Treasury Bonds.
Say what? Bloomberg cites Apple regulatory filings and unnamed sources. It says “the Treasury Department paid Apple at least $600 million and possibly much more over the past five years in the form of interest.”
Taking advantage of the tax code, Apple puts much of its foreign earnings in government bonds.
For more, see: Uncle Sam pays Apple
