Apple vs. Android

Smartphones are in the hands of nearly everyone around us these days. Apple users know there is nothing worse than going to create a group chat and seeing a green text bubble go through instead of a blue one because at least one person they are sending the text to has an Android device. Smartphones are extremely compatible with nearly every other technology… if it's made by the same company. Let’s explore some of the pros and cons to Apple and Android smartphones according to CNN Business as they compare the two brands perform 15 basic tasks.

For starters, Apple won the unlocking feature form the fingerprint scanner being better than the Android. Although the newer iPhones utilize a facial recognition unlocking, it is less reliable and easier to hack. When it comes to making calls, CNN said that the Android had a better layout because it presents your frequent calls at the top, but the Apple iPhone still won this round due to the FaceTime feature. Androids first win comes in with regards to checking to the time. The Android comes with a “daydream” clock which dims the screen a lot but still shows the time while you sleep. For photos, CNN acknowledges that some Android phones have very poor photo quality while the iPhones camera quality is consistently great. However, Androids utilize Google Photos which gives its users free unlimited storage for their pictures. Android takes the cake yet again when it comes to the keyboard. Android swipe feature and the fact that punctuation is on the same screen as the letters makes typing much easier and quicker. The Android was deemed the winner yet again when thinking about home screen organization. According to CNN, Androids widgets are more useful that the ones apple put on the smartphones. Android far ahead in the lead is superior to Apple for their notifications as well because Android devices prioritize the notifications. They also make the more important ones larger. However, Apples come back in the game for their music. Although Android offers ad-included free music, Apple Music integrates nicely with downloaded iTunes songs. CNN goes back to favoring Android for its use of gmail as its default email app. With gmail, users can switch between multiple accounts which can be done on Apple, but it is more difficult to do. Even though Google Maps can be downloaded onto the iPhone, it is the standard mapping device for Android. Android wins the maps round because Apple’s Siri isn;t compatible with Google Maps. Once again, Android winning with its contact set up. Since it shows all the contacts pictures it makes it more simple to find the right person an Android user wishes to contact. Apple still reigns superior for their search feature. The Android's search bar goes directly to Google, but the one on iPhones allows its users to search emails, podcasts, the calendar, and much more. When wanting to set one's phone to vibrate, Apple achieves a win for having an actual switch on the side of the iPhone to change between settings. This has to be done through the volume section on the screen for an Android device. And finally, the iPhone wins the final task with Siri. Siri understands more natural language and has more of a personality than the Android which makes Siri more fun to talk to. 

At the end of these 15 basic tasks, Apple had 6 wins while Android had 8. According to CNN’s analysis of just these basic tasks, Android is the better option. 

However, according to Mark Spoonaur, the Apple iPhone is the best choice. He claims that the iPhone is faster and has better software. Additionally, he believes that the iPhone is easier to use than the Android. Mainly, his claim is based on that the iPhone features have basically not changed at all, only the appearance has been updates with some other new features, such as paying friends through iMessage. Another big plus Spoonauer meters is how well the iPhone pairs with the Mac. An iPhone can easily sync their calendar, contacts, photos, and music to their Mac to always have access to all their information. 

In the end, it really comes to personal preference and what features each individual cares about and uses the most. Both brands of smartphones have many benefits as well as their downfalls. 

https://money.cnn.com/interactive/technology/iphone-android-comparison/index.html

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/iphone-is-better-than-android,news-21307.html

Banning Hate Speech vs. the First Ammendment

America was founded on freedom. The first amendment is something American’s pride themselves the most on. A recent debate has occurred regarding if hate speech should become illegal or if that is a violation of the constitution. Currently, hate speech is protected under the first amendment. Of course schools and businesses can punish or fire employees for use of hate speech and other undesired behaviors, no legal action can be taken against someone who is expressing hate speech. If the hate speech were to become a threat then it is no longer protected under the constitution, but until a threat is extended, nothing can be done. “It’s a fair question. Yes, the First Amendment protects the ‘thought that we hate,’ but it should not protect hateful speech that can cause violence by one group against another. In an age when everyone has a megaphone, that seems like a design flaw,” said Richard Stengel. Stengel’s point is since today it is very easy to distribute one's beliefs and ideas to the masses through a literal megaphone or by social media, too much harm is being caused to individuals who are victims of the hate speech. Stengel also notes that people often focus on only the good that the first amendment brings. He says that we need to understand that along with giving good people freedom of speech, it also protects those with malicious intentions. 

Although some may say Stengel brings up valid points to be considered when debating if America needs to implement a law regarding hate speech, Jonathan Turley strongly disagrees. In Turley’s USA Today article responding to Stengel, he calls Stengels opinion to ban hate speech a “self-destructive pitch.” Turley explains how he does not see a ban on hate speech achieving the desired goal. “None of this, mind you, has put a dent in the ranks of actual fascists and haters. Neo-Nazis are holding huge rallies by adopting new symbols and coded words while Germany arrested a man on a train because he had a Hitler ringtone tone on his phone,” said Turley. He believes that people will continue to express their hateful opinions in new ways if a law is passed punishing hate speech. An issue like this has many variables which is what makes the decision on what to do quite difficult for the government to decide on a hard answer. At the end of the day, the freedom of Americans is important just as is Americans well-being and quality of life. The debate will most likely continue for sometime before an answer on what to do can be given, if there is a right answer.

https://www.thefire.org/issues/hate-speech/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/10/29/why-america-needs-hate-speech-law/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/11/08/no-us-not-need-european-style-hate-speech-laws-column/4157833002/

Does Apple actually slow down your old iPhones?

It is a common complaint of iPhone users that once Apple releases a new iPhone, the older generations of devices begin to slow down or crash more frequently. Some may write this off as a coincidence or say it’s just what happens to technology when it gets old. However, some users felt very strongly that Apple was being malicious and purposefully slowing down devices as a tactic to force apple customers to upgrade their iPhones. It turned out to be true. 

In October of 2018 Apple as well as Samgsung were fined for slowing down older generations of smartphones. The Italian Competition Authority made the claim against Apple and Samsung and fined the companies for over $5 million dollars. In addition, Apple was fined over $5 million dollars again for not providing the information on how to maintain the well-being of the phone batteries or how to replace them. Although Apple admitted to the iOS updates did include software that slowed down older generations of iPhones, they deny the purpose being to convince customers to buy more recently released iPhones. “Apple released a message to its users on Thursday, addressing concerns about iPhones after the company confirmed it slowed certain models to protect aging batteries. Apple apologized for the “misunderstanding about the issue” and assured customers that it had “never — and would never — do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any Apple product.” said Jen Kirby in her article regarding Apples admittance to slowing down old iphones. Samsung also denied doing this action on purpose. Although the companies do not admit to slowing down older smartphones with malicious intent, they do slow down when new software updates get released to accommodate the newest devices.

https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-and-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones-with-updates/

https://www.vox.com/2017/12/22/16807056/apple-slow-iphone-batteries

Do our phones listen to everything we say?

Unfortunately, yes our phones do listen to us on a daily basis. But what do they actually do with this information? Northeastern University's computer science academics found that 17,000 of the most popular apps were recording the phone screen and then sending out that information to third parties. If a person feels as if an app they've downloaded is saving their data or accessing other personal information, often times deleting the app does no good at all. Once a person has downloaded and agrees to the terms and conditions of the app, the app has access to whatever was agreed to even if the app is deleted from the device. 

However, the intentions of a majority of technology companies is not malicious, it's actually to help us. The purpose of listening and collecting data is so that they can more effectively target ads that will be of interest to each individual person. The data collected by trustworthy sources is only used to assist in advertisement by selecting people who have expressed interest in that product or a similar one. Although, thinking about our information being passed around not knowing who knows what can still be a frightening thought. 

Being listened to all the time by our phones and other smart devices is actually not illegal in the slightest. If you feel paranoid about your information, read the terms and conditions very carefully before you authorize access to the next app you download. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanpettijohn/2019/09/03/of-course-your-phone-is-listening-to-you/#2d372d266a3f

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/2019/12/19/your-smartphone-mobile-device-may-recording-everything-you-say/4403829002/