Watching the watchers
Used to be that people complained about the TV being a bad babysitter for kids. Now we hand them our pocket TVs – our smartphones – without a second thought so they can watch a show, play a game or use an app. Problem is, that little TV has gotten smart, and some apps are tracking what the kids are doing.
Following revelations of users being heavily tracked by Facebook and seemingly every other app out there, we can hardly be surprised at the revelation apps track kids too, but according to a post on BGR, some of the tracking isn’t legal, and some of the information the apps gather on kids is also being shared.
BGR notes that the primary offenders are Android apps. Check out what the apps are tracking – and what they do with the information – in this report.
Just play each other again already
Quick follow-up to a big story we covered last week: Classic video gaming icon Billy Mitchell is punching back after high-score compendium site Twin Galaxies took down his Donkey Kong high score – and pretty much every other high score he’s posted up – after accusing him of using a software emulation of the classic game to notch the big number.
That’s against the rules: Twin Galaxies says you have to use an authentic arcade machine, or else it’s too easy to cheat. But Mitchell claims he didn’t cheat and plans to prove it. In this video, Mitchell says the score was obtained “professionally,” and he has documentation, witnesses and a very patriotic tie and pocket kerchief collection.
We know how to solve this whole thing: Put Mitchell and nemesis Steve Weibe in front of a restored Donkey Kong arcade machine, put it in two player mode and give ‘em a quarter.
Bring on the hedgehog
Both Nintendo and Atari have been mining rich veins of 80s nostalgia lately with vintage consoles, and it looks like Sega is about to join the fun. Business Insider says the upcoming “Sega Genesis Mini” was just unveiled at a Sega fan event in Tokyo and should go on sale this year.
Like Nintendo and Atari, the Sega retro console is going to be mini-sized with all the classic games already inside. However, at this point its still unknown which games will be included, how much it will cost and when exactly it will be available.
We’d wager it’ll be in line with the competition at under $100 and likely be ready to buy by the holidays, at the latest. C’mon, you know you want to say it… There, feel better now? All right… hey, we have all the rest of the day’s tech news over at…
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
