How Google’s Earthquake Alerts Protected Millions — And How to Turn It On in Quake-Prone Countries When two massive earthquakes (7.2 and 7.5) struck Venezuela recently, the country had no national early warning system. But millions of Android phones lit up with loud alerts seconds to minutes before the shaking hit — giving people precious time to drop, cover, and hold on. Google’s clever system turns the accelerometers in over 2 billion Android phones into a giant crowdsourced seismic network. It detects the first waves, confirms the quake, and blasts notifications to users in the affected area. In Venezuela, it reached 11.4 million people — proving technology can save lives even where governments can’t. How to activate it (works in nearly 100 countries): Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Safety & Emergency (or search for “Earthquake alerts”). Select Earthquake Alerts and toggle it ON. Keep Location services ena...
Japan Sees Drop in iPhone Shipments: Report
Shipments to Japan of Apple Inc.'s iPhones dropped 10.6 percent in 2015 from a year earlier, marking the first drop in Japan since the ubiquitous smartphone went on sale in 2008, MM Research Institute said on Saturday.
According to the research institute, shipments totalled 14.73 million units, with the notable slump attributable to sluggish sales of iPhone 6s and6s Plus versions of its handsets, that went on sale in autumn last year, Xinhua reported.
The institute noted that whileApple remains the market leader for smartphone sales in Japan, it has given some way to Sony and Sharp who have both gained ground.
The institute believes that Apple may continue to lose market share in the lucrative smartphone market, as the government is leaning on domestic mobile carriers to review their discount policies, including those that have seen Apple benefit from customers switching from another brand or to Japan's favourite brand of smartphone in the first place.
While the total number of smartphones shipped in the recording period came in at 27.58 million units in 2015, edging down 0.4 percent compared to the previous year, shipments of regular phones plummeted 22.6 percent to 8.19 million units in 2015, the institute said.
Sales of smartphones withAndroid OS were up 15 percent to 12. 85 million units in 2015, from a year earlier.
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