Days after Consumerist highlighted privacy concerns related to Birchbox sharing the personal addresses of gift recipients with the person who sent the gift, the company says it has changed its practices. [More]
Making Changes
Twitter Expands Tweets To 280 Characters For Some Users
By 9.27.17
Did you wake up this morning to find you have a few long-winded friends on Twitter? It’s possible, as the micro-blogging site doubled its long-standing 140-character limit… for some users. [More]
Abercrombie Hopes Updated Stores, Fancy Fitting Rooms Will Bring Customers Back
By 8.25.17
Would better lighting and a place to charge your cellphone make you want to spend more time and money at the mall? Abercrombie & Fitch hopes so. [More]
With Galaxy Note 8 Nearing Launch, Samsung Focuses On Battery Safety
By 8.23.17
A year after Samsung recalled and eventually discontinued the Galaxy Note 7 after several of the devices’ batteries overheated and exploded or caught fire, the tech company is prepping the release of its next version of the smartphone, the Galaxy Note 8. [More]
Updated Gambling Code Of Conduct Calls For Casinos To Explain The Odds To Guests
By 8.4.17
Your next trip to the craps table in Las Vegas could come with a bit more explanation after the American Gaming Association called on casino operator to better promote responsible gambling. [More]
Samsung Apologizes For Descriptions Of Male, Female Bixby Voice Assistants
By 7.19.17
Samsung has officially launched its very own voice-controlled artificially intelligent assistant Bixby, the long-awaited answer to Siri and Alexa, and the service is already making a splash… just not one Samsung probably imagined. [More]
U.S. Will Probably Lift Laptop Ban For Remaining Foreign Airports Soon
By 7.12.17
After a few airlines announced that they are no longer subject to a ban on laptops and other personal electronics put in place in March for flights traveling to the U.S. from certain airports, the Department of Homeland Security says it will likely lift the ban for the remaining carriers. [More]
Volvo Will Begin Transitioning To All Electric Vehicles In 2019
By 7.5.17
Starting in 2019, all new Volvo car lines will have either full electric or hybrid engines, with plans to introduce five such vehicles by 2021. [More]
Education Secretary DeVos To Give All Student Loan Accounts To One Company; Strip Away More Protections
By 5.22.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has made another sweeping change to the student loan system that consumer advocates claim favors student loan collectors over the American people repaying those loans. [More]
Uber Fares Will Soon Be Based On How Much Uber Thinks You’re Willing To Pay
By 5.19.17
If you’ve ever hailed an Uber ride and thought afterward that you paid a lot less than you should have, those days may soon be over. The company’s latest change to its pricing model will offer you a rate that isn’t based purely on time and distance, but on what Uber’s computers think you’ll be willing to pay. [More]
McDonald’s Phasing Out Artificial Flavors From Ice Cream
By 5.19.17
Now that McDonald’s is finally rolling out ice cream machines that work, the fast food giant is also improving the ice cream itself by removing artificial flavors. [More]
Facebook Tweaks News Feed In Effort To Reduce “Low-Quality” Links
By 5.10.17 — Updated: 5.25.17
Over the past year, Facebook has made several changes to its News Feed algorithm to ensure the posts you see are legit. Now, the social network is at it again, this time tweaking the News Feed to reduce the visibility of links to misleading, ad-covered pages. [More]
United Airlines Ups Compensation For Bumped Passengers To $10K
By 4.27.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
Over the past several weeks, United Airlines has taken steps to put an April 9 incident in which a passenger was violently removed from a flight behind it: revising crew travel policies, discontinuing the use of law enforcement to remove passengers, compensating passengers on the controversial flight, and, of course, issuing several apologies. Now the airline is revamping how it compensates passengers being bumped from flights and answering lingering questions from lawmakers. [More]
Tesla Drops Price For Some Model S, Model X; Increases Cost For Most Expensive Version
By 4.17.17
Unless you’re willing to wait a while for Tesla’s massively pre-ordered, cheaper Model 3 electric car, you’re looking at spending a pretty penny — or millions of them — to buy one of the company’s other vehicles. But Tesla is trying to make that bill a bit more affordable, by knocking off a few thousand dollars. [More]
Education Secretary DeVos Withdraws Protections For Student Loan Borrowers
By 4.11.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Relatively new federal guidelines intended to to make the student loan repayment process more accurate and transparent have all been rescinded today by Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos — a move that consumer advocates says removes accountability for debt collectors and loan servicers. [More]
Twitter Will No Longer Count Usernames Against Character Limit In Replies
By 3.30.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Twitter’s long-standing 140-character limit for messages isn’t going anywhere, but the social media giant is once again revamping the way it counts the characters: Usernames will no longer count toward that limit, but only for reply messages. [More]
Here’s How Macy’s Is Trying To Lure Shoppers
By 3.24.17
Despite the closure of dozens of stores and an all-but-dead takeover deal, Macy’s isn’t quite ready to throw in the ol’ retail towel. Instead, the company is focusing on the future, implementing new services, revamping store features, and revising coupons in a bid to bring in shoppers. [More]
Say Goodbye To Virgin America: Company Name, Logo To Retire In 2019
By 3.23.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Now that Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have officially gained approval for their $4 billion marriage, the couple is working out of all the little details of married life, including which airline will be taking the other’s name. To that end: The Virgin America name and logo will disappear, but not right away. [More]
