Fitness apps can encourage people to throw out their own training plans and to instead, “race everyday.”
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Fitness apps which allow millions of users to virtually compete with each other can provide inspiration however, they may also be putting users in danger.
Anything to declare?
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Sharing data about users’ HIV statuses is bad enough. But why collect it in the first place?
Buying or selling a property involves legal, financial, statutory and agency costs that mean that even moving across the road can cost about half a year’s income.
Dan Peled/AAP
Co-ownership of real estate through digital platforms can be a risky and potentially costly business.
Cassava leaves at a market in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Reuters/James Akena
Technology is changing how plant diseases are recognised and dealt with by small scale farmers in Africa.
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The digital economy has created millions of jobs that involve intense competition, unregulated working conditions and extremely low rates of pay.
In the Global Biodiversity Information Facility there are 682,447 records of human encounters with dandelions.
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Does big data threaten how humans explore the natural world? We need to protect our impulses to observe, compare, play, discover and love, no matter what technological capabilities are available.
Apps can be digital toys used by children to design, create, build, investigate and imagine.
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Apps which encourage children to develop language, literacy, numeracy and critical thinking skills through play are excellent gifts this Christmas.
Macquarie has created an open banking pilot program.
AAP
Open banking will see customers use their data in a whole range of ways, including seeing how they are faring financially against people in similar situations.
Calendar apps can be useful to people with and without memory problems.
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Some people worry that calendar, list and note apps can make your memory worse, but new evidence shows they’re helpful for people with brain injuries.
The first iPhone was more a hand-held computer than anything else.
AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek
The iPhone changed the game not because of the technical details of the device, but rather as a result of its creators’ imagination and courage.
Why is malware getting into your apps? For money, of course.
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It’s not safe out there for an app.
Developers need to consider how a person with autism could react to their technology.
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There are plenty of apps that people with autism can use for learning, play and communication. Not all are designed with autism in mind, so what can we learn from any online user feedback?
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The internet has been the bogeyman of democracy over the last 12 months. It’s time to harness its power and redress the balance.
Where are all the data going?
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When smartphone apps get permission to access your location or other activity, they often share that data with other companies that can compile digital profiles on users.
Both paid and unpaid apps can track your data. The apps pictured may not - but it’s hard to know which do and which don’t.
Flickr/Blake Patterson
Name almost any app. Your data is probably being tracked.
WeChat has transformed from a social media to a payment platform (among other things) and had success in China. Could Australia be next?
Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters
While Apple Pay may have won the battle against some of Australia’s banks, it may lose the war against the providers of digital wallets, such as Tencent and Alibaba.
Weighing up the options.
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Accuracy is a big problem when people self-report what they eat. A new online tool could help researchers and clinicians overcome this hurdle.
Brain training programs support healthy brain ageing – but you’ve got to choose the right one.
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Many brain training programs are based on the principles of neuroplasticity. But a new study shows that less than 40% are backed by proof of efficacy.
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New technology claims to offer an effective alternative to hormonal contraception.
Developers need to be aware of any legal or ethical issues when creating any healthcare apps for smartphones.
Shutterstock/thodonal
Developers working on apps to help monitor and improve our health could accidentally find themselves on the wrong side of the law.