Tech
Japan rolls out Microsoft-developed COVID-19 contact tracing app – The Verge
Japan’s government today released its coronavirus contact tracing app for iOS and Android. The apps rely on Apple and Google’s co-developed exposure notification platform, using Bluetooth to help determine whether users have come into close contact with others who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Though the app store listing simply reads “COVID-19 Contact App,” Japan refers to the app as COCOA, a somewhat convoluted backronym that stands for COVID-19 Contact-Confirming Application. It was developed by Microsoft engineers, according to Nikkei, who were hired in May after Google and Apple’s conditions reportedly led the government to abandon the work done by a Tokyo-based team in favor of a bigger corporation.
COCOA doesn’t store personal information like location data or phone numbers, the government says, in accordance with Apple and Google’s tracking platform. Instead, it records encrypted data flagging phones that have been within one meter for more than 15 minutes; when one person reports the fact that they have tested positive for COVID-19, those other users will be notified.
Several countries have debated their approach to contact tracing apps in recent months, with some governments seeking more control over data than Apple and Google’s APIs allow. Germany released its own app based on the same platform after originally planning to develop a different system, and the UK similarly backtracked this week on a proprietary NHS app that has been in testing.
Japan’s coronavirus outbreak has been relatively small considering the country’s size, with 17,668 cases and 935 deaths confirmed so far. That represents a figure of 140 cases per million people, compared to 6,779 in the US and 1,060 worldwide. Today, the government lifted its advice to avoid travel between Tokyo and its surrounding prefectures, and the delayed Nippon Professional Baseball season will begin in empty stadiums this evening.
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@juanhall: I gotta say, this was the most interesting bike in this post….love that Intense is experimenting with gearboxes…I can see it have a huge effect on DH bikes….thank god there’s still people pushing things. Now, they need to make an Enduro bike with the Pinion MGU!
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The City of Pointe-Claire would like to inform you that the Bob-Birnie arena will be closed for its annual maintenance as of Monday, April 29. The Annex rink will reopen to the public on Monday, May 13, and the arena’s Main rink will be accessible as of Monday, June 3.
Public skating will resume on May 13, and the summer public activities programming will begin on June 3 when both rinks have reopened to the public.
In addition to the annual maintenance of the facility, two renovation projects are also scheduled to start at the same time:
Installation of new sound systems
The City will be replacing its current sound systems in both the Main rink and Annex rink, to offer arena visitors a better overall experience, whether watching from the stands or participating in on-ice activities. This project is expected to be conducted throughout the month of May.
Renovation of locker rooms in the Main Rink
The City will also be renovating the five locker rooms located in the Main rink, to bring up to date the amenities currently available to participants. These renovations are expected to begin in early May and will be completed by mid-August.
For all information about the Bob-Birnie arena, visit the arena’s page on our website.
We haven’t seen a new iPad in years, but Apple seems likely to change that in just a few weeks. All signs point to the release of new iPad models in the first week of May.
Apple CEO Tim Cook posted this GIF for the virtual event to X on Tuesday morning.
This morning, I received an email invite for a virtual Apple event, scheduled for May 7 at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET). The invite, which says “Let Loose,” shows a drawing of a hand holding an Apple Pencil. Considering the iPad is the only device that uses the Pencil — that doesn’t leave much to the imagination.
Apple’s been expected to release new OLED-screened iPad Pros with newly designed Pencils and Magic Keyboard cases. New iPad Airs are also expected, including a larger-screened 12.9-inch model. Apple’s iPad Air lineup tends to be slightly redesigned versions of previous-model iPad Pros, so just look to the M2 iPad Pro lineup for a sense of what the next Airs could be. These would be the first new iPads since the iPad Pro M2 model arrived in late 2022.
Watch this: What to Expect at Apple’s May 7 iPad Event
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