KANE'S TECH TIPS:
SUNDAY 13th JULY 2025
Welcome to another low down on all the latest Tech news, Tips and Tricks to help you keep up to date with the latest from the Tech world!
You can hear the feature On Air on a Sunday with Mark, and throughout the week.
Telecare Alarms Affected By Landline Digital Switchover
Telecare alarm users are being urged to call their landline providers to ensure the lifesaving alerts remain on ahead of the switchover from analogue to digital.
Gloucestershire County Council said around 1,700 people across their country rely on the Gloucestershire Telecare service to provide assistance in an emergency.
The monitoring system can alert call centres or carers if vulnerable or disabled people suffer a fall or experience a medical incident and require help.
The switch from traditional analogue landlines to digital landlines in the UK is scheduled to be completed by January 2027. Government ministers have urged people affected to seek help.
Telephone providers are upgrading the landline network across the country from analogue to digital as copper networks become increasingly unreliable and spare parts are no longer available.
But this switch may disrupt telecare alarms, as many older telecare systems rely on the analogue infrastructure to communicate with monitoring centres.
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3lv71vknxo
Source: BBC News
Another Nationwide Emergency Broadcast Test
The national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones in the UK will be tested again, the government has said.
It will see compatible phones vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds while displaying a message at 15:00 BST on 7 September, even if they are set to silent.
The alerts are intended for situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack.
Though the system has been deployed regionally five times in the past few years, a previous nationwide test in 2023 revealed technical issues - with some people receiving the alert earlier than expected and some not receiving it at all.
The Cabinet Office said at the time that the problems uncovered would be reviewed and addressed ahead of another test.
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ge9xk8wj0o
Source: BBC News
Xbox Producer Facing Backlash
An Xbox producer has faced a backlash after suggesting laid-off employees should use artificial intelligence to deal with emotions in a now deleted LinkedIn post.
Matt Turnbull, an executive producer at Xbox Game Studios Publishing, wrote the post after Microsoft confirmed it would lay off up to 9,000 workers, in a wave of job cuts this year.
The post, which was captured in a screenshot by tech news site Aftermath, shows Mr Turnbull suggesting tools like ChatGPT or Copilot to "help reduce the emotional and cognitive load that comes with job loss."
Read More: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckglzxy389zo
Source: BBC News
App Of The Week
This weeks app of the week is called Hailuo AI
Hailuo AI, a mobile-first AI video generator that transforms text or images into cinematic short videos.
letting you generate realistic, animated clips in a matter of seconds with the option to enjoy camera movement and visual effects.
This app is free to download on Ios and Android Devices.
Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.hailuo.video
Apple: https://apps.apple.com/app/hailuo-ai-ai-video-generator/id6741675037
🛡️ Security Corner 🛡️
Devices like smartphones, tablets and PCs are getting more and more secure, but hackers are getting better at attacking them too.
So if you've just bought a new or second hand device, or haven't looked at your security settings for a while, you should take some time to make sure you're protected against the latest threats. Fortunately, most manufacturers provide easy-to-use guidance on how to secure your devices.
