Pokemon GO creators say privacy concerns are unwarranted

In case you missed it, Pokemon Go has pretty much taken over the world, or at least the countries where its currently available. Roving gangs of cell-phone wielding young adults – and some not–so–young adults – are… OK, not exactly causing chaos as they search out the game’s critters, but we’re pretty sure the collective work force output has suddenly dipped. Hey, ya gotta catch em all, right?

Anyway, Pokemon Go creators Niantic has run up against some controversy with the hit game, which initially requested “full access” to players’ Google account details, prompting privacy concerns. Niantic said that’s an error, and the only data the game is using is a player’s Google ID and their email address. They say no other information is being collected, and the game will update the usage request information.

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Yesterday we talked about the new camera spotted on some alleged spy shots of the upcoming iPhone 7, and today there’s new photos of the twin-lens camera setup on it’s big brother, the iPhone 7 Plus. The shots, courtesy of 9 to 5 Mac and obtained on Chinese social media network Weibo, show a twin-lens setup that protrudes slightly from the back of the phone – the infamous “iPhone bump”- and surprisingly, it looks like the mute switch is gone.

Steve Jobs famously hated buttons, and it would seem current Apple CEO Tim Cook and designer Jony Ive are carrying that tradition forward. So how to mute? Holding the “volume down” key for one second also mutes an iPhone, so maybe that will be the best way to quiet the phone. But again, we have to say that there’s really no way to know if these shots are real, fake, photoshopped, planted by Apple’s secret dis-information team or whatever. So stay tuned.

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Hey, it’s Amazon Prime day, also known as the day your credit card melted. What’s Prime Day? It’s sort of like Christmas in July, for Amazon.com at least, when Amazon Prime members can score deals and discounts from the online retailer. Not a Prime member? You’re out of luck – unless you elect to sign up for the one-month free trial, which will cost $100 a year if you decide to stay on.

But really, with free shipping and big discounts you can make that up pretty quickly. And we’re here to help, with our comprehensive skimming of the best prime deals we could find across electronics, appliances, movies and more. Just hit this link and start shopping, you’ll have time to work out that second mortgage to pay for it all… tomorrow.