All posts tagged: mobile

Schools in England could be forced to ban mobile phones | UK News

Schools in England could be forced to ban mobile phones | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Schools in England would be forced to ban mobile phones under government plans. Department for Education (DfE) guidance already says phones shouldn’t be allowed, but head teachers are able to ignore it if they disagree. An amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill now proposes making it a legal requirement. Many teachers have long voiced concerns that smartphones distract pupils and can add to problems such as bullying. “We have been consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools, and the majority already prohibit them,” said a DfE spokesperson. “This amendment makes existing guidance statutory, giving legal force to what schools are already doing in practice.” On Monday, the House of Lords voted by a majority of 107 to ban phones during the school day. The proposal, by Conservative shadow education minister Baroness Barran, includes a potential exception for sixth-formers, medical devices and some boarding school settings. The House of Commons is now expected to vote on the amendment on Wednesday. The NASUWT union previously said it supported a statutory ban, while …

The App Store is booming again, and AI may be why

The App Store is booming again, and AI may be why

Published by skeptic

Everyone said AI would kill apps. Instead, new app launches are soaring. According to a new analysis from market intelligence provider Appfigures, worldwide app releases in the first quarter of 2026 were up 60% year-over-year across both Apple’s App Store and Google Play. That percentage was an even higher 80% when looking at the iOS App Store alone. In April 2026 so far, the total number of app releases is up 104% across both stores compared to the same time last year, and up 89% on iOS. As Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Greg “Joz” Joswiak, quipped In a recent interview: rumors of the App Store’s death in the AI age “may have been greatly exaggerated.” Image Credits:Appfigures These findings come amid concerns that the rise of AI chatbots and agents would ultimately see users turning away from apps — a theory that’s already being floated by those in the industry, like Nothing CEO Carl Pei, who is focused on building a smartphone for the AI era. The New York Times also reported …

I stopped using Google Docs on mobile after finding this free Microsoft Office alternative

I stopped using Google Docs on mobile after finding this free Microsoft Office alternative

Published by skeptic

Microsoft Office may be one of the best ways to deal with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations, but it clearly isn’t the only option. People have been looking for Microsoft Office alternatives for a while, and different options appeal in different ways: better privacy, compatibility, or features. I often feel I am not paying Microsoft enough, but that hasn’t stopped me from looking for viable alternatives. However, I have found something problematic with almost all Microsoft Office alternatives: the editing experience in their mobile apps. For what it’s worth, the Android and iOS apps for Microsoft Office do a decent job of letting us edit documents with ease. However, things change quite drastically when we consider the alternatives to Microsoft Office. Related You Can Now Use Microsoft Office for Free, but There’s a Catch Microsoft 365 is now free on your PC, but there are some limitations. Mobile editing on most Office alternatives is still frustrating The gap between desktop and mobile is wider than it should be Alvin Wanjala/MakeUseOfCredit: Alvin Wanjala/MakeUseOf Let’s take Google Docs, for …

The best mobile scanning apps of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

The best mobile scanning apps of 2026: Expert tested and reviewed

Published by skeptic

Paper clutter is real. When you’re drowning in receipts, contracts, or handwritten notes, you need a fast way to digitize everything without a bulky scanner that commandeers your desk. And when you’re out traveling, you might need something to translate text and run searches based on what you see on your phone camera. That’s where mobile scanning apps come in. I tested the leading options to find which ones actually deliver clean scans with smart features like PDF and DOCX conversion, OCR, and AI search. Whether you’re a freelancer managing invoices or a professional who needs to manage documents on the go, these apps turn your phone into a powerful scanner. Get more in-depth ZDNET tech coverage: Add us as a preferred Google source on Chrome and Chromium browsers. Best personal data removal service deals of the week Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article. What is the best mobile scanning app right now? Adobe Scan is my top pick for mobile document scanning. It converts physical documents …

Gov. Evers signs bill expanding tribal mobile sports betting across Wisconsin

Gov. Evers signs bill expanding tribal mobile sports betting across Wisconsin

Published by skeptic

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has signed a new law that could reshape how sports betting works across the state, especially for tribal nations looking to expand into mobile wagering. The measure, Assembly Bill 601, became law on Thursday (April 9) and sets up a framework that allows bets placed on phones anywhere in Wisconsin to be treated as legal, as long as those wagers are routed through servers located on tribal land. The activity must still operate under existing tribal-state gaming compacts, which have governed casino gaming for decades. Evers framed the change as a potential economic boost for tribes that have not yet been able to fully participate in mobile betting. “This bill means a broader collection of Tribal Nations in Wisconsin could reap the benefits of increased gaming revenues,” Evers wrote. He added that mobile sports wagering presents “an opportunity to help level the playing field to ensure every Tribal Nation in Wisconsin can benefit from the increased revenues.” NEW: Wisconsin @GovEvers signs AB 601, expanding tribal gaming revenue opportunities while urging fair, …

This doctor turned a 31-foot RV into one of the country’s only mobile OB-GYN clinics : NPR

This doctor turned a 31-foot RV into one of the country’s only mobile OB-GYN clinics : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

TONYA MOSLEY, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I’m Tonya Mosley. A new book by Portland doctor Mary Fariba Afsari opens with a vivid image of her trying to fit a red gynecology table in the back of a Mini Cooper. It’s 2021, and she’s 15 years into her career as a board-certified OB-GYN who walked away from a traditional practice, bought a 31-foot RV, taught herself to drive it, and turned it into one of the country’s only mobile gynecology clinics. She parks it in communities with few health care options, undocumented families, survivors of medical trauma, people who need reproductive care and have nowhere else to go since the landmark Dobbs decision in 2022 overturned Roe v. Wade. But the RV is only part of the story. Dr. Afsari is the daughter of Iranian immigrants who left Iran ahead of the Islamic Revolution when she was 3 years old. She’s named after her grandmother, Mehri, a woman she never met who died attempting an illegal abortion in Iran, leaving behind four young children. That …

Greece proposes law to keep kids off social media

Greece proposes law to keep kids off social media

Published by Sam Flores

ATHENS — The Greek government is set to ban children under the age of 15 from using social media platforms. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the draft law by addressing young people directly in a TikTok video, where he accused “the addictive design of some apps” and their “profit model that’s based on your attention” of taking away “some of your innocence and freedom.” “I am certain that many of you … will be angry with me,” he added. Under the proposed legislation, anyone under the age of 15 would be barred from using social media, with parents or guardians required to install an app enforcing the restriction across all devices — whether they agree with the reform or not. The ban will come up in parliament during the summer and is expected to take effect from Jan. 1, 2027. Mitsotakis said that even though the measures might seem unfair, they were necessary to protect kids’ mental health. In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the prime minister called for collective …

Mobile Home Legislation in Arizona Target Utility Costs, Abandonment Rules and Manager Training

Mobile Home Legislation in Arizona Target Utility Costs, Abandonment Rules and Manager Training

Published by Sam Flores

For years, manufactured home park owners across Arizona would restrict what types of air conditioners or cooling devices people used on their mobile homes because they were noisy or ugly. That was until 2024, when a coalition of groups changed state law to make the practice illegal. Now a new legislative session is in full swing, and with it the hopes for new tools to improve the experiences of mobile home residents in Arizona. This year, she and other stakeholders around the state spent months in discussion to decide what bills felt most urgent to introduce. “We went to many, many meetings with all kinds of people,” Noble said. They held eight listening sessions with residents, utility companies and groups like anti-poverty organizer Wildfire AZ to help draft bills that would not only change state law but also add more enforcement. The Arizona Association of Manufactured Home Owners drafted one bill requiring more education for park managers, and worked with Wildfire to draft two utility bills that would prevent park owners from charging residents more …

T-Mobile Named Best Mobile Network in America and Launches T-Satellite

T-Mobile Named Best Mobile Network in America and Launches T-Satellite

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. In Hollywood, deals don’t wait for signal bars. The ability to stay connected — whether closing contracts quickly, reviewing cuts on the road or coordinating teams across time zones — has become indispensable to the business of entertainment. That demand is driving more executives to T-Mobile, now recognized as the Best Mobile Network in America in the U.S. by Ookla Speedtest. Independent network performance testing firms (Ookla and OpenSignal) confirm that T-Mobile delivers the fastest median download speeds, the most consistent 5G performance and the broadest nationwide coverage, winning the Speedtest Awards two years in a row. With Ultra Capacity 5G reaching farther and serving more people than any other provider, T-Mobile has emerged as the top cellular network for powering high-bandwidth essentials such as streaming dailies, live editing sessions and video conferences (even those that span multiple continents). Now, thanks to the launch of T-Satellite with Starlink, “America’s Best Network” just …