Facebook-COVID-19 Boosts Use But Cutting Revenue; Apple AR Glasses May Launch in 2022; Zoom Meetings Without Smartphone or Desktop App; COVID-19 Package Safety

Facebook says it is seeing an extreme spike in use all over the world which they attribute to the Coronavirus pandemic. The platform says the heaviest use is centered on private messaging and video calling, which are products the company really doesn’t monetize. Theverge.com reports that Facebook complains that its business is suffering as it tries to keep up with the service demands while they have seen ad spending drop off, as have all digital platforms, as well as broadcasters and publications who rely on ad dollars. Facebook is also trying to do all this while it keeps the vast majority of its 45,000 person work force at home.

Apple’s augmented reality glasses may launch in 2022. That’s according to a report from DigiTimes picked up by macrumors.com. Here’s the tantalizing little blurb: ‘Taiwan-based optical component suppliers are engaged in the development of Apple’s augmented reality smart glasses, which may be commercialized by 2022, according to industry sources.” The Information had previously predicted that the Apple AR glasses would be out in 2023, so this rumor has them hitting faces…so to speak…a year earlier. The sets will apparently resemble the old Oculus Quest, only with a sleeker design, that makes “heavy use of fabrics and lightweight materials to ensure the device is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.” The headset is expected to have a “high-resolution display” that will “allow users to read small type and see other people standing in front of and behind virtual objects.”

The late Aretha Franklin peered into the future with her 1985 hit, “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”. So how do you do a Zoom meeting if you are…say…in a hotel or Air BnB away from your own computer with the app, and your smartphone battery dies? Businessinsider.com says you can find a dial in number at the bottom of the invite. You won’t have the video, of course, but will be able to dial into the meeting at least. You can also hit their site for Zoom’s International Dial-In Numbers. Two hints from them: punch *6 to mute or unmute, and *9 to raise your hand.

The latest “OMG, it’s gonna get me” freak out seems to be that you’ll catch the coronavirus from your Amazon boxes. According to geekwire.com, the COVID-19 virus is ‘stable’ on cardboard for 24 hours, but your risk of getting it from such is low. Their info comes from a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Variables do include temperature, air quality, and others. The CDC said “there is likely very low risk of spread from products or packaging that are shipped over a period of days or weeks at ambient temperatures.” “The likelihood of an infected person contaminating commercial goods is low and the risk of catching the virus that causes COVID-19 from a package that has been moved, travelled, and exposed to different conditions and temperature is also low,” the WHO noted. Just wash your hands after unboxing 20 seconds with soap and water. If you are REALLY paranoid, unbox with rubber gloves on, dispose of the box, THEN take off the gloves and wash up!