Arianna Huffington Wants You to Leave Behind News Addiction
Arianna Huffington is trying to help you kick your smartphone habit.
The author of “The Sleep Revolution” and former Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post says that everything from apps like Instagram to games like Candy Crush to news alerts can be addictive.
“There’s absolutely no reason to be receiving 12 different notifications giving you the latest Trump tweet,” she told Cheddar. “If you want to pick one, pick one.”
She pointed out that the vast majority of people who aren’t in the news industry can just go directly to sites at leisure.
Those sentiments are part of why she launched the Thrive app, which allows users to limit app usage and go into “thrive mode,” where they don’t receive notifications from anyone who’s not on their “VIP List.” Everyone else gets an alert letting them know when the Thrive user will be available.
Its debut, though delayed from an intended December release, is timely given the increased focus on the dangers of too much technology. Two major Apple investors this month urged the iPhone maker to help curb device addiction in children.
Huffington knows the potential impact of being always-connected first hand. She founded Thrive Global in 2016 to counter burnout after collapsing from exhaustion and breaking her cheekbones a few years back. She’s since then been an advocate of sleep and wellness.
The Thrive app will only be available on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 devices.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/arianna-huffington-launches-thrive-app-to-combat-tech-addiction).
There is a new player in the mobile app stock trading space.
Zingeroo recently announced a funding round of $8.5 million. The company says it aims to bring 'friendly competition' to stock trading, by literally breaking trading down into daily and weekly competitions between friends. Zingeroo also says it hopes its new approach can make trading more accessible, educational, and social than ever before. Zingeroo co-founder and CEO Zoe Barry joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell for more.
As cell carriers AT&T and Verizon planned to roll out nationwide 5G service this week, the FAA and U.S. DOT are asking the companies to pause their plans so more research can be done on the impact 5G has on aircraft technology. The companies are refusing, citing French regulations that limit wireless signals around airports while allowing research to continue. This week's launch wasn't the first time concerns have delayed 5G — last year, Airbus and Boeing express concerns, pushing the deadline into November, December, and then into this year. So what happens now — and what happens next? Will 5G roll out this year as expected? Jon Swartz, Senior Reporter at MarketWatch, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the state of the planned 5G rollout, why the FAA and U.S. Department of Transportation are asking carriers to stall the launch, and more.
Tyrone Ross, CEO of Onramp Invest, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why he believes the current crypto slump is expected to persist and says that investors should be focusing more on Bitcoin's hashrate when it comes to metrics.
Luke Larsen, senior editor at Digital Trends, joins Cheddar News to discuss the largest tech convention in the world, CES, kicking off in Las Vegas this week.
