5 things you need to know this week: Digitization Made in Germany?

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Every Monday morning we report on five things that are important to start the week. This time it’s about Armin Laschet, productivity and accessibility, among other things.

Corona warning app, Luca, Covpass: German politicians surprisingly discovered their love for smartphone apps during the pandemic. That is good news, but in the end it comes very late. Especially since the currently most important part of the new digital infrastructure, the online scheduling of appointments, is at best acceptable, depending on the respective federal state. There is also a lack of centralized recording of the vaccinated, which will lead to unnecessary effort with the introduction of digital vaccination records at the latest. Other European countries are much further ahead.

In Sweden, for example, people who were vaccinated were recorded using a digital identification app from the start. This in turn simplifies the issuing of the vaccination certificate, but has led to other problems. Older people in particular do not use the app required for this and have therefore sometimes had difficulties getting appointments at the vaccination center. Such problems are unlikely to arise in Germany in the foreseeable future.

The CDU is also using its own app in the election campaign. This helps campaign workers by collecting and evaluating data on potential supporters. The problem: Contrary to claims to the contrary by those responsible, the app not only collected personal data – this data was also publicly accessible due to a security gap. After the security gap became known, the CDU took the app offline and apologized for it. For Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet, however, the problem was not the irresponsible data practice. In a television interview, the CDU politician said: “Yes, there was a problem: a hacker.”

Even if apps like Luca or CDU Connect don’t necessarily give this impression, the German software industry has a lot to offer. Programs like the Markdown editor Ulysses, the to-do app Things, the project management solution Meister Task and the time management app Focus not only do their respective tasks pretty well, they are also internationally successful. At t3n we will introduce you to the programs and show you which features have made their success possible.

When traveling abroad or visiting a restaurant, we will soon be able to digitally prove our vaccination status. After the EU has agreed on a uniform standard, it should start as early as the end of June. In Germany, a consortium of companies led by IBM is working on a corresponding app. At t3n.de we explain how it works and what people who have been vaccinated and who want to be vaccinated now need to know about it.

Bicycles with an electric auxiliary drive, also known as pedelecs, are trendy. A number of companies now have such pedelecs on offer. A special eye-catcher is the Angell e-bike, which also performed well in the t3n practical test. Our mobility expert Anderas Floemer especially liked the low weight and the good handling. However, if you really want to cover long distances, you should look around for an alternative.

There are now a number of ways to make it easier for people with physical limitations to use apps and websites. When in doubt, that doesn’t even mean a lot of effort. Our author Kathrin Stoll gives you four tips on t3n.de, how your website can soon be used by more people without any problems.

Sponsor note (advertisement): today’s podcast is sponsored by eQ-3. eQ-3 is one of the innovation and technology leaders in the smart home market, especially in the area of ​​home control solutions. With your Homematic IP door lock drive, previous door locks can be converted into smart house doors and controlled using the associated app. More information at: homematic-ip.com.

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