Japan’s top telecommunications company is getting 7.3 billion yen — about $67 million — in taxpayer money to design mobile tracking software to curb the spread of coronavirus infections during the Tokyo Olympics. There’s one catch: Few Olympic fans from abroad will be around to use it. Tokyo Olympic organizers and the IOC on Saturday […]
Technology
Facebook says it is working on a version of its Instagram app for kids under 13, who are technically not allowed to use the app in its current form due to federal privacy regulations. The company confirmed an earlier report by Buzzfeed News on Friday, saying it is “exploring a parent-controlled experience” on Instagram. The […]
TikTok parent company ByteDance announced on Monday that its video games arm, Nuverse, has acquired China-based Mooton Technology, as the company looks to further expand within the gaming industry, Reuters reported. ByteDance’s desire to bolster its position within the video gaming industry, places it directly in competition with China’s largest social media and gaming company […]
Apple Inc. has been slapped with a $308.5 million penalty to be paid to Personalized Media Communications (PMC) following a decision by a federal judge in Texas that found the company infringing a tech patent related to data rights management. The patent in question primarily dealt with a “method of decrypting programming at a receiver […]
Beijing-based Dreame Technology, a company specialized in smart home cleaning appliances, plans to launch this spring a new AI robot vacuum cleaner. The Dreame Bot L10 Pro will feature precise navigation, intelligent obstacle recognition and avoidance, as well as simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) for a three-dimensional environment, the company said in a statement. Company […]
On Feb. 4, Tim Wu, prominent, progressive attorney, sent his last tweet as a private citizen; the next day, the White House announced its decision to place Wu in the National Economic Council (NEC), one of two key advisory boards to President Joe Biden. While Wu has been on board over a month, none of […]
The online payment company Stripe continues to attract investors, raising $600 million in funding to reach a whopping company valuation of $95 billion. Stripe is by far the most valuable private fintech company in the world. Robinhood, the trading platform recently making headlines, just raised $3 billion to reach a valuation of around $11.2 billion. […]
Google’s next internet-connected home device will test whether consumers trust the company enough to let it snoop on their sleep. New sleep-sensing technology will be a key feature on Google’s latest version of its Nest Hub, a 7-inch smart screen unveiled Tuesday. Like the previous generation, the $100 Nest Hub can display pictures and video […]
Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten sold on Monday 13 percent of its shares, worth $2.2 billion, to several new investors, as the company attempts to strengthen its balance sheet, while rolling out a more aggressive mobile strategy. The new investors into Rakuten are Japan Post – the country’s largest insurer and bank by deposit, as well […]
Facebook announced Monday plans to assist in informing the public about COVID-19 vaccine options, vaccinations sites, and related information, using a vaccine finder tool and other features. “We’re launching a global campaign to help bring 50 million people a step closer to getting COVID-19 vaccines,” said Mark Zuckerberg, company founder and CEO, in a press […]