Technology

Asian shares slide after tech, bank sell-off on Wall Street

Shares skidded in Asia on Wednesday after Wall Street closed lower for a second straight day, led by drops in technology companies and banks. Worsening coronavirus outbreaks in Asia have cast a shadow over prospects for a rebound from the pandemic. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell more than 2% and other benchmarks also declined. On Tuesday, […]

Global Smartphone Market shows 24% growth in Q1 2021, report shows

Over the years, many tech pundits have repeatedly said that the peak smartphone era has ended and is long gone; and the numbers backed up those claims. A report by International Data Corporation (IDC) showed that the smartphone market saw negative growth for five quarters in a row, including the entirety of 2018. It appeared […]

Apple signals return of right-wing 'free speech' app Parler

Apple said it has reached an agreement with the right-wing social app Parler that could lead to its reinstatement in the company’s app store. Apple kicked out Parler in January over ties to the deadly Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to two Republican lawmakers in Congress, Apple said it has […]

Zoom Apps to receive $100 million investment to expand ecosystem

Popular video-conferencing platform Zoom Video Communications Inc. announced on Monday the creation of a new $100 million venture fund created to stimulate growth of the company’s ecosystem of Apps, integrations, developer platform, and hardware. The Zoom Apps fund will comprise of portfolio companies who will receive initial investments between $250,000 and $2.5 million to build […]

Scrutiny of Tesla crash a sign that regulation may be coming

The fiery crash of a Tesla near Houston with no one behind the wheel is drawing scrutiny from two federal agencies that could bring new regulation of electronic systems that take on some driving tasks. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety board said Monday they would send teams to investigate […]

Volvo Cars, DiDi team up for self-driving cars test fleet

Swedish automaker Volvo Cars has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with DiDi Autonomous Driving, the self-driving technology arm of popular ride hailing app DiDi Chuxing to test their self-driving cars test fleet, both companies announced on Monday. According to a joint statement, Volvo Cars will provide DiDi with XC90 cars equipped with necessary backup systems […]

Australian judge rules Google misled Android users on data

Google broke Australian law by misleading users about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices, a judge found Friday. The Federal Court decision was a partial win for the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the nation’s fair trade watchdog, which has been prosecuting Google for broader alleged breaches of consumer law since October 2019. […]

India's electric vehicles face practical, technical hurdles

H.S. Panno, an independent contractor living in a spacious two-story penthouse in New Delhi, had his doubts when he bought his first electric car in September. So far, he’s pleased with his savings on gas and maintenance, which are down by more than half, but disappointed with the practical limitations of driving his Nexon XZ+. […]

The latest: vaccines to be made available at Alaska airports

JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy says COVID-19 vaccines would be made available at key airports in the state starting June 1. He made the announcement Friday, as he unveiled plans aimed at bolstering Alaska’s pandemic-battered tourist industry. Dunleavy, a Republican, outlined plans for a national marketing campaign aimed at luring tourists and said […]