WASHINGTON / AP Artificial intelligence is still in a “mainframe era†in which computing power is concentrated in a few companies’ hands, Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said in a presentation in Munich on Monday. The computer industry is “worshiping†technology companies that can simulate real-world processes using AI software, but to become more useful the ...
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Cuba sees explosion in internet access
HAVANA / AP Two days before Christmas, Luis Gonzalez received a little Chinese modem from Cuba’s state-owned telecommunications company. The 55-year-old theater producer connected the device to his phone and his laptop computer, which instantly lit up with a service unimaginable in the Cuba of just a few years ago — relatively fast home internet. “It’s really easy to ...
Read More »FB introduces measures to tackle fake news in Germany
BERLIN / AP Facebook says it’s introducing measures to tackle the spread of fake news in Germany, months before the country holds a national election. The social network said on Sunday the investigative media group Correctiv will be its first outside fact-checker in Germany and it’s working to bring aboard other media organizations. It said updates to make it ...
Read More »Smart windshields: The next ad frontier
Bloomberg The next frontier in digital advertising may be your car’s windshield. Automakers, technology companies and glass manufacturers are teaming up to turn the display that graces the front of an iPhone into the windshield of a car — one that can show ads, directions and vehicle information to the person behind the wheel. The advent of connected cars ...
Read More »Wearable sensors that are ‘check engine’ light for health
WASHINGTON / AP A next step for smart watches and fitness trackers? Wearable gadgets gave a Stanford University professor an early warning that he was getting sick before he ever felt any symptoms of Lyme disease. Geneticist Michael Snyder never had Lyme’s characteristic bulls-eye rash. But a smart watch and other sensors charted changes in Snyder’s heart rate and ...
Read More »â€˜E-waste’ a threat to health, environment
JAKARTA / AP The waste from discarded electronic gadgets and electrical appliances has reached severe levels in East Asia, posing a growing threat to health and the environment unless safe disposal becomes the norm. China was the biggest culprit with its electronic waste more than doubling, according to a new study by the United Nations University. But nearly every ...
Read More »Wobbly start for Nintendo’s new Switch gaming console
Bloomberg Nintendo Co.’s new Switch gaming console is off to an underwhelming start. The new machine, a tablet-sized device with wireless controllers that can be used anywhere but also connects to TVs, will go on sale March 3 at a price of $300, with a brand-new Zelda game as its launch title. None of that, however, was enough to ...
Read More »Improper disposal of used phones vulnerable to cyber data theft
Emirates Business The Middle East is one of the leading markets for smartphones and countries such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia boast over 90% smartphone penetration – among the highest in the world. Smartphone manufacturers are well aware of this and top brands such as Apple and Samsung now have just one year upgrade cycles on their flagship ...
Read More »Android creator plans AI-equipped phones
Bloomberg Just over two years after leaving Google, Andy Rubin is preparing to take on the smartphone industry he helped create. Rubin, creator of the Android operating system, is planning to marry his background in software with artificial intelligence in a risky business: consumer hardware. Armed with about a 40-person team, filled with recruits from Apple Inc. and Alphabet ...
Read More »Google moves into virtual reality shopping with Tango
Bloomberg Google is rolling out a real world application for its most ambitious virtual reality effort: letting shoppers see what they might buy without leaving home. The Alphabet Inc. unit introduced two new retail partnerships, with BMW and Gap Inc., deploying its 3D-scanning project called Tango. The technology uses cameras and sensors in mobile devices to overlay digital images ...
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