Technology

  Bloomberg BlackBerry Ltd. rebranded the software products it acquired over the last three years, tying them together into a single system it hopes will be the go-to platform companies and governments use to protect their electronic devices from hacks. The system, called “BlackBerry Secure,” is the culmination of Chief Executive Officer John Chen’s efforts to shift the company from ...

  BERLIN / AP Scientists have developed a mind-controlled robotic hand that allows people with certain types of spinal injuries to perform everyday tasks such as using a fork or drinking from a cup. The low-cost device was tested in Spain on six people with quadriplegia affecting their ability to grasp or manipulate objects. By wearing a cap that measures ...

  Bloomberg Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV will reveal a fully electric vehicle based on the Chrysler Pacifica minivan at CES in Las Vegas next month as the carmaker moves to get in step with the industry’s shift toward electric vehicles. The Italian-American carmaker will show the model at CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show and the world’s largest ...

  Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co. will create an all-screen front for the Galaxy S8 smartphones coming out next year and scrap the physical home button, people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The bezel-less displays will provide more viewing real estate while a virtual home button will be buried in the glass in the lower section, the people said, ...

  San Francisco / AFP Smartwatch pioneer Pebble announced it was shutting down, with tech wearables giant Fitbit acquiring some of its assets including key personnel. “Due to various factors, Pebble is no longer able to operate as an independent entity. We have made the tough decision to shut down the company and no longer manufacture Pebble devices,” Pebble founder ...

  Sydney / AFP The hidden secrets of Egyptian mummies up to 3,000 years old have been virtually unwrapped and reconstructed for the first time using cutting-edge scanning technology in a joint British-Australian exhibition. Three-dimensional images of six mummies aged between 900BC and 140-180AD from ancient Egypt, which have been held at the British Museum but never physically unwrapped, give ...

  Tokyo / AFP A Japanese city has introduced a novel way to keep track of senior citizens with dementia who are prone to getting lost — tagging their fingers and toes with scan-able barcodes. A company in Iruma, north of Tokyo, developed tiny nail stickers, each of which carries a unique identity number to help concerned families find missing ...

  Paris / AFP The first wave of virtual reality cinemas, heralding what their creators claim will be an entertainment revolution, rolls out across the world this month. The first screening room in France opened and several others are promised for Beijing, Shanghai and Los Angeles in the next few weeks. Like the early days of cinema, virtual reality — ...

  Miami / AFP An agile jumping robot that was inspired by some of the animal world’s best leapers could one day help in rescue efforts after earthquakes or building collapses, US scientists said. Known as Salto, the 10-inch (26-centimeter) tall robot can jump higher than a bullfrog and almost as high as a galago, or bush baby, a small ...

  Bloomberg Apple has blamed “external physical damage” for causing a handful of iPhones to explode or catch fire in China and insisted that its handsets posed no safety problem. Fresh on the heels of Samsung’s worldwide Galaxy Note 7 safety fiasco, a Shanghai consumer watchdog said it had received eight recent reports of iPhones that spontaneously combusted while being ...