Technology

  Bloomberg Amazon.com Inc. introduced an image recognition program, a speech-to-text service dubbed Polly, and tools for building conversational apps, highlighting its push to add artificial intelligence to its cloud-computer offerings. Andy Jassy, chief executive officer of the Amazon Web Services unit, unveiled the new products at the company’s fifth annual re:Invent conference, which drew 32,000 people from diverse industries ...

  DUBLIN / AP As Gov. John Kasich announced a $15 million investment in advanced self-driving highway technology, he urged Ohioans to push back against old ideas about the state. “Who would ever want to be called the Rust Belt?” he said. “The Rust Belt’s some deteriorating, eroding, old, tired and worn out place. You ever hear that term, do ...

  Bloomberg Users of the WeChat instant-messaging platform can have their content censored even if they leave China or switch to an overseas phone number, according to a research group. WeChat accounts registered with a mainland China-based phone number have keywords filtered out or messages blocked anywhere in the world as long they keep the same user name, according to ...

  Relaxnews Soft-launched as a June 2015 computer game, the very well-received “Lego Worlds” is now heading to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for February 2017, as Warner Bros challenges the era-defining success of Microsoft-owned “Minecraft.” When you’re making a game that takes on “Minecraft,” recognizable branding isn’t enough. Fortunately, the studio charged with developing “Lego Worlds” has a long ...

  Washington / AFP Malicious software designed to attack Android smartphones has breached the accounts of more than a million Google users, security researchers said. The report by Check Point Software Technologies said the malware dubbed Gooligan targets devices running Android 4.0 and 5.0, which represent nearly 74 percent of mobile devices using the Google-powered operating system. The attacks can ...

  Los Angeles / AFP Amazon.com Inc. is developing a premium Echo-like speaker with a screen, a sign the world’s largest online retailer is trying to capitalize on the surprise success of its voice-controlled home gadgets and fend off competition from Google and Apple Inc. The new device will have a touchscreen measuring about seven inches, a major departure from ...

  Bloomberg Time Warner’s CNN said that it has agreed to acquire the staff and technology behind social media app Beme, created by YouTube star Casey Neistat and Matt Hackett. Financial terms weren’t disclosed. The company said its 12 employees will join CNN. Beme was created to offer a social application that allows millennials and others to share short videos ...

  Washington / AP A big rise in drone use is likely to lead to a new wave of “dronejackings” by cybercriminals, security experts warned. A report by Intel’s McAfee Labs said hackers are expected to start targeting drones used for deliveries, law enforcement or camera crews, in addition to hobbyists. “Drones are well on the way to becoming a ...

  AFP Facebook has unveiled “Instant Games” allowing users of the world’s biggest social network to play from its Messenger application or directly on their news feeds. The new games effort could be a step toward eventually monetizing Messenger, which now has more than one billion users. “This new games experience allows people to easily discover, share, and play games ...

  Bloomberg BMW AG plans to boost its investments in startups, as competition intensifies with new rivals including Tesla Motors Inc. over technologies that make cars smarter and more energy efficient. The luxury-vehicle maker will invest as much as 500 million euros ($533 million) through its iVentures capital fund over 10 years, Munich-based BMW said Monday in a statement. The ...