Technology

  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 ...

  Los Angeles / AFP On a soundstage no bigger than a large bedroom a cameraman takes up various angles to film a helicopter that isn’t there, landing in a field that isn’t there either. Until recently, virtual reality was the preserve of the gaming crowd but producers say the technology is on the cusp of a boom which could ...

  DETROIT / AP Auto parts and electronics maker Delphi Corp. has signed a deal with Intel to buy high-powered computer processors for Delphi’s future autonomous-vehicle systems. Delphi says Intel’s added computing capacity will be needed as autonomous-car systems gather and store more and more information while expanding their ability to deal with situations on real roads. In August, Delphi ...

  Bloomberg Japan’s obsession with keeping order and tech prowess has reached its natural conclusion with an intelligent megaphone that can issue commands in Chinese, English and Korean. Panasonic Corp. recently unveiled the device—essentially a smartphone paired with a handheld loudspeaker—betting that police, event organizers and transport staff seeking to control crowds will be eager to get their hands on ...

  Bloomberg BMW AG’s new 5-Series sedan can drive itself at speeds as fast as 210 kilometers (130 miles) per hour, turn up the radio with the wave of a hand and warn other cars of fog. But you might not know it has all that gadgetry by looking at it. While BMW has packed one of its biggest profit ...

  Bloomberg Two years ago, Oppo and Vivo couldn’t crack the top five in China’s smartphone market. Now they outrank everyone after elbowing Apple aside, thanks to people like Cheng Xiaoning. Cheng runs a thriving electronics store in the rural town of Miaoxia, tapping into her WeChat social media account to promote the brands that pay the biggest commission, and ...

  Relaxnews Unlike fuel economy or available trunk space, when publicity for a new car claims that ownership will deliver certain emotions, the claims are diffcult to to prove or disprove. But Infiniti, Nissan’s luxury sub-brand, aims to set the record straight on the matter with a new study set to be conducted in the Middle East that doubles as ...

  NEW YORK /AP There are already a few online services that aim to replace cable, but they haven’t attracted many users yet. AT&T’s DirecTV hopes to change that. While just about any person you meet on the street will tell you cable costs too much, the vast majority of Americans don’t think it’s bad enough to cancel. Cheaper online ...

  Relaxnews Fitness tracking brand Amazfit is ending a busy year on a high by launching its first ever watch, the Amazfit Pace. After already releasing the Moonbeam, Equator and Arc fitness trackers earlier this year, Huami — the company behind both Amazfit and the Xiaomi range of trackers — is now hoping to appeal to runners with the Pace. ...