Technology

Relaxnews A team of UCF scientists has developed a new process for creating flexible supercapacitors that can store more energy and be recharged more than 30,000 times without degrading. A team of scientists at the University of Central Florida (UCF) may have found the right formula for making long-lasting, super-powerful supercapacitors that work with existing battery materials and are small …

  Relaxnews A new report from the Internet Society highlights shows that companies are not doing enough to protect themselves from cybercrime and if they continue to do nothing, they are going to start losing customers quickly as consumer confidence in web services is at an all-time low. The 148-page report condenses and cross-examines data gathered from a wealth of …

  NEW YORK / AP Toys that teach aren’t a new thing, but a growing number are calling for kids to build with blocks, circuits or everyday items before reaching for a tablet screen. Play is how kids learn about the world around them, whether it’s a toddler throwing a ball or teens playing video games. It’s about seeing how …

  TOKYO / AP Toyota Motor Corp. has developed a new way of observing the movements of tiny particles in batteries used to power electric vehicles — an advance it says will help boost their cruise range by 10 percent to 15 percent. Toyota engineer Hisao Yamashige explained to reporters on Thursday at the Japanese automaker’s Tokyo office the complex …

    BEIJING / AP China’s biggest online travel service Ctrip.com is buying Skyscanner i n a deal that values the British travel search site at 1.4 billion pounds ($1.7 billion). The deal announced Thursday adds to a string of global acquisitions by Chinese companies in search of technology, brands and access to foreign markets. Ctrip.com International Ltd. said the …

  WASHINGTON / AP Breaking a sweat? Researchers are creating a skin patch that can test those droplets while people exercise and beam results to their smartphones, possibly a new way to track health and fitness. The experimental gadget goes well beyond activity monitors like the Fitbit. A little larger than a quarter, it’s almost like a tiny lab stuck …

  Bloomberg U.S. highway safety officials called on smartphone makers to add features that would keep motorists from using functions linked to a surge in deaths due to distracted driving, a proposal that drew immediate opposition from the electronics industry. The voluntary guidelines proposed Wednesday asked device makers to take steps such as blocking some video displays and preventing manual …

FRANKFURT / AP Volkswagen’s namesake brand hopes to bounce back from its diesel emissions scandal with a broad restructuring that will mean more battery-powered cars, digital services such as ride-sharing, and more SUVs for the U.S. market. Herbert Diess, the head of the Volkswagen division, unveiled the company’s Transform 2025 plan at a news conference, saying that “in the coming …

  San Francisco / AP Facebook has built a tool for geographically censoring posts at the leading social network as it seeks a path back into China, The New York Times has reported. The New York Times cited three current and former Facebook employees, who asked for anonymity, as saying that the tool could filter news feeds at the social …

  San Francisco / AP An industry-backed autonomous car lobbying group has urged US regulators to go further to remove speed bumps than what was laid out in guidelines published two months ago. In a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a ‘Self-Driving Coalition’ founded early this year by Google, Ford, Volvo, Uber and Lyft hailed the framework …