Technology

  NEW YORK / AP Google’s ambitious new smartphone, the Pixel, doesn’t offer a lot that’s new. Yet it’s still one of the best out there. Google achieves that by pulling together the best features from Apple, Samsung and other phone makers and offering them at prices comparable to iPhones — starting at about $650 for the regular, 5-inch model ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc.’s long drought of Mac updates is soon coming to an end ahead of the important holiday sales period. After launching new iPhones and Apple Watches last month, the Cupertino, California-based technology company is turning its attention to its oldest product category. It currently plans to announce the Mac updates at an event on Oct. 27, according ...

Relaxnews At a Qualcomm-hosted conference on the developments in 4G and 5G connectivity one would expect news and announcements regarding when the next wave of super-fast phones are coming. And, according to the company whose chips power the majority of smartphones and tablets around the world, it’s 2018. That’s when its first 5G modem, the Snapdragon X50, launches. It promises ...

  Sydney / AFP Australian archaeologists announced plans to recreate Laos’ mysterious Plain of Jars as a three-dimensional virtual reality experience, that could one day see museum visitors walk through remote dig sites. The Plain of Jars, in Laos’ central Xieng Khouang province, is scattered with thousands of stone vessels but scientists have yet to discover their original purpose. Archaeologists ...

  Bloomberg Bridget Kelly learned about Musical.ly at a sleepover and was hooked. Before long, the 12-year-old Moraga, California, resident and her friends were using the app to make 15-second music videos showing off their acapella or lip-syncing skills. After school, they choreographed moves for their next music video and performed “duets” with favorite celebrities. Kelly is one of more ...

  Singapore / AFP A car taking part in the world’s first public trial of driverless taxis was slightly damaged on Tuesday when it collided with a lorry in Singapore, its operator said. No one was hurt in the accident in One North, a suburban research campus where the vehicle has been on a limited run since August, US software ...

  Relaxnews Sony has released a new interactive virtual reality game, based on the supernatural blockbuster film “Ghostbusters.” The game, titled “Ghostbusters VR – Now Hiring”, is available for purchase as an app on iOS and Android mobile platforms, with a price tag of $4.99 and also comes as a free addition with purchases of the 4K Blu-ray editions of ...

  Seoul / AFP Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday it would compensate suppliers hit by the decision to scrap its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones because of safety fears with exploding batteries. The South Korean electronics giant announced a week ago that it was discontinuing the Note 7 after a chaotic recall that saw replacement phones also catching fire. Samsung said ...

Bloomberg Pick up a high-end smartphone these days and chances are it will have a crisp, energy-sipping organic LED display — unless it’s an iPhone. That will change next year, when Apple Inc. plans to adopt the technology for the next major upgrade to its flagship product. To do so, the Cupertino, California-based company will have to get its hands ...

  Relaxnews Though the future of personal mobility will be electrically driven, don’t expect to see traditional gas stations disappearing into the automotive history books any time soon. “There will be no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,” said Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management at BMW AG, Development. “We see the approach of using myriad [drivetrain] technologies ...