Technology

  Bloomberg Facebook Inc. is laying the groundwork for its free messaging service WhatsApp to begin making money, easing its privacy rules so data can be used for Facebook advertising and allowing businesses to message its more than one billion users. It’s the first step toward monetizing the platform since the social network’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg paid $22 ...

  Bloomberg Apple Inc. is planning a new iPhone feature for Japan that will enable users to pay for mass-transit rides with their smartphones instead of physical payment cards. A future iPhone will include technology called FeliCa, a mobile tap-to-pay standard in Japan developed by Sony Corp., according to people familiar with the matter. The FeliCa chip will let customers ...

  AFP Facebook said it is further automating its “trending” stories feature, a move that will scale back human input to prevent personal bias from influencing which stories get highlighted. The social media giant will rely more heavily on an algorithm to operate the feature — which lists what news or events are hot topics — no longer requiring people ...

  Bloomberg An escalating battle between Apple Inc. and Spotify Ltd. is leaving some musicians caught in the crossfire. Spotify has been retaliating against musicians who introduce new material exclusively on rival Apple Music by making their songs harder to find, according to people familiar with the strategy. Artists who have given Apple exclusive access to new music have been ...

  Bloomberg Best Buy Co. Chief Executive Officer Hubert Joly was sold on virtual reality after he was almost eaten by a shark in an experience he called “mind- boggling.” Now he’s betting the masses will be enthralled with the technology too. In what’s seen as the first mainstream test of VR products, Best Buy began rolling out demonstrations for ...

  Bloomberg An Australian startup is getting some traction with a proposition for mobile-phone users: Watch our ads, and we’ll cut your wireless bill. Called Unlockd, the company has reached half a million customers through deals this year with two carriers to offer users a discount on their rates if they agree to view ads when they unlock their handset ...

  Relaxnews Along with numerous smartphones marked for release this fall — the iPhone 7, new Nexus models, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 and the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro — several innovative high-tech products are set to go on show in the coming weeks. SMARTWATCHES From September 2 to 7, the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) industrial exhibition in Berlin, Germany, will ...

  Relaxnews Use music to push yourself further and harder during your workouts this fall with a pair of high-quality headphones designed especially for exercise. Here we round up some of the new season releases to push your performance to the next level with your favorite playlist and fitness tracking features. SAMSUNG LEVEL ACTIVE HEADSET The new Samsung LEVEL Active ...

  DETROIT / AP With all the attention paid to Tesla Motors’ Autopilot system, you’d think the company was the only one making cars that can almost drive themselves. But many automakers have rolled out cars that do what Teslas do. The difference: Tesla debuted Autopilot, a suite of semi-autonomous driving features, with a swagger, while others tread more carefully. ...

  Bloomberg Google is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece in virtual-reality films and programs, part of a plan to line up exclusive content for the debut of its new Daydream service in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter. Google will help promote projects from Hulu LLC and fund the production of 360-degree videos with ...