Technology

  Bloomberg Sony Group Corp led a big jump in video-game hardware sales in the US, in the latest sign of improving PlayStation 5 supply. The Tokyo-based entertainment giant drove a 45% spurt in US games hardware sales to $1.3 billion in November, according to the NPD Group. Back home in Japan, the company’s in-demand console can now be purchased ...

  Bloomberg Microsoft Corp. is fighting back against allegations from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that its proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard would harm competition in video-gaming industry. In a filing with the FTC, Microsoft said the tie-up would create more choices for gamers and game developers. “The commission cannot meet its burden of showing that the ...

  Bloomberg Huawei Technologies Co has secured an extension to a patent licensing deal with Nokia Oyj, suggesting the Chinese company continues to lead in networking technology despite years of punishing US sanctions. The announcement indicates appetite for access to Huawei’s next-generation telecom patents remains strong, despite US accusations the Chinese giant poses a threat to national security. Huawei is ...

  Bloomberg When a six-year-old boy first “woke up” the Gitamini robot, his parents were surprised he didn’t flinch — robots these days tend to be ominous. But as November leaves swirled around the sidewalk meet-cute, the squat personal droid gave a friendly “chirp” and popped up on its two large wheels, ready to follow a new friend. Service robots ...

Bloomberg Twitter has started to restore accounts that were suspended for breaking platform rules and the company plans to reinstate more over the next 30 days. In a series of tweets, Twitter said it had identified several policies where permanent suspension was a “disproportionate” action for breaking rules. The company said reinstated accounts still need to comply with its rules. ...

  Bloomberg Intel Corp will delay construction of its German chip plant and is seeking more in government subsidies, Volksstimme reported. The US-based chipmaker earlier this year announced plans for a mega site worth $18 billion in Magdeburg. Construction was set to begin by mid-2023, and the government planned to provide €6.8 billion in state aid. The cost has now ...

  Bloomberg A rush of regulation and investor pressure is forcing companies to do a better job of tallying up the environmental impact of their operations and the products they sell. That’s stirring demand for software that helps businesses measure carbon emissions. Salesforce Inc. and Microsoft Corp. have joined at least a dozen startups providing products to help companies calculate ...

Bloomberg Twitter will relaunch its Twitter Blue subscription service for $8 per month on the web, the company said. Users will also get access on iOS for $11 per month to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark, the company said in a series of tweets. The days of being constrained to just 280 characters in a tweet may soon be ...

  Bloomberg Microsoft Corp. is ready to fight for its $69 billion acquisition of gaming company Activision Blizzard Inc. if the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) files a lawsuit seeking to block the deal. The Xbox maker hasn’t had conversations with the FTC about remedies or concessions aimed at getting the deal approved. FTC staff is wrapping up its investigation ...

Bloomberg A Salesforce Inc cybersecurity executive has left the company, another shake-up in the top ranks of the software maker that is struggling with slowing revenue growth. The company announced internally in late November that Mark Carter, executive vice president of security, would depart. Carter’s exit from Salesforce’s security division hasn’t been publicly reported. He held leadership roles at Amazon.com ...