Bloomberg Huawei Technologies took the wraps off its “HarmonyOS†operating system, offering the first glimpses of in-house software that may someday replace Google’s Android and reduce its reliance on American technology. To begin with, the open-source software will skip smartphones and instead find its way into everything from cars and watches to personal computers by 2020, Richard Yu, chief executive ...
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Temasek unit buys stake in chair maker for ‘gamers’
Bloomberg A unit of state investment company Temasek Holdings Pte has invested in Secretlab, a Singapore-based maker of chairs for players of electronic games, to help drive growth. Heliconia Capital Management Pte’s purchase of a minority stake values the five-year-old company at between $144 million and $216 million, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. “Secretlab is now ...
Read More »Apple faces life after iPhone, but banks on its flagship product
Bloomberg Apple Inc generated less than half of its total quarterly revenue from sales of the iPhone for the first time since 2012 — a sign the company is entering life beyond its flagship product. While Apple reported a record $11.5 billion in sales of services in the fiscal third quarter, and demonstrated strong performances from wearables such as the ...
Read More »Voice software pioneer says Amazon used its tech in Alexa
Bloomberg A voice software tech developer is suing Amazon.com, saying the e-commerce giant infringed on patents when developing software for the Alexa digital assistant. VB Assets LLC, which owns the rights to some of the technology developed by voice software pioneer VoiceBox Technologies, said in a lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court that Amazon infringed on six of its patents ...
Read More »Samsung revives its Galaxy Fold for September launch
Bloomberg Samsung Electronics Co will begin selling its Galaxy Fold in September, resurrecting a device it pulled months ago after early reviewers reported defects in the gadget’s much-touted flexible screen. The world’s biggest smartphone maker is conducting final testing after making a series of modifications to the device, and said in an online post it will sell the phone in ...
Read More »Roku working on new device to improve video streaming
Bloomberg Roku Inc is working on a new device to address a common problem with streaming TV set-top-boxes: video quality. The company is developing a Wi-Fi extender called Roku Relay and is testing it internally, according to people familiar with the matter. The device increases the range of a Wi-Fi router, spreading internet signals further through homes so online video ...
Read More »Toyota invests $600m in China’s Didi
Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp will inject $600 million into Didi Chuxing and help the Chinese company set up a car fleet management venture, bankrolling the loss-making ride-hailing giant’s expansion. The Japanese auto-maker will work with Didi to provide services including rental and car maintenance. Toyota will use its connected-car technology and intelligent analysis to help bolster Didi’s business, the partners ...
Read More »Snapchat user growth accelerates after android fix
Bloomberg Snapchat’s growth accelerated after the social-media company rolled out an improved version of its Android mobile application and introduced fun ways for people to manipulate their images and videos. Snap Inc, whose Snapchat app lets people send each other disappearing photos and videos, said an average of 203 million users logged in daily in the second quarter, well ahead ...
Read More »Wing unveils air traffic control app for drones
Bloomberg The company that brought you free digital maps and email wants to do the same thing for your drone. Wing LLC, an offshoot of Alphabet Inc’s Google, unveiled a new app it calls OpenSky that it hopes will become the basis for a full-fledged air-traffic control system to manage the expected growth of this new class of flying devices. ...
Read More »Robots scaling warehouse shelves to get stuff faster
Bloomberg A logistics company partly owned by Related Cos, the developer behind Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, is searching for locations across North America to build its multistory robotic warehouses. Robots — and humans — started working this month at Quiet Logistics’ new 440,000-square-foot (41,000-square-metre) fulfillment centre in the Los Angeles area. It’s the firm’s first property on West Coast, and a ...
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