Technology

Bloomberg Voice-recognition company Iflytek Co plunged following news it is on a list of Chinese technology firms that may face restrictions from the US. Iflytek, which says it controls over 70 percent of China’s speech technology market, slid as much as 8.2 percent in Shenzhen after people familiar with the matter said the US is considering curbs on the company, ...

Bloomberg Austrian aerospace supplier FACC AG, spun off from a maker of skis and tennis rackets 30 years ago, is about to reinvent itself again. The manufacturer of composite wing flaps and rudders for Airbus SE and Boeing Co is branching out to build flying taxis for Chinese technology startup EHang Inc, a market Chief Executive Officer Robert Machtlinger says ...

Bloomberg Nintendo Co remains bereft of a monster smartphone hit more than four years after a much-ballyhooed entry into mobile gaming. The wait may finally be over. Mario Kart Tour, scheduled to launch this summer, has had gamers in a tizzy since it was announced in early 2018. Not only is the franchise one of the best-known racing series in ...

Bloomberg The world’s first all-electric vertical takeoff and landing passenger jet has been unveiled after completing its first flight. German startup Lilium aims to have a fleet of the five-seat aircraft — which can operate with a pilot or in drone mode — flying in cities worldwide by 2025, providing a pay-per-ride service that will be emission-free, five times faster ...

Bloomberg Robots are taking over farms faster than anyone saw coming. The first fully autonomous farm equipment is becoming commercially available, which means machines will be able to completely take over a multitude of tasks. Tractors will drive with no farmer in the cab, and specialised equipment will be able to spray, plant, plow and weed cropland. And it’s all ...

Bloomberg Apple Inc is planning to unleash a slew of new apps, features and development tools at its annual software conference next month. To improve its devices and strengthen its connection to customers, the consumer technology giant will continue to walk a fine line between wooing outside app makers while also competing against them. The Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, ...

Bloomberg Dyson Ltd’s electric car may have a long wheel base, an interior cabin with reclining seats and an aerodynamic design, according to patents awarded to the company. The patents, filed about 18 months ago and made public, are the first glimpse of the car being built by the UK-based company known for pricey vacuums, hair dryers and air purifiers. ...

Bloomberg Google unveiled cheaper Pixel smartphones after the company’s line of premium handsets failed to sell in large numbers. Slower processors and cheaper materials helped Google price the Pixel 3a with a 5.6-inch screen at $399. The larger Pixel 3a XL has a 6-inch screen and costs $479. That’s roughly half the price of the company’s existing Pixel phones, before ...

Bloomberg As FedEx Corp and United Parcel Service Inc beef up automation to keep pace with surging e-commerce and a potential threat from Amazon.com Inc, they’ve been stumped at a crucial stage: loading and unloading trucks. Robot makers are getting close to solving part of that puzzle. Siemens AG and Honeywell International Inc have built machines that pull packages from ...

Bloomberg Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp launched its 17th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station for longtime customer NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule rumbled aloft from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon will deliver almost 5,500 pounds of science, supplies and hardware, according to NASA, and is slated to attach to ...