Bloomberg Walmart Inc plans to hire 2,000 technology experts this year to support its efforts both in stores and online, boosting the group’s ranks by more than a fourth. The world’s biggest retailer is looking for data scientists, software engineers, designers and others to work in nine offices from Silicon Valley to Bangalore, Walmart Chief Technology Officer Jeremy King said ...
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Nissan unveils the all-new Leaf
Bloomberg Nissan Motor Co unveiled a new version of the Leaf that narrows the driving-range gap between its best-selling electric car versus Tesla’s Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt. The Leaf e+ that debuted at CES in Las Vegas boasts a more energy-dense battery that extends range by about 40 percent, to363 kilometres. That compares with the 220- to 310-mile range ...
Read More »Amazon, Google and smart-home offerings
Bloomberg As he browsed digital store shelves last month in search of an aromatherapy diffuser, entrepreneur David Berger had a single requirement for his wife’s Christmas gift: It had to work with Amazon.com Inc.’s Alexa software. “She’s really into making the house smell beautiful, and I’m really into Alexa,†says Berger who lives in Weston, Connecticut. “So this is a ...
Read More »Slump in iPhone demand hits lens maker Largan’s Dec sales
Bloomberg Largan Precision Co., which supplies camera lenses to Apple Inc, said revenue in December fell by a third amid weakening appetite for iPhones in China. Sales dropped 33.9 percent from a year to NT$3.23 billion ($104.9 million), and were in line with Largan’s estimates, a company spokeswoman said on Saturday. The company, which also makes lenses for Huawei Technologies ...
Read More »Microsoft, Google use artificial intelligence to fight hackers
Bloomberg Last year, Microsoft Corp’s Azure security team detected suspicious activity in the cloud computing usage of a large retailer: One of the company’s administrators, who usually logs on from New York, was trying to gain entry from Romania. And no, the admin wasn’t on vacation. A hacker had broken in. Microsoft quickly alerted its customer, and the attack was ...
Read More »Toyota wants to put robots in every home
Bloomberg Toyota Motor Corp. has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside. Well-known for its automated assembly lines, Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots transcend the factory and become commonplace in homes, helping with chores — and even offering companionship — in an aging society where a quarter ...
Read More »Sony boosts 3D camera output over demand
Bloomberg Sony Corp., the biggest maker of camera chips used in smartphones, is boosting production of next-generation 3D sensors after getting interest from customers including Apple Inc. The chips will power front- and rear-facing 3D cameras of models from several smartphone makers in 2019, with Sony kicking off mass production in late summer to meet demand, according to Satoshi Yoshihara, ...
Read More »NYPD deploying drone to secure New Year’s party
Bloomberg New York City police will deploy a camera-equipped drone above Times Square, along with new “counter-drone technology†blocking other devices from the area, where they expect as many as 2 million New Year’s Eve revelers. The drone technology is the newest innovation developed by the largest US police department as it prepares for an annual event that already features ...
Read More »LG plans selling TVs that roll up like posters in 2019
Bloomberg LG Electronics Inc. plans to begin selling big-screen TVs next year that can be rolled up and put away like a poster, the centerpiece of an effort to revive an ailing business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The envisioned 65-inch TVs will retract automatically at the touch of a button like a garage door, the person ...
Read More »Zoox wins first permit to ferry public in robot rides
Bloomberg Driverless car startup Zoox Inc. became the first company to win approval to transport members of the public in its driverless test vehicles in California, according to a statement from the California Public Utilities Commission. While there are more than 60 companies with permits to test autonomous vehicles in California, they are restricted to carrying employees and contractors. With ...
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