Berlin, Germany / AFP Try looking for a free wi-fi connection in the cafe down the street in Germany and, more likely than not, there isn’t one. Forget about looking for open connections in parks or at key monuments. They just don’t exist. In an age when almost everyone carries a smartphone, the absence of such free hotspots can …

  Las Vegas, UNITED STATES / AFP The possible future of transit zipped along a short track in the desert outside Las Vegas on Wednesday before sliding to a stop in a bed of sand, sending up a tan wave. Hyperloop One, a start-up hoping to revolutionize transport systems, held its first public test of engine components being designed to rocket pods …

  Washington / AP Self-driving cars are expected to usher in a new era of mobility, safety and convenience. The problem, say transportation researchers, is that people will use them too much. Experts foresee robot cars chauffeuring children to school, dance class and baseball practice. The disabled and elderly will have new mobility. Commuters will be able to work, sleep, eat …