San Francisco, United States | AFP | A high-profile Google event Tuesday is widely expected to show a new emphasis on hardware, challenging rivals Apple and Amazon and launching a new strategy for the online giant. While the company has offered no official preview, it is expected to unveil a …
Read More »Samsung eyes fix after complaints of ‘exploding’ washing machines
Washington, United States | AFP | Samsung is in discussions about “potential safety issues” concerning some of its washing machines after a class-action lawsuit complained the appliances were exploding, the company said Wednesday. The news comes after the South Korean electronics giant recalled millions of its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones …
Read More »End of an era: BlackBerry to outsource handsets, halts production
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | BlackBerry announced Wednesday it would halt in-house production of smartphones, marking the end of an era for the once-dominant Canadian tech firm. Ontario-based BlackBerry said it had reached a deal to outsource production of its phones to an Indonesian partner, and would instead concentrate on …
Read More »US lawmakers: Russian hackers aim to disrupt election
Washington, United States | AFP | Two US lawmakers who are members of their respective intelligence committees said Thursday that a spate of recent cyber attacks suggests Russia is trying to disrupt the November election. “Based on briefings we have received, we have concluded that the Russian intelligence agencies are …
Read More »Yahoo hack hit 500 million users
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Yahoo said Thursday a massive attack on its network in 2014 allowed hackers to steal data from half a billion users and may have been “state sponsored.” Yahoo, which confirmed details of the breach months after reports of a major hack, said …
Read More »Zuckerberg fund pledges $3 bn to banish disease
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Mark Zuckerberg and his wife on Wednesday pledged $3 billion over the next decade to efforts to prevent, cure or manage disease, aiming to use the Facebook founder’s fortune for innovative research. “This is a big goal,” Zuckerberg said at a San Francisco …
Read More »140+: Twitter enables longer tweets as part of growth push
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter announced Monday it was easing its 140-character limit on tweets, in the latest effort to broaden the appeal and boost the user base of the social network. The new policy announced in May and now in effect no longer factors in certain add-ons, …
Read More »Self-driving cars coming sooner than you think
Washington, United States | AFP | The move to self-driving cars is coming faster than most people think, says the head of ridesharing giant Lyft. Within five years, autonomous vehicles will account for the majority of Lyft rides, says co-founder and chief executive John Zimmer. Lyft, which has a partnership …
Read More »Apple’s iPhone 7 launches; sold-out models leave some disappointed
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Apple’s iPhone 7 launch generated trademark queues and brisk sales Friday that defied gloomy expectations, with some enthusiasts left empty-handed after lining up for hours as the company announced certain models had sold out. The new phone comes with an improved camera, no headphone jack, …
Read More »Twitter expands video role with streaming TV apps
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Twitter on Wednesday moved deeper into video, announcing a new application that will offer free content on major streaming TV services. The new app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Microsoft’s Xbox One will allow anyone with these devices to get content …
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