NEW York, United States (AFP) — Shares of Tesla Motors tumbled Tuesday after an article in Consumer Reports recounted a series of glitches with its new Model X electric sport utility vehicle. Tesla shares were down 3.4 percent at $244.27 in midday trade following the report in the widely read consumer magazine. Among the snafus cited: problems with the vehicle’s “falcon wing” doors either not opening or not shutting; difficulties with the car’s self-driving mechanism […]
Sci-Tech
Apple, FBI return to Congress to spar over encryption
The divide between technology companies and law enforcement over the issue of encryption came to the fore at a congressional hearing on the issue on Tuesday (April 19). During the hearing called by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee a lawyer for Apple Inc said the company has been asked by Chinese authorities within the last two years to hand over its source code but refused, in response to U.S. law enforcement criticism of its […]
Intel to cut 12,000 jobs as PC industry swoons
Intel Corp said on Tuesday (April 19) it would cut 12,000 jobs globally, or 11 percent of its workforce, as it refocuses its business towards making microchips that power data centers and Internet connected devices and away from the declining personal computer industry it helped found. Tech companies including the former Hewlett Packard Co and Microsoft Corp have reorganized in the face of the PC industry decline. Many new tech users rely on mobile phones […]
Apple report shows 30,000 law enforcement data queries
WASHINTON,United States (AFP) — AFP — Apple received some 30,000 data requests from law enforcement agencies globally in the second half of 2015, and provided information in a majority of cases, the company’s latest transparency report showed. In the report released late Monday, Apple said it provided some data in 80 percent of the 4,000 request from US law enforcement agencies in the July-December period. The news comes with Apple at the center of a […]
Solar powered bid to bring modernity to developing world
A 40-meter long photovoltaic computer which provides clean water, while generating electricity to recharge external devices, has been designed by an Italian company for use in the developing world.
A robot to teach kids coding
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, United States (Reuters) – Root looks like a smoke detector but is actually a sophisticated robot. A magnetic surface, wheels, and an impressive arsenal of sensors allow it to navigate a classroom whiteboard. But Root isn’t actually programmed to do anything. Its tasks and functionality hinge on a child’s imagination. The robot is capable of driving and drawing as well as playing music, but to operate Root needs instructions, a line of code. […]
Bill Gates says U.S. needs limits on covert email searches
Bill Gates said on Monday (April 18) that no one was an “absolutist” on either side of the digital privacy debate, but the co-founder of Microsoft Corp said he supports his company’s lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking the freedom to tell customers when federal agencies have sought their data. “There probably are some cases where (the government) should be able to go in covertly and get information about a company’s email,” Gates said at […]
Bill Gates says U.S. needs limits on covert email searches
(REUTERS) — Bill Gates said on Monday (April 18) that no one was an “absolutist” on either side of the digital privacy debate, but the co-founder of Microsoft Corp said he supports his company’s lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking the freedom to tell customers when federal agencies have sought their data. “There probably are some cases where (the government) should be able to go in covertly and get information about a company’s email,” […]
The digital age and its effects on the brain
TODAY’S teens are digital natives; a generation of children who have grown up with video games, computers, touchscreen tablets, mobile phones and virtual reality. While their brains have adapted to this ultrahightech environment, they might find it harder to resist impulsive behaviour and to engage in free and independent thinking. For millions of years the human brain has adapted to the challenge of writing, reading and more recently digital communication. Today this adaptation is […]
VR masks give chilling real-feel
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) – The newest form of arcade entertainment may be quite literally shocking for users at a new centre which opens up on Friday (April 15) in Tokyo. Using Virtual Reality equipment, the “VR Zone Project I Can” located in the tourist area of the island of Odaiba is designed to provide all kinds of experiences. With a price range from 700 ($6.4 USD) to 1000 yen ($9.15 USD), the customer can choose […]
No more curtains thanks to smart windows
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, United States (Reuters) – Curtains and blinds may soon be a design choice as opposed as to a tool for privacy. Windows that can transition between clear and cloudy in a second may soon be a reality thanks to technology under development at Harvard University’s School of Engineering Windows that can change opacity or color already exist but rely on electrochemical reactions that are expensive to manufacture, especially on a commercial scale. “They […]
Facebook brings ‘chat bots’ to Messenger
by Glenn CHAPMAN SAN Francisco, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Tuesday extended its reach beyond online socializing by building artificial-intelligence powered “bots” into its Messenger application to allow businesses to have software engage in lifelike text exchanges. The move announced at the leading online social network’s annual developers conference in San Francisco came as the number of monthly users of Messenger topped 900 million and the Silicon Valley company works to stay in tune […]