Tag: lifestyle

Apple’s Tim Cook calls for privacy bill with right to delete data

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Apple chief executive Tim Cook called on US lawmakers Thursday to pass privacy legislation enabling consumers to see and delete their harvested online personal data from a central clearinghouse. Cook, writing in Time magazine, offered his view as the US Congress was set to consider tougher enforcement of privacy and data protection for online platforms. Several lawmakers and activist organizations have proposed data privacy measures, some of which contain elements […]

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Google acquires Fossil smartwatch tech for $40 mn

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Google agreed to pay $40 million for the smartwatch technology of the fashion and accessory group Fossil, the companies said Thursday, enabling the California tech giant to expand in the growing wearable tech market. As part of the deal, Texas-based Fossil Group’s research and development team working on the smartwatch will join Google, which will acquire the intellectual property for Fossil smartwatches, the firms said. The move would give […]

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Brazil museum holds first exhibition since fire

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AFP) — Brazil’s historic National Museum on Wednesday displayed fossils discovered in the Antarctic at an off-site venue in its first exhibition since the Rio-based institution was gutted by fire last year. Among the fossils on display at a sister museum — the Palace of the House of Money — was a bone from a pterodactyl, which the National says is the first evidence of a big reptile species from the Jurassic […]

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Mobile app spend soars with China a top market: report

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Mobile app downloads are surging around the world with growth in smartphone use, with nearly half coming from China, a market tracker said Wednesday. Mobile research firm App Annie forecast that the amount of money spent on apps for smartphones or tablet computers this year will grow five times as fast as the global economy, surpassing $120 billion. “Games will fuel the bulk of consumer spend growth in the […]

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YouTube clarifies rules on pranks as risky memes rage

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — YouTube on Tuesday clarified rules against posting videos of dangerous pranks, as risky “challenges” prompt people to video themselves doing things like biting into laundry soap or driving blindfolded. The company already forbid content inciting dangerous activities likely to result in serious harm. But the clarifications “make it clear that challenges like the Tide pod challenge or the Fire challenge, that can cause death and/or have caused death in some […]

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Tech to the rescue: New products aim to improve disaster relief

by Julie CHARPENTRAT Agence France Presse LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — After catastrophic wildfires in southern California late last year, the Israeli startup Watergen sent in its devices which pull clean water out of the atmosphere for firefighters and relief workers. The machines, which have been deployed in other global disaster areas, were among the technologies on display at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show to highlight innovations which can be used in various kinds […]

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Virtual reality makes splash, but not ready for prime time

by Glenn CHAPMAN Agence France LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Virtual reality showed off its spectacular side at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, whisking people onto hockey arenas, baseball fields and even into the internet with animated film trouble-maker “Wreck-it Ralph.” But even with the impressive visuals, VR appeared to be in the slow lane toward mass adoption, according to analysts and industry attendees at the massive technology trade show. “VR is not […]

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Facial recognition: Coming to a gadget near you

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Imagine walking into a store where a robot greets you by name, lets you know that your online order is ready, and then suggests other products you might want pick up. Facial recognition is making that possible as the technology gains traction in a range of consumer products, automobiles, and retail and hotel services, in addition to its longstanding but controversial use in […]

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Deere puts spotlight on high-tech farming

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — It has GPS, lasers, computer vision, and uses machine learning and sensors to be more efficient. This is the new high-tech farm equipment from John Deere, which made its first Consumer Electronics Show appearance this week to highlight the importance of tech in farming. Deere brought its massive agricultural combine and GPS-guided tractor to the Las Vegas technology event, making the point that farming is more than sticking a […]

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US startup eyes next generation of burgers with relish

by Rob Lever Agence France Presse LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Can a “high-tech” burger help save the planet? In one sense, it’s just a patty made from plant protein. But the founders of California-based Impossible Foods argue the product can have a big impact by reducing the amount of land needed for beef and other livestock production. Impossible Foods, which began in 2011, chose the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to launch […]

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High-tech border wall plan on display at CES

LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — The same technology used in self-driving cars is being touted as a potential high-tech solution to the US border wall conundrum — with some added benefits. At least one startup at the Consumer Electronics show is showcasing how Lidar, a laser-based detection system widely used in autonomous vehicles, could be deployed along the US-Mexico border at a far lower cost than a physical wall or fence, and with fewer […]

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