Tag: technology

Tokyo airport to be ‘scattered’ with robots for 2020 Olympics

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Visitors to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics can expect to arrive at an airport “scattered” with robots to help them, an official said Tuesday as he unveiled seven new machines to perform tasks from helping with luggage to language assistance. Among the seven robots on show was a fluffy cat mascot that can carry out simultaneous interpretation in four different languages. Visitors speak into a furry microphone, and translations appear instantly on […]

Duterte offers third telecom slot to China

(Agence France Presse) — President Rodrigo Duterte has offered China Telecom a slot to be the country’s third telecom provider to break up the dominance of two local firms, his spokesman said on Tuesday. The offer was part of Duterte’s efforts to improve ties between China and the Philippines, taking into account political as well as economic considerations, Harry Roque told reporters. “It was brought up in bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China. And […]

Blowing bubbles: Boom and bust from bulbs to bitcoin

by Richard CARTER Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Virtual currency Bitcoin — or “digital gold” to its fans — has enjoyed a gravity-defying rise along with wild price swings, sparking fears it could be the latest financial market “bubble.” Bitcoin was worth just a few US cents when it began life in 2009 and last week changed hands for a staggering $17,000 despite having no central bank backing and no legal exchange rate. Here […]

Apple to buy music recognizing app Shazam: report

NEW YORK, United States | AFP) — Apple is in talks to buy the popular song recognition app Shazam as the tech giant tries to compete with streaming leader Spotify, TechCrunch reported Friday. The technology news site, quoting unnamed sources, said that the deal could be announced Monday with financial terms not yet clear. A spokeswoman for Apple declined comment. Since its founding in 1999, Shazam has offered a high-tech solution to listeners’ longtime agony […]

‘Go home’ drone seeks to stop Japan overtime binge

by Miwa Suzuki Agence France-Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A drone that hovers over Japanese employees and blares music to force them to go home was unveiled Thursday, as the country tries to reduce its notoriously long work hours. The “T-Frend” buzzes over those trying to work late, blasting out the strains of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish tune typically used in Japan to announce that a store is closing. “You can’t really work when […]

IT Ministers choose Thailand as hub for ASEAN Cyber-Security Training

Information Technology ministers chose Thailand as the hub for ASEAN Cyber-Security Training during the recently concluded it Ministers’ Meeting in Cambodia, hoping this decision will lead to a stronger cyber security ecosystem in the Southeast Asian region. Thailand is tasked with improving the skills of 1,200 trainees of different security-related agencies of ASEAN-member states by 2021. This will enable ASEAN to cope with increasingly sophisticated threats affecting state agencies, the private sector and digital users, […]

Asian markets tumble on sell-off in tech, energy firms

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Technology and energy firms were the biggest losers as Asian markets tumbled on Wednesday, extending a retreat across Europe and New York. A global equity rally has hit the buffers this week as the US probe into Russia’s alleged election meddling sows uncertainty, Britain struggles to reach a Brexit deal with the European Union and traders remain cautious about Washington’s ability to push through tax cuts. A key drag for […]

London’s iconic black cabs go electric

by Robin Millard Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — London’s first electric-powered black cabs hit the streets on Tuesday, the British capital’s iconic taxis getting a facelift for the modern age that should help cut pollution in the city. The new-look cabs will meet the strict new emissions regulations required for all new London taxis from 2018. They are replacing the old diesel cabs, with more than 9,000 electric taxis — around half the […]

Lamborghini joins fast-growing SUV market

by Céline Cornu Agence France-Presse Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy (AFP) — Lamborghini, the fabled Italian sports car manufacturer, on Monday unveiled its new sport utility vehicle, accelerating into a fast-growing market already crowded with upmarket rivals. The Urus, as the four-wheel drive “super SUV” will be known, was revealed at the Volkswagen group-owned company’s historic home near Bologna. It will reach a top speed of 305 kilometers per hour (190 mph), can go from zero to 100 kph […]

10,000 Google staff set to police YouTube content: chief

LONDON, United States (AFP) — Google is set to deploy a staff of 10,000 to hunt down extremist content on its YouTube platform following recent criticism, the video-sharing site’s chief executive told Britain’s Daily Telegraph Tuesday. Susan Wojcicki admitted in the broadsheet that “bad actors” had used the website to “mislead, manipulate, harass or even harm.” British Prime Minister Theresa May has put pressure on internet giants to root out online radical material following a […]

Connected electric cars highlighted in L.A. auto show

LOS ANGELES, United States (Reuters) — The century-old Los Angeles Auto Show kicked off its press preview earlier this week with a focus on how to make green cars more connected. In addition to the  stunning debut of many new cars from top brands, the cooperation between IT companies and automakers has grabbed the most spotlight. IT giant Microsoft unveiled its cloud computing service platform for green cars at the show. Many car manufacturers said […]

Apple plans to design its own power chips

(Reuters) — Apple is designing its own power-management chips for use in iPhones from as early as 2018, according to the business daily, Nikkei. The news sank the shares of Apple’s current supplier, Dialog Semiconductors, in Frankfurt, even though Dialog said its business relationship with Apple hasn’t changed. But it’s a good move for Apple, says Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Technology Research, GBH Insights’ Daniel Ives. “So, I think there’s two sort of […]