Munich, Germany | AFP | Chinese electronics firm Huawei on Thursday unveiled its latest Mate 9 smartphone in Munich, designed to challenge global market leaders Apple and Samsung with features including a high-quality camera and higher-capacity battery. As Korea’s Samsung struggles with negative publicity following the high-profile recall of its …
Read More »Uber hits road with overhauled smartphone app
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Uber on Wednesday began rolling out an overhauled smartphone application that uses artificial intelligence in a bid to speed up and improve the ride-sharing experience. The update is the first major overhaul for the popular application since 2012 and aims to simplify usage …
Read More »German YouTube alive with sound of music after copyright deal
Frankfurt, Germany | AFP | One of the world’s most restrictive countries on access to music videos opened up on Tuesday as YouTube announced a deal with musicians’ body GEMA to pay when people stream music in Germany. YouTube users in the country had for years been confronted with a …
Read More »Facebook-owned Instagram getting into shopping
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Instagram on Tuesday said it will start testing features that let smartphone or tablet users easily buy items they find on the popular photo and video sharing service. The test slated to begin next week in the US will be tailored for Instagram …
Read More »Obama to hand @potus digital keys to successor
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House announced plans Monday for the transfer of power, online power that is — in the form of Twitter and other social media accounts with millions of followers. “The handle @POTUS will be made available to the 45th President of the United …
Read More »Tablet market shrinks as demand grows for hybrids
San Francisco, United States | AFP | The tablet market shrank in the recently-ended quarter, as shipments of bargain-priced computers with detachable screens hit a record high, according to market analysis firm International Data Corporation. Tablet makers shipped 43 million units in the quarter, down 14.7 percent from the number …
Read More »Uber lays out vision for flying commuter transit
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Uber on Thursday laid out a vision for on-demand aircraft that can whisk commuters to home or work in a fraction of the time it would take on the road. The ride-sharing giant assessed the feasibility of what it called “vertical take-off and …
Read More »Twitter to cut hundreds of jobs, seeks increased profits in 2017
Washington, United States | AFP | Twitter said Thursday it has a path to growth and profitability, even as the struggling social network unveiled hefty job cuts and more losses after talks to find a buyer collapsed. The company said it would cut nine percent of its workforce after another …
Read More »Verizon warily staying with deal to buy Yahoo
Laguna Beach, United States | AFP | A Verizon executive overseeing the deal to buy Yahoo said Wednesday the deal was moving ahead pending the outcome of an investigation into an epic hack. Verizon expected that within 60 days it would have the “outcome” of how the massive breach at …
Read More »Smartwatch sales tumble, dragged down by Apple
Washington, United States | AFP | Global smartwatch sales slid 51.6 percent in the third quarter, amid a steep decline for the Apple Watch ahead of its updated device, a market tracker said Monday. The IDC survey said total smartwatch volumes were 2.7 million units, less than half the level …
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