The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of Microsoft Corp in its bid to fend off class action claims by Xbox 360 owners who said the popular video game console gouges discs because of a design defect. The court, in a 8-0 ruling, overturned a 2015 decision by …
your ad hereBangladesh Trains Girls to Fight Online Predators
Bangladesh has begun training thousands of school girls to protect them from being blackmailed or harassed online following an alarming rise in cybercrimes. The Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Division of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Post, Telecommunication & Information Technology recently finished conducting a pilot project in which female students from …
your ad hereData Gathering Turns Zurich into Virtual City
Do you ever wonder what could be done with all of those street views and Instagram photos of your favorite city? Well, a group of technical experts has taken all that data and turned it into an amazingly detailed 3D city map. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad hereNew Google Project Digitizes World’s Top Fashion Archives
Anyone who has waited on a long, snaking line to get into a fashion exhibit at a top museum knows just how popular they’ve become — and more broadly, how fashion is increasingly seen as a form of artistic and cultural expression. Google is acknowledging this reality by expanding …
your ad hereApple CEO to MIT Grads: Tech Without Values is Worthless
Science is worthless if it isn’t motivated by basic human values and the desire to help people, Apple CEO Tim Cook told graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday, urging them to use their powers for good. In a commencement address, Cook — who as Apple’s chief …
your ad hereJapan’s SoftBank Buys Robotics Leader Boston Dynamics From Alphabet
Japanese internet, solar and technology company SoftBank Group Corp. is buying robotics pioneer Boston Dynamics from Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent. Terms of the deal, announced Friday, including when it might close, were not disclosed. Tokyo-based SoftBank, which offers the chatty childlike Pepper companion robot, said the purchase underlines how robotics …
your ad hereSE Asia Urged to Step Up Cooperation in Fight Against Cybercrime
Asia Pacific nations are facing rising challenges posed by cybercrime and security breaches amid escalating economic costs from cyber attacks. Regional businesses and governments say policy reforms are needed against a backdrop of a fast changing technological landscape and mounting vulnerabilities to cyber crime. Singapore has taken the regional lead …
your ad hereDocumentary "Zero Days" a Warning of Wide Scale Cyberattacks
The recent attack by the computer virus WannaCry infected more than 230,000 computers in more than 150 countries. It is not clear who is behind it, but the attack was hardly unexpected. Months earlier, award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney released his documentary “Zero Days,” in which he warned of massive cyberattacks …
your ad hereChinese Consumers Falling in Love with Gadgets
China’s open policy toward technology firms is rapidly transforming its society into a Western-style consumer environment, ever hungry for new gadgets. As a casual visitor at this year’s Shanghai Consumer Electronics Show could easily see, robots created the highest interest. VOA’s George Putic reports. …
your ad hereAutomakers Move Toward Automatic Braking at Different Speeds
Big automakers are rushing to launch self-driving cars as early as 2021, but the industry’s major players are moving slowly when it comes to widespread deployment of a less expensive crash prevention technology that regulators say could prevent thousands of deaths and injuries every year. Nissan said on Thursday it …
your ad hereIndia’s First Solar Satellite Television Service Brings ‘Magic’ to Villages
An Indian business has launched the country’s first solar satellite television service, bringing clean-energy-powered entertainment to households and businesses through a pay-as-you-go payment scheme. Simpa Networks, which began operations in 2011, is one of thousands of enterprises in India tapping into the renewable-energy market in a country where one-fifth of …
your ad hereCompanion Robots Featured at Shanghai Electronics Show
More than 50 companies are showcasing a new generation of robots at this week’s Shanghai CES electronics show, built to serve as companions at home, attendants at shopping malls or just provide entertainment. Chinese companies including Shenzhen-based startup Aelos Robotic Inc. are displaying robots with heightened dexterity and skills. Beijing’s …
your ad hereLab Fire-tests New Building Materials
New, lighter, cheaper, sustainable and recyclable building materials are entering the market every day as developers try to lower costs and shrink their carbon footprint. But how safe are those materials? Are they resistant to fire? VOA’s George Putic visited a new U.S. government facility that can provide scientific answers …
your ad hereFacebook Launches Features to Connect US Users, Elected Officials
Facebook announced three new features Wednesday that are intended to boost civic engagement among users in the United States on its platform by connecting them more easily with their elected representatives. The new offerings come as the social media juggernaut has sought to rehabilitate its image as a credible source …
your ad hereFacebook to Provide Data Maps to Help Agencies After Natural Disasters
Facebook is working with three global relief organizations to provide disaster maps — close to real-time data about where people are, where they are moving, and whether they are in danger in the hours and days after a flood, fire or earthquake. The social networking giant — with nearly 2 …
your ad hereDriverless Bus-train Hybrid Runs on Virtual Painted Tracks
A Chinese company has unveiled a driverless bus-train hybrid that uses white lines painted on the road to navigate. The company, CRRC, called the electric vehicle a “smart bus.” The Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit is made up of three cars, is 30 meters long and is capable of carrying about …
your ad hereUS Army Base Goes Green With Renewable Energy Project
The U.S. military’s biggest base on American soil has begun drawing nearly half of its power from renewable energy, days after President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of a global agreement to fight climate change. Fort Hood, in Texas, has shifted away from fossil fuels to wind- and solar-generated …
your ad hereChinese Firms Help Government Monitor Citizens with Big Data
A Chinese city is using big data provided by a phone company to track the movement of its migrant worker population, expanding the many ways China is using big data to not just enhance performance but also track the daily lives of its citizens. “When you buy a mobile phone …
your ad hereApple Unveils ‘HomePod’ Speaker, First New Product in Years
Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new “smart” home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning. The “HomePod” speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the …
your ad hereNew Smart Speaker Expected as Apple Kicks Off Conference
Apple appears poised to unveil a voice-activated, internet-connected speaker that would create a new digital pipeline into people’s homes. Tapping Apple’s Siri digital assistant, such a speaker is expected to serve as a butler as well as an outlet for listening to music. If the speculation pans out, the …
your ad hereFacebook Vows Steps to Create ‘Hostile Environment’ for Terrorists
Facebook said it wanted to make its social media platform a “hostile environment” for terrorists in a statement issued after attackers killed seven people in London and prompted Prime Minister Theresa May to demand action from internet firms. Three attackers rammed a rental van into pedestrians on London Bridge and …
your ad here3D Printers Move Into the World of Chocolate
The applications for 3-D printing keep coming. We’ve reported on 3-D printers being used in everything from robotics to games to baking. But now comes a sweet way to turn melted chocolate into works of art. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad here3-D Printers Move Into the World of Chocolate
The applications for 3-D printing keep coming. We’ve reported on 3-D printers being used in everything from robotics to games to baking. But now comes a sweet way to turn melted chocolate into works of art. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports. …
your ad herePerry Staying Busy, Gaining in Enthusiasm at Energy Department
Rick Perry twice ran for president and appeared as a contestant on TV’s Dancing with the Stars. But since becoming President Donald Trump’s energy secretary, Perry has kept a low profile and rarely has been seen publicly around Washington. Comedian Hasan Minhaj joked at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner …
your ad hereSilicon Valley Debates Future of H1B Employment-Based Visa
H1B visas were created to bring high-tech professionals from other countries to the US. The hub of high-tech innovation, Silicon Valley, has long benefited from the program. But the Trump administration has vowed to re-examine the program. In this report, narrated by Miguel Amaya, VOA’s Chu Wu talked to Silicon …
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