Exploring the world is something that’s always been a bit of a luxury for those who can afford to travel, but technology is changing that. With VR and 360-degree videos, you can now immerse yourself in virtual environments that give you a real sense of what a place is like, without actually being there. Google has […]
A controversial data-sharing agreement between Google-owned AI company DeepMind and the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has caught the eye of the National Data Guardian — the government appointee who works with the Department of Health to try to ensure citizens’ confidential health data is safeguarded and used properly. The NDG role does not have powers of enforcement, so […]
There’s more than one way to monetize your online video content. Sure, you can go the old-fashioned route, making ads and clicks and such. But just wait until your preferred platform opens a one-off storefront where you can peddle your wares for the real money to roll in. Following the recent unveiling of a space in […]
The flow of Chinese capital into foreign ad-tech companies increased this morning with the acquisition of Media.net for $900 million USD. A consortium will be paying cash for the startup with key operation centers in New York City and Dubai. Eventually the company is set to be acquired from the consortium by Miteno Communication Technology, a Chinese tech conglomerate. The […]
This week, Uber revealed imminent plans to get passengers into self-driving cars, Gawker died, Snapchat made a big acquisition and an early stage SF venture firm may be imploding. Get the Weekly Roundup in your inbox, if that’s your thing. 1. Hackers calling themselves the Shadow Brokers collected NSA-created malware from a staging server run by a hacking […]
First, if you’re using Chrome apps on Windows, Mac or Linux, I’m sorry for your loss. Second, please take some solace in the fact that you really were one of a kind. As Google noted in a blog post today, active usage numbers were pretty low for the offering. Today, approximately 1% of users on Windows, […]
The team beyond Ticwatch 2, the Chinese smartwatch project that has crossed $1.5 million on Kickstarter, has confirmed which apps and services its wearable device will initially support. Mobvoi, the Google-backed company behind the project, uses its own modified version of Android to power the $139 watch rather than Android Wear. That means that it cannot support all the […]
In an age dominated by short attention spans, Boston Dynamics has managed to capture our imaginations time and again through sometimes frightening, sometimes adorable and always fascinating robots. But the company’s creations are far more than viral video machines. And now the founder and CEO Marc Raibert will join me for a fireside chat at […]
Google is making a number of announcements around its Cloud Platform today. Most of these focus on its various cloud database services, but the company is also making a major update to its low-cost Nearline cloud storage service for cold data, making its disk volumes faster, and allowing its users to bring their own encryption keys […]
Can Google spring back from its social failures with a bare-bones video-calling app that unites iOS and Android users? Today it’s launching Duo, which lets you video call people one-on-one via their phone number. The problem is they’ll have to download the app but won’t get any bells and whistles or the ability to connect with Google […]