Archive

Microsoft on Monday confirmed that network issues crippled the consumer version of Skype. Some users reported no success in logging in. Others managed to log in, but weren't recognized as being online. The network issues affected only the consumer version of the service, according to Microsoft. So S...

German automaker Volkswagen on Sunday admitted that it installed software that doctored the pollution tests for diesel vehicles sold in the United States. Volkswagen stock, which is listed in Europe, fell more than 20 percent Monday morning on the announcement. The company apparently was concerned t...

Amazon has confirmed and detailed the bare-bones Fire tablet, which will sell for just $49 -- and it announced five other Fire family additions while it was at it. Flanking the Fire tablet are the refreshed Fire HD, the Fire TV with 4K, the Fire TV Stick with Voice Remote and the updated Fire Kids...

Someone perhaps even more flamboyant than Donald Trump may be getting involved in the U.S. presidential race -- and not on the Republican side. Notorious Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom is not running for office, but as his extradition case heats up in New Zealand, a possible Democratic candidate f...

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced his computer learning initiative, requiring that every student in the city's public schools be exposed to computer literacy training at every grade level within 10 years. The program will cost some $81 million over the next decade. The mayor expec...

The connected car and smart home markets are both at an early stage of development, but in many ways they have been growing in parallel. Both markets are enabled by the falling costs of sensors, networking technologies and data, as well as by expanded cloud services, the mass penetration of smartpho...

Shame on you Microsoft! Last week you admitted to downloading gigabits of Windows 10 data to users' hard drives without permission. The problem is, that move both took up our hard drive space and triggered Internet Service Provider fees. You didn't even ask our permission. Hey, Microsoft, who the he...

Companies that experience data security breaches have a lot to worry about -- but their problems encompass much more than responding to irate consumers. The business community also has to worry about the U.S. government, which can penalize e-commerce companies for failing to provide adequate protect...

Tatsumi Kimishima emerged as president of Nintendo, following a meeting of the board on Monday. Kimishima, 65, has taken up the positions of representative director and president, and he has shed the roles of managing director, general manager of corporate analysis and administration, division and g...

Google is putting a new spin on the news. Instead of relying on journalists to gather facts and report events the old-fashioned way, the company's News Lab, launched earlier this year, aims to deliver news stories through data. Case in point: Who needs polls to reveal that Donald Trump is the most p...

Apple is trumpeting the figures for its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus preorders, saying that it's on track to beat last year's first-weekend iPhone sales record of 10 million units. Last year's models included Apple's first large-screen smartphone, the iPhone 6 Plus. The new iPhones will start shipping Sept...

Google on Sunday named auto industry veteran John Krafcik to head up its autonomous vehicle division. Krafcik, former CEO of Hyundai's U.S. operations, will be the first CEO of Google's 6-year-old self-driving car project. "This is a great opportunity to help Google develop the enormous potential of...

Google on Wednesday released a revamped version of Google Wallet to keep the app alive following its imminent transformation into Android Pay, which began rolling out on Thursday. Google Wallet (New) also has a few capabilities that aren't available in the about-to-be-promoted version. The original ...

Google is rolling out Android Pay, its answer to Apple Pay. Android Pay allows shoppers to make purchases at more than a million retail locations across the U.S. It also stores gift cards and loyalty cards, and provides special offers directly to a user's mobile device. Android Pay is compatible wit...

Will size matter? That was the question in many minds on Wednesday, when Apple introduced its new 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet. "This is the iPad Pro," announced Apple CEO Tim Cook before a cheering throng at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. "It's the most capable and powerful iPad th...