Leaders from Human Rights Watch and Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic last week issued a dire warning that nations around the world haven’t been doing enough to ban the development of autonomous weapons — so-called “killer robots.” The groups issued a joint report that calls for a complete ban on these systems before […]
By John P. Mello Jr. Aug 28, 2018 5:00 AM PT Apple will release three new iPhones in September, according to Bloomberg — the latest media outlet to publish information from unnamed knowledgeable sources about the company’s plans. Although all the phones will have edge-to-edge displays, like the iPhone X, only two will have OLED […]
There’s a rumor in circulation that Amazon has been working on a DVR that would allow users to record live TV, and then stream that content to a smartphone and other mobile devices. Amazon aims to mount a direct challenge to DVR pioneer TiVo — a company that was at the forefront of digital video […]
By John P. Mello Jr. Aug 22, 2018 7:00 AM PT Microsoft on Monday said it has torpedoed a pair of websites designed to steal credentials from visitors to two Republican Party think tanks. The malicious websites were among six the company took down last week. A group of hackers affiliated with the Russian military […]
As a reporter, I cover a number of beats, including those related to advances in TV production and the technology that brings TV to our homes. In my lifetime I’ve seen some of the most significant advances in television, and unlike many who take it for granted, I have a very deep respect for TV. […]
Microsoft and Amazon on Wednesday announced the release of a public preview of the integration of their Cortana and Alexa voice assistants. Cortana will be available on amazon Echo devices, while Alexa will be available to U.S. customers on Windows 10 devices and on Harman Kardon Invoke speakers. “Our ongoing goal has been to make […]
Tesla is trending to fail spectacularly. (CEO Elon Musk actually has an impressive failure history.) Tesla has been burning cash at an unsustainable rate, and it keeps making avoidable mistakes that weaken it. Here’s what is weird: You’d think the firm’s biggest problem would be that every large car maker was working behind the scenes […]
The call came in less than an hour before the 8 a.m. shift was scheduled to start: A family emergency meant the regular caregiver for an elderly Dana Point, California, client couldn’t make her shift that day, so a replacement caregiver was needed ASAP. Homewatch CareGivers of San Juan Capistrano (Calif.) had to quickly find […]
By John P. Mello Jr. Aug 8, 2018 5:00 AM PT Artificial Intelligence plays a big role in Android 9, the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system, released Monday. Called “Android Pie,” the OS is designed to learn from its users’ behavior, and apply those lessons to simplify and customize their phone experiences. “From […]
Early reviews of the Microsoft Surface Go two-in-one, which hit shelves on Thursday, mainly have been positive. “It’s a tiny wonder of a computer — with a few flaws — that can do more than I would have given it credit for before I tried it,” wrote Dieter Bohn for The Verge. The Surface Go […]