CATEGORIES

TIKTOK: 2 BILLION USERS & COUNTING FOR THE WORLD-DOMINATING APP

With consumers cooped up at home amidst the coronavirus crisis, more and more of us are turning to our phones to fill our time and stay in contact with loved ones. Though all networks have reported an increase in user engagement, it’s the viral video app TikTok that has benefitted from lockdown the most, passing the two billion user mark. But its success poses new questions: how safe is the new kid on the block, and what’s the future of social media?

STREAMING WARS: MUSIC REVENUE UP & THE TRILLION-DOLLOR TV BATTLE

With 79% of music industry revenue coming from streaming and digital sales at an all-time low, it’s clear the future of entertainment is via subscriptions. But in a world where everything is rented, questions must be asked over budgets, and the evolution of content consumption.

MICRO- LOCATION: SEE WHERE WE'RE HEADED

Far beyond helping you get from A to B or find your keys, location technology is unlocking unimaginable possibilities for the future of travel, education, entertainment, and business. With the right strategy, the tech in our pockets will make the world smaller than ever before.

INTERNET OF THINGS: INNOVATIONS HAPPENING IN EVERY SPACE

IoT is changing the way we live. Virtually every aspect of our lives has been digitized; from turning on our lights before we arrive home to prescribing medication without a doctor.

FRONT LINE: TECH GIANTS JOIN FIGHT AGAINST OUTBREAK

As large parts of the world go into lockdown to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus, tech companies are rallying their troops to join the battle against COVID-19. From generous donations to breakthrough innovations, the biggest players in technology could be the key to unlocking a vaccine and helping to restore our world to a more normal state of affairs.

DRONES: SOARING INNOVATIONS CHANGE THE WORLD

There are few pieces of technology that excite us quite like drones. Though these unmanned ariel marvels aren’t new, it’s only now that we’re realizing their full potential across virtually every aspect of our lives, including entertainment, public services, travel, and distribution…

CLASSROOM: USING TECH FOR KIDS' HOME EDUCATION

As parents grapple with school closures and working from home, they’re also facing a bigger challenge: homeschooling their children for the first time in their lives. Indeed, it might not be possible to recreate the classroom in your lounge, but with the right mindset, equipment and software, teaching your kids from the sofa doesn’t have to leave you scratching your head.

DECADE OF iPAD: HOW THE TABLET CHANGED THE WORLD

In 2010, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to the stage to announce a device that would revolutionize the way we read, watch, learn, and work. Ten years on, the iPad remains one of Apple’s most iconic products, ushering in a personal computing experience that continues to evolve at speed.

TRACK & TRACE: APPLE & GOOGLE FIGHT COVID-19 TOGETHER

It was a partnership that nobody saw coming, for a virus none of us expected. As Apple and Google’s historic collaboration sees them develop contact tracing tech to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, many are asking how it will work, and how our privacy will be respected.

China Orders Removal Of 105 Apps, including TripAdvisor

Companies including the Chinese arm of TripAdvisor Inc. have been ordered by regulators to overhaul their mobile phone apps in what the Chinese government said is a crackdown on pornography and other improper content.

AGENCY HOMING IN ON SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES' DATA COLLECTION

Federal regulators are ordering Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, TikTok’s parent and five other social media companies to provide detailed information on how they collect and use consumers’ personal data and how their practices affect children and teens.

WHICH WINTER SPORTS ARE SAFEST TO PLAY DURING COVID-19?

Which winter sports are safest to play during the pandemic?

IN WALL STREET YEARS, 2020 FELT LIKE A DECADE FOR MARKETS

While lockdown life has kept time standing still for nearly everyone through 2020, Wall Street has been locked in at super fast-forward.

THE REAL MATH BEHIND “NET ZERO” CARBON EMISSIONS

More than 100 countries — responsible for about two-thirds of the world’s heat-trapping gases — have announced plans to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to “net zero” in coming decades to help curb man-made climate change.

RETAILERS URGE SHOPPERS TO BUY EARLY AMID SHIPPING CRUNCH

A number of retailers, including J.C. Penney, Lowe’s and Kohl’s, are telling shoppers they need to place their online orders soon or else pay expedited shipping fees if they want to get their packages delivered in time for the holidays.

DISNEY UNVEILS PLANS TO STREAM A GALAXY OF NEW SERIES, FILMS

The Walt Disney Co.’s streaming plans shifted into hyper speed, as the studio unveiled a galaxy’s worth of new streaming offerings including plans for 10 “Star Wars” series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+.

HOW BAD IS THE HACK THAT TARGETED US AGENCIES?

Governments and major corporations worldwide are scrambling to see if they, too, were victims of a global cyberespionage campaign that penetrated multiple U.S. government agencies and involved a common software product used by thousands of organizations.

JAPAN SPACE AGENCY CONFIRMS ASTEROID SOIL INSIDE CAPSULE

Japan’s space agency said it has confirmed the presence of black soil samples inside a capsule that the spacecraft Hayabusa2 brought back from a distant asteroid last week.

APPLE'S APP STORES OPEN NEW PRIVACY WINDOW FOR CUSTOMERS

Apple has begun spelling out what kinds of personal information is being collected by the digital services displayed in its app stores for iPhones and other products made by the trendsetting company.

CALIFORNIA SUBPOENAS AMAZON OVER WORKER SAFETY IN PANDEMIC

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra asked this week a judge to order Amazon to comply with subpoenas his office issued nearly four months ago as part of an investigation into how the company is protecting workers from the coronavirus at its facilities.

Capsule With Asteroid Samples Arrives In Japan For Research

Japanese space agency officials were delighted by the return of a small capsule containing asteroid soil samples obtained by their Hayabusa2 spacecraft and were anxiously waiting to look inside after preparations are complete.

Airnbn, Resilient in Pandemic, Goes Forward With IPO

Airbnb proved its resilience in a year that has upended global travel. Now it needs to prove to investors that it sees more growth ahead.

HOW PHONES CAN ALERT YOU TO COVID-19 EXPOSURE

More than 8.1 million people in the U.S. have turned their iPhones and Android devices into pandemic contact-tracing tools, but it hasn’t been of much use when their neighbors, classmates and coworkers aren’t on the same system.

GOOGLE, AMAZON FINED $163 MILLION BY FRENCH PRIVACY WATCHDOG

France’s data privacy watchdog said Thursday it has fined Google 100 millions euros ($121 million) and Amazon 35 million euros ($42 million) for breaching the country’s rules on advertising cookies.

ANOTHER JUDGE BLOCKS TRUMP'S TIKTOK BAN; APP STILL IN LIMBO

A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempts to ban TikTok, the latest legal defeat for the administration as it tries to wrest the popular app from its Chinese owners.

US GOVT, STATES SUE FACEBOOK FOR ‘PREDATORY' CONDUCT

The U.S. government and 48 states and districts sued Facebook Wednesday, accusing it of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors and seeking remedies that could include a forced spinoff of the social network’s Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services.

LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE 2020, TAXES WILL BE LIKE NO OTHER YEAR

It’s the time of year to start thinking about taxes — but the upcoming filing season is going to be a bit trickier for many Americans due to rampant unemployment, working from home and general upheaval due to COVID-19.

REORIENTING THE CRIME DRAMA IN ‘I'M YOUR WOMAN'

When it’s at its best, “I’m Your Woman” feels like you’ve slipped through a trap door, revealing a hidden pathway in an old genre apparatus.

FEDS: FRAUDSTER DUPED INVESTORS WITH FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT NASA

The founder of a nanotechnology company was arrested Wednesday on fraud charges after authorities said he accepted over $12 million from investors who were told NASA was helping him develop a breathalyzer to detect cancer and narcotics.

Airbnb Hopes To Raise Up To $2.6B In Mid-December IPO

Airbnb hopes to raise as much as $2.6 billion in its initial public stock offering this month, betting investors will see its home-sharing model as the future of travel.