CATEGORIES

Apple, Google Build Virus Tracing Tech Directly Into Phones

Apple and Google are trying to get more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus by building more of the necessary technology directly into phone software.

A Low-Key 'Secret Garden' That Still Blooms

For more than a century, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden,” first published in 1911, has endured.

Amazon Wins FAA Aproval to Deliver Packages by Drone

Getting an Amazon package delivered from the sky is closer to becoming a reality.

15 Years Later, Walmart to Launch It's Answer to Amazon Prime

Walmart is launching a new membership service that it hopes can compete with Amazon Prime.

UBER TO REQUIRE THAT PASSENGERS PROVIDE FACE-MASK SELFIES

Mask slackers will now have to provide photographic proof they’re wearing a face covering before boarding an Uber.

THIRD VIRUS VACCINE REACHES MAJOR HURDLE: FINAL US TESTING

A handful of the dozens of experimental COVID-19 vaccines in human testing have reached the last and biggest hurdle — looking for the needed proof that they really work as a U.S. advisory panel suggested this week a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine wins approval.

SAMSUNG TOUTS $2,000 FOLDABLE PHONE AS A ‘VIP' EXPERIENCE

Samsung’s second attempt at a foldable smartphone will come with a $2,000 price tag and a few elite perks aimed at affluent consumers still able to afford the finer things in life during tough times.

CONTROL OVER ADVERTS: iOS 14 FEATURES WILL CHANGE THE BATTLEFIELD

With the release of iOS 14 just around the corner, advertising giants are quaking in their boots, concerned that the Cupertino company’s upcoming changes will put the breaks on their success. Apple has made it clear: consumers should be in control over their data, and in a few weeks’ time, a real revolution will begin in the world of digital advertising…

VIRTUAL LEARNING SITES SPROUT UP TO HELP WORKING PARENTS

A dance studio in Florida. A martial arts center in Missouri. Libraries in San Francisco. These and other places are taking on a somewhat unlikely new role this fall — welcoming children for supervised distance learning while their parents go to work.

ZOOM GLITCHES, BRIEFLY GRINDING US SCHOOLS TO A HALT

Teachers and parents got a brief glimpse of a new kind of pandemic-era nightmare Monday when Zoom — the video-conferencing service that powers everything from distance learning to business meetings to casual, socially distant get-togethers — abruptly went dead.

FACE MASKS AMID THE ART: NEW YORK CITY'S MUSEUMS TO REOPEN

When the iconic T. Rex at the American Museum of Natural History again welcomes visitors, it will gaze down at humans acting a bit differently.

US CONSUMER CONFIDENCE FALLS IN AUGUST TO LOWEST IN 6 YEARS

U.S. consumer confidence fell for the second consecutive month, sinking to the lowest levels in more than six years as a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in many parts of the country heightened pessimism.

‘THE 24TH' IS A SOBERING HISTORY LESSON FOR TODAY

On Aug. 23, 1917, four months after the U.S. had entered World War I, the all-Black 3rd battalion of the U.S. Army’s 24th Infantry Regiment mutinied in Houston.

ALIBABA'S ANT GROUP FILES FOR IPO IN HONG KONG, SHANGHAI

Ant Group, the financial technology arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, filed for a dual listing in Hong Kong and Shanghai, in what may be the largest share offering since the coronavirus pandemic began.

APPLE CEO TIM COOK IS FULFILLING ANOTHER STEVE JOBS VISION

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died in 2011, was a tough act to follow. But Tim Cook seems to be doing so well at it that his eventual successor may also have big shoes to fill.

ORDERS FOR BIG-TICKET US MANUFACTURED GOODS JUMPED 11.2%

Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods jumped 11.2% in July, the third consecutive monthly gain.

JULY SALES OF NEW HOMES SURGE 13.9%, FAR MORE THAN THOUGHT

Sales of new homes jumped again in July, rising 13.9% as the housing market continues to gain traction following a spring downturn caused by pandemic-related lockdowns.

AIRBNB: REVOLUTIONIZING TRAVEL THROUGH TECH

After a turbulent year with the coronavirus pandemic putting a halt to the world’s travel plans, rental giant Airbnb is preparing to go public. Over the past decade, the Silicon Valley startup has transformed the way we sleep and explore, and its dominance will only continue to grow.

Walmart's Online Sales Soar as Shoppers Stock Up on Supplies

Americans turned to Walmart’s online business as well as its stores for supplies and home goods as the virus surged in new regions, resulting in soaring sales for the fiscal second quarter.

Apple 1st US Company to Be Valued at $2 Trillion

Apple is the first U.S. company to boast a market value of $2 trillion, just two years after it became the first to reach $1 trillion.

Google Says Australians Could Lose Free Search Services

Google warned that the Australian government’s plan to make digital giants pay for news content threatens users’ free services in Australia and could result in their data being given to media organizations.

VIRUS PANDEMIC RESHAPING AIR TRAVEL AS CARRIERS STRUGGLE

In a bid to survive, airlines are desperately trying to convince a wary public that measures like mandatory face masks and hospital-grade air filters make sitting in a plane safer than many other indoor settings during the coronavirus pandemic.

UNIVERSITIES SCRAMBLE TO DEAL WITH VIRUS OUTBREAKS

North Carolina’s flagship university canceled in-person classes for undergraduates just a week into the fall semester Monday as college campuses around the U.S. scramble to deal with coronavirus clusters linked in some cases to student housing, off-campus parties and packed bars.

THE APP STORE: FOUNDATIONS OF QUALITY AND PRIVACY

After months of tensions between Fortnite maker Epic and Apple, the Cupertino company ultimately dealt its killer blow: removing the billion-dollar game from the App Store, with Google following suit hours later.

TARGET SALES SURGE AS AMERICANS LEAN ON BIG BOX STORES

Target reported recorded-setting sales growth online and at established stores over the past three months, more evidence that big-box retailers have become essential points of supply during the pandemic.

WITH TRAVEL LIMITED, HOLLYWOOD LOOKS TO ‘GAME CHANGER' TECH

New LED video wall technology used in making last year’s “The Lion King” and “The Mandalorian” series could become more widespread as Hollywood production ramps back up during the pandemic.

MANY STEPS NEEDED FOR ACCURATE COVID-19 TEST RESULTS

A widely used coronavirus test is under scrutiny this week after federal health officials warned that it could deliver inaccurate results if laboratory technicians don’t follow the latest updates from the manufacturer.

JUDGE OKS $60M SETTLEMENT OVER TESLA BUYOUT OF SOLARCITY

A Delaware judge has approved a $60 million settlement in a shareholder lawsuit challenging electric car maker Tesla Inc.’s $2 billion acquisition of solar-panel installer SolarCity in 2016.

FOR PANDEMIC JOBLESS, THE ONLY REAL CERTAINTY IS UNCERTAINTY

For three decades, Kelly Flint flourished as a corporate travel agent, sending everyone from business titans to oil riggers around the planet. Then came the worst pandemic in a century, leaving her jobless and marooned in an uncertain economy.

TESLA AND APPLE BOOSTS TURBOCHARGED STOCK WITH PLAN FOR SPLIT

Tesla will split its stock for the first time in its history so more investors can afford to buy a stake in the electric car pioneer following a meteoric rise in its market value.