CATEGORIES

CALIFORNIA RELEASES SMARTPHONE VIRUS TOOL AS CASES SOAR

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a voluntary smartphone tool to alert people of possible coronavirus exposure as cases soar higher, new restrictions are imposed and many people still say they won’t heed the pleas to stay home.

AURORA TO BUY UBER'S SELF-DRIVING VEHICLES ARM

Uber is selling off its autonomous vehicles development arm to Aurora as the ride-hailing company slims down after its revenues were pummeled by the coronavirus pandemic.

APPLE TO TIGHTEN APP PRIVACY, REMOVE APPS THAT DON'T COMPLY

Apple is stepping up privacy for app users, forcing developers to be more transparent about data collection and warning they could be removed if they don’t comply with a new anti-tracking measure, a company executive and regulators said this week.

AIRPODS MAX: ALL THE SOUND TECH YOU CAN GET

Apple may not have hosted an all-bells, all whistles event to show off its new headphones, but it didn’t need to: the company’s letting the sound speak for itself.

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.

AMERICANS CAN PAY THEIR CREDIT CARD BILLS, BUT FOR HOW LONG?

The coronavirus pandemic hasn’t stopped Americans from keeping up with their credit card payments, thanks in large part to government relief programs passed by Congress earlier this year.

POWERFUL M1: BENCHMARKS REVAL INCREDIBLE POWER OF NEW CHIP

Though it was always Apple’s intention to create leaner, faster machines when it transitioned to its own custom chip, even Craig Federighi revealed he was shocked when benchmarks were revealed. M1 takes the Mac in a whole new direction, revolutionizing computing once again.

HAWAII SEEKS TO BE SEEN AS A REMOTE WORKPLACE WITH A VIEW

Software engineer Raymond Berger begins his work day at 5 a.m., before the sun comes up over Hawaii.

THE PANDEMIC IS CHANGING HOLLYWOOD, MAYBE FOREVER

“No New ‘Movies’ Till Influenza Ends” blared a New York Times headline on Oct. 10, 1918, while the deadly second wave of the Spanish Flu was unfolding.

UK AUTHORIZES PFIZER CORONAVIRUS VACCINE FOR EMERGENCY USE

British officials authorized a COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use on Wednesday, greenlighting the world’s first shot against the virus that’s backed by rigorous science and taking a major step toward eventually ending the pandemic.

SALESFORCE TO BUY WORK CHAT SERVICE SLACK FOR $27.7 BILLION

Business software pioneer Salesforce.com is buying work-chatting service Slack for $27.7 billion in a deal aimed at giving the two companies a better shot at competing against longtime industry powerhouse Microsoft.

GM RETHINKS PLANNED STAKE IN ELECTRIC VEHICLE MAKER NIKOLA

General Motors will not be taking a stake in the electric vehicle company Nikola, and the company said that it was scuttling one of its marquee vehicles, an electric and hydrogen-powered pickup, after GM pulled technological support from the project.

DOORDASH LOOKING FOR A VALUATION OF NEARLY $30B

DoorDash is looking for a valuation of nearly $30 billion when it takes itself public, reflecting how integral food delivery has become in millions of people’s lives during the pandemic.

CHINA'S SPACE AMBITIONS: ROBOT ON MARS, A HUMAN ON THE MOON

China’s landing of its third probe on the moon is part of an increasingly ambitious space program that has a robot rover en route to Mars, is developing a reusable space plane and is planning to put humans back on the lunar surface.

CALIFORNIA PROVIDING $500M IN VIRUS AID FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

California will provide temporary tax relief and $500 million in aid to small businesses struggling because of coronavirus outbreak restrictions, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week.

BLACK FRIDAY SEES RECORD ONLINE AS US SHOPPERS STAY HOME

Black Friday online sales hit a new record this year as pandemic-wary Americans filled virtual carts instead of real ones.

US-EUROPEAN OCEAN MONITORING SATELLITE LAUNCHES INTO ORBIT

A U.S.-European satellite designed to extend a decades-long measurement of global sea surface heights was launched into Earth orbit from California last Saturday.

GLOBAL TECH GIANTS THREATEN TO LEAVE PAKISTAN OVER NEW RULES

Internet and technology companies have threatened to leave Pakistan after the government granted blanket powers to authorities to censor digital content, a move critics say was aimed at curtailing freedom of expression in the conservative Islamic nation.

DETROIT RESIDENTS CONCERNED ABOUT TRAFFIC CAMERA EXPANSION

Detroit officials’ plan to install 200 more traffic light-mounted cameras at city intersections is facing community resistance amid privacy and racial discrimination concerns.

BEST BUY REPORTS 3Q RESULTS THAT EXCEED WALL STREET VIEWS

Best Buy Co. reported fiscal third-quarter results that blew through analysts’ expectations as the nation’s largest consumer electronics retailer enjoyed surging demand for items like home theater and appliances that help people learn, cook, work and connect in their homes during the pandemic.

UNCHANGED FROM EARLY ESTIMATE, US ECONOMY GREW 33.1% IN Q3

The second of three estimates on U.S. growth for the July-September quarter was unchanged at a record pace of 33.1%. But a resurgence in the coronavirus is expected to slow growth sharply in the current quarter with some economists even raising the specter of a double-dip recession.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, SELL: RETAILERS WANT YOU TO WATCH AND SHOP

When Jenna Powell gets in front of a camera, she can sell $10,000 worth of sparkly dresses and tie-dye hoodies in 40 minutes.

LEFT FOR DEAD, TWICE, RADIOSHACK GETS ANOTHER SHOT ONLINE

RadioShack, a fixture at the mall for decades, has been pulled from brink of death, again.

BUSINESS: APPLE POSITIONS iPHONE 12 AS A CORPORATE MUST-HAVE

Critics labeled the iPhone 12 Apple’s biggest leap forward in years, with analysts suggesting that the Cupertino company will shift close to 70 million units before the end of 2020. As if the iPhone 12 range wasn’t popular enough, Apple has announced a partnership with carrier Verizon to make iPhone the most compelling business smartphone, offering 5G on the go.

CHINA LAUNCHES MISSION TO BRING BACK MATERIAL FROM MOON

China launched an ambitious mission on Tuesday to bring back rocks and debris from the moon’s surface for the first time in more than 40 years — an undertaking that could boost human understanding of the moon and of the solar system more generally.

ALIBABA CEO SAYS REGULATIONS FOR INTERNET FIRMS 'NECESSARY'

The chairman and CEO of e-commerce giant Alibaba Group praised Chinese regulators in a possible attempt to repair ties after the stock market debut of its former financial services arm was suspended following criticism of them by billionaire Alibaba founder Jack Ma.

EU Files Antitrust Charges Against Amazon Over Use of Data

European Union regulators filed antitrust charges this week against Amazon, accusing the e-commerce giant of using its access to data from companies that sell products on its platform to gain an unfair advantage over them.

Japan's Softbank Back in The Black As Investments Improve

Japanese technology company SoftBank Group Corp. said it bounced back to profitability in the last quarter as its investments improved in value.

SPACEX CAPSULE WITH 4 ASTRONAUTS REACHES SPACE STATION

SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts arrived Monday at the International Space Station, their new home until spring.

TWITTER LAUNCHES DISAPPEARING TWEETS THAT VANISH IN A DAY

Twitter is launching tweets that disappear in 24 hours called “Fleets” globally, echoing social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram that already have disappearing posts.