CATEGORIES

MTA ASKS APPLE'S HELP TO SOLVE iPHONE MASK ISSUES

New York’s mass transit agency wants Apple to come up with a better way for iPhone users to unlock their phones without taking off their masks, as it seeks to guard against the spread of the coronavirus in buses and subways.

FEDERAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS KEY WAYS TO PREVENT SCHOOL ATTACKS

School officials nationwide should improve mental health resources, monitor student social media accounts and improve physical security measures, according to a Justice Department report on school safety released this week.

A SUPERB RYLANCE LIFTS UP LANGUOROUS ‘BARBARIANS'

Watching Mark Rylance play a man of basic decency getting swallowed up by an evil world — and a sadistic Johnny Depp — in “Waiting for the Barbarians,” I absent-mindedly jotted down in my notes: “Nobody does basic decency like Mark Rylance.”

APPEALS COURT TOSSES ANTITRUST RULING AGAINST QUALCOMM

A federal appeals court has overturned an antitrust ruling against Qualcomm, dismissing arguments that it unlawfully squeezed out cellphone chip rivals and charged excessive royalties to manufacturers such as Apple.

A Dangerous Dance For Microsoft

Buying TikTok would give the software giant a lift with consumers but risks unwelcome scrutiny

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.

FACE-OFF: NOISE-CANCELING TRUE WIRELESS EARBUDS

Nine wire-free options to self-isolate (from noise) on the go

Home Theater Hero

EPSON’S Home Cinema LCD projector lineup ranges from basic, inexpensive beamers designed for portable use to high-end models meant for serious home theater installations. Of these, we typically devote space to the company’s premium UB (Ultra Black) offerings such as the 5050UB 4K PRO-UHD (reviewed in the August/September issue and also on sound and vision. com), along with mid-range models like the 3800 under evaluation here.

Voice Control: The Good and the Bad

If George Orwell had lived to see millions of people voluntarily shelling out money to have listening devices installed inside of their homes, he’d likely shout, “I KNEW IT!” With untold R&D dollars having been poured into the development of voice assistants by Amazon, Google, and Apple, one of the most exciting developments in the home-control world over the past few years has been the addition of voice commands to systems. And while voice control is fantastic for doing some things, the experience comes up a bit short for others.

What's Local Dimming?

Q/A Wide angle

DISNEY 3Q REVENUE DROPS 42%, MISSING EXPECTATIONS

Walt Disney Co. reported that its net income fell dramatically in the three-month period that ended in June when it most of its theme parks were shuttered and theatrical movie releases were postponed.

WEST VIRGINIA: WIFI HOTSPOTS TO ALLOW VIRTUAL SCHOOL OPTIONS

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice announced that WiFi hotspots will be set up around the state to give students the option to take virtual classes when schools are scheduled to reopen in September.

COVID-19 RESHAPES AND REDUCES BACK-TO-SCHOOL SPENDING

For Michelle Lynn England, back-to-school shopping always meant heading to Target and the local mall with her two girls and dropping about $500 on each of them for trendy outfits.

SAMSUNG'S NEW PHONES TEST CONSUMER DEMAND FOR PRICEY GADGETS

Samsung aims to lift its sinking smartphone sales with three new models that will test consumer willingness to buy high-priced gadgets during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

PLUG IT IN: ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING STATION NUMBERS ARE RISING

When the electric car revolution arrives, will there be enough places to plugin?

GOOGLE UNVEILS BUDGET PIXEL PHONE AS PANDEMIC CURBS SPENDING

Google has started selling a long-delayed budget smartphone boasting the same highquality camera and several other features available in fancier Pixel models that cost hundreds of dollars more.

FACEBOOK LAUNCHES A NEW TIKTOK CLONE, INSTAGRAM REELS

Facebook’s Instagram is launching its answer to the hit short video app TikTok — Instagram Reels.

NINTENDO PROFIT ZOOMS AS VIRUS HAS HOMEBODIES PLAYING GAMES

Nintendo Co.’s profit multiplied more than sixfold in April-June as people stuck at home during the pandemic turned to playing video games.

GOOGLE BUYS $450M STAKE IN ADT TO GIVE NEST A NEW PERCH

Google is paying $450 million for a nearly 7% stake in longtime home and business security provider ADT Inc., a deal that will open new opportunities for one of the internet’s most powerful companies to extend the reach of its Nest cameras and voice-activated voice assistant.

HUAWEI: A GENUINE COMPETITOR TO APPLE AND GOOGLE

Now considered the poster child of China’s technology sector, Huawei has defied the odds in recent years amidst growing pressure from political leaders in the US and Europe.

GERMAN LASER TECH COMPANY SAYS GOV'T BLOCKS EXPORTS TO CHINA

A German company that specializes in laser communication says it is pulling out of uncompleted deals in China after the German government barred it from delivering hardware to the country.

AMAZON CLOSER TO LAUNCHING SATELLITES, UPPING INTERNET REACH

Amazon.com is one step closer to space.

FAA SPELLS OUT DESIGN CHANGES NEEDED IN GROUNDED BOEING JET

Federal regulators said they will require several design changes to the Boeing 737 Max to fix safety issues that arose in two deadly crashes and led to the worldwide grounding of the plane.

FLORIDA TEEN ARRESTED AS MASTERMIND OF TWITTER HACK

A Florida teen was identified last weekend as the mastermind of a scheme earlier this month that commandeered Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls and scammed people around the globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two other men were also charged in the case.

INSIDE BIG TECH: PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN WITH ‘HOT' EMAIL

The House Judiciary chairman was closing in on his Perry Mason moment with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Fortified with “hot” internal company documents, Rep. Jerrold Nadler was building his case at a hearing that seemed almost like a trial for Facebook and three other tech giants over alleged anti-competitive tactics.

VIRTUAL SCHOOL: TEACHERS WANT TO IMPROVE BUT TRAINING VARIES

After a rocky transition to distance learning last spring, Georgia teacher Aimee Rodriguez Webb is determined to do better this fall. She bought a dry-erase board and a special camera to display worksheets, and she set up her dining room to broadcast school lessons.

VIRGINIA FIRST TO ROLL OUT PANDEMIC APP FROM APPLE, GOOGLE

Virginia has rolled out a smartphone app to automatically notify people if they might have been exposed to the coronavirus, becoming the first U.S. state to use new pandemic technology created by Apple and Google.

PHIL SCHILLER ADVANCES TO APPLE FELLOW

Apple announced that Phil Schiller will become an Apple Fellow, continuing a storied career that began at Apple in 1987. In this role, which reports to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Schiller will continue to lead the App Store and Apple Events. Greg (Joz) Joswiak, a longtime leader within the Product Marketing organization, will join the executive team as senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.

SONY'S PROFIT UP AS PEOPLE STAYING HOME PLAY VIDEO GAMES

Japanese electronics and entertainment company Sony Corp. said that its April-June profit jumped 53% as its video game and other online businesses thrived with people staying home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

EU REGULATORS INVESTIGATING GOOGLE'S PLAN TO BUY FITBIT

European Union regulators opened an in-depth investigation into Google’s plan to buy fitness tracking device maker Fitbit.