MICROSOFT BACK IN THE SMARTPHONE BUSINESS WITH ITS NEW DUO

The Duo has two 5.6-inch displays and, when opened like a book, is a slim 4.8 millimeters thick, making it what the company says is the thinnest device on the market.

IN A FIRST, AIRBNB TAKES ACTION AGAINST GUEST FOR PARTY

For the first time, Airbnb is taking legal action against a guest for violating its ban on unauthorized parties.

ANDROID PHONES TO TRACK QUAKES; CALIFORNIA GETS ALERT SYSTEM

Android phones will be used to sense earthquakes around the world and may one day be able to provide global warnings, with the first mass alert system unveiled this week in California, Google announced.

FACEBOOK BEEFS UP ANTI-MISINFO EFFORTS AHEAD OF US ELECTION

Beginning this week, U.S. Facebook users who post about voting may start seeing an addendum to their messages -- labels directing readers to authoritative information about the upcoming presidential election.

NEW MEXICO'S LARGEST NEWSPAPERS COMBINE PRINTING OPERATIONS

The Albuquerque Journal and the Santa Fe New Mexican newspapers are partnering to print both publications at the The New Mexican’s production facility in Santa Fe in a cost-cutting move.

TRIBUNE CLOSING 5 NEWSROOMS INCLUDING NY DAILY NEWS

Tribune Publishing Company, which owns some of the most storied newspapers in American journalism, said that it is closing the newsrooms at five of them, including New York’s Daily News and The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Maryland.

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.

RECORD SURGE IN DAILY SHIPPING VOLUMES FOR UPS IN 2Q

The pandemic-fueled boom in online shopping shows no signs of slowing down, providing more business for delivery companies like United Parcel Service Inc.

IN REVERSAL, CES GADGET SHOW WON'T BE IN-PERSON AFTER ALL

CES, one of the world’s biggest technology conferences, will be a virtual event in January due to the coronavirus pandemic, a reversal from May when organizers said it would go on as a smaller gathering in Las Vegas.

HAWAII PLACED ON JAPANESE LIST OF SAFE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS

Hawaii was listed among 12 countries and regions the Japanese government considers safe international travel destinations for its citizens during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

PANDEMIC HITS COMCAST 2Q; PEACOCK SERVICE HAS 10M SIGN-UPS

The coronavirus pandemic took a toll on Comcast in the second quarter as movie theaters closed, theme parks shut down and advertisers cut back.

STARBUCKS SAYS IT SEES BETTER TIMES AHEAD AS STORES REOPEN

Starbucks’ revenue shrank 38% in its most recent quarter but the coffee giant says it’s recovering faster than expected as its stores reopen from coronavirus lockdowns.

HUAWEI OVERTAKES SAMSUNG AS TOP SMARTPHONE SELLER: REPORT

A technology research firm says Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the world’s biggest smartphone seller, as its home market in China emerged from the coronavirus pandemic better off than other economies.

GARMIN ACKNOWLEDGES CYBERATTACK, DOESN'T MENTION RANSOMWARE

The GPS device maker Garmin Ltd. acknowledged this week being victimized by a cyberattack last week that encrypted some of its systems, knocking its fitness tracking and pilot navigation services offline. It said systems would be fully restored in the next days.

FOR THESE KIDS, NO ADVENTURES TO CHOOSE

On a recent car ride, my sons, Billy and Jimmy, were discussing an interactive “Minecraft” show on Netflix that allowed them to choose the direction of the story. I said it sounded like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book, an artifact of my 1980s childhood.

ANOTHER DULL GO-AROUND WITH ‘THE KISSING BOOTH 2'

We all like bad movies when we’re young and sometimes we like good movies for the wrong reasons. I can pretend my 11-year-old self loved “Clueless” when it came out in 1995 for its smart satire of teen movies in a modernized Jane Austen framework. But if I’m being honest, it definitely had more to do with that dreamy Los Angeles high school lifestyle, a burgundy baby doll dress, a fuzzy pink pen and a handsome love interest. It just happens that “Clueless” was also a good movie.

EU, IN FIRST-EVER CYBER SANCTIONS, HITS RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE

The European Union slapped sanctions on six people and three organizations, including Russia’s military intelligence agency, accusing them of responsibility for several cyber-attacks that threatened EU interests.

FACEBOOK'S VOTING LABELS ON CANDIDATE POSTS SOW CONFUSION

Facebook has started adding informational labels to all posts about voting by federal elected officials and candidates in the U.S., as it said it would do. But the move appears to be sowing confusion rather than dispelling it.

JUMBOS RETIRED: BRITISH AIRWAYS BIDS FAREWELL TO BOEING 747S

The “queen of the skies” will no longer don the red, white and blue of the Union Jack after British Airways retired its fleet of Boeing 747s as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.