Author Archives: angel

British broadcaster Sky is launching a TV that streams content via the internet, removing the need for a satellite dish. The company describes Sky Glass as a “no-fuss” streaming TV. One expert said it would put the broadcaster in direct competition with TV makers such as Samsung and Sony. Another said while ditching the “outdated […]

Amazon is expanding its presence on the High Street by opening its first non-food store in the UK. The shop, in the Bluewater shopping mall near Dartford, will sell around 2,000 of its most popular and best-rated products. It’s called Amazon 4-star, because every item has been given more than four stars by customers. However, […]

The methods Amazon and other employers use to monitor, reward and discipline warehouse workers are being shaken up in California. State governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill prohibiting the workers from being fired for failing to meet a quota that does not allow for rest breaks. Amazon workers have complained of having to work […]

Amazon is launching Astro, its first household robot, powered by its Alexa smart home technology. The company said it can be remote-controlled when not at home, to check on pets, people, or home security. It can also patrol a home automatically and send owners a notification if it detects something unusual. Amazon said it was […]

Plans to make an “Instagram experience” for under-13s, dubbed Instagram Kids, have been paused. Facebook would use the time to listen to “parents, experts, policymakers and regulators”, Instagram head Adam Mosseri wrote. It follows leaked internal research the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) said showed Instagram was “toxic for teen girls”. But in a recent blog, […]

This week, Facebook has faced a series of accusations about its internal workings, based on revelations in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere. Much of the information comes from Facebook’s own internal documents, suggesting the company now has some whistle-blowers in its ranks. The documents will provide governments and regulators with plenty to pore over […]

Manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices, under a new rule proposed by the European Commission (EC). The aim is to reduce waste by encouraging consumers to re-use existing chargers when buying a new device. All smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers, the […]

Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, will limit use of the platform for children to 40 minutes a day. The rules will apply to users under 14, who have been authenticated using their real names, and who will be able to access it between 06:00 and 22:00. Parent company Bytedance announced the app’s Youth Mode in […]

A novel way of delivering high-speed internet via beams of light through the air has successfully transmitted data across the Congo River. It means that citizens in Brazzaville and Kinshasa could get faster and cheaper broadband. Project Taara is one of Alphabet X’s (formerly Google X) so-called moonshot ideas. It grew out of Project Loon, […]

Wikipedia has suffered an “infiltration” that sought to advance the aims of China, the US non-profit organisation that owns the volunteer-edited encyclopaedia has said. The Wikimedia Foundation told BBC News the infiltration had threatened the “very foundations of Wikipedia”. The foundation banned seven editors linked to a mainland China group. Wikimedians of Mainland China accused […]