Innholdsfortegnelse for #509 i Techlife News

Concerns about a revenue growth slowdown pushed Facebook’s shares lower in after-hours trading Wednesday, not long after the company reported that its second-quarter profits doubled thanks to a massive increase in advertising revenue. But CEO Mark Zuckerberg set his sights far beyond the second half of 2021, exalting what he sees as the next phase of how people experience the internet. What the rest of the world might know as augmented and virtual reality with a dash of science fiction, Zuckerberg and others are calling “the metaverse,” a futuristic and somewhat vague notion that encompasses AR, VR and new, yet-to-be-imagined ways of connecting to one another via technology. Zuckerberg expects the metaverse to be the next big thing after the mobile internet, although he’s had a spotty track record when…

American Airlines plans to invest in a Chilean budget airline and sell seats on each other’s flights to help American extend its reach in South America. American said Thursday that it has signed a letter of intent for the deal with JetSmart. American executives declined to say how much the airline proposes to invest in JetSmart other than describing it as a minority stake. If the companies close the deal and win government approval, travelers could earn and spend American frequent-flyer points on JetSmart flights. Vasu Raja, American’s chief revenue officer, said the deal would let both airlines grow profitably throughout Latin America as the travel industry recovers from the pandemic. He said two-thirds of passengers on American flights to and from South America start in South America, and the…

Russia’s long-delayed lab module successfully docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, eight days after it was launched from the Russian space launch facility in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The 20-metric-ton (22-ton) Nauka module, also called the Multipurpose Laboratory Module, docked with the orbiting outpost in an automatic mode after a long journey and a series of maneuvers. Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed the module’s contact with the International Space Station at 13:29 GMT. The launch of Nauka, which is intended to provide more room for scientific experiments and space for the crew, had been repeatedly delayed because of technical problems. It was initially scheduled to go up in 2007. In 2013, experts found contamination in its fuel system, resulting in a long and costly replacement. Other Nauka systems also underwent…

Rana el Kaliouby co-founded and led Boston startup Affectiva, which uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to analyze mood and emotion. Now she’s got a new job as deputy CEO of Smart Eye, after the Swedish eye-tracking company bought Affectiva for $73.5 million in June. The auto industry is the prime market for Kaliouby and competitors like Australia-based Seeing Machines. Carmakers are bracing for new safety rules and standards around the world that could require dashboard cameras to detect dangerous driver behavior, especially in vehicles that are partly driving themselves but still need human attention. El Kaliouby says that’s just the beginning of where in-car AI systems are going. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Q: Ten years from now, a family’s in a car. What might…

Three tech companies — Apple, Microsoft and Google owner Alphabet — reported combined profits of more than $50 billion in the April-June quarter, underscoring their unparalleled influence and success at reshaping the way we live. Although these companies make their money in different ways, the results served as another reminder of the clout they wield and why government regulators are growing increasingly concerned about whether they have become too powerful. The massive profits pouring into each company also illustrated why they have a combined market value of $6.4 trillion -- more than double their collective value when the COVID-19 pandemic started 16 months ago. APPLE Apple’s first iPhone model capable of connecting to ultrafast 5G wireless networks continued to power major increases in quarterly revenue and profits for tech’s most…

Tesla’s quarterly profit has surpassed $1 billion for the first time thanks to the electric car pioneer’s ability to navigate through a pandemic-driven computer chip shortage that has caused major headaches for other automakers. The financial milestone announced this week extended a two-year run of prosperity that has erased questions about Tesla’s long-term viability raised during its early years of losses and production problems. Tesla now has cemented its position as the leader in the shift away from gas-combustion that is expected to make it even more profitable than during its most recent quarter. The Palo Alto, California, company earned $1.1 billion, or $1.02 per share, in the April-June period. That was more than 10 times its profit at the same time last year. Revenue nearly doubled from last year…

A quake-measuring device on Mars is providing the first detailed look at the red planet’s interior, revealing a surprisingly thin crust and a hot molten core beneath the frigid surface. In a series of articles published this week, scientists reported that the Martian crust is within the thickness range of Earth’s. The Martian mantle between the crust and core is roughly half as thick as Earth’s. And the Martian core is on the high side of what scientists anticipated, although smaller than the core of our own nearly twice-as-big planet. These new studies confirm that the Martian core is molten. But more research is needed to know whether Mars has a solid inner core like Earth’s, surrounded by a molten outer core, according to the international research teams. Stronger marsquakes…

Google is postponing a return to the office for most workers until mid-October and rolling out a policy that will eventually require everyone to be vaccinated once its sprawling campuses are fully reopened in an attempt to fight the spreading Delta variant. In a Wednesday email sent to Google’s more than 130,000 employees, CEO Sundar Pichai said the company is now aiming to have most of its workforce back to its offices beginning Oct. 18 instead of its previous target date of Sept. 1. The decision also affects tens of thousands of contractors who Google intends to continue to pay while access to its campuses remains limited. “This extension will allow us time to ramp back into work while providing flexibility for those who need it,” Pichai wrote. And Pichai…

China’s industry ministry has announced a 6-month campaign to clean up what it says are serious problems with internet apps violating consumer rights, cyber security and “disturbing market order.” The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said in an online notice that, among other things, companies must fix pop-ups on apps that deceive and mislead users or force them to use services they might not want. The order is part of a wider effort to crack down on tech industries and police use of personal information. Authorities have ordered fines and other penalties for some of China’s biggest tech companies. This latest campaign was launched with a teleconference call, the ministry said. It issued its 15th list of do zens of apps it has said require fixing. Among 22 specific…

Sky-high sales prices for its pickup trucks and SUVs helped Ford Motor Co. turn a surprise second-quarter profit despite a global shortage of computer chips that cut factory output in half. The Dearborn, Michigan, company said Wednesday that it made $561 million from April through June, largely because of cost cuts and higher-than-expected prices for its vehicles. The automaker warned earlier in the year that it would be hit especially hard by the chip shortage and a fire at Japanese supplier Renesas that manufactures many of its automotive-grade chips, resulting in a second-quarter loss. But Ford surprised investors by earning 13 cents per share excluding one-time items. That was far better than Wall Street expectations of a 3-cent-per-share loss, according to FactSet. Revenue was $26.8 billion, also above analysts’ forecasts…

Fueled by vaccinations and government aid, the U.S. economy grew at a solid 6.5% annual rate last quarter in another sign that the nation has achieved a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession. The total size of the economy has now surpassed its pre-pandemic level. Thursday’s report from the Commerce Department estimated that the nation’s gross domestic product — its total output of goods and services — accelerated in the April-June quarter from an already robust 6.3% annual growth rate in the first quarter of the year. The quarterly figure was less than analysts had expected. But that was mainly because supply chain bottlenecks exerted a stronger-than-predicted drag on companies’ efforts to restock their shelves. The slowdown in inventory rebuilding, in fact, subtracted 1.1 percentage points from last quarter’s annual…

A Moscow court ordered Google on Thursday to pay a fine of 3 million rubles (roughly $41,000) for refusing to store the personal data of Russian users on servers in Russia, a move that is part of the government’s longstanding effort to tighten its grip on online activity. The fine is the first one given to Google in Russia over data storage regulations. Facebook and Twitter previously received similar penalties for allegedly violating Russian regulations. The Russian government’s efforts to control internet and social media use date back to 2012, when a law allowing authorities to blacklist and block certain online content was adopted. Since then, a growing number of restrictions targeting messaging apps, websites and social media platforms have been introduced. One legal provision required tech companies to keep…

Over the past 18 months, consumers have spent more time at home than ever before, not only working, but socializing, learning new skills, and playing games. Video gaming as a whole saw a significant increase during this period and the gaming platform Steam recorded an all-time high of 23.6 million average concurrent users in April 2020. A year later, rival firms want a slice of the pie. Following Apple’s expansion into gaming with Arcade, Netflix is the latest player entering the game, announcing its intention to launch its own gaming titles. NETFLIX EXPANDS INTO GAMING After months of rumors and speculation, Netflix confirmed mid-July plans to expand into mobile games, revealing that new titles would be available to play as part of a standard Netflix subscription. Days before its announcement,…

As a member of the secretive Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Angus King has reason to worry about hackers. At a briefing by security staff this year, he said he got some advice on how to help keep his cellphone secure. Step One: Turn off phone. Step Two: Turn it back on. That’s it. At a time of widespread digital insecurity it turns out that the oldest and simplest computer fix there is — turning a device off then back on again — can thwart hackers from stealing information from smartphones. Regularly rebooting phones won’t stop the army of cybercriminals or spy-for-hire firms that have sowed chaos and doubt about the ability to keep any information safe and private in our digital lives. But it can make even the most sophisticated…

President Joe Biden on Wednesday checked out half-built big rigs and chatted up workers at a Mack Truck plant in Pennsylvania as his administration pushes new “buy American” efforts and advocates for government investments and clean energy as ways to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Biden toured the Lehigh Valley operations facility, hoping to connect with the plant’s 2,500 workers. Biden has made manufacturing jobs a priority, and Democrats’ political future next year might hinge on whether he succeeds in reinvigorating a sector that has steadily lost jobs for more than four decades. The administration is championing a $973 billion infrastructure package, $52 billion for computer chip production, sweeping investments in clean energy and the use of government procurement contracts to create factory jobs. On the visit, Biden heard about Mack’s electric…

“Can you believe I found this online?” a delighted Prisca asks husband Guy at the beginning of “Old,” as their family arrives at a glistening beach resort. Not to be a Debbie Downer quite so soon, but this isn’t a good sign — for the family OR the film. “Can you believe I found this online?” has become the hackneyed catchphrase of the vacation horror movie. Every time a character says that, whether at a dreamy English estate or a stunning coastal retreat, you can set your watch — the first body will appear in minutes. Still, we hope for the best. “Old” is an M. Night Shyamalan film, so you know the premise will be clever and provocative. And frankly, we’re a captive audience. It’s summer, it’s been an…

Of the 2 million people clogging airport security lines and gate areas again each day, one crowd is still largely missing: business travelers. Their absence is noteworthy because they are a key source of revenue and profit, underpinning a record-breaking stretch of financial gain for U.S. airlines that ended with the coronavirus. Business travelers tend to pay higher fares, and that is especially true on international flights, which are also still deeply depressed by the pandemic and travel restrictions around the globe. Because their fares subsidize other passengers, their absence is leading to higher leisure fares on many routes, experts say. Business travelers also spend money on hotels, meals and other things. The U.S. Travel Association estimates that domestic and international business travelers spent more than $300 billion here in…

Internet giant Tencent was ordered by regulators to end exclusive contracts with music copyright holders, adding to increased enforcement of anti-monopoly and other rules as Beijing tightens control over booming online industries. Tencent controls more than 80% of “exclusive music library resources” following its 2016 acquisition of China Music Group, the State Administration for Market Regulation said. It said that gives Tencent the ability to get better terms than competitors receive or to limit the ability of rivals to enter the market. Tencent Holdings Ltd., best known abroad for its WeChat messaging service, has a sprawling business empire that includes games, music and video. It is among the world’s 10 most valuable publicly traded companies, with a stock market value of $680 billion. In order to “restore market competition,”Tencent must…

Wireless network maker and 5G technology provider Nokia reported substantially improved second-quarter profit Thursday, citing the help of its new operating model and booming sales of 5G equipment. The company, based in Espoo, Finland, reported net profit of 539 million euros ($640 million) for the April-June period, up 71% from 316 million euros a year earlier. Sales were up 4% at 5.3 billion euros. CEO Pekka Lundmark, who took over Nokia’s top job a year ago and has drastically changed the business strategy, said the second-quarter results showed the company was on the right track. “We are already seeing the benefits of our new operating model, which helped us to deliver such a strong financial performance,” Lundmark said. The executive has vowed to make Nokia the world leader in 5G…

AstraZeneca said Thursday that it intends to seek U.S. approval for its COVID-19 vaccine later this year, further delaying the application even as the company announced it had already delivered more than 1 billion doses to other countries. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker said the application has been delayed because it has decided to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for full regulatory approval, rather than the fast-track emergency use authorization originally anticipated. As part of this “biologics license application,” the FDA has requested extensive data from clinical trials around the world, as well as data on real world use of the vaccine. “We have an enormous amount of data, clinical data and all of the data coming from the work we’ve done around the world,” AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said…

As drought- and wind-driven wildfires have become more dangerous across the American West in recent years, firefighters have tried to become smarter in how they prepare. They’re using new technology and better positioning of resources in a bid to keep small blazes from erupting into mega-fires like the ones that torched a record 4% of California last year, or the nation’s biggest wildfire this year that has charred a section of Oregon half the size of Rhode Island. There have been 730 more wildfires in California so far this year than last, an increase of about 16%. But nearly triple the area has burned — 470 square miles (1,200 square kilometers). Catching fires more quickly gives firefighters a better chance of keeping them small. That includes using new fire behavior…

A New York town along the Canadian border plans to impose a 90-day moratorium on new cryptocurrency mining operations to make sure local roadsides are not cluttered with trailers and shipping containers loaded with computers. Massena Town Supervisor Steve O’Shaughnessy said officials decided to draw up new regulations for miners after noticing trailers with computers in them on a main road in the town. “We don’t want it littered with these trailers that are pumping out Bitcoin,” he told WWNY-TV. “We just want to make sure if they’re going to come here, that it’s a nice presentable building.” Cryptocurrency operations have been drawn to this part of northern New York for years because of the availability of cheap hydropower. Operations can requires hundreds of computers to make the complex calculations…

Minnesota became the first Midwestern state to adopt a plan for encouraging the switchover to electric vehicles as Gov. Tim Walz predicted that someday people will wonder why there was such a fuss. The Democratic governor visited Phillips and Temro Industries, which manufactures electric vehicle chargers, to highlight the state’s “clean car” rules, which take effect in 2024 for the 2025 model year. He said the rules will mean more choices for consumers shopping for electric cars, cleaner air at a time of growing concern about climate change, and more jobs. Fourteen other states already have adopted similar standards, which require manufacturers and dealers to supply more electric vehicles. The states’ rules are all based on California’s tough standards, and that’s been a major sore point for Minnesota auto dealers…

Spurred by skyrocketing consumer demand during the pandemic, restaurant delivery companies like DoorDash and Uber Eats are rapidly expanding their services to grocers, convenience stores, pharmacies, pet stores and even department stores. This week, Uber Eats unveiled its newest delivery option: flowers. Uber Eats will let users order flowers directly from its app as part of a partnership with ProFlowers, an FTD subsidiary. Flower delivery will be offered first in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and a few other U.S. cities; it will be available nationwide by early next year. “If we can deliver your burrito in 30 minutes or deliver your ice cream still frozen, we should be able to deliver anything in under an hour,” said Fuad Hannon, the head of new verticals at DoorDash.“The technology makes that…

Henry Golding has undeniable screen presence. He’s handsome, sure. Lots of actors are. But Golding also has that effortless charisma that the biggest movie stars possess. It’s no wonder that he was catapulted from relative, travel show host obscurity to film fame with just one role in “Crazy Rich Asians” and that his name often pops up as a fan choice for the next James Bond. If the powers in Hollywood don’t mess it up, he’s going to be around for quite some time. It’s also not surprising that the industry would capitalize on his breakthrough moment and come knocking with some piece of Intellectual Property for him to star in. Unfortunately that IP piece is “ Snake Eyes,” an origin story about a G.I. Joe character that completely misunderstands…

Free from the pandemic lockdowns of last year, more shoppers are venturing into stores and relying just a bit less on brown UPS trucks. United Parcel Service said this week that it earned almost $2.7 billion in the second quarter. However, domestic volume was weaker than Wall Street expected, and the company’s shares tumbled nearly 7% in afternoon trading. Higher rates helped the delivery giant boost revenue, but shipping volume fell nearly 1% worldwide and almost 3% in the United States. Company executives said they couldn’t match the surge in online shopping and home deliveries during the height of the pandemic. “Many of our brick-and-mortar enterprise customers reopened their stores, and as economies reopened, customers went back to those stores,” CEO Carol Tomé said on a call with analysts. Tomé…

The push to transition from carbon-emitting fuel sources to renewable energy is hitting a roadblock in Nevada, where solar power developers are abandoning plans to build what would have been the United States’ largest array of solar panels in the desert north of Las Vegas. “Battle Born Solar Project” developers this week withdrew their application with the federal Bureau of Land Management, which oversees the Moapa Valley hilltop where the panels were planned, KLAS-TV Las Vegas reported. California-based Arevia Power told the television station that its solar panels would be set far enough back on Mormon Mesa to not be visible from the valley. But a group of residents organized as “Save Our Mesa” argued such a large installation would be an eyesore and could curtail the area’s popular recreational…