Tech

Despite the threat of bans, vape companies are doing surprisingly well

Vape companies took a hit from the bans but are bouncing back.

50 years later, the internet’s inventors are horrified by what it’s become

The first real internet connection happened 50 years ago—but those that sent the first messages on what would become the modern internet aren’t so pleased with their creation today.

Qualcomm is talking a big game about 5G—in 2020 and beyond

But the reality on the ground is much more spotty than Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon would like you to believe.

You can now create the ultimate vacation slide show inside Google Earth

Now anyone can create custom multimedia presentations about locations around the world in Google Earth. I just used it to post pictures from a recent trip.

‘It’s sort of the Wild West’: How Instagram influencers are disrupting healthcare

More and more social media influencers are being tapped to spread the word about public health campaigns, pharmaceuticals, even medical devices. It’s a booming but complicated business.

Better-educated, higher-paid workers will be ‘most affected’ by AI, per new study

Blue-collar and service workers have been expected to bear the brunt of job losses due to automation. But a Brookings Institute analysis shows white-collar workers won’t be immune.

After conquering print, Google News is invading audio

Google Assistant’s personalized newscasts aim to do for audio what Google News did for text. But the audio aggregator could spell trouble for publishers—and frustration for listeners.

Our new public health crisis: Knight’s millions aim to detoxify the internet

The Knight Foundation is funding a new field of research, with the not-so-modest aim of addressing “one of the biggest issues that democracy is facing in our time.”

In 2018, an 8-year-old made $22 million on YouTube. No wonder kids want to be influencers

More kids these days want to be influencers than astronauts. But unlike supersuccessful YouTubers such as Ryan Kaji, most influencers are more like unpaid interns.

Salesforce is putting an Alexa-like voice assistant in the boardroom

5 ways to find the best online deals on Amazon, Google, and more

Shop the sales, track prices, and make sure you’re not getting ripped off with these apps, sites, and services.

The robotic pooch from Boston Dynamics’ viral videos is ready for real work

The eerily agile Spot is surveying progress at construction sites using AI-analyzed, 360-degree images.

Should the internet be a public utility? Hundreds of cities are saying yes

Local governments can push back against the corporate power of ISPs by building their own broadband networks.

Ford is betting its future on an electric Mustang SUV

It’s the first car to be conceived during the tenure of Jim Hackett, Ford’s design-focused CEO.

How to stop public USB ports from hacking your phone

While there’s a tiny risk that public charging station is booby-trapped, it’s easy to keep your phone or tablet safe.

This startup wants to pay you—in cryptocurrency—to help build its network

Helium’s peer-to-peer LongFi is optimized for internet-of-things devices that need just a little bandwidth.

This is why hackathons are essentially useless

TD Ameritrade’s CIO argues that for every successful “like”-button-type concept that’s developed from a hackathon, a lot of work is put into ideas that never make it past the day of the event.

Microsoft is investing in apocalypse-proofing the world’s code

Microsoft’s GitHub plans to store code from open-source projects in Svalbard, near the Global Seed Vault, and other locations around the world.

Google’s data misdeeds are haunting its healthcare plans

After a report that Google is accessing 50 million patient records without people’s knowledge, its future in the medical field may depend on regaining people’s trust.