Tech
Hayabusa2 spacecraft to make crater on asteroid to get samples from inside
Japan's space agency said Monday that its Hayabusa2 spacecraft will follow up last month's touchdown on a distant asteroid with another risky mission - dropping an explosive on the asteroid to make a crater and then collect underground samples for possible clues to the origin of the solar system. Hayabusa2… Read
Apple refreshes iPad lineup, with larger entry-level model
Apple has unveiled a new iPad that's thinner and slightly larger than its current entry-level tablet. The new iPad Air will cost $499 and sport a screen that measures 10.5 inches diagonally. That compares with the standard, 9.7-inch iPad, which Apple will still sell for $329. Apple has higher-end Pro… Read
Instagram to set up 1st overseas development team in Japan
The head of photo and video-sharing platform Instagram said it will set up its first development team outside its home market of the United States in the summer in Tokyo to strengthen its services and functions. Instagram, a Facebook Inc subsidiary, aims to strengthen the platform's design and quality of… Read
Facebook launches AI to find and remove 'revenge porn'
Facebook is rolling out technology to make it easier to find and remove intimate pictures and videos posted without the subject's consent, often called "revenge porn." Currently, Facebook users or victims of revenge porn have to report the inappropriate pictures before content moderators will review them. The company has also… Read
Disaster-prevention house to come with PV system, battery, fuel cell
Daiwa House Industry Co Ltd on April 1 will release a house that is resistant to primary and secondary disasters. Equipped with an "All-Weather Three Battery Linking System," the house can supply electricity, heating and hot water for about 10 days even when it is raining. The system reduces fuel… Read
Apple says Spotify wants benefits of a free app without being free
Apple Inc on Thursday responded to Spotify Technology SA's complaint with EU antitrust regulators, saying the audio streaming service "wants all the benefits of a free app without being free". Spotify, launched a year after Apple unveiled its first iPhone in 2007, said on Wednesday the company unfairly limits rivals… Read
Microsoft targets video game developers, in challenge to Amazon's cloud dominance
Microsoft Corp says it is combining elements of its video gaming and Azure cloud computing businesses to court game developers, an action designed to use the strength of its Xbox gaming franchise to gain ground on cloud services leader Amazon.com. Microsoft said it will start rolling out "Microsoft Game Stack,"… Read
Japan eyes 2020 Olympics to retake place on tech podium
Driverless cars, robot volunteers and ultra high-definition TV: Japan Inc hopes to use the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to show the world it has regained its touch for innovation and technology. The last time Japan hosted the summer games -- Tokyo 1964 -- it wowed visitors with its shinkansen, the sleek… Read
Investors could pump $1 bil into Uber self-driving cars: report
A group of investors including SoftBank Group is in talks to invest $1 billion or more into Uber's self-driving car unit, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Word of a potential infusion of cash valuing the Uber autonomous vehicle division at from $5 billion to $10 billion comes as… Read
Facebook says outages due to server configuration change
Facebook went down for almost a full day across parts of North America and Europe, but it's still not saying exactly what happened. All the social network said Thursday was that the outages, which affected users and advertisers worldwide, resulted from a "server configuration change." It offered no further details.… Read
