Tech
Gov't determines framework of new digital agency
The Japanese government decided at a task force meeting Thursday on the framework and roles of a new agency to be established in September next year to promote the digitalization of national and local administrative work. A top priority under Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the new agency in charge of… Read
SoftBank unit begins Japan's 1st public road autonomous bus service
A SoftBank Corp subsidiary on Thursday launched Japan's first autonomous bus services on public roads in a town in Ibaraki Prefecture that has a rapidly aging population. Boldly Inc, an autonomous vehicle operator, operates the service. A 9-passenger bus, driving at around 20 kilometers per hour, made the five-kilometer round-trip… Read
Japanese start-up to establish U.S. lunar lander development hub
Japanese lunar exploration start-up Ispace Inc says it will set up a lunar lander development site in the United States by the end of the year in a bid to deliver payloads, including research equipment, to the moon in support of future NASA missions. The Tokyo firm seeks to bolster… Read
Europe's largest tech conference to return as in-person event in 2021
Europe's biggest technology conference, the Web Summit, will return to Lisbon in full force as a massive in-person event in 2021 after the coronavirus pandemic forced it to go fully online this year. "The venue is booked," the conference's founder Paddy Cosgrave told Reuters on Wednesday in an interview. "I… Read
Suited avatars and digital offices: Traders and bankers embrace VR
Once the preserve of gamers, virtual reality (VR) has been seized on by the financial sector as a way of enlivening home working for lonely traders or isolated executives and replicating real-world sales, networking or training events. With 90% of employees at some of the world's biggest financial firms now… Read
Twitter wants feedback on new plan for 'verification' check marks
Twitter Inc on Tuesday released plans for its new policy on how people are "verified" on the site, an area the company has long promised to revamp to address confusion and criticisms over the blue check-mark badges it uses to authenticate the identity of prominent accounts. The social media company… Read
ANA to launch smartphone payment service by year-end
All Nippon Airways Co will launch a smartphone payment service by the end of this year, allowing frequent flyer members to accumulate miles through daily shopping amid shrinking travel demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, sources close to the matter said Monday. ANA will join a growing number of companies… Read
GM: New batteries cut electric car costs, increase range
General Motors says a pending breakthrough in battery chemistry will cut the price of its electric vehicles so they equal those powered by gasoline within five years. The technology also will increase the range per charge to as much as 450 miles. The company’s product development chief promised a small… Read
Cash cards for kids - digital banks race to capture the next generation
When John Hibbs' daughter Xanthe received her first bank card in the mail, the six-year-old spent the next week Googling how to buy a horse. Hibbs and his wife Kate had got Xanthe a newly launched children's debit card from UK digital bank Starling, one of a number of new… Read
Boom in demand for friendly hackers as 5G approaches
As the number of online devices surges and superfast 5G connections roll out, record numbers of companies are offering handsome rewards to ethical hackers who successfully attack their cybersecurity systems. The fast-expanding field of internet-connected devices, known as the "internet of things" (IoT) which includes smart televisions and home appliances,… Read
