TECH - Page 17

In a move to address concerns over user privacy, tech giant Google has announced significant changes regarding the handling of data gathered through its popular “Incognito” mode. This decision comes amid increasing scrutiny of major tech companies’ privacy practices and growing demands for greater transparency and control over personal data. What is Incognito Mode? Google’s Incognito mode, available in its Chrome browser, allows users to browse the web privately without their activity being saved to their browser or device. While

Amidst the ongoing discussions among US legislators regarding a potential nationwide ban on TikTok, ByteDance, its Chinese parent company, has been actively promoting its Instagram-esque app to American social media users. As reported by The New York Post, ByteDance is compensating certain TikTok influencers to endorse Lemon8, a recently launched app, with the aim of increasing its visibility and user engagement. An influencer disclosed that shortly after the House approved a bill proposing TikTok’s ban, she received an offer of

Instagram was back online for most users on Thursday after an outage that left tens of thousands unable to access their accounts. According to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating reports from multiple sources, the photo-sharing app was down for more than three hours on Thursday. Downdetector cited that most reported problems were from the United States, but what caused the outage still needs clarification. Meta, which also owns Facebook and Messenger and operates Threads artificial reality headsets, did not

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile fans got a surprise on March 21st as the highly anticipated game launched on Android and iOS devices. While the official release was slated for 9:00 AM PT, eager players could download and jump into the action much earlier. This unexpected early access caused a frenzy among fans who had pre-registered for the game. Social media platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) buzzed with reports of players battling it out in Verdansk and Rebirth

Just a year after its release, Sony has reportedly halted production of the PlayStation VR2 headset. This decision comes amid concerns over sluggish sales and a growing stockpile of unsold units. The PS VR2, launched in February 2023 at $549.99, aimed to usher in a new era of virtual reality gaming for PlayStation 5 owners. However, early promises seemed to raise questions about the future of VR and Sony’s approach. According to a Bloomberg report, citing sources familiar with Sony’s

Nvidia’s stock has more than tripled in value this year, and investors have been betting that it is a key player in an artificial intelligence craze poised to transform the economy. But some question whether the chipmaker’s shares, which trade at a hefty premium to the market average, can go much higher. The company, which started in 1993 and built a reputation for designing graphical processing units for video games, is now the dominant supplier of AI chips. Nvidia’s latest

On Tuesday, Meta announced a notable reduction in the monthly subscription fee for Facebook and Instagram, lowering it from 9.99 euros to 5.99 euros, according to a statement from a senior executive. This adjustment directly reflects Meta’s response to concerns raised by privacy regulators. It underscores Meta’s dedication to addressing worries surrounding its ad-free subscription service, which was introduced in Europe in November. Critics contend that this subscription, which comes with a fee, provides users with a means to safeguard

According to Bloomberg News, Apple is currently negotiating to integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence engine into the iPhone. Sources familiar with the matter stated that these discussions involve licensing Gemini for upcoming features slated for the iPhone software this year. While Apple is developing new capabilities for its iOS 18 software update using its proprietary AI models, it is exploring partnerships to enhance generative AI functions, such as image creation or essay writing based on basic prompts, the insiders revealed.

On Friday, Reddit disclosed that the U.S. Federal Trade Commission had initiated an inquiry regarding the company’s practices concerning the sale, licensing, and sharing of user-generated content with third parties for the purpose of training artificial intelligence models. As Reddit gears up for its highly anticipated IPO, the social media platform stated that it had received a letter from the regulator requesting information and documents pertaining to these matters. The company said it would cooperate with the FTC inquiry. “Given

Automakers and suppliers are racing to add capacity to build gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles for the U.S. market, betting consumer demand for a compromise between all-combustion and all-electric is a durable trend. E.V. sales have been slowing, and if the trend continues, it could prompt some companies to dial back their electric-car goals and battery-plant plans. That would be a significant setback for the industry, which had planned to make E.V.s a more significant part of its portfolios by 2023. As