There is no doubt that trends such as urbanization and the adoption of smart technologies are going to change transportation. There are a lot of questions about how urban mobility will change and impact autonomous vehicles. In fact, there is a lot of debate, which is why in this column I will spend time digging…
More than a third of broadband-equipped households now own at least one remotely monitored internet-connected device, with smart speakers outpacing the next most popular categories — thermostats and networked cameras — by a margin of more than three to one, analysts at Parks Associates report. Parks Associates, a research firm that is focused on consumer trends…
Huawei, Samsung and Qualcomm already introduced their chipsets with support for 5G modems, and Mediatek is about to follow that example. The Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer announced its almost time for smart to meet fast and the new 5G AI product will arrive in May, meaning we have 10 days tops until the unveiling of the…
TransferWise, the London-headquartered international money transfer service, is disclosing a new $292 million secondary round that sees investors value the company at $3.5 billion. That’s more than double the valuation TransferWise achieved in late 2017 at the time of its $280 million Series E round. The new secondly funding — with no new cash entering…
India’s Ola, which has expanded to select international markets and set ambitious goals for its electric vehicles business, is struggling with selling food. So it is making major changes to its food business. The ride-hailing giant is pivoting Foodpanda, the Indian business of the food delivery startup it acquired in late 2017, to focus on…
A little under a year ago, Valve released a big overhaul for the chat features built into its Steam game store/launcher. Focusing on modern day chat conveniences like better group chats and embedded media (GIFs!), some saw it as a move to hopefully keep a few more users from heading for Discord — which,…
What’s the cord-cutting equivalent to ditching your kitchen? Uber’s upcoming subscription to unlimited free food delivery. Uber is preparing to launch the $9.99 per month Uber Eats Pass, according to code hidden in Uber’s Android app. The subscription would waive Uber’s service fee that’s typically 15 percent of your order cost. Given that’s often $5…
Autonomous vehicles might someday be able to navigate bustling city streets to deliver groceries, pizzas, and other packages without a human behind the wheel. But that doesn’t solve what Ford Motor CTO Ken Washington describes as the last 50-foot problem. Ford and startup Agility Robotics are partnering in a research project that will test how…
On Tuesday, Tencent’s usually low-profile founder and CEO Pony Ma made rare comments to weigh in on escalating tensions between the United States and China, calling domestic tech companies to build more self-reliance in a bid to stay competitive. “China has come to the forefront of development. There is less and less room for taking…
AI-powered voice assistants from Google, Amazon, Apple, and others could be perpetuating harmful gender biases, according to a recent UN report. The report, titled “I’d blush if I could” — Siri’s response to provocative queries or flirtatious statements — says the female helpers are often depicted as “obliging and eager to please,” which reinforces the idea…
