Here comes yet more money for AI startups. Today, the Chinese search giant Baidu announced that it plans to establish a venture fund with 1 billion yuan ($145 million) to back start-ups focused on content generated by artificial intelligence applications. Reuters, which reported the news earlier, said the company will also launch a competition for…
A California bill that would require a trained human safety operator to be present any time a heavy-duty autonomous vehicle operates on public roads in the state is getting traction. The bill, first introduced in January, passed the state’s Assembly Wednesday and will now face a committee review and vote in the Senate. Advocates of…
By the time Howard Rheingold’s “Virtual Reality” was published in 1991, the Sensorama was already a “slowly deteriorating” relic stashed away in a cabana next the pool at its inventor’s West Los Angeles home. Rheingold describes awe — even surprise — that the system was still operable almost 30 years after its introduction. “I was…
An apparent ransomware attack on one of America’s largest dental health insurers has compromised the personal information of almost nine million individuals in the United States. The Atlanta-based Managed Care of North America (MCNA) Dental claims to be the largest dental insurer in the nation for government‑sponsored plans covering children and seniors. In a notice posted…
During Computex today, Dutch semiconductor giant NXP announced its i.MX 91, the latest processor from its i.MX 9 series of applications processors for industrial, medical, consumer and IoT use cases. During his keynote, NXP Secure Connected Edge executive vice president and general manager Rafael Sotomayor gave some details about the new processor. Features include an…
Taxfix leaped to a $1 billion valuation in 2022 on the back of a popular mobile app used by consumers help with tax returns. But fast forward to 2023, and the Berlin-based accounting startup is taking an audit of its own affairs. TechCrunch has learned and confirmed that Taxfix has laid off 20% of its…
Apple Music Classical is now available on the Google Play Store, bringing the tech giant’s app for classical music to Android users with an Apple Music or Apple One subscription. The launch was first spotted by 9to5Mac. Back in 2021, Apple acquired classical music streaming service Primephonic and had announced plans to launch a classical…
Productivity-enhancing app Portal has launched a Mac app. The company helps users regain focus and become more productive with immersive backgrounds and natural sounds. The service has been available through an iOS app since 2019 — the desktop and mobile apps have similar objectives. The company said that the app has attracted more than a…
A cybersecurity firm says a popular Android screen recording app that racked up tens of thousands of downloads on Google’s app store subsequently began spying on its users, including by stealing microphone recordings and other documents from the user’s phone. Research by ESET found that the Android app, “iRecorder — Screen Recorder,” introduced the malicious…
A cybersecurity firm says a popular Android screen recording app that racked up tens of thousands of downloads on Google’s app store subsequently began spying on its users, including by stealing microphone recordings and other documents from the user’s phone. Research by ESET found that the Android app, “iRecorder — Screen Recorder,” introduced the malicious…
