Engineers who have designed Covid-19 applicable technologies including a high-performance ventilator, a personal respirator for healthcare workers and an environmentally friendly face shield have received awards from the Royal Academy of Engineering. The Academy recently launched a special set of awards for those who have created inventions designed to help with the pandemic. 19 individuals … Read more
According to the Financial Times, software giant Oracle has held preliminary discussions with ByteDance to discuss the potential acquisition of its subsidiary TikTok. Microsoft and Twitter are also involved in discussions. As trade tensions between the US and China escalate, US President Donald Trump is focusing his attacks on Chinese tech companies with a global … Read more
Cornell University computer scientists have developed a tool which can improve the fairness of online search rankings, without sacrificing relevance or usefulness. For much of the world, Google Search is the entrance to the rest of the internet (other search engines are available). With most users clicking the results towards the top of the first page of returned … Read more
First, true wireless earbuds were the high-water mark for new Bluetooth audio gadgets. Now, it’s true wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation – the ANC often seen in product names, such as with these ‘London’ buds from hip Swedish audio brand Urbanista. ‘London’ follows previous Urbanista city-linked releases, such as Stockholm, Paris, Athens, Chicago, Boston, … Read more
IBM, Microsoft and others have committed $300m to a joint initiative with the US Government to set up 12 research institutes that are looking into AI and quantum information sciences. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that the effort is designed to ensure the US continues to excel at the new technologies amid hot competition … Read more
According to a Reuters report, the White House is due to announce a tightening of restrictions on its bête noire, Shenzhen-based Huawei Technologies. These restrictions will expand current restrictions which aim to prevent Huawei obtaining electronics with US origins. As trade tensions continue to escalate between the US and China, US President Donald Trump has … Read more
The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered an acceleration of India’s digital ambitions. Covid-19 has put India’s digital journey on a fast track. “On the positive side, the pandemic has given better visibility to contactless payments and mobile commerce. Companies have cut down on work-related travel. Remote working is encouraged. Consequently, India has registered 30 per cent … Read more
Amazon is preparing to enter the health wearable business with the launch of a fitness band that listens to a person’s voice in order to analyse their emotions. The forthcoming device will be part of a subscription service called Halo. The band reportedly won’t have a screen or deliver any notifications like other fitness … Read more
English train operator Southeastern has begun providing data on how busy its services are based on the weight of passengers in the carriage. The loading data is being shown on its website next to each service, letting people make a decision about whether to board crowded carriages or wait for the next train. The SeatFinder … Read more
The Government had previously developed another app with the same purpose that was ditched due to technical problems encountered when it was installed on iPhones. Development then switched to the new app that uses a Bluetooth-based system, developed collaboratively by Google and Apple. At the end of July, Northern Ireland launched its own contact-tracing app – … Read more