ICT news

• Telcos Draw Up Proposal To Charge Big Tech for EU 5G Rollout

  17-05-2023 21:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Big tech companies accounting for more than 5% of a telecoms provider's peak average internet traffic should help fund the rollout of 5G and broadband across Europe, according to a draft proposal by the telecoms industry. From a report: The proposal is part of feedback to the European Commission which launched a consultation into the issue in February. The deadline for responses is Friday. Alphabet's Google, Apple, Facebook-owner Meta, Amazon, Netflix and TikTok would most likely be hit with fee
  
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• In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived

  17-05-2023 20:51 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  About 80 percent of new cars sold in Norway are battery-powered. As a result, the air is cleaner, the streets are quieter and the grid hasn't collapsed. The New York Times: Last year, 80 percent of new-car sales in Norway were electric, putting the country at the vanguard of the shift to battery-powered mobility. It has also turned Norway into an observatory for figuring out what the electric vehicle revolution might mean for the environment, workers and life in general. The country will end the
  
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• Telly, the 'Free' Smart TV With Ads, Has Privacy Policy Red Flags

  17-05-2023 20:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: This week, we looked at a new hardware startup called Telly that's giving away half a million of its new smart televisions for free. The catch is that the 55-inch smart television is fitted with a second display that sits underneath and displays ads while you watch your favorite shows. The trade-off for a free television is agreeing to let this brand-new startup collect vast amounts of data about you because the money ads make from you cover the costs of the
  
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• Congress Moves To Preserve AM Radio in Cars

  17-05-2023 19:20 via radio.slashdot.org
  
  A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to make it illegal for carmakers to eliminate AM radio from their cars, arguing public safety is at risk. From the report: AM radio is one key way that government officials communicate with the public during natural disasters and other emergencies. Officials worry that if drivers don't have access, they might miss important safety alerts. Some manufacturers are eliminating AM radio from their electric vehicles (EVs) because of interference from the electric
  
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• Logitech Partners With iFixit for Self-Repairs

  17-05-2023 18:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Hanging on to your favorite wireless mouse just got a little easier thanks to a new partnership between Logitech and DIY repair specialists iFixit. The Verge: The two companies are working together to reduce unnecessary e-waste and help customers repair their own out-of-warranty Logitech hardware by supplying spare parts, batteries, and repair guides for "select products." Everything will eventually be housed in the iFixit Logitech Repair Hub, with parts available to purchase as needed or within
  
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• IBM, Google Give $150 Million for US-Japan Quantum-Computing Push

  17-05-2023 18:05 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  IBM and Google are giving $150 million for quantum-computing research at the University of Chicago and the University of Tokyo as the U.S. and Japan try to stay ahead of a fast-rising China. From a report: Quantum computers are a hot area of research because they could help solve problems that classical computers alone can't, such as modeling how a drug molecule interacts with the body's proteins or how batteries work at an atomic scale. China has invested heavily in quantum computing, which als
  
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• Amazon Unveils New Gadgets as AI Race Heats Up

  17-05-2023 17:22 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Amazon introduced an updated slate of Echo devices and pledged to bring ChatGPT-style artificial intelligence to Alexa-powered gadgets. From a report: For more than a year the digital assistant has been using a home-built set of large language models -- the foundational networks that enable ChatGPT and rival technologies -- to help summarize text gathered from the web and make Alexa more conversant in various languages, Dave Limp, Amazon's senior vice president of Devices & Services, said in
  
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• India Launches $2 Billion Drive To Woo Laptop Makers Like Apple

  17-05-2023 16:48 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  India is unveiling a 170 billion-rupee ($2.1 billion) financial incentive plan to draw makers of laptops, tablets and other hardware to the South Asian nation as companies look to diversify supply chains beyond China. From a report: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is capitalizing on the early success of Apple's local assembly operations -- which have helped the US company produce about 7% of its global iPhone output -- to pitch the country as a viable global manufacturing hub. New Delhi wants to br
  
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• Wemo Won't Fix Smart Plug Vulnerability Allowing Remote Operation

  17-05-2023 16:01 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: IoT security research firm Sternum has discovered (and disclosed) a buffer overflow vulnerability in the Wemo Mini Smart Plug V2. The firm's blog post is full of interesting details about how this device works (and doesn't), but a key takeaway is that you can predictably trigger a buffer overflow by passing the device a name longer than its 30-character limit -- a limit enforced solely by Wemo's own apps -- with third-party tools. Inside that overflow you cou
  
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• Ask Slashdot: What Are Some Good AI Regulations?

  17-05-2023 15:00 via ask.slashdot.org
  
  Longtime Slashdot reader Okian Warrior writes: There's been a lot of discussion about regulating AI in the news recently, including Sam Altman going before a Senate committee begging for regulation. So far I've seen only calls for regulation, but not suggestions on what those regulations should be. Since Slashdot is largely populated with experts in various fields (software, medicine, law, etc.), maybe we should begin this discussion. And note that if we don't create the reasonable rules, Congre
  
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• 'Mojo May Be the Biggest Programming Language Advance In Decades'

  17-05-2023 12:00 via developers.slashdot.org
  
  Mojo is a new programming language developed by Modular1 that aims to address the performance and deployment limitations of Python in areas like AI model development. After demoing Mojo prior to its launch, Jeremy Howard from the non-profit research group fast.ai said it feels like coding will never be the same again. Here's an excerpt from Howard's article: Modular is a fairly small startup that's only a year old, and only one part of the company is working on the Mojo language. Mojo developmen
  
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• Human Trial of mRNA Universal Flu Vaccine Begins

  17-05-2023 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  A Phase 1 trail of a universal mRNA-based influenza vaccine is under way at Duke Unversity in Durham, North Carolina. It's being developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC). New Atlas reports: Some 50 participants aged 18-49 will be split into three groups and given 10, 25 and 50 micrograms of the active drug, respectively. When optimal dosage is then determined, another 10 participants will get this measured jab. There will also b
  
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• Replication of High-Temperature Superconductor Comes Up Empty

  17-05-2023 05:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Monday, the journal Nature released a report from Nanjing University researchers that had attempted to replicate an earlier paper that described a compound that superconducted at room temperature and relatively moderate pressures. Despite persuasive evidence that they've produced the same chemical, the team indicates they see no sign of superconductivity, even down to extremely low temperatures. The failure will undoubtedly raise further
  
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• Zoom Will Soon Integrate Anthropic's Chatbot Across Its Platform

  17-05-2023 04:02 via slashdot.org
  
  Zoom will be integrating Anthropic's AI Assistant across its productivity platform, starting with its Contact Center product to help businesses with customer support inquiries. The Verge reports: Zoom says Claude, a chatbot Anthropic launched in March, should help customer support agents by creating "better self-service features" that can help guide customers toward relevant solutions. It will also soon be able to surface necessary resources for agents while they're serving customers. The compan
  
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• Gas-Powered Cars Won't Die Off Any Time Soon

  17-05-2023 03:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  According to S&P Global Mobility, the average age of light vehicles on the road in the U.S. is now at an all-time high of 12.5 years, up three months from 2022. Two decades ago, their average was 9.7 years. Axios reports: The impact: The transition from gas to electric cars will take decades.It'll likely take until at least 2050 -- and possibly longer -- before most gas-powered cars are off the road, Campau says.Of note: EV longevity is going in the opposite direction. Their average age fell
  
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• Re-Victimization From Police-Auctioned Cell Phones

  17-05-2023 02:45 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from KrebsOnSecurity: Countless smartphones seized in arrests and searches by police forces across the United States are being auctioned online without first having the data on them erased, a practice that can lead to crime victims being re-victimized, a new study found (PDF). In response, the largest online marketplace for items seized in U.S. law enforcement investigations says it now ensures that all phones sold through its platform will be data-wiped prior
  
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• Steam Now Offers 90-Minute Game Trials, Starting With Dead Space

  17-05-2023 02:22 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Valve now offers Steam game trials, starting with 2023's Dead Space remake. GameSpot reports: Previously, players could buy a game on the platform and then return it within a two-hour window, but this new trial feature makes things a bit easier for consumers. It seems only Dead Space has a trial available on Steam right now, but the feature may come to other games later on. With Dead Space, you don't need to purchase the game to play during the 90-minute trial period. The Dead Space trial isn't
  
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• France Opens Investigation Into Apple Over 'Planned Obsolescence' For iPhones

  17-05-2023 02:02 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  According to Agence France-Presse, France has opened an investigation into planned obsolescence of Apple products. From the report: The probe into purported misleading commercial practices and planned obsolescence has been under way since December, the Paris prosecutor's office said. It follows a complaint filed by the Halt Planned Obsolescence (HOP) association.HOP said it hoped the investigation would demonstrate the iPhone maker was "associating the serial numbers of spare parts to those of a
  
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• OpenAI CEO In 'Historic' Move Calls For Regulation Before Congress

  17-05-2023 01:20 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI CEO Sam Altman appeared before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, along with IBM chief privacy officer Christian Montgomery and NYU professor Gary Marcus, to testify about the dangers posed by generative artificial intelligence. Altman said he'd welcome legislation in the space and urged Congress to work with OpenAI and other companies in the field to figure out rules and guardrails. Axios reports: Altman argued that generative AI is different and requires a separate policy response. He cal
  
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• Drobo, Having Stopped Sales and Support, Reportedly Files Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

  17-05-2023 00:40 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: StorCentric, the holding company for the Drobo and Retrospect brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late June 2022. Now, AppleInsider reports that, based on an email sent by StorCentric, the bankruptcy shifted from reorganization-minded Chapter 11 to liquidation-focused Chapter 7 in late April.The writing for Drobo was on the wall, or at least on its website. Text at the top of the homepage notes that, as of January 27, 2023, Drobo prod
  
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• DOJ Charges Former Apple Engineer With Theft of Autonomous Car Tech for China

  17-05-2023 00:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  A former Apple software engineer was charged with stealing Apple's autonomous technology for a Chinese self-driving car company, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday. From a report: Weibao Wang worked as a software engineer at Apple from 2016 to 2018, a DOJ indictment said. Wang worked on Apple's Annotation Team and was granted "broad access" to databases which the Justice Department said could only be accessed by 2,700 of Apple's 135,000 employees. Wang is the third former Apple employee
  
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