ICT news

• Netflix for VR: HTC Vive Bringing Unlimited VR Gaming Starting at $9 a Month

  14-03-2019 16:02
  Viveport Infinity will boast a library of more than 600 titles at launch, with more expected to debut in the future and will also offer a number of perks.
  
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• Nvidia Hits $3 Trillion Market Cap On Back of AI Boom

  06-06-2024 00:30 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Nvidia has reached a market cap of $3 trillion, surpassing Apple to become the second-largest public company behind Microsoft. CNBC reports: Nvidia's milestone is the latest stunning mark in a run that has seen the stock soar more than 3,224% over the past five years. The company will split its stock 100-for-1 later this month. Apple was the first U.S. company to reach a $3 trillion market cap during intraday trading in January 2022. Microsoft hit $3 trillion in market value in January 2024. Nvi
  
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• Oral-B Bricking Alexa Toothbrush Is a Cautionary Tale Against Buzzy Tech

  05-06-2024 23:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: As we're currently seeing with AI, when a new technology becomes buzzy, companies will do almost anything to cram that tech into their products. Trends fade, however, and corporate priorities shift -- resulting in bricked gadgets and buyer's remorse. That's what's happening to some who bought into Oral-B toothbrushes with Amazon Alexa built in. Oral-B released the Guide for $230 in August 2020 but bricked the ability to set up or reconfigure
  
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• Meta Withheld Information on Instagram, WhatsApp Deals, FTC Says

  05-06-2024 23:10 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Meta Platforms withheld information from federal regulators during their original reviews of the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions, the US Federal Trade Commission said in a court filing as part of a lawsuit seeking to break up the social networking giant. From a report: In its filing Tuesday, however, the FTC said the case involves "information Meta had in its files and did not provide" during the original reviews. "At Meta's request the FTC undertook only a limited review" of the deals, the
  
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• Boeing Spacecraft Carrying Two Astronauts Lifts Off On Historic Maiden Voyage

  05-06-2024 22:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Slashdot readers destinyland and LazarusQLong share a report from CNN: The third attempt was the charm for Boeing's Starliner mission after launching its first crewed flight test Wednesday in a milestone that has been a decade in the making. The new spacecraft's maiden voyage with humans on board lifted off atop an Atlas V rocket at 10:52 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.Veteran NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are riding aboard the Starliner capsule on a
  
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• Scientists Find Security Risk in RISC-V Open-Source Chip Architecture That China Hopes Can Help Sidestep US Sanctions

  05-06-2024 22:00 via it.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: A Chinese research team says it has uncovered a significant security flaw in processor design that could have a wide impact on China's booming domestic chip industry. China was relying on the structure of the world's largest open-source CPU architecture to build their own CPUs and bypass the US chip ban, and was paying attention to any weaknesses, they said. The issue was found in RISC-V, an open-source standard used in advanced chips and semiconductors. Comp
  
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• Jury Finds Boeing Stole Technology From Electric Airplane Startup Zunum

  05-06-2024 20:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  A federal court jury in Seattle has ruled against Boeing in a lawsuit brought by failed electric airplane startup Zunum and awarded $81 million in damages -- which the judge has the option to triple. From a report: Zunum alleged that Boeing, while ostensibly investing seed money to get the startup off the ground, stole Zunum's technology and actively undermined its attempts to build a business. It accused Boeing of "a targeted and coordinated campaign" to gain access to
  its "business plan, marke
  
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• UN Secretary-General Calls For 'Windfall' Tax on Profits of Fossil Fuel Companies

  05-06-2024 20:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for a "windfall" tax on profits of fossil fuel companies to help pay for the fight against global warming, decrying them as the "godfathers of climate chaos." From a report: Guterres spoke from the American Museum of Natural History in New York in a bid to revive focus on climate change at a time when many national elections, and conflict in places like Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan this year have seized much of the international spotlight.
  In a
  
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• Google Acquires Cameyo

  05-06-2024 19:20 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has acquired software virtualization company Cameyo to enhance ChromeOS's support for virtualized Windows apps. The acquisition follows a partnership between the two companies last year, which aimed to provide businesses with a seamless virtual application experience on ChromeOS devices. With Cameyo's technology, Google seeks to attract more enterprises to adopt ChromeOS by offering enhanced compatibility with legacy Windows applications while maintaining the simplicity and security of th
  
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• US Lawmakers Accuse Nigeria of Taking Binance Executive Hostage

  05-06-2024 18:40 via news.slashdot.org
  
  US lawmakers accused Nigeria of taking a Binance executive "hostage" and urged President Joe Biden to help secure his release. From a report: Sixteen Republican congressman including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul wrote to Biden to have the case of Tigran Gambaryan referred to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. A US citizen, Gambaryan is head of financial crime compliance at Binance and has been held at a prison in the Nigerian capit
  
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• Yellen To Warn of 'Significant Risks' From Use of AI in Finance

  05-06-2024 18:00 via news.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will warn that the use of AI in finance could lower transaction costs, but carries "significant risks," according to excerpts from a speech to be delivered on Thursday. From a report: In the remarks to a Financial Stability Oversight Council and Brookings Institution AI conference, Yellen says AI-related risks have moved towards the top of the regulatory council's agenda.
  "Specific vulnerabilities may arise from the complexity and opacity of AI models, inadeq
  
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• Popular Mac App Bartender's New Owner Has Burnt Years of Good-Will With a Lack of Transparency

  05-06-2024 17:21 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader shares a report: Popular app Bartender was quietly bought, and a shady certificate replacement, insertion of invasive telemetry, and a lack of transparent responses by the new owners has shaken confidence in the Mac community. Menu bar organization tool Bartender has been around for a long time. For most of its life, it had an excellent reputation, and a responsive developer who communicated clearly with users. That appears to have changed, recently. It all started with a qui
  
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• Microsoft Reopens Windows 10 Beta Testing For 'New Features' and Improvements

  05-06-2024 16:40 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 in October 2025, but the company is now taking the unusual step of reopening its beta program for Windows 10 to test new features and improvements. From a report: Windows 10 already got the AI Copilot feature that was originally exclusive to Windows 11, and it may well get other features soon. "To bring new features and more improvements to Windows 10 as needed, we need a place to do active feature development with Windows Insiders," explains Microsoft'
  
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• Apple Is Working On LLM-Powered Robots, Report Says

  05-06-2024 16:00 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple is secretly developing robotic devices powered by generative AI, including a table-top robotic arm with an iPad-like display and a mobile robot for household chores, Bloomberg News is reporting, citing people familiar with the matter.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Hacker Tool Extracts All the Data Collected By Windows' New Recall AI

  05-06-2024 15:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: When Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella revealed the new Windows AI tool that can answer questions about your web browsing and laptop use, he said one of the"magical" things about it was that the data doesn't leave your laptop; theWindows Recall system takes screenshots of your activity every five seconds and saves them on the device. But security experts say that data may not stay there for long. Two weeks ahead ofRecall's launch on new Copilot+ PCs on J
  
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• Google Can Keep Your Phone If You Send It In For Repair With Non-OEM Parts [UPDATE: Changing Policy]

  05-06-2024 12:00 via mobile.slashdot.org
  
  UPDATE 6/4/2024: Google has changed its repair policy in response to the controversial clause that was brought to light. Google says it will not keep phones sent in for repair and that it's changing the wording of its ToS agreement to reflect this. Here's a statement from a Google spokesperson: "Here is the statement from a Google spokesperson: "If a customer sends their Pixel to Google for repair, we would not keep it regardless of whether it has non-OEM parts or not. In certain situations, we
  
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• Aging Hubble Telescope Moves To 'One-Gyro' Operations

  05-06-2024 09:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  The 34-year-old Hubble Space Telescope is now operating with its final two working gyroscopes, necessitating a switch to a less productive "one-gyro" mode to extend its operational life. This contingency plan will reduce Hubble's productivity by over 12%, limit its ability to track fast-moving objects, and decrease the portion of the sky it can observe. That said, NASA expects it to keep functioning through 2035. Science.org reports: Normally, Hubble measures its location in space with a system
  
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• Internet Addiction Alters Brain Chemistry In Young People, Study Finds

  05-06-2024 05:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Young people with internet addiction experience changes in their brain chemistry which could lead to more addictive behaviors, research suggests. The study, published in PLOS Mental Health, reviewed previous research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how regions of the brain interact in people with internet addiction.They found that the effects were evident throughout multiple neural networks in the brains of youn
  
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• Solar Passes 100% of Power Demand In California

  05-06-2024 02:45 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Solar power in California has reached a new record output, briefly surpassing 100% of power demand. It comes just days after the state exceeded 100% of energy demand with renewables (wind, solar and hydro) over a record 45 days straight, and 69 out of 75. CleanTechnica reports: As you can see [here], at its peak, solar power was providing 102.1% of electricity demand in California. Together, wind, water, and solar peaked at 136.4% of electricity demand! [...] The best news is that California see
  
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• The Raspberry Pi 5 Gets an AI Upgrade

  05-06-2024 02:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  Today, Raspberry Pi introduced a new kit that adds AI functionality to the Raspberry Pi 5. ZDNet reports: The Raspberry Pi AI kit combines an M.2-format Hailo 8L AI accelerator with the Raspberry Pi M.2 HAT+ to create a powerful yet power-efficient solution. The Hailo-8L NPU (Neural Processing Unit) chip, capable of 13 trillion operations per second (TOPS), is built into an M.2 2242 form factor module that attaches to the M.2 HAT+. When connected to a Raspberry Pi 5 board running the latest Rasp
  
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• A New Google Maps Layer Shows Public Restrooms In NYC

  05-06-2024 01:20 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Google Maps has introduced a new layer to help individuals find public restrooms in New York City. The Verge reports: As part of a new program called "Ur in Luck," the city has introduced a Maps view dotted with 1,000 public restrooms across the five boroughs. Users can view the map on their phones and locate the closest restroom that's accessible to the public. "Everyone -- seniors, parents with kids, anyone enjoying the day outdoors, needs access to a public bathroom without having to buy anyt
  
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• Nintendo Hits 127 Switch Piracy Tutorial Repos After 'Cracking' URL Encryption

  05-06-2024 00:40 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: A popular GitHub repo and over 120 forks containing Switch emulation tutorials have been targeted by Nintendo. While most forks are now disabled, the main repository has managed to survive after being given the opportunity to put things right. Whether Nintendo appreciated the irony is unclear, but it appears that use of encoding as a protection measure to obfuscate links, was no match for the video game company's circumvention skills. [...]
  
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• Apollo To Provide $11 Billion To Intel For Ireland Facility

  05-06-2024 00:02 via slashdot.org
  
  Apollo Global announced today that it will acquire a 49% equity interest in Intel's manufacturing facility in Ireland for $11 billion, in a deal expected to close in the second quarter. The deal "would allow Intel to redeploy parts of its investment in the project to other parts of its business," reports Reuters. "Intel has invested $18.4 billion in the facility till date." From the report: Apollo will acquire the stake in the Fab 34 facility in Leixlip, Ireland, the U.S. chipmaker's first high-
  
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• Google Contractor Used Admin Access To Leak Info From Private Nintendo YouTube Video

  04-06-2024 23:25 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  A Google contractor used admin privileges to access private information from Nintendo's YouTube account about an upcoming Yoshi game in 2017, which later made its way to Reddit before Nintendo announced the game, according to a copy of an internal Google database detailing potential privacy and security incidents obtained by 404 Media. From the report: The news provides more clarity on how exactly a Redditor, who teased news of the new Yoshi game, which was later released as Yoshi's Crafted Worl
  
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• Online Streaming Services In Canada Must Hand Over 5% of Domestic Revenues

  04-06-2024 22:45 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from CBC News: Online streaming services operating in Canada will be required to contribute five percent of their Canadian revenues to support the domestic broadcasting system, the country's telecoms regulator said on Tuesday. The money will be used to boost funding for local and Indigenous broadcasting, officials from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) said in a briefing. "Today's decision will help ensure that online strea
  
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• ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity All Went Down At the Same Time

  04-06-2024 22:27 via slashdot.org
  
  Sarah Perez reports via TechCrunch: After a multi-hour outage that took place in the early hours of the morning, OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot went down again -- but this time, it wasn't the only AI provider affected. On Tuesday morning, both Anthropic's Claude and Perplexity began seeing issues, too, but these were more quickly resolved. Google's Gemini appears to be operating at present, though it may have also briefly gone offline, according to some user reports.It's unusual for three major AI pro
  
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• Ex-Google CEO Funds AI Research at Europe's Top Physics Hub CERN

  04-06-2024 22:05 via slashdot.org
  
  A donation by former Google chief Eric Schmidt to Europe's top particle physics lab heralds a new way to fund frontier research just as the West's technological race with China quickens. From a report: The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, will use the previously unreported gift of $48 million [non-paywalled link] from the Eric & Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation to develop AI algorithms to analyze raw data from the lab's Large Hadron Collider, the world's most p
  
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• FCC Sued by Broadband Industry Groups Over Net Neutrality Rules

  04-06-2024 21:29 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Several broadband industry lobby groups have filed lawsuits against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in an attempt to overturn the recently approved net neutrality rules. The regulations, which prohibit blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization, are scheduled to take effect on July 22. The lawsuits were filed in various US appeals courts by groups representing cable, telecom, and mobile Internet service providers, including NCTA-The Internet & Television Association, USTelecom
  
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• Services Disrupted as London Hospitals Hit By Cyber-attack

  04-06-2024 20:45 via it.slashdot.org
  
  jd writes: There aren't many details yet, but a private company used by the National Health Service in London was hit by a ransomware attack today, leading to cancelled operations and cancelled tests. The provider has been hit multiple times this year and is obviously not bothering with making any improvements in cybersecurity. There really should be legal requirements when it comes to maintaining what is de-facto critical infrastructure.
  From the article: "Major NHS hospitals in London have bee
  
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• Intel CEO Takes Aim at Nvidia in Fight for AI Chip Dominance

  04-06-2024 20:05 via slashdot.org
  
  Intel Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger took the stage at the Computex show in Taiwan to talk about new products he expects will help turn back the tide of share losses to peers, including AI leader Nvidia. From a report: Intel showed its new Xeon 6 data center processors with more efficient cores that will allow operators to cut down the space required for a given task to a third of prior-generation hardware. Like rivals, from Advanced Micro Devices to Qualcomm, Intel touted benchmarks that
  
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