Airbnb will rebrand its short-term home rental service in China as “Aibiying” and triple the size of its workforce in the country as it tries to woo a large but complex market for foreign tech companies. Aibiying translates as ‘welcome each other with love,’ which is the kind of reception that Airbnb may require to…
Facebook and Nokia have found a way to push a lot more data through a submarine cable across the Atlantic, which could help the social network keep up with the growth of video and virtual reality. On a 5,500-kilometer (3,400-mile) cable between Ireland and New York, the companies tested a new technique developed at Nokia…
When I decided to buy an Apple Watch Series 2, I knew exactly which model I wanted: rose gold with the pink and midnight woven nylon band. It was a combination Apple highlighted on its website, but I wasn’t sure how many the store would keep in stock. Luckily, I snagged one of the few…
The inventor of a new lithium-ion (Li-on) technology that is purported to be safer, faster-charging, and longer-lasting than today’s rechargeable batteries responded to experts wary of his claim, saying new discoveries invite strong skepticism. John Goodenough, 94, a professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of…
It’s easy to forget that the Pixel brand includes more than phones. Back before the name was synonymous with Google’s handsets, the Pixel C was the best Android tablet money could buy, but it hasn’t done a whole lot to live up to the Pixel name. That’s changing with the latest 7.1.2 Nougat beta. Most…
One of the big problems in gaming is incompatibility. A game written for Windows and DirectX won’t work on Macs or Android devices. Vulkan games work on Android, but not on Apple devices, which has its own Metal API. That’s one problem that standards-setting organization Khronos is looking to solve with the newly formed 3D…
When Apple released a new iPad on Tuesday, the company also simplified the iPad lineup: instead of four iPad models, there are now three. This makes it easier to decide which iPad to buy, though there are still a lot of factors to consider. Let’s take a look at the major features you should think…
The next NASA rover to head to another planet might take a little robotic scout along with it. This robot can fold up its wheels and tuck itself away or unfold and pop up like a piece of origami. That’s what NASA is saying about its new “PUFFER” robot, or Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot,…
Microsoft has wrapped up work on a version of Windows 10 for China’s government and state-owned businesses, and is ready to begin selling the software, a state-run newspaper said today. “We have worked extensively to make it secure and controllable. We are now ready to serve the market,” Alain Crozier, the CEO of Microsoft’s Greater…
Java 9 has moved to the second phase of its ramp-down process, with an Oracle official advising deferment of some bugs as the upgrade heads toward its July 27 release date. In a recent bulletin, Oracle’s Mark Reinhold, chief architect of the Java platform group, advised deferring new P1 (Priority) and P2 bugs that are…