Technology

WASHINGTON: Google has agreed to buy Fitbit for $2.1 billion in a move giving the US tech giant an entry into the wearable technology space, the two companies announced Friday. “We have built a trusted brand that supports more than 28 million active users around the globe who rely on our products to live a healthier, more active life,” Fitbit …

Apple moves into new territory on Friday with a streaming television service that features a budding library of original shows starring big-name celebrities, aimed at winning over its gadget lovers at home and on the go. The Apple TV+ on-demand streaming service was set to debut in more than 100 countries at $4.99 per month. Apple is spending heavily on …

A day after AT&T showed off its new streaming service HBO Max, Wall Street investors and analysts expressed optimism, but acknowledged challenges ahead for the Dallas-based legacy telecom company. AT&T’s stock price rose by less than 1% to close at $38.20 on Wednesday. Investors of streaming competitors seemed undaunted: Netflix’s stock went up about 4% to $291.45. Apple was down slightly to …

AT&T pulled back the curtain Tuesday on its streaming service HBO Max and made the case why it can make a splash, even in a fiercely competitive field. The subscription service will launch in May 2020 and cost $14.99 a month — more than twice as much as several of its expected rivals. It will be anchored by HBO content, …

Tech investor and entrepreneur Elon Musk sparked a number of speculations after he gave a whopping million dollar donation for a tree plantation campaign. The campaign began with the #TeamTrees and came as a challenge to Jimmy Donaldson, 21, who is known on YouTube with the name ‘MrBeast’. This occurred in order to commemorate this achievement of 20 million subscribers. …

NEW YORK: In response to growing criticism over misinformation from politicians on social media, Twitter on Wednesday said that it would stop all political advertising globally on its platform. Jack Dorsey, chief executive of micro-blogging site, said in a tweet that the company took the action to head off potential problems from “machine learning-based optimization of messaging and micro-targeting, unchecked misleading …

WASHINGTON: Ten minutes charging time to add 200 miles of driving range: scientists in the US have claimed a technological breakthrough that could resolve one of the key concerns surrounding all-electric vehicles. Writing in the journal Joule on Wednesday, researchers at The Pennsylvania State University said that such a speedy charge rate required a battery to rapidly take in 400 …

Tesla’s third-quarter revenue fell 39 percent in the United States, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday. Sales in the country, the electric car maker’s biggest market, fell to $3.13 billion from $5.13 billion, a year earlier. Earlier this month, Tesla said its revenue fell nearly 8 percent to $6.30 billion for the quarter ended September 30, missing analysts’ estimate of $6.33 billion, …

SAN FRANCISCO: WhatsApp on Tuesday sued Israeli technology firm NSO Group, accusing it using the Facebook-owned messaging service to conduct cyberespionage on journalists, human rights activists and other. The suit filed in a California federal court contended that NSO Group tried to infect approximately 1,400 “target devices” with malicious software to steal valuable information from those using the messaging app. …

LOS ANGELES: With two young daughters, Mery Montenegro is preparing to add Disney+ to her list of streaming subscriptions, which already includes Netflix, Hulu and Amazon — and, when combined with her cable TV bill, costs her almost $1,500 per year. Her eldest Victoria, 6, asks every day when the new platform will launch, with its impressive catalogue of films …