Author: Anick Jesdanun
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Some gadgets that actually fill a real need
NEW YORK • Sometimes you can sense that tech products are striving to solve problems that are manufactured by their manufacturers. Smartwatches, for instance, have long been a nifty idea — but they’ve offered few tangible benefits for anyone but health and fitness enthusiasts. That’s why it’s notable when a particular gadget finally breaks through.…
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Samsung’s new phone shows how hardware innovation has slowed
NEW YORK • Samsung’s new smartphone illustrates the limits of innovation at a time when hardware advances have slowed. The new phone, the Galaxy Note 9, will be faster and will last longer without a recharge. But while earth-shattering new features are in short supply, it will carry an earth-shattering price tag: $1,000. The minor…
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What drug-dealing ‘darknet’ sites have in common with eBay
NEW YORK — AlphaBay, the now-shuttered online marketplace that authorities say traded in illegal drugs, firearms and counterfeit goods, wasn’t all that different from any other e-commerce site, court documents show. Not only did it work hard to match buyers and sellers and to stamp out fraud, it offered dispute-resolution services when things went awry…
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Malware, described in leaked NSA documents, cripples computers worldwide
NEW YORK — Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users’ files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies. It was believed to the biggest attack of its kind ever recorded. The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a…
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Dozens of countries hit by huge cyberextortion attack
NEW YORK — Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users’ files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies. It was believed to the biggest attack of its kind ever recorded. The malicious software behind the onslaught appeared to exploit a…
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Cable giant Comcast offers cellular plans on Verizon network
NEW YORK — The cable giant Comcast will start selling cellphone plans called Xfinity Mobile in the coming months, using a network it’s leasing from Verizon. Many subscribers will save money, especially if they don’t use a lot of data. The catch: Only Comcast internet customers can sign up. Comcast, which has nearly 25 million high-speed…
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Twitter: US backs down on seeking anti-Trump user records
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government has dropped its request for Twitter to produce records that could identify users behind an account opposed to President Donald Trump, the company said Friday. As a result,…
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Apple cuts prices on lower-end iPads, releases red iPhones
NEW YORK — Apple is cutting prices on two iPad models and introducing red iPhones, but the company held back on updating its higher-end iPad Pro tablets. A much-speculated 10.5-inch iPad Pro didn’t materialize, nor did new versions of existing sizes in the Pro lineup, which is aimed at businesses and creative professionals. The new…
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6 road-trip apps to make the miles fly by
TEXARKANA, Ark. — Hitting the road this summer? Forget Yelp and those hotel booking apps — they’re useful, but boring. Instead, pack along these apps to liven things up along the way. You might even learn something. DISCOVER THE QUIRKY Consult Roadside America’s database of offbeat tourist attractions, and you could marvel at a giant…
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Mackinac Island offers Victorian charm in modern era
MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. – Producers of the 1980 movie “Somewhere in Time” didn’t need to build elaborate sets to depict the tale of a playwright who travels back to 1912 to find romance. They simply filmed on Mackinac Island, a Great Lakes enclave that retains its Victorian-era charm thanks to its ban on motor vehicles.…