Tech news

Final rules governing unmanned aircraft, commonly known as drones, have been released by the Federal Aviation Administration. The move is expected to open the door for delivery of consumer packages by air. The rules establish minimum standards for safety so drones can fly over populated areas and at night under certain conditions. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/3nVmged

Eight of the top 10 states for mobile Internet coverage are in the Northeast, according to an analysis released by consumer product and services comparison website WhistleOut. However, the best mobile Internet coverage isn't in a state at all -- but in the District of Columbia. To rank the states, 75 percent of the score was based on median mobile download speeds and 25 percent by 5G coverage. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/3mYIdaQ

Our infrastructure wasn't set up to suddenly shift massive amounts of traffic from companies to homes. Exacerbating this are cable networks with shared capacity because they were built with the idea that most folks wouldn't be using them at the same time. 5G might be the only realistic way to deal with these issues on a sustained basis. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/37RthHe

Since 2014, when Apple first set out to design its own vehicle, the company has engaged in automotive research and development collectively under the name "Project Titan." A report that Apple now is readying its own self-driving car for release in 2024 is being met with a healthy dose of skepticism by some analysts. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2KwueMf

Every year TechNewsWorld columnist Rob Enderle looks back at all of the Products of the Week he selected during the year and picks the one that made the most significant impression to crown the Product of the Year . Let's look at the contenders that made the initial cut, and then he'll rank the top four products leading up to the 2020 Product of the Year . from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/37CNKzt

An Illinois consumer says that on Sept. 26 he received a number of text messages on his cellphone from a company named DoNotPay, Inc., attempting to solicit his business. The messages allegedly urged him to sign up for the DoNotPay app, a service chatbot that its maker bills as "The World's First Robot Lawyer." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/37x3Omc

The Federal Trade Commission seeks to obtain information on how many users certain social media companies have, how active the users are, what the companies know about them, how they got that information, and what steps the companies take to continue to engage users. The FTC also is gathering information on the companies' business models and how they target children and families. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/37qtvoF

The Big Three makers of video gaming hardware have announced a united front to make online gaming safe for all their players. "We can accomplish more when we work toward the same goal, and so we will each continue investing in, evolving, and amplifying our approaches to user safety," stated Dave McCarthy, Microsoft's corporate vice president for Xbox operations. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2K5gYhy

Two new Web browsing alternatives widen the field of browser choices for Linux users. The recent introduction of Microsoft Edge for Linux, and the Dec. 8 release of Vivaldi version 3.5 offer the freedom to experience a Google-free vehicle to navigate the Internet. Edge on Linux has the potential for widespread adoption. Proprietary Vivaldi is already well established on Linux and other platforms. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/3oR9cqs

Sometime in the 2030s PCs and phones will merge, if they hadn't already. In the 2040s people and personal technology will merge as humans and robotics evolve into hybrids of each other. Since we're approaching the end of 2020, let's talk about what's on the way over the next three decades, and build up to what's in store for personal communications technology in 2050. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/37fyus1

Cybersecurity firm FireEye, which has been prominent in the fight against nation-state cyberthreats, has been itself attacked by "a highly sophisticated threat actor, one whose discipline, operational security, and techniques," company CEO Kevin Mandia announced Tuesday. This indicates the attack is likely state-sponsored, by a nation "with top-tier offensive capabilities." from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/3qLNIgu

Americans seem to have little interest in using contact-tracing applications used to identify people who have come into contact with a person infected with COVID-19. Adoption rates in areas using an app based on technology introduced by Google and Apple six months ago are higher, but even in the most successful of those states -- Connecticut -- only about 20 percent of residents have chosen to activate the software. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/36UdgA2

Qualcomm last week launched its Snapdragon 888 platform which will show up in premium phones next year. This promises to take the high-end of Android smartphones to levels of performance they've never seen before. Let's talk about what is coming to market in Android phones -- and likely iPhones -- next year, because you've got to believe Apple watched this launch and is now furiously working to create similar functions. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/33QjI90

Machine learning, which has disrupted and improved so many industries, is just starting to make its way into software testing. Heads are turning, and for good reason: the industry is never going to be the same again. Let's delve into the current state of affairs, and explore how ML techniques are radically changing the software testing industry. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/33EZvmI

Libra, the digital currency announced by Facebook last year, is getting a new name. Libra will now be Diem. The new name will reenforce the currency project's independence, according to a statement released by the Libra Association, which is also changing its name. From now on it will be the Diem Association. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/2Vsswxr

For years the consumer virtual reality market has failed to fulfill the hype surrounding it, but that's going to change according to Omdia. The market analysis firm has released a report that predicts the value of the virtual reality hardware and software market to reach $10 billion by 2025, up from $3.2 billion in 2020. Standalone headsets appear to be leading the growth curve for VR. from TechNewsWorld https://ift.tt/3ocIBUl