Technology category, Page 5
Robotic shorts could revolutionize walking for elderly, people with chronic illnesses
New robotic shorts could transform the way older adults and frail people walk. Designed to improve mobility and independence, the WalkON shorts were created to be worn over everyday clothes and could help those with chronic illnesses as well, the Washington Post reported. “A pouch-like harness goes around the waist...
Federal appeals court upholds law requiring sale or ban of TikTok in the U.S.
A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the...
Sewickley-based Custos IQ recognized for excellence in cybersecurity
A Sewickley-based cybersecurity business has been recognized for excellence as a start-up company. Custos IQ was named a 2024 Tech 50 finalist in the start-up company culture category by the Pittsburgh Technology Council from Intersections of Possibility. Co-owners Robert Ragan Jr. and Isabelle Syring work with a small team of...
Western Pa. communities use Facebook as integral tool to connect with residents
Tom Bell starts his shift at 4:30 a.m. each day as Greensburg’s streets superintendent. While most people take the same route to work, Bell takes a different way almost daily. Instead of listening to music or the morning news, he logs onto the public works department’s Facebook page to record...
Amazon to invest an additional $4 billion in AI startup Anthropic
Amazon is investing an additional $4 billion in the artificial intelligence startup Anthropic as major technology companies rush to fund generative AI. This will bring Amazon’s total investment in Anthropic — which began last year — to $8 billion. Anthropic said the Seattle-based tech giant will maintain its position as...
One Tech Tip: How to get started with Bluesky
LONDON — Looking for a new social media platform because X, Threads and Mastodon just aren’t cutting it? You could try Bluesky. People seeking to avoid chaos, noise and political bluster in the aftermath of the U.S. elections are noticing a different mood on the Bluesky social platform, where the...
Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on
NEW YORK — Bitcoin topped $98,000 for the first time Thursday, extending a streak of almost daily all-time highs since the U.S. presidential election. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 and investors do not appear to be...
U.S. regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment
U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by...
Bluesky has added 1 million users since U.S. election as people seek alternatives to X
LOS ANGELES — Social media site Bluesky has gained 1 million new users in the week since the U.S. election, as some X users look for an alternative platform to post their thoughts and engage with others online. Bluesky said Wednesday that its total users surged to 15 million, up...
Hempfield’s Powerex gets $1M in state aid for growing semiconductor operations
The state has awarded $1 million to a Hempfield company that produces semiconductors, adding more government support to help add jobs and manufacturing capacity. Powerex Inc., located near the Westmoreland County Community College, will be able to increase production and hire 25 or more employees as a result of the...
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’; what happens next is less clear
After a tumultuous year filled with anxiety and a legal battle about its future in the U.S., TikTok may have just been thrown a lifeline by the man who was once its biggest foe: Donald Trump. President-elect Trump, who tried to ban the social media platform the last time he...
23andMe users could be eligible for data breach settlement
After a data breach affected around half of its customers, family ancestry company 23andMe has agreed to a $30 million settlement — and users could be eligible to receive a payout in the future. 23andMe is a DNA testing company that provides users with ancestry, genetics and health information. Users...
Apple AirPods Pro’s new hearing aid feature could help people face a problem they’d rather ignore
Some Apple AirPods wireless headphones can be used as hearing aids with a new software update available Monday. It’s a high-profile move that experts applaud, even if they only reach a small portion of the millions of Americans with hearing loss. An estimated 30 million people — 1 in 8...
SpaceX launches 99th operational mission of the year
SpaceX knocked out its 99th operational flight of the year with a Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Friday night. A Falcon 9 with 20 Starlink satellites lifted off from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 7:31 p.m. This was the 17th flight of the first-stage booster that made...
EXPlore: Pittsburgh Tech Week kicks off with diversity in AI discussion
People of color make up about 37% of the tech industry, while white people account for a little over 60%, according to a 2023 Techreport. Intersectionality of AI & Inclusion was the topic of discussion on the opening day of the EXPlore: Pittsburgh Tech Week on Monday at Google’s Bakery...
Documents show OpenAI’s long journey from nonprofit to $157B valued company
Back in 2016, a scientific research organization incorporated in Delaware and based in Mountain View, California, applied to be recognized as a tax-exempt charitable organization by the Internal Revenue Services. Called OpenAI, the nonprofit told the IRS its goal was to “advance digital intelligence in the way that is most...
Federal judge orders Google to open its Android app store to competition
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge on Monday ordered Google to tear down the digital walls shielding its Android app store from competition as punishment for maintaining an illegal monopoly that helped expand the company’s internet empire. The injunction issued by U.S. District Judge James Donato will require Google to...
Tesla issues 5th recall for new Cybertruck within a year, the latest due to rearview camera
Tesla is recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks because the rearview camera image may not activate immediately after shifting into reverse, the fifth recall for the vehicle since it went on sale late last year. Tesla has released a free software upgrade to address the issue and owner notification letters are...
Many Verizon customers across the U.S. hit by service outage
NEW YORK — Some Verizon customers across the U.S. were hit by a service outage Monday. The issue appeared to knock out cellphone service for tens of thousands of Verizon users. Data from outage tracker DownDetector shows that reports topped 100,000 shortly after 11 a.m. ET — and while that...
U.S. intelligence says Russians created fake California news site to fabricate Harris scandal
WASHINGTON — Russian actors created a fake San Francisco news station that published a staged video this month in an attempt to generate a scandal about Vice President Kamala Harris — the latest example of Moscow’s attempt to denigrate the Democratic presidential nominee in her campaign against former President Donald...
Biden administration seeks to ban Chinese, Russian tech in U.S. autonomous vehicles
NEW YORK — The Commerce Department said Monday it’s seeking a ban on the sale of connected and autonomous vehicles in the U.S. that are equipped with Chinese and Russian software and hardware with the stated goal of protecting national security and U.S. drivers. While there is minimal Chinese and...
Apple releases AI software for a smarter Siri on the iPhone 16
Apple is accelerating the rollout of a software update that will implant artificial intelligence into its virtual assistant Siri and automate a variety of tedious tasks to coincide with the release of its latest iPhone. The free update enabling the first set of features in Apple’s suite of artificial intelligence...
Keeping children safe on social media: What parents should know to protect their kids
At what age should kids be on social media? Should they be on it at all? If they aren’t, will they be social pariahs? Should parents monitor their conversations? Do parental controls work? Navigating social media as a parent — not to mention a child — is not easy. Using...
Instagram teen accounts to be made private
Accounts for any Instagram users under 16 will now be made private, Meta announced Tuesday. Users will now need a parent’s approval to change the restricted settings, called “Teen Accounts” — which filter out offensive words and limit who can contact the account, NPR reported. The changes are being made...
Elon Musk has often inflamed politically tense moments, raising worries for U.S. election
NEW YORK— Hours after an apparent attempt on Donald Trump’s life over the weekend, Elon Musk took to his social platform X to post a thinking emoji and a comment that “no one is even trying to assassinate” the Democratic president and vice president. In the midst of anti-Muslim riots...
