LinkedIn purchase is latest move to acquire vast stores of data Microsoft Corp.’s $26.2 billion deal to buy LinkedIn Corp. is the latest turn in a race by the software giant and its competitors to mine vast quantities of data—searches, emails, social networks, browsing behavior—for insights that would help their products serve and even anticipate customer needs. Microsoft, Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc. are moving deeper into using machine learning,

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Apple develops a robot to take iPhones apart; firms also design devices with simple disassembly in mind Apple introduced a piece of technology recently that will likely never be used by any consumer. Instead, it kind of cleans up after them: a robot that breaks down iPhones for recycling. The arrival of Liam—a 29-armed robot capable of taking apart 1.2 million iPhones a year—speaks to a big challenge facing tech

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Microsoft has confirmed it has sold hundreds of tech patents to Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, just weeks after selling its phone business, bought from Nokia in 2014. The deal is viewed as beneficial for both sides. Upstart Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi bought almost 1,500 tech patents from Microsoft as part of a partnership meant to help the Asian firm expand outside its home market. AFP news agency reported the patents

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“Just like WhatsApp Web, the new desktop app lets you message with friends and family while your phone stays in your pocket.” With more than 1 billion users, WhatsApp just introduced a desktop application, which is simply (and thankfully) an extension of your phone because the app mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device. In WhatsApp’s announcement, they said, “The new desktop app is available for Windows 8+ and

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Google is expected to dive deeper into virtual reality and artificial intelligence Wednesday during an annual conference that serves as a launching pad for its latest products and innovations. Although Google keeps its plans under wraps until the big event, the conference agenda makes it clear that virtual reality and artificial intelligence, or “machine learning,” will be among the focal points. That has spurred speculation that Google is getting ready to

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Is it a bird or a plane? No, it’s just Henry Cavill using his new Huawei P9+, making him the Ying to Scarlet Johansson’s Yang. Both celebrities have cleverly signed up to be the new ambassadors for China’s most recognised international mobile handset brand, Huawei. As two of the most recognised actors on the planet with a box office track record that spans 44 films, which when aggregated amount to almost

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Dropbox users can decide when to keep files in the cloud, and when they need to be downloaded. Dropbox is hoping to change the cloud storage game with their newly announced solution called Project Infinite. The problem Dropbox wants to solve is how professionals manage their files in the cloud and on their local hard drives. Project Infinite‘s goal is to “reimagine how people find, access, and collaborate with large

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The new feature is “similar to our contextual playlists for music” Have you ever wished for a podcast service that recommends episodes and shows based on your activity, mood, interests, and even the weather or time of day? Google thinks you may have, and they’re bringing that technology to Google Play Music. On Google’s Android blog, they announced the new feature as “similar to our contextual playlists for music, we

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Data shows tech makes up 20 of the 25 highest-paying companies in U.S. this year. The tech industry, where a dearth of talent is driving up annual salaries well past $100,000, dominates a new list of the top-paying companies in the U.S. Companies including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Facebook Inc. and Twitter Inc. all pay median compensation of at least $150,000 a year, according to a study published Wednesday by online

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In 2011, the Chelsea soccer club had one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Petr Čech, but he’d been plagued by injuries. They needed to develop an eventual replacement for the 29-year old Czech, but wanted to keep him as starting goalie for a few more years, so they signed 19-year-old Thibaut Courtois from Belgium, and immediately loaned him out to Atlético Madrid. That may sound strange to American

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