ArcaMax

Facebook on Wednesday took another step in its efforts to gain a piece of the home video-communications market by taking the wraps off of Portal TV, a new set-top box for streaming TV programs and video chats.

In a company blog post, Facebook said that Portal TV will cost $149; they'll be shipped Nov. 5. The device will include streaming TV ...Read more

Facebook on Tuesday revealed how it plans to handle disputes over its content decisions, detailing how its purportedly independent "Oversight Board" will operate.

Facebook users who object to a content decision by the company or the algorithms it uses to approve or remove content, and who have exhausted appeals, will be able to request a review...Read more

Q: I received what appears to be a scam e-mail from Computer Help Security & Services. It urged me to renew my membership or call their telephone number to cancel (and thus avoid an impending $300 renewal charge to my account). I've never done business with this company, but is it possible they have my credit card number? Should I just delete ...Read more

Q. You recently answered a question saying most smartphones provide better picture quality than a $300 pocket camera. Is this because camera manufacturers are unable to produce such a camera, or because they are unwilling to do so for that price?

-- D. M., Concord, Calif.

A. It is probably a bit of both. When you consider the cost of a good ...Read more

SEATTLE -- Amazon's new Alexa Answers program, which encourages unpaid volunteers to fill in gaps in its databases to better respond to user queries, raises a host of questions about information quality and transparency in the fast-evolving voice computing era.

Many people make purchases, control home automation systems, play music and ask ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- On a quiet road south of Ventura Boulevard, two cameras on a pole watch over the road, facing opposite directions.

A block away, another brace of cameras sit sentry. Together, they constantly film the two points of entry to a closed loop of public streets in Sherman Oaks.

Nearby, on a dual-screen setup in the basement of his ...Read more

Ready or not, here they come: Scientists who played hide and seek with rats found that their furry subjects seemed to love the game -- and they were remarkably good at it.

The unconventional experiment, described in Friday's edition of the journal Science, sheds light on the sophisticated sense of play in these tiny rodents and the complex ...Read more

What do you get when you divide $3 million by 347? A Villanova University senior is about to find out.

Actually, this student can probably do the math in his head.

Jadyn Anczarski, who is majoring in physics, learned this month that he and assistant professor Joey Neilsen each will get a share of the $3 million Breakthrough Prize in ...Read more

SAN DIEGO -- Ten years ago computational neuroscientist Dr. Eugene Izhikevich walked away from a successful career in academia to co-found Brain Corp. with the ambitious goal of building artificial brains for robots.

These days when the Russian-born Izhikevich lands late at San Diego International Airport, he sometimes sees the fruits of that ...Read more

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After facing lawsuits and criticisms related to the safety of its riders, Lyft said it will implement new measures designed to improve the security of its customers and its drivers.

In a blog post Tuesday, Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer said that the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company will now partner with ...Read more

WASHINGTON -- With Big Tech accused of everything from decimating industries to abusing privacy, calls are growing for the creation of a federal regulator.

Presidential candidates, consumer advocates and some antitrust enforcers have focused on breaking up Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google -- or at least ...Read more

Q: Over the last three years, I've been the victim of harassment via the internet and cellphone calls. I've reported it to the police and the FBI, but they haven't been able to stop it. Do you have any idea what I can do about the following:

-- My husband and I use Wi-Fi to access the internet on our iPhones, but I'm having trouble logging in ...Read more

Q. When I read about the Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers I inferred that the 25 watt Cambridge Audio AM5 amplifier is adequate for them. Then I saw that the speakers require 50 watts at a minimum. Did I misinterpret that?

-M.S., Concord, CA

A. The Q Acoustics 3020i speakers are recommended for use with amplifiers 25 watts per channel and ...Read more

Apple on Tuesday kicked off its annual holiday season push by revealing more details about how it intends to make a splash in the streaming television market with its upcoming Apple TV+ subscription service.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said the Apple TV+ will make its debut Nov. 1, with some original programming and other TV shows and movies. In a move ...Read more

CHICAGO -- McDonald's on Tuesday announced plans to acquire a voice technology company to help speed up ordering at the drive thru, the latest in a series of high-tech investments by the fast-food chain as it strives to improve wait times and draw customers to its restaurants.

McDonald's declined to disclose the terms of its agreement to buy ...Read more

Substantial majorities of Americans -- both those who own firearms and those who do not -- support measures that would require first-time gun buyers and those wishing to carry a concealed weapon to demonstrate they can safely own and handle a gun, according to a new study.

In a national survey conducted in January, researchers from Johns ...Read more