Instagram appears to be raking in even more ad cash than YouTube
If you thought YouTube's 2019 ad revenue of $15 billion was a lot, then how about Instagram? Sources claiming to have knowledge of the matter said recently that the popular photo app generated around $20 billion last year. In 2018, Facebook reportedly told Instagram to double the number of ads its shows.
Twitter says state-backed attackers may have nabbed phone numbers
Twitter recently shut down a large network of fake accounts that may have been attempting to match a huge number of generated phone numbers to other accounts.
Sleep pods give health care workers some much-needed rest
A growing number of health care facilities in the United Kingdom are trying out so-called “sleep pods” in a bid to give staff a decent rest during breaks.
How a guy used 99 phones in a cart to create traffic jams on Google Maps
A Berlin-based artist with a mischievous streak recently fired up Google Maps on 99 smartphones and carted them around the streets of the city. The result? Google Maps processed the data and, concluding that the streets must be gridlocked, redirected nearby drivers to other roads in the area.
Nikon’s new Z mount 70-200mm f/2.8 lens is not quite ready for prime time
Nikon Z camera owners waiting for the $2,600 Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens will have to wait a little longer. Originally slated for a February 14 launch, the Japanese camera maker now says it’s having to delay its release, citing “production reasons.” A new launch date is yet to be announced.
Amazon lifts the lid on Prime membership count, and it’s big
Amazon rarely reveals how many people have signed up to its Prime subscription service, but this week it let on that the count now stands at a colossal 150 million members globally. The figure marks an increase of 50 million from April 2018, helped in part by Prime's launch in Brazil four months ago.
Google deploys its SOS Alerts system for reliable coronavirus information
Google is helping to highlight verified information on the coronavirus by pushing it to the top of search results. Powered by Google’s SOS Alerts system, those using its search engine for information on the virus will see relevant news and safety tips from the World Health Organization at the top of the results.
Drone delivery: Medical supplies will soon be flying around San Diego
UPS and drone specialist Matternet are teaming up for a trial drone delivery service for health care facilities in San Diego. It follows a similar trial by the two firms in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2019. The San Diego effort will see medical samples flown between facilities.
Google dished out $6.5M in bug bounties in 2019 with one payout worth $201K
Google has paid out $21 million via its bug bounty program in its nine-year history, with a record $6.5 million paid out last year. The company said its single biggest payment last year was $201,000, though it declined to offer any details about the nature of the discovered vulnerability.
Get off the sidewalk! Lime’s new scooter aims to make you ride on the road
Lime is testing a novel way to gently persuade its riders to stick to the street and stay off the sidewalk. The scootersharing company has added sensors to its electric two-wheelers that can distinguish between a street and sidewalk, and will send notifications to riders if they spend too much time on the latter.
Take a tour of the space station from the comfort of your own sofa
If you’ve ever wondered what it's like to stay on the International Space Station, then this fascinating video tour should give you a good idea. Astronauts Luca Parmitano and Drew Morgan kindly take us on a leisurely journey through the orbiting outpost, visiting an array of interesting features along the way.
Atari-themed gaming hotels heading to Las Vegas and 7 other U.S. cities
Atari is getting into the hospitality business, building eight gaming-focused hotels in cities including Las Vegas, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle. Each one will feature a state-of-the-art eSport studio, an Atari gaming playground, and a massive neon-lit Atari logo on the side of the building so you can’t miss it.
NFL: Multiple teams’ social media accounts targeted by hackers
Hackers targeted the social media accounts of 15 NFL teams on Sunday and Monday. Those responsible swapped out the accounts’ profile pictures and headers or deleted them entirely. They also posted ads for their own cybersecurity services, as well as other more mischievous messages announcing player sales.
Expect bumps and lumps with your new Razr smartphone, Motorola says
On the day that pre-orders opened for its much-anticipated Razr smartphone, Motorola has said that owners may see “bumps and lumps” on the foldable display, adding that it’s “normal” behavior for the handset. With memories of Samsung’s bungled Galaxy Fold launch still fresh, let’s hope the Razr is more reliable.
Boeing hails first test flight of 777X, world’s largest twin-engine jet
Boeing on Saturday sent its new 777X jet on its first test flight ahead of deployment in 2021. Described as the world’s largest twin-engine plane in terms of length and width, the jet features specially designed folding wings that will enable it to operate at all of the airports that handle existing models of the 777.
Obi-Wan Kenobi series delay won’t change premiere date, says Ewan McGregor
The Obi-Wan Kenobi series produced by Disney+ and Lucasfilm appears to be experiencing some trouble, with reports claiming the scripts have been ditched and the episode count reduced. The premiere date for the series won't be affected, though, according to star Ewan McGregor.
Waymo’s self-driving minivans and big rigs arrive in two more states
Texas and New Mexico are the latest states to say hello to Waymo's self-driving minivans and big rigs. The autonomous-vehicle specialist will start by using its minivans to map the highways in readiness for trial runs using its trucks. The tests could lead to a commercial freight operation using the trucks.
Astronauts discover how to bake the perfect cookie in space
Future astronauts heading to Mars will likely be baking chocolate chip cookies during the trip. The crew aboard the International Space Station recently made some of the cookies in the first-ever space-based baking experiment. The cookies returned to Earth last week and are now being inspected by scientists.
Apple Safari flaw left users’ browsing activity open to being tracked
Apple recently fixed a serious security flaw with its Safari browser after being alerted to it by Google. The vulnerability, if exploited, would've enabled third parties to gather “sensitive private information about the user’s browsing habits,” Google said this week. Apple fixed the issue soon after learning of it.
Flickr hikes Pro subscription fee a month after pleading for more sign-ups
A month after pleading with users of Flickr's free tier to switch to a paid Pro account, the company has raised its prices. Flickr’s owner, SmugMug, said in December 2019 that the photo site was eating through cash, and so asked users to consider signing up for a subscription “to keep the Flickr dream alive.”
NASA reveals 9 finalists in Mars 2020 rover naming contest. Cast your vote
NASA has revealed the top nine entries in its Mars 2020 rover name contest and you can vote for your favorite. The contest will reveal the winning name in March, with the student who suggested it invited to watch the mission launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July.
Space Station gets the Lego treatment in wonderfully detailed design
A Lego version of the International Space Station will launch on February 1 priced at $70. The level of detail is impressive, with the entire kit comprising not only the space station, but also a Lego brick-built NASA space shuttle, three mini cargo spacecraft, and two astronaut microfigures.
Boeing says 737 Max will stay grounded until at least mid-2020
Boeing had hoped that its troubled 737 Max aircraft might get permission to fly again this month, but this week the plane-maker said that after considering the FAA’s evaluation process, it’s unlikely to get clearance until mid-2020. The news will come as a serious blow to airlines that use the aircraft.
Huawei taps TomTom to help it navigate to a Google Maps alternative
After being cut off from Google by the U.S. government in response to apparent security concerns regarding Chinese tech firms, Huawei has been looking for ways to build alternative services now that it can no longer use Google apps on its new phones. For starters, it’s inked a deal with TomTom to replace Google Maps.
Tesla strongly rejects claims of acceleration issue with its cars
Tesla has described a recent petition alleging unexpected accelerations among its cars as "completely false." It said that it has already discussed most of the complaints in the petition with the NHTSA, adding that in every case where it had the vehicle's data, it was able to confirm that the car operated as designed.
Here’s why Instagram removed the IGTV button from its home screen
Instagram has erased the IGTV button from the main page of its app because "very few" people tapped on it. The company says users are accessing IGTV content in other ways, but the loss of the button, and lack of any metrics from the company about IGTV app downloads, has left some wondering how it’s really doing.
Watch SpaceX nail in-flight escape test, and lose a rocket in a huge fireball
SpaceX took a big step toward crewed flights on Sunday after performing a successful in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon capsule. The test showed how the Crew Dragon’s SuperDraco engines would fire the capsule away from the rocket if a serious anomaly should occur shortly after launch.
Look, no hands! Airbus nails autonomous takeoff in move toward pilotless jets
Pilotless planes have come a step closer after Airbus recently achieved the first fully automatic vision-based takeoff using image-recognition technology installed directly on the aircraft. Moving forward, the aerospace giant is aiming to test automatic vision-based taxi and landing sequences by the middle of 2020.