Consumer Tech

Microsoft Boss Suggests Joint Big-Tech Center After New Zealand Attacks Go Viral

The company’s president Brad Smith suggests establishing a virtual coordination center where major tech companies can work together during incidents.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Your AirPods Will Die Soon

The surprisingly short life of new electronic devices.

  • By Alana Semuels, The Atlantic

The Gig Economy is Actually Pretty Tiny

An analysis from the Economic Policy Institute found that workers who sourced jobs through apps like Uber and Lyft comprised just a minuscule fraction of the overall workforce.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Federal Court Deals Airbnb a Blow in its Fight Against Local Regulations

“This case is hugely significant,” says one legal scholar.

  • By Bill Lucia

The Hot New Thing in Dockless Electric Scooters: Docks

Cities are desperate to tame the sidewalk chaos of the e-scooter industry. As companies weigh dock options, one startup offers a solar-powered solution.

  • By Laura Bliss, CityLab

How an App for Gamers Went Mainstream

Discord has become an indispensable tool for internet creators to connect with their fans.

  • By Taylor Lorenz, The Atlantic

Your Health Data Are a Gold Mine for Advertisers

In the hospital and at home, illness data can be lucrative.

  • By Sidney Fussell, The Atlantic

The Servant Economy

Ten years after Uber inaugurated a new era for Silicon Valley, we checked back in on 105 on-demand businesses.

  • By Alexis Madrigal, The Atlantic

Lawmakers Demand Answers on Surprise Microphones Inside Google Nest

The group wants Google CEO Sundar Pichai to provide answers—in writing, and in person—on the microphones discovered in Nest products.

  • By Brandi Vincent

FaceTime Is Eroding Trust in Tech

Tech paranoiacs have been totally vindicated.

  • By Ian Bogost, The Atlantic

Google Streamlines Search Data Controls

This change could be in response to some recent controversies.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Mozilla Tests Firefox VPN Service

The popular browser is seeing whether users will pay a monthly fee for extra privacy.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Update to Google Chrome Automatically Logs Users Into the Browser

It's a change that may spark privacy concerns for some users.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Facebook Introduces Bug Bounty Program For Third-Party Apps

The company will accept reports discovered from passive viewing only.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

Report: Trump’s Latest Tariffs Will Stunt Cloud Market, Federal Adoption

A 25 percent tariff will lead to higher costs for agencies and might slow U.S. cloud adoption, analysts say.

  • By Aaron Boyd

Hey Tech Support Scams, Google Is On To You

The tech giant is taking action against this common scheme.

  • By Caitlin Fairchild

The Next Stop on Amazon’s Journey Toward World Domination is Your Car

Alexa, will you turn up the air conditioning?

  • By Simone Stolzoff, Quartz

Microsoft Threatened to Stop Hosting the Alt-Right’s Favorite Social Network

The company didn't want to host language that could incite violence.

  • By Simone Stolzoff, Quartz

Google’s Larry Page Thinks We’ll Soon Be Soaring Over Traffic in These Cute Flying Cars He’s Building

For now, the Flyer is clearly a novelty, meant to appeal to the ambitions and pocketbooks of wealthy hobbyists.

  • By Erik Olsen, Quartz

Here’s How to Stop Your iPhone from Listening to You

... and tracking where you're going.

  • By Mike Murphy, Quartz