Video Feature: Seeking Pluto’s Frigid Heart
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Set foot on an alien world, three billion miles from the warmth of the sun. Visit Pluto in virtual reality.
Featured
Google Home: A Voice-Activated Device That Already Knows You
By DAVID STREITFELD
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management, introduced the Google Home voice-activated device at an event on Wednesday.
A virtual assistant designed to compete with the Echo from Amazon and other artificial intelligence devices coming from Microsoft, Apple and Facebook.
Tech Fix
Google Home vs. Amazon Echo. Let the Battle Begin.
By BRIAN X. CHEN
Here’s how Google’s voice-controlled, Internet-connected speaker compares with Amazon’s popular Echo device.
Tech Fix
Why Windows 10 Upgrades Go Wrong, and How to Avoid It
By BRIAN X. CHEN
A majority of Windows users are still avoiding the move to Windows 10 because of upgrade headaches, but there are ways around them.
App Smart
Artificial Intelligence Makes the Phone a Personal Assistant
By KIT EATON
Smartphone apps offer a hint of the possible uses for emerging artificial intelligence technology.
Tech Tips
Tech Tip
Locating Missing Windows Features
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
If you can’t find the print-to-PDF option or other tools on your Windows 10 computer, you may have to enable them yourself.
Tech Tip
Changing a Wi-Fi Network’s Name
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
Utility software for Apple’s AirPort base stations allows you to manage your home wireless network settings — and hide the network’s name from view.
Tech Tip
Saving Your Data Allowance
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
Streaming audio and video apps turn your phone or tablet into a mobile entertainment center, but can chew up your monthly service plan.
Tech Tip
Shape-Shifting in Instagram
By J. D. BIERSDORFER
The service’s mobile app still offers its classic square shape for sharing pictures, but allows photos in the landscape and portrait formats as well.
App Smart
App Smart
The Smartphone Way to Inner Calm
By KIT EATON
Apps can help reduce daily stress through such means as guided meditation, journal writing and mood tracking.
App Smart
With Dubsmash, Lip Syncing Like the Stars
By KIT EATON
The app, which lets you make and share videos of yourself lip syncing, has become a cultural phenomenon and attracted a crowd of celebrity users.
More Tech Fix
Tech Fix
Why Apple Pay and Other Mobile Wallets Beat Chip Cards
By BRIAN X. CHEN
To fight fraud, the retail industry has shifted away from traditional magnetic credit cards in favor of cards with embedded computer chips. They’re slow.
Tech Fix
Taking the Stigma Out of Buying Used Electronics
By BRIAN X. CHEN
Pre-owned products can be purchased with confidence; they are subject to rigorous testing and often come with return policies.
Tech Fix
Choosing to Skip the Upgrade and Care for the Gadget You’ve Got
By BRIAN X. CHEN
As part of a movement against consumerism, more people are maintaining their electronics instead of constantly buying the newest, fastest model.
State of the Art
State of the Art
Car-Pooling Helps Uber Go the Extra Mile
By FARHAD MANJOO
Riders pay less and drivers transport more riders at once with the UberPool service, which could have a big impact on local economies and the national transportation infrastructure.
State of the Art
The Echo From Amazon Brims With Groundbreaking Promise
By FARHAD MANJOO
The voice-controlled computer has the potential to become a dominant force in the most intimate of environments: our homes.
Gadgetwise
Gadgetwise
Fitness Trackers Move to Earphones, Socks and Basketballs
By GREGORY SCHMIDT
Devices collect more kinds of data from more places, and one stores the energy from your movements for use to power a device.
Gadgetwise
A Rookie Learns to Fly a Drone
By PRASHANT S. RAO
There are many steps before you can get airborne, including finding a safe area and learning the federal and local regulations.
More News and Reviews
The Getaway
To Tip or Not to Tip Your Uber Driver
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Uber has begun allowing drivers in two states to post signs in their cars that say tips are appreciated. Is this just the beginning of Uber tipping?
On Technology
How I Learned to Love Snapchat
By JENNA WORTHAM
The app can be confusing for people over a certain age, but it returns something vital to our correspondence.
When YouTube Pranks Break the Law
By KATIE ROGERS
Pranksters fake terror attacks and other crimes, and sometimes land in jail. But the videos continue to be a popular draw.
Website Meant to Connect Neighbors Hears Complaints of Racial Profiling
By JENNIFER MEDINA
The social network Nextdoor.com is testing ways to prevent postings that have led blacks and Latinos to be seen as suspects in their own neighborhoods.
Google Appeals French Privacy Ruling
By MARK SCOTT
The search giant said it continued to resist France’s demand that Europe’s so-called right to be forgotten rules should be applied globally.
Nokia Phones May Find Life After Microsoft
By MARK SCOTT
Foxconn, the Taiwanese technology giant, and HMD Global, a Finnish company, have signed a licensing agreement to revive the brand.
State of the Art
Facebook’s Bias Is Built-In, and Bears Watching
By FARHAD MANJOO
Its algorithms are as infused with bias as any human decision, but neither it nor its audience thinks of Facebook as a news organization with editorial responsibilities.
Emojis Would Show Women Doing More Than Painting Their Nails
By KAREN WORKMAN
Google wants to add 13 emojis to represent women, and men too, in professional roles in business, health care, factory work and farming.
The Great Instagram Logo Freakout of 2016
By LIAM STACK
Flat design wins again over skeuomorphism. You’ll get over it, experts say.
Suicide on Periscope Prompts French Officials to Open Inquiry
By LILIA BLAISE and BENOÎT MORENNE
Officials are looking into an episode in which a young woman recorded herself jumping in front of a train outside Paris on the live video-streaming app.
First Words
What Do Our Online Avatars Reveal About Us?
By AMANDA HESS
The digital self-portraits we choose on various platforms are a window on ourselves and our intentions.
In Transit
Google Translate Updates Could Benefit Travelers
By STEPHANIE ROSENBLOOM
Google’s translation app can now be used in offline mode, and will also offer both simplified and traditional Chinese through its Word Lens feature.
Your New Home: Ready to See Now, via Virtual Reality
By KATE MURPHY
New interior design tools help clients visualize how their redecorated homes will look.
Google to Get Fiat Chrysler Minivans for Self-Driving Tests
By BILL VLASIC and NEAL E. BOUDETTE
The partnership will equip 100 vehicles with technology to advance and expand Google’s development effort.
Texting and Driving? Watch Out for the Textalyzer
By MATT RICHTEL
Policy makers and road safety experts are reaching back to tested strategies: They want to treat distracted driving like drunken driving.
Dyson Wants to Create a Hair Dryer Revolution
By ELIZABETH PATON
James Dyson, the Steve Jobs of household products, wants to do for beauty and grooming what his company did for vacuum cleaners. Will consumers buy it?
On Technology
What Chatbots Reveal About Our Own Shortcomings
By JENNA WORTHAM
Silicon Valley has fallen in love with A.I. assistants, but so far they’re hardly impressive. Is it the industry’s fault, or is it ours?
Sinosphere
China Drone Maker Says It May Share Data With State
By PAUL MOZUR
The company, DJI, said it was still working out how to deal with the data the authorities request and that it could include data from flights in Hong Kong.
Chip, Implanted in Brain, Helps Paralyzed Man Regain Control of Hand
By BENEDICT CAREY
A new study of a 24-year-old man who broke his neck five years ago is the first account of limb reanimation in a person with profound paralysis.
A Field Guide to Civilian Drones
By NICK WINGFIELD
As consumer and commercial drones increase in popularity, the government is taking more steps to address safety concerns and regulate the aerial vehicles.
Bitcoin Basics
By NATHANIEL POPPER
Bitcoin is both a virtual currency and an online payment system, one that some people believe will transform the global financial system.
Interactive Graphic: How Many Times Has Your Personal Information Been Exposed to Hackers?
By JOSH KELLER, K.K. REBECCA LAI and NICOLE PERLROTH
Find out which parts of your identity may have been stolen in major hacking attacks over the last two years.
For news and analysis, plus interesting links curated by our journalists. Staff Twitter List »
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