China Achieves 1Gbps Laser Link from Space

Google is making it harder to install apps directly on to Android phones without going through an app store. The new rules include a mandatory restart and 24-hour wait. It's a surprise move coming at the same time Google is also opening up access to app stores other than its own Play Store, which it has done in response to regulatory pressure over alleged anti-competitive behavi...

Facebook's parent company has applied to patent "smart glasses" which use facial analysis to identify people. The glasses would also analyze facial expressions and automatically make images or videos of "highlights" of in-person meetings. While many patents never make it past the concept stage, this looks like a serious proposition given Meta already manufacturers Ray-Ban brande...

Apple is reportedly planning a car lease style financing program for upgrades to new gadgets. It would mean lower up-front costs for many users, but with some major downsides. The reported Apple Upgrade feature would replace the existing iPhone Upgrade program, which has a monthly fee that covers the handset and the Apple Care+ repair plan, with an option to switch to the newest...

The FCC has proposed mandatory collection of customer IDs for all cellphone customers. The move, designed to counter "burner" phones, has caused outrage among privacy campaigners. The proposals are to change the existing "Know Your Customer" rules. These broadly say cellphone service providers should know the identities of their customers and make sure they aren't using phone se...

The latest optional update for Windows 11 is available now. It does not have any major changes, but concentrates more on some minor improvements that fix little niggles. For example, the File Explorer tool has several tweaks including no longer only showing file sizes in the Details view using KB, instead showing MB or GB where that's more appropriate. Other changes include the ...