Hyperloop One aims for full-scale test with new $50 million financing

(Reuters) - Los Angeles-based company Hyperloop One, which is developing technology for a futuristic transit system, said it had raised an additional $50 million as it prepares for a full-scale test of a Hyperloop system in the first quarter of 2017.

Toyota to hire 1,000 more employees at new U.S. headquarters in Texas

(Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp on Thursday said it will hire 1,000 additional staff for its new U.S. base under construction in a Dallas suburb.

Sony to launch smartphone games in 2018: Nikkei

(Reuters) - Sony Corp plans to release five or more smartphone games around late March 2018, the Nikkei business daily said on Thursday.

GoPro halts sale of HERO5 camera on Amazon

(Reuters) - Wearable camera maker GoPro Inc said on Thursday it temporarily stopped selling its latest HERO5 camera model on Amazon.com Inc in the United States as the company negotiates pricing with the online retailer.

Discovery invests $100 million in digital media venture

(Reuters) - Discovery Communications , which owns networks like the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, on Thursday became the latest TV company to invest in digital content in an effort to reach mobile viewers.

Mobile ad startup MediaBrix to triple revenue by 2018

(Reuters) - MediaBrix, a fast-growing startup whose software delivers "moment-based" mobile advertising, is going after one of the most difficult demographics in the ad business - teens.

Xerox sued by large investor over plan to split company

(Reuters) - One of Xerox Corp's largest shareholders sued the copier maker to block its plan for spinning off its document outsourcing business into a new publicly traded company.

Uber booms in Nigeria, eyes expansion to French-speaking West Africa

OSLO (Reuters) - Ride-hailing company Uber [UBER.UL] has offered over a million trips in Nigeria two years after it started there and is eyeing expansion to a French-speaking West African country next, its West African chief said on Thursday.

Verizon to close call centers in five states

(Reuters) - Verizon Communications Inc , the No. 1 U.S. wireless company, said on Thursday it would close call centers in five states, including its home state of New York.

IoT Devices as Proxies for Cybercrime

Multiple stories published here over the past few weeks have examined the disruptive power of hacked “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices such as routers, IP cameras and digital video recorders. This post looks at how crooks are using hacked IoT devices as proxies to hide their t...

Continue reading

IoT Devices as Proxies for Cybercrime

Multiple stories published here over the past few weeks have examined the disruptive power of hacked “Internet of Things” (IoT) devices such as routers, IP cameras and digital video recorders. This post looks at how crooks are using hacked IoT devices as proxies to hide their t...

Continue reading

Google gets second extension to reply to EU charge on shopping

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Alphabet unit Google has been given about three more weeks to counter EU antitrust charges that it unfairly demotes rival shopping services in internet search results, a move which could further delay regulators' decision on the six-year-old case.

China issues details of rules to tackle online financial risk

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's cabinet and major financial regulators on Thursday published details of rules aimed at stamping out fraud and illegal fundraising in the country's fast-growing online finance sector.

Amazon to hire 120,000 temporary workers for holiday season

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it would hire more than 120,000 seasonal employees across its fulfillment centers, sortation centers and customer service sites in the United States in the upcoming holiday season.

Foxconn buys S&T shares in capital hike

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Taiwan's Ennoconn, part of the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn, has bought new shares in Austrian IT group S&T AG from a 10 percent capital increase and will further raise its holding to 29.4 percent, S&T said.

Taiwan's TSMC third-quarter net profit climbs 28 percent; analysts see iPhone 7 boost

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (TSMC) third-quarter net profit jumped 28 percent, hitting a new quarterly record, as analysts said earnings were boosted by sales of chips and processors for Apple Inc's new iPhone 7.

Samsung offers financial incentives to stem Note 7 bleeding

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics on Thursday offered financial incentives for customers in South Korea who exchange Galaxy Note 7 smartphones for other Samsung models, as it scrambles to shore up its reputation in the wake of a damaging safety crisis.

Samsung's woes highlight explosive limits of lithium batteries

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Lithium-based batteries have been powering our portable devices for 25 years.

Foreign investors sue Toshiba over accounting scandal

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp said on Thursday a group of foreign institutional investors had filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo-based company demanding compensation over its accounting scandal.

Samsung Electronics shares rise for first time in four days

SEOUL (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd shares opened up 1 percent on Thursday, rebounding for the first time after three straight days of falls following its decision to permanently end sales of its fire-prone Galaxy Note 7 smartphones.

Snapchat opts for Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs to lead IPO: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Photo-sharing app Snapchat has chosen Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc as lead bankers for its initial public offering, which could happen as soon as March, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Samsung sends fireproof packaging and gloves for Note 7 returns

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said it was sending fireproof packaging and gloves to customers who bought the Galaxy Note 7 phone on its website, so they could safely return the devices after a recall and reports that some replacement phones went up in flames.

Vera Bradley says payment system hacked, sales could be affected

(Reuters) - Handbag and accessories maker Vera Bradley Inc said on Wednesday hackers may have accessed customer data from payment processing systems in its stores, causing a delay in an upgrade of its website and potentially hurting holiday-season sales.

Tesla, SolarCity shareholders vote November 17 on merger

(Reuters) - Tesla Motors Inc and SolarCity Corp said Wednesday in a U.S. securities filing that a vote to merge the two California-based companies will take place on Nov. 17.

Fed's George warns on cybersecurity; no comment on economy

(Reuters) - Cybersecurity threats are growing quickly for the payment networks of the U.S. financial system, Kansas City Federal Reserve President Esther George said in remarks that did not address the outlook for the U.S. economy.

Alibaba's new payment system lets virtual reality shoppers pay by nodding

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Alibaba Group Holdings' finance arm on Wednesday demonstrated a payment service that will allow virtual reality shoppers to pay for things in future just by nodding their heads.

Demand for service robots seen at breakthrough: industry body

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Demand for service robots is expected to accelerate in the next three years as robots - already used to perform tasks such as assisting medical surgery, milking cows or moving objects around warehouses - become more popular for domestic and personal use.

Samsung Vietnam says no cuts in jobs or exports this year despite Note 7 woes

HANOI (Reuters) - Samsung Vietnam will maintain its current staff numbers and its exports target this year, the firm said on Wednesday, despite the parent company scrapping its flagship Galaxy Note 7 phone following a series of battery fires.

Sony enters virtual reality race with PlayStation VR headset

TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp will join the race for virtual reality (VR) dominance on Thursday with the $399 PlayStation VR, a headset the Japanese electronics group hopes will beat pricier rivals and revive its reputation as a maker of must-have gadgets.

Amazon challenges Apple and Spotify with new music streaming service

(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday launched a full-fledged music streaming service with subscriptions as low as $3.99 per month for owners of its Amazon Echo speaker, accelerating the industry trend toward more flexible pricing after years of sticking to $9.99 subscriptions.