Technology

Ride-share company Uber and on-demand meal delivery service Postmates are suing to block a broad new California law aimed at giving wage and benefit protections to people who work as independent contractors By DON THOMPSON Associated Press December 31, 2019, 6:01 AM 3 min read SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Ride-share company Uber and on-demand meal delivery […]

HONG KONG — For Huawei, it has been a year of lawsuits, blacklists, diplomatic fights, spying accusations and, most recently, viral anger from the Chinese internet. Through it all, the company posted solid growth, its deputy chairman Eric Xu said on Tuesday. In a year-end note, Mr. Xu said the company’s sales in 2019 increased

Uber and Postmates filed a lawsuit in federal court in California on Monday, seeking an injunction to prevent the state’s landmark freelancer law from taking effect against them on Jan. 1 as scheduled. The action underlines how high the stakes are for Uber and Postmates with the new California law, called Assembly Bill 5. The

Pear Therapeutics, another Boston outfit, makes “digital therapeutics” — essentially apps that use cognitive behavioral therapy techniques to help recovering addicts stick with their treatment programs. Its anti-opioid program, Reset-O, was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration late last year and can now be prescribed by doctors in conjunction with other treatments. To Lemontree,

A sex toy that can be controlled through a mobile app is a finalist for the Last Gadget Standing award at CES 2020, an electronics show in Las Vegas December 30, 2019, 7:00 AM 2 min read LAS VEGAS — A sex toy that can be controlled through a mobile app is a finalist for

NORTH HAVEN, Conn. — Guess who’s getting used to working with robots in their everyday lives? The very same warehouse workers once predicted to be losing their jobs to mechanical replacements . But doing your job side-by-side with robots isn’t easy. According to their makers, the machines should take on the most mundane and physically

A group of scientists and farmers in northern New England is working on a plan to feed seaweed to cows to gauge whether it can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press December 29, 2019, 3:28 PM 3 min read FREEPORT, Maine — Coastal Maine has a

Millions of people in California are now seeing notices on many of the apps and websites they use. “Do Not Sell My Personal Information,” the notices may say, or just “Do Not Sell My Info.” But what those messages mean depends on which company you ask. Stopping the sale of personal data is just one

A U.S. astronaut has set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman December 28, 2019, 5:35 PM 2 min read A U.S. astronaut set a record Saturday for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, breaking the old mark of 288 days with about two months left in her mission. Christina Koch,

This year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will spotlight efforts to combat climate change when high school science teachers and students press the button that begins the famous 60-second countdown December 28, 2019, 4:34 PM 2 min read NEW YORK — This year’s New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square will spotlight efforts