Google-funded internet kiosks around New York City are being updated to stop them being used “inappropriately”. Free web browsing on the 400 kiosks will be disabled to stop people viewing pornography sites and also to prevent individuals using them for too long. The change comes after several New Yorkers reported people committing “lewd acts” at the booths. The kiosks will …

Tesla has “pushed the envelope” on safety, former business partner Mobileye has said. Its zeal to extend its Autopilot system had led Mobileye to stop working with Tesla, said the chairman of the computer vision company. Autopilot has been under scrutiny since a fatal crash in May caused by the technology missing a lorry. Responding to Mobileye, Tesla said Autopilot …

A Russian regulatory authority earlier this week named Apple, along with more than a dozen Russian retailers, as a target for an investigation into price-fixing activities. The Federal Antimonopoly Service, or FAS, has seen signs of price-setting coordination among iPhone resellers in Russia, according to a notice published on the agency’s website. A preliminary investigation revealed that since last fall, …

Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that is ready to take a breather, after finally upgrading to Windows 10, to peruse the latest announcements in the world of gadgets. On our Start menu this time around are levitating smartwatch and smartphone chargers, a connected wine and cider maker, and a wearable with a safety focus. As always, these …

Google on Monday launched Google Duo, a one-on-one video calling app that runs on iOS and Android. The app will be available worldwide in the next few days, said Justin Uberti, principal software engineer at Google. Duo switches from cellular service to WiFi, and transitions from high-speed to lower speed wireless service smoothly, promising to let users continue video calls …

Sketches filed in a patent bearing the company’s name show an articulated vehicle which runs on tracks. The vehicle is in two parts and is joined in the middle, similar to a bendy bus. The application is specifically for the steering mechanism, but the tank design itself caused a flutter of excitement in the tech world. But since the patent was …

Virtual reality has helped eight paralysed patients regain some feeling in their legs in “a big surprise”, say scientists. The clinical results of the programme in Sao Paulo, Brazil, show the participants have some sensations and muscle control in lower limbs. A team led by neuroscientist Dr Miguel Nicolelis, of Duke University in North Carolina, used a virtual reality system which …

  There are a lot of reasons you may want to set up a video monitoring system for your home or business. Perhaps you want to complement a home security system, in light of the over two million home break-ins that occur annually in the USA. Or perhaps just to keep an eye on things when you’re not there. I …

Road safety experts have called for smartphones to be fitted with a “drive-safe” mode – similar to the flight-safe option – to help stop drivers being “distracted or overwhelmed with information” at the wheel. The RAC Foundation claims that every year there are around 70 fatal accidents on Britain’s roads caused by motorists being distracted, while “driving using mobile phone” is cited in around …

The tech world has finally coalesced around a charging standard, after years of proprietary adapters and ugly wall-wart power supplies. Well, sort of: We’re already seeing some fragmentation in terms of the new USB-C connector, which could eventually replace USB, as well as what is thankfully turning out to be a short-lived obsession Samsung had with larger USB micro-B connectors for its …