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According to a recent Bloomberg report, Alphabet sold Boston Dynamics to SoftBank in 2017 for about $165 million, but it was costing it $150 million annually in operation costs, and by late 2020 was in talks to sell the business to Hyundai. In December, Hyundai announced a $1.1 billion deal to buy an 80% controlling interest in Boston Dynamics. SEE: Building the bionic brain (free PDF) (TechRepublic) Boston Dynamics is perhaps best know for its robotic dog, Spot, which was made commercially available last year....

The renamed corporate entity will retain the Square brand name for its Seller business, which provides a point of sale and financial solutions for brick-and-mortar retailers and online merchants. Jack Dorsey, who recently stepped down as CEO of Twitter but retained the role at Square emphasized this decision, noting that the company “built the Square brand for our Seller business, which is where it belongs.” He went on to say “our purpose of economic empowerment remains the same....

Optus was able to provide 99% of plan speed during the busiest hour – which is defined as the “fifth-lowest hourly average download speed across each busy hour” – followed by Exetel on 96.9%, Telstra with 96.6%, and the big improvers Dodo and iPrimus on 95.3%. At the other end of the field, iiNet provided 93.4%, Aussie Broadband gave 93.1%, Vodafone could only hit 90.8%, and Superloop dragged the chain on 88....

It includes nine courses on Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and more. And you’ll get a lot of hands-on experience because they’re all project-based. The “Introduction to Internet of Things Using Arduino” class will teach you how to control different home appliances wirelessly, as well as how to set up communications between smartphones. In “Introduction to Internet of Things (IoT) Using Raspberry Pi 2,” you’ll learn how to deploy programs remotely with a PC by using Raspberry Pi....

Despite best intentions, industry experts suggest many projects end up failing. Tech analyst Gartner says unrealistic goals, unproven teams and lack of accountability are the common explanations for failure. So, how should you intervene when things do go wrong? Four digital leaders give us their best-practice tips for avoiding problems and keeping projects on track. 1. Stop the blame game Brian Roche, director of information technology at George Best Belfast City Airport, says honesty, integrity and a no-blame culture are crucial when events don’t turn out as you might have expected....

Under the deal, Quantium will bring its data science and AI capabilities together with Telstra’s customer, product, and network data assets to focus on Telstra’s enterprise customers in sectors such as mining, agribusiness, and supply chain. According to Telstra, bringing the two companies together will create a new “whole of tech stack” proposition for its industrial customers, which will be delivered in partnership with Telstra Purple. At the same time, the partnership will leverage Telstra’s Data Hub to enable enterprise and government customers to share and aggregate their data, while using Quantium’s big data capabilities, Telstra added....

The consumer watchdog alleges the trio made false representations to consumers over being able to: Test lines to determine the maximum speed on fibre-to-the-node connections, notify the customer of test results, and offer remedies if a line was performing below the speed the telco sold it as. The ACCC also alleges that the trio “wrongly accepted payments” from customers for NBN plans when they could not receive promised speeds. It has put the number of impacted customers in the “hundreds of thousands” range....

A video played at the event which showed the robot performing basic tasks such as carrying packages around an office and watering a plant. Optimus is being designed to be a capable robot that can be manufactured in high volumes – millions of units, according to Musk. Second, Tesla brought out a prototype that was fully assembled and resembled what the potential final unit would look like. This prototype looked more like what was advertised at last year’s event with a sleek and futuristic design....

Laptops with the best battery life are often built for home, office, or school use, though it is possible to find gaming laptops with decent battery lives as well; though they won’t be nearly as impressive. Many laptops touting long-lasting batteries can give you anywhere between 10 and 12 hours of use on a full charge, which is great for getting through school or work on the weekdays as well as streaming media on the weekends....

To help take the sting out of shopping for a new dishwasher, we have scoured the market to find the best picks based on performance, features, and price. These are the best dishwashers worthy of your kitchen. Bosch is a leader in dishwashers, so it makes sense that its 300 Series SHEM63W55N is our top pick for the best dishwasher. There is plenty of room given its third rack, accommodating up to 16 place settings - the most of any on our list....

Gas grills tend to be more expensive than their charcoal-using brethren because they have slightly more complicated designs as well as built-in safety features to prevent flare-ups, gas leaks, and explosions. But even though they cost more up front, using liquid propane to grill is cheaper in the long run, since a typical 20-pound propane tank can last up to a month; compared to needing to buy a new bag of charcoal every other week....

First, though, you need to find the best smart display for your home. We spent hours researching the market to find the best smart displays you can find on the market today. This is what we found. Also: Learn more about smart home technology! For more options, check out our recommendations for the best home automation systems, the best smart hubs, and the best cheap smart home gadgets for your home!...

Also: Best streaming devices: Your top media player options The lowest price we’ve seen is $28. More: Apple TV 4K (2021) review: A welcome upgrade, all around The lowest price we’ve seen on this model is $119, saving $60. More: Which streaming stick? Chromecast and Fire Stick compared, as Apple casts a long shadow Right now, when you purchase the stick, you’ll also get six months of Peacock Premium for free, allowing you to stream more of your favorite shows like Parks and Recreation and Killing It....

Just Disney Plus is $8 a month with its must-watch package of Marvel Universe, Star Wars, and Disney films [1. Not sure why this sentence starts with “just”; 2. Can’t confirm that the Disney bundle is $8/month]. Netflix starts at $10 a month. With internet TV streaming services such as YouTube TV, which costs $65 a month, your streaming bill can easily climb up to $80 or more, which is within spitting distance of a cable TV bill....

Instead, get some peace of mind from these best PC cases of 2023. Also: The best computers you can buy While you are shopping, check out our top picks for the best desktops for graphic design, the best all-in-one computers, and the best Windows laptop! If you are looking for a mid-tower PC case, the Phanteks Eclipse P500A PC Case is our best overall PC case. Its sleek black design is made of a combination of metal and tempered glass....

The best pre-qualified credit cards of 2022 American Express: Enter your name, address, and the last four digits of your Social Security number to get pre-approved for the top offers from American Express. Bank of America: Submit your full name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Capital One: Submit your full name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security number....

But what if it was? What if you could take all the work out of mopping and vacuuming your floors and still have spotless carpet or hardwood floors? It is possible. With the help of a robot vacuum mop, you can sit back and relax while this machine takes care of all the hard work. Save your elbow grease, and instead, consider giving one of these best robot vacuum and mop combos a try....

The Eve Light Strip can add light where it’s difficult to add a table lamp, offering customization for your home. You can place it behind your TV – like I did – to build the ambience during spooky Halloween movies, or you can use it behind your bed to add an easy bedtime reading light. Alternately, it’s a great option for under shelving, cabinets, and more to make sure you can see clearly throughout the day and night....

Google is urging Android developers to finalize testing their apps ahead of the official release, which will happen in “a few weeks.” Android 13 includes several new features and improvements to the mobile operating system, which powers billions of devices around the globe. New features include even more Material You theming options, privacy improvements based on how apps access your photo library, and a prompt for granting an app permission to send notifications to your phone....

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), this May car manufacturers produced almost 55,000 vehicles in the UK – a number that, at first glance, seems healthy in comparison to the meagre 5,314 cars that were produced in the same month of the previous year. But 2020’s statistics have to be put in context: with the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly gathering pace, factory lines came to a halt as most manufacturers decided to close their facilities altogether, in line with government guidance....