Fitbit has just vaulted over a huge hurdle: it can now continuously monitor users’ heart rhythms. This was authorized by the US’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — and takes the wearable company a step closer to combating the Apple Watch. Google — the owner of Fitbit — declared that the FDA authorized the use of its new PPG (photoplethysmography) algorithm. This is used to identify atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heart rhythm. The reason monitoring for this condition (which impacts al
How does a sport go from a series of events to climate activists? And an international sailing competition? Surely, there’s something radically divergent between a series of multi-million dollar races which involve travel around the planet and sustainability –- or is there? Upon hearing that the SailGP is the first climate-positive sport on the planet, aided by a whole load of innovation in sailing and technology, I wanted to find out more. So I headed to San Francisco to learn all about it. T
The quantum computing race is far from over, but it’s clear that IBM is off to an early and substantial lead. This assessment comes on the heels of Big Blue’s latest launch: two new Qiskit Runtime primitives debuting today (you read it here first). Quantum computing promises to do two things for society: help us solve today’s problems faster, and put us in a position to solve tomorrow’s problems. And whether those problems involve optimization, simulations, or needle-in-a-haystack searches, we’l
Hondatoday announced some pretty bold electrification plans to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The Japanese automaker will invest $40 billion (¥5 trillion yen) in its EV segment, including a new lineup, battery production, and software development. 30 new EV models by 2030 Yep, you read that right. 30 new EVs by 2030. This is huge for Honda, especially as it’s currently only offering one electric vehicle — the Honda e — which itself is limited to the European market. The company is planning
Fans of ratings, rejoice! Netflix has introduced a new way for you to display your affection for a show: a double thumbs up. This is the first change of the rating system since 2017, when the company moved from a star system (ergo, one to five), to the like or dislike model (thumbs up and thumbs down) that we’re all familiar with. Now, Netflix is shaking this up again with the launch of a third option — the super like (or, if you want, double thumbs up). Here’s what the ‘double thumbs up’ (or… I
Transitioning from traditional, gas-powered vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) is widely considered one of the most important goals to reduce carbon emissions. In 2020, internal combustion engine powered vehicles were responsible for about one-fifth of Europe’s carbon emissions. It’s unsurprising that the EU is pushing for a switch sooner rather than later, with an aim to reduce road transport emissions by 90% in 2050. While ambitious, this does seem like an achievable goal. In a recent survey
Just two months after Cruise announced the launch of its robotaxi operations in San Francisco, one of its autonomous vehicles had an awkward encounter with… the cops. In a video posted on Instagram last weekend, a Chevrolet Bolt robotaxi gets pulled over by the San Francisco Police Department for not having its headlights on. View this post on Instagram A post shared by B-RadAbroad (@b.rad916) As you can see for yourselves above, the incident feels as if it was comically scripted. After stop
Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, guides, and advice on how to easily get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. If your friends come over to your house, you might need to tell them your WiFi password. And if it’s a complex password, you would need to type it in for them. It becomes annoying and cumbersome if there are more than a couple of friends at your house. But you can speed up the whole process by using a QR Code, which your friends can scan to connect to your net
Apple has long had a strange relationship with gaming. In many respects, the company has happily let competitors like Sony and Microsoft gobble up the lion’s share of the market. Yet, over the past few years, Apple has started to address this gap in its offering. The biggest move Apple made in this space was, of course, Apple Arcade, its mobile gaming subscription. But there are growing signs that the company is looking to build on this, especially with recent revelations it has filed a range of
The Axiom-1 mission to send four private astronauts to the International Space Station is the first of many missions planned by NASA to expand the ISS for commercial use as part of what’s being called the low-Earth orbit economy. The commander of the Axiom-1 mission has emphatically stated that this is not an example of space tourism, as the crew have undergone training and the mission includes plans to conduct biomedical research. Crew members – all men aged 52 to 71 – reportedly paid a whoppin