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AP Technology NewsBrief at 1:01 p.m. EDT(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Paris airport tests 'virtual' boarding agentsORLY, France (AP) _ An airport in France is experimenting with "virtual" boarding agents in a bid to jazz up its terminals with 21st century avatars who always smile, don't need breaks and never go on strike. The pilot project at Paris' Orly airport began last month, and has so far been met with a mix of amusement and surprise by travelers, who frequently try to touch and speak with the strikingly life-like video images that greet them and direct them to their boarding gate. Russia loses newly launched telecom satelliteMOSCOW (AP) _ Russia lost contact with a communications satellite shortly after its launch Thursday, the government space agency said, the latest in a series of failures that has dogged the nation's space program. The Express-AM4 satellite, described by officials as Russia's most powerful telecommunications satellite, was launched atop a Proton-M booster rocket from the Russia-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Correction: Google-PatentsNEW YORK (AP) _ In a story Aug. 18 about the patent system and the high-tech industry, The Associated Press misidentified Colleen Chien as affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley. She is an assistant professor at the Santa Clara University School of Law. IBM pursues chips that behave like brainsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Computers, like humans, can learn. But when Google tries to fill in your search box based only on a few keystrokes, or your iPhone predicts words as you type a text message, it's only a narrow mimicry of what the human brain is capable. The challenge in training a computer to behave like a human brain is technological and physiological, testing the limits of computer and brain science. But researchers from IBM Corp. say they've made a key step toward combining the two worlds. Lenovo says quarterly profit nearly doublesBEIJING (AP) _ Lenovo Group, the world's No. 3 personal computer manufacturer, said Thursday its quarterly profit nearly doubled on strong emerging market sales. The results come as Lenovo expands into mobile Internet, competing with Apple Inc. and other foreign rivals, and in developed markets with an acquisition this year in Germany and a joint venture in Japan. China Mobile 1H profit rises to $9.6 billionSHANGHAI (AP) _ China Mobile Ltd., the world's biggest phone company by subscribers, said Thursday its first-half profit rose 6.3 percent as sales were boosted by greater usage of mobile Internet devices. The Beijing-based company said profit was 61.3 billion yuan ($9.6 billion) for the six months ended June 30. Revenue climbed 8.8 percent to 250.1 billion yuan ($39 billion). Sheriff: Investigation into rapper's tweet closedLOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it would not seek criminal charges and has closed its investigation into a rapper's tweet that prompted hundreds of calls to a sheriff's station, jamming phone lines for hours. Capt. Mike Parker said Wednesday that the department decided to drop the matter after conducting an investigation and consulting with the district attorney's office. He also welcomed an apology the rapper, known as The Game, made to the department. Hackers gain access to transit police union siteSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Hackers seized and posted personal information of Bay Area Rapid Transit police online _ carrying out another website attack against a California agency that turned off some cell phone service to thwart a potential protest. The latest attack came as BART found itself in the middle of a debate about free speech following its decision last week to curtail wireless communication in some of its stations. Police: Dozens of teens involved in Vt. sext ringMILTON, Vt. (AP) _ Police in Vermont say nearly two dozen teenagers used school computers and a special email account to access indecent photos and videos taken by female classmates. Authorities said Thursday that 22 students have admitted to using the school computers in February to view 30 to 40 images and three videos, many of which were sent by cellphone. The Milton Independent first reported the story Wednesday. MetroPCS starts unlimited music plan with RhapsodyLOS ANGELES (AP) _ MetroPCS Communications Inc., the nation's fifth-largest wireless phone carrier, is jumping into the unlimited music business behind its smaller competitor, Cricket. The company said Wednesday it is now offering unlimited on-the-go access to 12 million tracks through subscription music provider Rhapsody. The plan is bundled with unlimited voice, text and Web access on Android-powered smartphones for $60 a month. (c) 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |