Apple has reportedly acquired Israeli startup RealFace, which makes facial recognition software to authenticate users by simply showing their mug, rather than having to enter a password or fingerprint. Israeli business news site Calcalist reported the news Sunday, estimating the deal to be worth a couple million dollars. Apple did not immediately respond to a …

Things aren’t looking good for net neutrality, given that newly inaugurated President Donald Trump reportedly is about to name one of its biggest foes to head the Federal Communications Commission. A Politico report citing unnamed industry sources says Trump will name current GOP FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai as chairman of the agency, possibly as soon as Friday afternoon. Pai and …

So I guess I can finally stop trying to perfect my pronunciation of Cyanogen, the company that tried and failed to kill Google’s Android OS and never grabbed much mainstream appeal. The startup announced late Friday that “as part of the ongoing consolidation of Cyanogen,” it’s shutting down all services and nightly builds on December 31. “The open source project …

Fitbit has withdrawn a year-old patent complaint filed with the US International Trade Commission that sought a ban on the import of Jawbone’s fitness tracker into the US. Fitbit, also a fitness tracker maker, told the ITC in a Friday filing that it’s no longer pursing patent claims against Jawbone because its rival appears to be in financial turmoil. Jawbone …

Apple is working with Consumers Reports to figure out why the reviews site’s battery test results for the new MacBook Pro do not match the gadget giant’s lab tests and field data. Consumer Reports published a surprise report Thursday saying it could not recommend any new MacBook Pro model due to its erratic, if not bad battery life. “The MacBook …

Never mind that consumers are actually starting to buy into all the virtual reality hype. An industry isn’t an official industry until it has its own acronym-ready association. Enter the Global Virtual Reality Association, or GVRA, which arrived officially on Wednesday. It’s made up for now of six competing headset manufacturers — Acer Starbreeze, Google, HTC Vive, Facebook’s Oculus, Samsung …

Now playing: Watch this: Apple could give you early movie access 1:24 In a move that could beef up its iTunes business, Apple is reportedly pushing Hollywood studios for early access to movies that it would rent to consumers for a premium price — upward of $25 or $50. Studios including 21st Century Fox, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures have …

Amazon.com is reportedly in talks to acquire the Arab world’s version of itself, Souq.com, for about $1 billion. The deal, which Bloomberg reported on Thursday citing people familiar with matter, would help the retail giant gain traction in the fast-growing Middle East market. Amazon is considering a bid for the entire Souq.com site, according to Bloomberg, but Souq.com had initially …

Here’s a little something to get excited about if you’re a Windows 10 watcher on the lookout for new features. Microsoft on Wednesday released its latest Windows 10 Creators test version, which includes a virtual touchpad that lets you control external monitors from tablets without having to attach a mouse. “Use it just like you would a physical touchpad to …

Gone are the days of clean, ad-free messaging platforms. The latest social network to open up inbox advertising to marketers is LinkedIn, with news Wednesday that its Sponsored InMail is now a self-serve option open to any individual or business, regardless of size. The service had previously been available only as a managed service to some enterprise clients, according to …