Facebook’s new group video chat feature Messenger Rooms is now available, and is ready to compete with services like Zoom, Skype, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, as more people turn to video chat during coronavirus lockdowns and quarantines.  You can create a video chat room via Facebook or the Messenger app and invite up to 50 people to join a video …

Google Chrome has begun locking down an important type of communication that can leak private information to internet service providers or others who can snoop your web browser’s network activity. Chrome 83, released Tuesday, incorporates a new technology called DNS over HTTPS. Google, Mozilla and other allies have been trying to secure your connections to websites with the HTTPS technology, …

Microsoft has built an enormous supercomputer for artificial intelligence work, a new direction for its Azure cloud computing service. The machine has 285,000 processor cores boosted by 10,000 graphics chips for OpenAI, a company that wants to ensure AI technology helps humans. Microsoft announced the machine at its Build conference for developers on Tuesday. (For more details on the event, …

Verizon is finally getting a Samsung Galaxy S20 5G. After first announcing the news earlier this year, the wireless carrier will begin taking preorders for the base model of Samsung’s flagship line of phones on May 21. The S20 will go on sale on June 4 for $1,000.  Called the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G UW, Verizon’s model is a custom version of …

Facebook said Tuesday that users will be able to shop without leaving the social network by visiting a business’ Facebook page or Instagram profile, a move that comes as more people turn to e-commerce because of the coronavirus pandemic.  In the future, users will also be able to shop through the company’s messaging services, including Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram Direct, the …

For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO and CDC websites. Walmart said Tuesday that its e-commerce sales in the US jumped 74% in its latest quarter, powered by online grocery sales during the coronavirus crisis. That figure is huge for the big-box retailer, marking its biggest percentage increase for its online sales over …

Web apps, websites that can be converted into standalone apps, are moving closer toward becoming first-class software citizens on Windows 10. Google coined the term progressive web app, or PWA, to describe websites that can assume the power and prominence of conventional native apps you’d download from an app store. For a taste of PWAs, visit coronavirus.app, which with most …

Apple TV Plus could be about to get a lot more content.  According to a new report from Bloomberg, the iPhone-maker has “taken pitches from Hollywood studios about licensing older content” and has already bought the rights to some older TV shows and films to add to its young streaming service.  The report does not mention which studios Apple has …

Walmart on Tuesday said it’s shutting down Jet.com, an e-commerce site that’s seen weakening online traffic for years. The announcement was part of the world’s biggest retailer’s latest quarterly earnings report, in which it said its online sales surged 74% during the coronavirus pandemic. Walmart said it’s discontinuing Jet “due to continued strength of the Walmart.com brand” and said Jet had …

Spotify continues to amp up its podcast push. On Tuesday, comedian Joe Rogan said his popular podcast, the Joe Rogan Experience, would be heading exclusively to Spotify.  As part of a multi-year licensing deal, the show will be available on Spotify starting in September and become exclusive to the platform near the end of the year. The podcast, including the …

If you are in the market for a high-end, two-in-one laptop that can operate as a laptop and tablet, Best Buy currently has a pair on sale — an Asus ZenBook Flip and Lenovo Yoga C940 — that can save you $250. Both are 15-inch models better suited for laptop mode, where the large display provides plenty of screen real …

Google is working on a prototype headphone cord with touch sensing for controls. Twisting, flicking, pinching, grabbing and patting the wire, or sliding your fingers along it, triggers different functions — tapping for play and pause, for example, double tapping to move to the next track, rolling between the fingers for volume. The braided wire also has fiber optic strands …

Augmented reality and virtual reality have suddenly become more relevant in a world where people can’t meet in person as easily. Devices such as Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 would seem to be in prime position for a key role. Microsoft’s mixed-reality news at its now-virtual annual Build developer conference is, not surprisingly, HoloLens-focused. While the company continues to slowly build out …

The coronavirus has lead to more business than ever taking place over video calls. Singapore’s High Court has the grim distinction of being the first (that we know of) to sentence someone to death over Zoom. A Malaysian man, Punithan Genasan, was found guilty of being complicit in drug trafficking, according to Singapore’s Straits Times. He facilitated the trafficking of …

Apple’s been rumored to be working on a pair of smart glasses for years. On Tuesday, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser shared alleged details about the augmented reality glasses, which he says will be called Apple Glass.  Apple Glass will pair with an iPhone and be controlled by gestures on and in front of the glasses, according to Prosser, …