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☆ Best Buy tops holiday quarter estimates but issues soft full-year guidance
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

For this fiscal year, Best Buy anticipates revenue will range from $41.3 billion to $42.6 billion. In a news release Thursday, CEO Corie Barry said Best Buy expects the coming year to be one "of increasing industry sales stabilization." That metric is expected to improve in the coming year, as Best Buy benefits from changes to its annual membership program, a newer moneymaker for the retailer. Like home improvement companies, Best Buy saw outsized spending as shoppers were stuck at home. Shares of Best Buy closed at $79.68 on Wednesday, bringing the company's market value to $17.16 billion.

Persons: Corie Barry, they've, Matt Bilunas, Barry Organizations: LSEG, CNBC PRO Locations: U.S

☆ I worked in a call center for Walmart Spark workers. I got reprimanded for giving drivers tips they had earned, and most calls were frustrating and scripted
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dominique Anderson, a former resolution coordinator in North Carolina who fielded support calls from Walmart Spark drivers. I worked at what they call "Tier 2" for Spark support. There were a few reasons why Spark drivers would call our support line. Some people would also call in about the Spark drivers using multiple accounts. AdvertisementA Walmart spokesperson told BI: "Our driver support agents are invaluable, and they provide tremendous support to drivers on the Spark Driver platform.

Persons: Dominique Anderson, It's, I've Organizations: Service, Walmart, Business Locations: North Carolina, Virginia

☆ Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are among the CEOs and celebs set to attend a 3-day pre-wedding party being thrown by an Indian tycoon worth $113 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are among those set to attend the pre-wedding celebrations in March. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementSome of the world's top business leaders are expected to attend the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani in India. Here's a look at some of the other business chiefs and celebrities rumored to be attending the celebrations.

Persons: Mukesh Ambani, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, —, Anant Ambani, Ambani, Radhika Merchant, Sundar Pichai, Jay Y, Lee, Rihanna, David Blaine Organizations: Service, Fortune, Reliance Industries, Guardian, Samsung Electronics, The, Reuters Locations: India, The Times

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Snowflake, Salesforce, C3.ai, Okta and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Snowflake said it expects product revenue to range between $745 million and $750 million in the current period, below the $759 million analysts polled by StreetAccount expected. Okta said its expects revenues to range between $603 million and $605 million, surpassing a FactSet estimate of $583.8 million. Celsius posted 17 cents in earnings per share on $347.4 million in revenue for the fourth quarter. Nutanix posted earnings of 46 cents per share on revenues totaling $565 million. The data storage company posted earnings of 50 cents per share on $790 million in revenue.

Persons: Frank Slootman, Snowflake, StreetAccount, Morgan Stanley, Salesforce — Salesforce, Okta, Duolingo, LSEG, Nutanix, —, Alex Harring, Tanaya Macheel, Michelle Fox, Lisa Han, Jesse Pound, Sarah Min, Pia Singh Organizations: Revenue, Bank of America, AMC, AMC Entertainment, Wall, Paramount, LSEG, CNBC Warner Bros, FactSet, HP — Locations: Canada, FactSet .

☆ Mark Zuckerberg's Asia trip is all about making AI friends
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Mark Zuckerberg isn't just in Asia to enjoy Japanese McDonald's and hit the ski slopes. The meetings will put Meta's AI and mixed reality ambitions front and center as competition grows. The likes of Meta's AI chief Yann LeCun have pushed back on suggestions that open-source AI is dangerous because the sheer volume of resources any bad actor would need to use an AI model maliciously makes it highly untenable. Meta's mission to build businessPoliticians won't be the only thing on Zuckerberg's mind on his Asian trip. Meta's line of mixed reality headsets, the Quests, finally face a formidable foe following Apple's release of the Vision Pro this month.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg isn't, —, Mark Zuckerberg, Kokaji, Zuckerberg, Fumio Kishida, Sam Altman, Kishida, Yoon Suk, OpenAI's Altman, FABRICE COFFRINI, Yann LeCun, ROBYN BECK, Getty Zuckerberg, Jay Y, Lee Organizations: Service, Japan's, Japan Times, South, Bloomberg, Economic, Business, Meta, Vision, Apple, LG Electronics, Samsung Locations: Asia, Japan, Davos, South Korea, Switzerland, Seoul

☆ From expanding screens to see-through displays: How tech giants are trying to jazz up their gadgets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Motorola's "adaptive display concept" was on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. See-through screens, phones that wrap around your wrist and expandable displays — these are all concept tech that gadget makers showed off this week, in a bid to stand out from competitors in a cut-throat hardware market. At the world's largest mobile trade show, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, some of the biggest companies in the world showed off some unusual screen technology. "As a result we are seeing a proliferation of weird and wonderful new designs such as wrist worn phones, rollable screens, virtual 3D displays and more." Here's some of the screen tech on display at MWC:

Persons: Ben Wood Organizations: Mobile, MWC, Apple, Samsung, CCS Insight, CNBC Locations: Barcelona

☆ Certain types of ‘forever chemicals’ will no longer be used in US food packaging, FDA says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Certain kinds of greaseproofing “forever” chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, will no longer be used in food packaging in the US, the US Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday. The FDA’s food studies have shown that food packaging materials like fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags and take-out pizza boxes were a major source of dietary exposure to certain types of PFAS, hormone-disrupting chemicals that may persist in the body and the environment. While health and environmental advocates cheered the new announcement, they noted that companies were already facing pressure from state bans to get PFAS out of consumer products, including food packaging. Chemicals called long-chain PFAS stopped being sold in the US due to safety concerns in 2011. Short-chain PFAS weren’t thought to build up in living organisms the way long-chain PFAS do, but research has shown that they may be metabolized into forms that linger in tissue.

Persons: ”, Leonardo Trasande, Melanie Benesh, ” Benesh, chemistries, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Jim Jones, PFAS, Sandee LaMotte Organizations: CNN, US Food and Drug Administration, NYU Langone Health, American Chemistry Council, “ ACC, FDA, Get CNN, CNN Health, Chemicals, Manufacturers Locations: New York City

☆ Why South Korea's Japan-style measures to boost its stock market may not work
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An inflatable bull during a ceremony marking the first day of trading of the year at the Korea Exchange (KRX) headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024. SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSouth Korea's Japan-style measures for improving corporate governance may not be enough to boost its undervalued stock markets and tackle the so-called "Korea discount." Asia's fourth-largest economy is striving to boost stock market valuations that are considered much lower compared to peers, with analysts referring to the phenomenon as the "Korea discount." The 'chaebol' problemSouth Korean markets are made up of corporations called "chaebols," which are large family-owned global conglomerates, typically controlled by the founder's family. "The behavior that leads to South Korea's low stock prices is motivated, and therefore seeking to coax South Korean controlling families into 'being nice' to minority stockholders is unlikely to be successful," Pines said.

Persons: SeongJoon Cho, James Lim, Jonathan Pines, Federated Hermes, Daniel Tan Organizations: Korea Exchange, Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, Financial, FSC, Samsung Electronics, LG, SK, Hyundai, Dalton Investments, Japan, Korean Stock Exchange, Federated, Grasshopper Asset Management, CNBC Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Japan, Korea, Tokyo, Asia, Singapore

☆ Electronic Arts, maker of Madden NFL, to lay off 5% of staff as gaming industry layoffs widen
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Electronic Arts plans to lay off 5% of its employees, making it the latest company in the gaming and tech space to reduce its workforce. Epic Games cut 830 jobs in September. In January, Tencent’s Riot Games said it would lay off 11% of its workforce and Microsoft said it would cut 1,900 jobs from its Activision Blizzard and Xbox gaming divisions. And electronics giant Sony said on Tuesday it would cut 8% of its global workforce, amounting to around 900 jobs. That means that after its cuts to staff last year, Wednesday’s layoffs could affect more than 600 workers.

Persons: ”, Andrew Wilson Organizations: New, New York CNN, Electronic Arts, EA, Madden NFL, Apex, ” EA, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Sony Locations: New York

☆ AI startup Glean lures Citigroup as investor at $2.2 billion valuation after revenue quadruples
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Arvind Jain, co-founder and CEO of Glean, makes a selfie with employees of the startup, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif. Artificial intelligence startup Glean attracted tech companies Databricks and Workday into its latest investment round. Glean, whose software sifts through corporate repositories to provide quick answers to workers' questions, said Tuesday that it's raised $200 million at a $2.2 billion valuation. Glean's annualized revenue at the end of January was $39 million, up from $10 million a year earlier. While Glean initially targeted the tech industry, it's now looking to expand in financial services, retail, manufacturing and other sectors, Jain said.

Persons: Arvind Jain, it's, Kleiner Perkins, Arvind Purushotham, OpenAI, Jain, Glean, Purushotham, Citi hasn't, Cathy Gao Organizations: Wall, Banking, Citigroup, Lightspeed, Sequoia, Citi Ventures, CNBC, Microsoft, Google, Sony Electronics, Citigroup's, Citi, Nvidia, Sapphire Locations: Palo Alto, Calif, LLMs, OpenAI, Glean

☆ How America’s once great department stores became a dying breed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

But department stores, focused on America’s middle class, are fading. The victims of shifting consumer tastes were not the department stores that anchored the local mall, it was the small, locally owned stores along downtown shopping districts that were closing their doors. And possibly even more than the big box competitors, department stores have suffered from consumers shifting to buying items online rather than in person. The steady closing of the department stores that once served as “anchors” of malls across suburban America has been another nail in the coffin of many malls, hurting the department stores that remained in hollowed-out malls with a fraction of their earlier traffic. Saunders said one of the primary problem for Macy’s is that its holding company, formerly known as Federated Department Stores, spent much of its resources on buying other department store brands, such May’s Department Stores, and Filene’s, rather than investing in the stores its held.

Persons: New York CNN —, Neil Sauders, ”, JC Penney, It’s, “, Neil Saunders, Shannon Stapleton, Saunders, ” Saunders, Al Bello, Sunny Zheng, Macy’s, Tony Spring, Taylor, Brian Snyder, Eddie Lambert, Michael Brown, Kearney, ” Brown, Mike Segar, Richard W, Sears, Alvah Roebuck, Sears Roebuck, Bettmann, PhotoQuest, Jack Manning, Frank Scherschel, Owen, Lucille Jagusch, Arlene Hardt, Martin Luther King Jr, Michael Ochs, Ron Frehm, Ralf, Finn Hestoft, Mark Peterson, Seth Meyers, Hugh Jackman, NBCUniversal, Kaylin Wilson, Jim Cole, Rene Johnston, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Scott Olson, Cesar Villasenor, Mel Melcon, Sarah Blesener, Paul Hennessy, Patti Naleck, Naleck, Stacey Wescott, Brown Organizations: New, New York CNN, American, Walmart, Company, Department, Sears, Target, GlobalData, JCPenney, Research, RadioShack, Reuters Sears, Federated Department Stores, May’s, Reuters, Chicago History, Sears Roebuck, Roebuck, Hulton, AP, AP Soldiers, Michael Ochs Archives, Getty, Bettmann, Kmart, Bloomberg, Toronto Star, Reuters Residents, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Tribune, Service Locations: New York, GlobalData, America, Nanuet , New York, North Redwood , Minnesota, Chicago, El Paso , Texas, Jackson , Mississippi, Tucson , Arizona, Caracas, Venezuela, Niles , Illinois, Morton Grove , Illinois, Baltimore, White Plains , New York, Woodfield , Illinois, Hicksville , New York, Nashua , New Hampshire, Mentor , Ohio, Mississauga , Ontario, Hialeah , Florida, Janesville , Wisconsin, Santa Monica , California, Rockaway , New Jersey, Leesburg , Florida, Schaumburg , Illinois

☆ Huawei spinoff Honor developing a smart ring after Samsung debuts its own wearable
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BARCELONA — Chinese electronics maker Honor is working on a smart ring, its CEO told CNBC on Tuesday, just a day after Samsung took the wraps off of its own offering in the product category. Samsung debuted the Galaxy Ring on Monday after teasing it earlier this year. The device, which is the company's first foray into the product category, has multiple sensors that can track health markers, such as the wearer's heart rate. Honor is developing its own smart ring, company CEO George Zhao told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. "Internally, we have this kind of solution, now we are working on that part, so in the future you can have the Honor ring," he said.

Persons: George Zhao Organizations: Mobile World Congress, MWC, CNBC, Samsung, Mobile Locations: Barcelona, BARCELONA

☆ Four reasons Walmart wants to buy smart TV maker Vizio
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The retail giant announced last week that it plans to buy smart TV maker Vizio in a $2.3 billion deal. Here's a closer look at the major reasons Walmart wants to buy Vizio . Walmart can capitalize on Vizio's reachWhen shoppers think of Vizio, they likely envision store aisles filled with giant TVs. Walmart's in-house TV brand, Onn, currently has a licensing deal with smart TV competitor Roku . Plus, Walmart sees how much money its competitor, Amazon , makes from advertising — and wants to run the same play.

Persons: Joe Raedle, It's, Corey Tarlowe, Dan Day, Jefferies, Tarlowe, SmartCast, Kirby Grines, Vizio, Grines, Michael Morton, you've, That's, Morton Organizations: Walmart, Getty, Jefferies, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Riley Securities, Roku Locations: Hallandale Beach , Florida, Irvine , California, MoffettNathanson

☆ Smartphone makers are dreaming of a 'supercycle' driven by AI. Analysts disagree
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Samsung has gone big on generative AI with its Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphone. When was the last smartphone supercycle? Smartphone makers have been dreaming of a "supercycle" in their industry, driven by AI, after a bruising few years that saw device sales slow aggressively. 'AI phone era'Major smartphone players are betting that a supercycle is about to happen thanks to AI. "We're right now at the dawning of an entirely new era, an AI phone era," Kitto said.

Persons: Kim Hong, they're, Francisco Jeronimo, Jeronimo, Ben Wood, Wood, James Kitto, Kitto, Brian Rakowski, Rakowski, We've Organizations: Samsung Electronics, Reuters, Reuters BARCELONA –, Samsung, Google, Galaxy, Apple, Financial Times, Mobile, Congress, Huawei, Qualcomm, IDC, Twitter, CNBC, 3G, CCS, Samsung's, Google's, Android Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Reuters BARCELONA, Chertsey , England

☆ The two-letter word helping this lender buck the delinquency storm
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But that’s not an accident,” Max Levchin, Affirm’s CEO and a co-founder of PayPal, told CNN in a recent interview. Levchin credits a willingness to say a two-letter word, one that’s not exactly associated with the surging BNPL industry, N-O. It’s that we are honest when we tell them, ‘Hey, we don’t think you should borrow right now.’”Affirm started saying “no” more often in the spring of 2022. That’s when Levchin started observing signs of “financial stress” as inflation surged and gas prices approached record highs. “Say you’re asking to borrow to buy an $800 TV and we really don’t think it’s healthy for you, financially…We can say, ‘That’s too much now.

Persons: “ We’re, that’s, ” Max Levchin, Levchin, “ It’s, ’ ”, ”, “, Max Levchin, Gross, we’ll, ” Levchin, it’s, BNPL, There’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, PayPal, CNN, New York Fed, Target, Walmart, Royal, American Airlines, NY Fed, Federal Reserve, Biden, Trump Locations: New York, Helsinki, Finland, Royal Caribbean, Covid

☆ Sony to lay off 900 at PlayStation as tough times for the games industry persist
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Michael Nam | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Electronics giant Sony announced on Tuesday that it will be cutting 900 jobs, or 8%, in PlayStation’s global workforce. The layoffs will impact all regions for Sony Interactive Entertainment, according to the PlayStation press release, with its in-house London studio, responsible for the competitive singing video game “Singstar,” closing entirely. “These are incredibly talented people who have been part of our success, and we are very grateful for their contributions,” wrote Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment. Ryan had already announced in September plans to retire in March as Sony Group Corporation president. Specifically, the video game industry has been seeing jobs hemorrhage from 2023 into this year as well, with Epic Games cutting 830 jobs last September and Tencent’s Riot Games laying off 11% of its workforce in January.

Persons: ”, Jim Ryan, Naomi Matsuouka, Ryan, Hiroki Totoki Organizations: New, New York CNN — Electronics, Sony, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation, London, Bloomberg, Sony Group Corporation, Epic Games, Riot Games, SONY Locations: New York

☆ Apple reportedly cancels plans to build a car
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Apple will wind down its team working on electric cars, called Special Projects Group, according to Bloomberg. The news signals that Apple will cease its secretive effort to build a car to rival Tesla . The program employed thousands of employees but never fit with Apple's core business of electronics and online services, and raised questions about what companies Apple would tap to manufacture a car. Reports of Apple's ambition to build a car first surfaced in 2014 after the company recruited automotive engineers and other talent from car companies. Some Apple employees in the company's car division may move to a generative artificial intelligence team, according to Bloomberg.

Persons: Tim Cook, Tesla Organizations: Apple, Formula One United, Prix Circuit, Bloomberg, San Francisco Bay Area, CNBC PRO Locations: Formula One United States, Americas, Austin , Texas, San Francisco Bay

☆ Samsung unveils new memory chip with 'highest-capacity to date' for AI
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Samsung Electronics on Tuesday said it has developed a new high-bandwidth memory chip that has the "highest-capacity to date" in the industry. The South Korean chip giant claimed the HBM3E 12H "raises both performance and capacity by more than 50%." Samsung Electronics is the world's largest maker for dynamic random-access memory chips, which are used in consumer devices such as smartphones and computers. Generative AI models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT require large numbers of high-performance memory chips. "As AI applications grow exponentially, the HBM3E 12H is expected to be an optimal solution for future systems that require more memory.

Persons: Yongcheol Bae, Bae, Jensen Huang Organizations: Samsung, Samsung Electronics, Nvidia, datacenters Locations: Seoul, Texas, U.S

☆ Xiaomi bets big on its new electric vehicle — targets 20 million premium users
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi revealed Thurs., Dec. 28, 2023, its long-awaited electric car, but declined to share its price or specific release date. Xiaomi revealed its SU7 electric car in China in late December but has yet to announce a specific price. Building on its tech capabilities as a telecommunications and smartphone company, Huawei has swiftly become a player in China's electric car market. Apple has yet to formally enter the electric car market despite reports it has been working on one. But the system is due for rollout in the coming months to appliances and the forthcoming car, Lu said.

Persons: Xiaomi, Evelyn Cheng, it's, Weibing Lu, Lu, That's, Lu Xiaomi Organizations: CNBC, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Porsche –, Huawei, Baic Group, Xiaomi Locations: Evelyn Cheng BEIJING, China, Barcelona, Beijing, Xiaomi, Canalys

☆ Samsung debuts a 'smart ring' with health-tracking features — its first foray into the product category
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Samsung Galaxy Ring has various sensors to track things like heart rate. Samsung teased the Galaxy Ring in January during the press conference when it launched the S24 smartphone. All of that will be accessible through the Samsung Health app. The Galaxy Ring is the newest product category in health. The Samsung Galaxy Ring will work in conjunction with Samsung's smartwatches.

Persons: Pak, Samsung's smartwatches Organizations: Samsung, Samsung BARCELONA, CNBC, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Health, South, Mobile, Samsung Pak Locations: Barcelona

☆ Electric air transport is set to take off with taxis, ambulances, cargo deliveries by end of this decade
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A model of a Wisk Aero LLC electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi during the Singapore Airshow in Singapore, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSINGAPORE — Among displays of defense jets, passenger airliners and high-tech aviation equipment at the Singapore Airshow were electric air transport vehicles — touted as the future of urban transportation. Electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles, or eVTOLs, which can land and take off vertically can be used as air taxis, for cargo delivery, medical and emergency response transportation and as private vehicles. A vertical takeoff electronic aircraft from Supernal is seen outside the Las Vegas Convention Center during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada on Jan. 10, 2024. A cabin of an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developed by Eve Air mobility displayed during the International Paris Air Show on June 20, 2023.

Persons: eVTOLs, Brendan Smialowski, Johann Bordais, Eve, Jaiwon Shin, Shin, Supernal's, Tencent, Catherine MacGowan, Wisk, MacGowan, Supernal's Shin, Geoffroy Van Der Organizations: Aero, Bloomberg, Getty, Singapore Airshow, CNBC, Hyundai Motor Group, Boeing, Embraer, Air Mobility, Las Vegas Convention, Consumer, Afp, Mobility, Singapore, Asia Companies, Olympic, Japan Airlines, Korea's, Korean Air, Supernal, Incheon International Airport, Eve, International Paris Air Locations: Singapore, SINGAPORE, Supernal, Las Vegas , Nevada, Asia, U.S, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, Asia —, South Korea, Korea, Incheon, South, Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ wakes up after long lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Japan’s “Moon Sniper” is the lunar mission that keeps coming back to life. This feat was unexpected given that the lunar lander wasn’t designed to survive the moon’s harsh temperatures. But the spacecraft’s waking hours were short, and on January 31, the Moon Sniper entered what JAXA called a “two week dormancy period during the long lunar night.” Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. The last scene of the moon from the lander’s perspective before lunar night was shared on X on February 1 once the mission team sent commands to the Moon Sniper and confirmed it was in a dormant state. This moody scene was the last image taken by the SLIM lander before entering lunar night in late January.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, Odie ” Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, NASA, SLIM, Earth Locations: Japan, Houston

☆ China’s Oppo unveils prototype augmented reality glasses with voice assistant as AI hype hits gadgets
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Since they are AR glasses, users can see digital content imposed over the real-world view they see in front of them. Oppo, a Chinese firm and one of the world's biggest smartphone makers, announced the Oppo Air Glass 3 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. BARCELONA – Oppo on Monday unveiled a prototype set of augmented reality (AR) glasses with a voice assistant, underscoring how electronics giants are trying to infuse artificial intelligence across their products to stand out. The Air Glass 3 needs to be tethered to an Oppo smartphone. Oppo said that its latest AR glasses are equipped with a voice assistant which is powered by the Chinese tech giant's own large language model (LLM) called AndesGPT.

Persons: Oppo, Alibaba — Organizations: Mobile, BARCELONA, Oppo, Baidu, Tech, Apple, IDC Locations: Barcelona, China

Elena Perova | Istock | Getty ImagesJust ahead of the holiday season, Walmart had encouraging news for inflation-weary shoppers: Prices on food and other staples were falling instead of rising. But the retail giant backpedaled this week, saying higher prices on many grocery items and household staples like paper goods have stuck. Food prices climbed 2.6%, fueled by a 5.1% jump in prices for food away from home, a category that includes restaurant meals and vending machine purchases. That gives their makers the ability to keep raising prices to mitigate higher costs, even as their volume drops. Even some of the biggest U.S. brands have signaled that consumers' tolerance of higher prices has worn thin.

Persons: Elena Perova, John David Rainey, Coke, James Quincey, Gregory Daco, airfares, Tyson, Fernando Fernandez, Arun Sundaram, Kraft Heinz, Chocolate, Hershey, Edward Jones, Brittany Quatrochi, Sundaram, Pringles, Kellanova, Heinz, Stefani Reynolds, Brad Thomas, CFRA's Sundaram, Thomas, Frederic J, Brown, Oscar Mayer, Greg Melich Organizations: Istock, Walmart, CNBC, Federal, Depot, Pew Research Center, Maine Foods, Unilever, Nestle, Bloomberg, Getty, Planters, Target, Kroger, AFP, U.S, PepsiCo, Frito, Evercore ISI Locations: Hershey , Pennsylvania, North America, Washington ,, Rosemead , California

☆ Tulsa offered remote workers $10,000 to move there. The results show how the program shook up the local economy — and what the future of smaller cities could look like.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

At the end of 2022, Tulsa Remote had brought in almost $307 million in direct labor income to the economy, according to Tulsa Remote. For every two Tulsa Remote members who move to the city, three more come with them. But what happens to the rest of the economy when remote workers come to town? Remote workers coming to town benefited high-skilled local service workers — workers who have at least some college education — more, per the research, since they had more variety in local goods to choose from and consume and are making more money. “There are people who definitely get more benefit out of it, like homeowners or the local service sector workers,” Yoo said.

Persons: that's, Hoyoung Yoo, Justin Harlan, Yoo, ” Yoo, That’s, “, ”, Parker Vincent, ” Vincent, There’s, “ I've, Noah Sheidlower, Laura Landers, Harlan, Tulsa Remoters, —, didn't, ” Harlan, Vincent, ’ Organizations: Tulsa Remote, Tulsa, Brookings, of Economics, University of Wisconsin Locations: Tulsa , Oklahoma, Tulsa, Madison, ”, Los Angeles, —

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