Technology

By Paul Lienert DETROIT (Reuters) - Self-driving cars could generate billions of dollars a year in revenue from mobile internet services and products, even if occupants spend only a fraction of their free time on the web, according to a new study by McKinsey & Company. In addition, the McKinsey study warns of several risks to established companies, including vehicle manufacturers, dealers and even insurance companies. McKinsey projects that future owners of self-driving cars could save up to 50 minutes a day, some of which is likely to be spent surfing the web. The revenue may be divided among the vehicle manufacturers, their major hardware and software suppliers and web-based providers of goods, information and services.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The woman at the center of a sex discrimination lawsuit against one of Silicon Valley's most prestigious venture capital firms is set to take the stand in a case that has focused attention on the treatment of women in the high-tech and venture capital fields.

The e-commerce giant has been behind Apple and Google in the app store race, though it's taken steps to improve its offering and those are starting to pay off.>

Manufacturers are gearing up to ship Apple’s new 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display in Q2, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal. Mass production has already started but it won’t be available to ship in "large quantities" until sometime between April and June. That means we’re unlikely to see it unveiled during Monday’s Apple’s Watch event as many had hoped.

At over $35,000, Volkswagen's e-Golf is one of the nicer, but not one of the cheaper, EVs on the road. Now, a Limited Edition drops that price by $2,000.>

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton's use of a private email address and private computer server for official State Department business heightened security risks to her communications, such as the inadvertent disclosure of sensitive information and the danger from hackers, several information security experts said.

Sherlock Holmes may be more than a hundred years old, but you don't have to look far in modern media to find the character. Benedict Cumberbatch is Sherlock Holmes as a young man, obsessive and severe, Robert Downey Jr. is Sherlock Holmes in his middle years, relaxed and witty. Now, in Mr. Holmes, Ian McKellan is an ageing version of of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional detective. The latest trailer for the movie, in which McKellan's Holmes plans to retire to the country, shows he can't go without solving one last case.

Video game makers are being lured into virtual worlds in the hope players will dive in behind. Virtual reality headgear makers including Sony and Facebook-owned Oculus were at a Game Developers Conference here this week to tout the promise of putting players so deeply into game worlds that they seem real. "Virtual reality headset makers are looking for great games that help show off the power of the hardware," said Scott Steinberg, chief of video game consulting firm TechSavvy Global. Virtual reality has been heralded in decades past as the next-big-thing in gaming, but those behind hardware this time around believe the technology is getting good enough to deliver on the promise.

The Oculus Rift was first announced in 2012. Backed by a Kickstarter campaign, it also kickstarted a surge of excitement for a new wave of virtual reality devices. Developers have the tech, but have blamed our own frail physiology for delays — eye strain and motion sickness caused by devices such as the Oculus Rift have stymied progress. Speaking in an interview at GDC, Valve boss Gabe Newell said that until now VR headsets have been the "world's best motion sickness inducers," but that "zero percent of people get motion sick" when using his company's headset.

Previously only available to Dropbox's early access program, the Groups and Groups API is being pushed out to wider availability.

Apple suppliers have been told to start production of the larger-screen iPad in the second half of this year as the company explores new designs and features for the enterprise market, the Wall Street Journal reported. Apple is now considering adding USB ports and adopting a faster technology that promises to transfer data up to 10 times faster than current USB ports, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese online video firm Youku Tudou Inc named Edward Su as its Chief Operating Officer, and it also created a TV drama production unit. Su, formerly of Havas Worldwide, a subsidiary of French advertising holding company Havas SA, will oversee Youku Tudou's sales team, the company said. Youku Tudou is backed by e-commerce behemoth Alibaba Group Holding and smartphone upstart Xiaomi Inc . Along with domestic rivals Tencent Holdings Ltd, Sohu.com Inc and iQiyi, controlled by Baidu Inc, Youku Tudou is investing in original content such as films. ...

France's 1930's Maginot Line failure may seem an odd analogy, but 'digital washing' of old ideas and lack of forward thinking also have the potential to create strategic disaster in a highly competitive world where speed to market and agility are key

Carrier-backed mobile payments initiative announces closure after Google acquired its technology.>

A look at its peers in neighbouring China should give OlaCabs a glimpse of its promising future despite current headaches of regulation, potential rogue drivers, and an unproven business model.

Technology and innovation will be at the centre of Australia's continued productivity over the next 40 years, according to the Treasury Department's latest Intergenerational Report.

Rolls-Royce has created Serenity, a one-of-a-kind Phantom with a bespoke interior, hand-crafted to be the "ultimate luxury.">

WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee investigating the Benghazi, Libya, attacks issued subpoenas Wednesday for the emails of Hillary Rodham Clinton, who used a private account exclusively for official business when she was secretary of state — and also used a computer email server now traced back to her family's New York home.