AP Technology

February 19, 2025

Apple unveils a souped-up and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone

Apple has released a sleeker and more expensive version of its lowest priced iPhone in an attempt to widen the audience for a bundle of artificial intelligence technology that the company has been hoping will revive demand for its most profitable product lineup. The iPhone 16e unveiled Wednesday is the fourth-generation of a model that’s sold at a dramatically lower price than the iPhone’s standard models. The previous bargain-bin models were called the iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e will boast the souped-up chip needed to run Apple’s AI features, one of several upgrades that will translate into a starting price of $600, a 40% increase from the last iPhone SE.

Google agrees to pay Italy $340 million to settle a tax evasion investigation

MILAN (AP) — Italian prosecutors say they are seeking to drop a tax evasion investigation against Google after the tech giant agreed to pay a 326 million euro ($340 million) settlement. Prosecutors in Milan had opened an investigation into Google for failure to pay taxes on earnings in Italy from 2015-2019. The investigation focused on revenues from the sale of advertising, and cited the presence of servers and other infrastructure in Italy. Google acknowledged the settlement in statement, saying it resolves a tax audit without litigation.

Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola files for bankruptcy protection

Troubled electric vehicle maker Nikola is filing for for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, once a rising star on Wall Street, became enmeshed in scandal and its founder was convicted in 2022 for misleading investors about its capabilities. Nikola filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware and said Wednesday that it has also filed a motion seeking approval to pursue an auction and sale of the business.

As Israel uses US-made AI models in war, concerns arise about tech’s role in who lives and who dies

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. tech giants have quietly empowered Israel to track and kill many more alleged militants more quickly in Gaza and Lebanon through a sharp spike in artificial intelligence and computing services. But as the number of civilians killed has also soared, so have fears that these tools are contributing to the deaths of innocent people. The Israeli military uses AI to sift through vast troves of intelligence, intercepted communications and surveillance to find suspicious speech or behavior and learn its enemies’ movements. An Associated Press investigation found after the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, its use of Microsoft and OpenAI technology skyrocketed.

Emboldened crypto industry seeks to cement political influence and mainstream acceptance

The cryptocurrency industry is emboldened, impatient and eager to cement its influence in politics and mainstream financial systems. Crypto-friendly lawmakers expect two pieces of legislation to become law. within the next year. One would set regulations and reserve requirements for issuers of stablecoins, a popular type of crypto whose value is typically tied to the dollar or other traditional currencies. Another sets clear rules on how other digital assets should be regulated. Similar legislation has stalled in past years but many crypto backers expect broad, bipartisan support for passage this time. That’s due in part to the heavy political spending by the crypto industry.

A top Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border to highlight crackdown on scam centers

BANGKOK (AP) — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appear to gain momentum with a visit by a top Chinese official to the border zone ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry. The visit Monday by Liu Zhongyi, China’s vice minister of public security, is part of a stepped-up effort by the three countries to address the online scam problem. Areas of Myanmar bordering Thailand have been havens for criminal syndicates employing an estimated hundreds of thousands of people who help carry out online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes. Victims worldwide have lost money to such scams, and the workers were often lured there under false pretenses and found themselves trapped.

TV procedurals up their game, with doctors on cruises and quirky single moms solving crimes

NEW YORK (AP) — “Watson” is an unusual TV medical procedural. The CBS series stars Morris Chestnut as the titular character who leads a team of medical detectives set in a present-day Pittsburgh populated with characters from the Sherlock Holmes universe. “Watson” is not alone among the networks jazzing up the tried-and-true procedural. ABC’s “Doctor Odyssey” puts a medical procedural aboard a luxury cruise ship. CBS has Kathy Bates in “Matlock” playing an underestimated retirement-age lawyer with a twist. CBS’ “Elsbeth” and ABC’s “High Potential” are heavy on the quirky but competent crime-solvers. Supercharging network procedurals comes as streaming increasingly offers subscribers a highly curated selection of unconventional series with big names and high production values.

Huawei’s tri-foldable phone hits global markets in a show of defiance amid US curbs

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei has held a global launch for the industry’s first tri-foldable phone. Analysts say it marked a symbolic victory for Huawei amid U.S. technology curbs but that challenges over pricing, durability, supply and app constraints may limit its success. Huawei said at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday that the Huawei Mate XT, first unveiled five months ago in China, will be priced at 3,499 euros ($3,662). Although dubbed a trifold, the phone has three mini-panels and folds only twice. Huawei, China’s first global tech brand, is at the center of a U.S.-China battle over trade and technology. Washington in 2019 cut Huawei’s access to U.S. components and technology, citing security risks.

Pro-Russian hackers attack Italian websites after president compares invasion of Ukraine to Nazis

MILAN (AP) — A pro-Russian hacker group is attacking Italian government websites in what it said was a reaction to a speech by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in which he compared Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the Nazis’ “wars of conquest.” The NoName57 hacker group, which announced the attacks on social media, targeted the websites of the defense, interior and transport ministries on Tuesday, as well as those of law enforcement agencies. Access to the sites was spotty. The group said that on Monday it attacked Italian banks, ports, airports and local transport agencies, but those attacks did not cause major disruptions.

Airbnb sues New Orleans after it adopts sweeping regulations governing short-term rentals

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Airbnb is suing the City of New Orleans for requiring the company and other short-term rental platforms ensure properties they market are in compliance with city regulations. City council regulations set to go into effect in June would have required Airbnb and other platforms to verify properties had city permits for short-term rentals. Airbnb said enforcing laws should be the city’s responsibility. New Orleans leaders have long struggled with how to regulate an influx of illegal short-term rentals amid a lack of affordable housing. Some Airbnb hosts say they also rely on rentals to make ends meet.