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Explainers: Technology

Explainers: Technology
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Explainers: Technology. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
A partially buried undersea cable. Image: Shutterstock
US-China relations

Explainer | The heated US-China cable competition under the seas

Vital for data transmission and communications between continents, lines are vulnerable to sabotage and a stage for global power rivalry.

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US-China relations

US study finds China’s tech innovation ‘much stronger’ than understood

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Business of climate change

Explainer | How do hydrogen vehicles work? Are they the future of transport?

Special Report - Jewellery

Rise of the machines: how robots are changing the way jewellery is made

A shortage in manpower and rising costs are leading to the widespread adoption of automation in the jewellery manufacturing sector, with top maisons now using robots for diamond cutting and polishing

Rise of the machines: how robots are changing the way jewellery is made, from reducing production costs to creating intriguing designs – but can they replicate the delicate touch of a human craftsman? Photos: Handout
Music

Luxury vinyl? Legendary engineer Bernie Grundman on Craft’s Small Batch series

The vinyl revival shows no sign of abating, but do LPs really sound better than CDs? Only if they come from the original analogue tapes, says the Grammy-winning mastering engineer

Science

Explainer | What are superconductors and why the scepticism about breakthroughs?

Many claims about discovering room-temperature superconductors have fallen flat but the hope of finding revolutionary material pushes research forward.

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China’s C919 passenger plane

Explainer | Why did it take 15 years for China’s C919 to make its first commercial flight?

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) was formed in 2008 to develop the C919 narrow-body passenger jet, which completed its maiden commercial flight in May 2023.

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Bearing the symbolic number MU9191, the flight operated by China Eastern Airlines and carrying more than 130 passengers travelled between Shanghai and Beijing. Photo: Xinhua
China technology

Explainer | From AI to IoT, 4 areas where China’s smart cities are making a difference

Cutting-edge technologies have seeped into everyday infrastructure systems in big Chinese cities following a recent push to develop smart cities.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Shanghai Auto Show: world’s largest vehicle fair dazzles with latest models

Battery power took center stage, with makers jostling to show off their electrification credentials.

United States

Chips and Science Act approved in US Senate

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Google

Google Chrome users will want this software update

Update is needed to deploy a new wave of software fixes to patch some security flaws – seven of the security fixes are deemed high level threats.

Close-up view of Google apps on a smartphone. Photo: Shutterstock
X (formerly Twitter)

Explainer | What’s next after Twitter agreed to Elon Musk takeover bid?

Twitter’s acceptance of Elon Musk’s roughly US$44 billion takeover bid brings the billionaire Tesla CEO one step closer to owning the social media platform.

Extreme fitness

Obsessed with Strava? Here’s the best way to use your data

Strava is a treasurer trove of data, but most runners do not utilise the information at their finger time.

The Philippines

SpaceX to launch Starlink satellite service in the Philippines

The company is setting up a subsidiary in The Philippines, which has one of the worst internet connections globally, yet is dubbed the social media capital of the world and has 74 million internet users.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites provide fast internet to remote locations.
MU5735 crash

Explainer | Why China Eastern flight’s ‘black boxes’ are vital to investigation

All passenger planes carry two recorders containing audio from the cockpit and extensive flight data that can provide clues to the cause of the accident.

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Flight data recorder from a plane. Black box. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Explainers: Business

Must-have Covid-19 tracking apps for international travellers

These apps have become essential for many people to safely carry on outside their homes, while observing social-distancing rules.

SpaceX

Elon Musk’s SpaceX to help Tonga fix internet

The SpaceX team is in Fiji to establish a ground station for six months; Tonga’s devastating volcanic eruption in mid-January damaged an undersea telecommunications cable.

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Dating

The Naked Truth | Virtual dating apps: don’t get too caught up in the metaverse

If finding love during a pandemic is not easy, dating in the metaverse could be the answer. Follow this advice for finding love in the virtual world.

if Tinder or Grindr don’t work for you, virtual reality dating apps are a new way to meet people in the meta world. Photo: Getty Images
Russia

Explainer | US export rule that hammered China’s Huawei teed up to hit Russia

The Biden administration is readying a US export rule that could curb Russia’s access to global electronics supplies if President Vladimir Putin decides to invade Ukraine.

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SpaceX

Explainer | Things to know about SpaceX’s private flight into orbit

SpaceX is set to launch four people into space on a three-day mission that is the first to orbit the Earth with exclusively private citizens on board.

China Internet Report

Here are the top 5 trends of China’s internet sector in 2021

The 2021 China Internet Report covered tightening rules that resulted in a bumpy road for Chinese tech IPOs, forcing companies to alter their overseas strategies and re-examine underserved segments due to demographic changes, with renewed focus on private-domain traffic.

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A 3D product on product at the Smart China Expo 2021 in Chongqing on August 22, 2021. Photo: Xinhua
Automotive industry

What if a superhero designed a supercar? Meet the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro

If the original Aston Martin Valkyrie was Thor’s Mjolnir, then this track-only beast – conceived to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans’ new Hypercar class – must be Stormbreaker

The Aston Martin AMR Pro was conceived to win the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race in the new Hypercar class. Photos: Aston Martin
Cybersecurity

Explainer | What are the hacking accusations against China?

Several countries accuse ‘cyber actors’ backed by Beijing of hacking the Microsoft Exchange email server, as allegations of Chinese cyberattacks mount.

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Space

Explainer | How Jeff Bezos will soar into space

Jeff Bezos, the richest person in the world, is set to join the astronaut club on Tuesday on the first crewed launch by Blue Origin.

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China society

Explainer | Why 996 prevails in China’s tech world despite deaths and protests

Demanding hours persist at Chinese tech giants and start-ups, where employees describe a culture that glorifies unquestioned dedication to work and looks down upon attempts to maintain a work-life balance.

A man yawns as he walks in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city sometimes known as the Silicon Valley of China. Photo: AFP
Huawei

Explainer | What HarmonyOS 2 means for the Google and Apple duopoly

Huawei’s HarmonyOS is designed for the Internet-of-Things era, with the ability to run on everything from smartphones and tablets to home appliances as the tech giant tries to overcome US sanctions and move away from Android.

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A staff member displaying a Huawei smartphone with the HarmonyOS operating system at the Huawei flagship store in Shenzhen, in China's southern Guangdong province, on May 31, 2021. HarmonyOS 2 is the company’s effort to bridge the gap between smartphones, tablets and myriad IoT devices has it tries to move away from Android. Photo: AFP
TikTok

Explainer | The man who turned ByteDance and TikTok into a global sensation

Low-profile Zhang has had to face multiple challenges in recent times, including a stand-off with the US over ownership of TikTok.

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Semiconductors

Explainer | Everything you need to know about the global semiconductor shortage

The chip shortage that first hit the car sector, but has since spread to other industries, is not going away any time soon, highlighting the fragility of the global supply chain.

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