Christopher Mims

Columnist Christopher Mims writes that augmented reality, or AR, is the most exciting technology you’re ever likely to encounter, and it could transform how we interact with computers in the 21st century.

Columnist Christopher Mims writes that CircleUp’s Classifier software exemplifies a finance trend in which algorithms play a growing role in markets for areas including startups and real estate.

The legions of cheap 3-D printers on the market now are mere toys compared with what is coming, writes Christopher Mims.

The technical details are irrelevant in the fight between Apple and the FBI. The real issue is that, if a judge agrees, Apple could be forced to make the data on any iPhone available to any law-enforcement agency demanding it.

Columnist Christopher Mims writes that apps are no longer the ideal user-interface model for the mobile revolution but adds that other options aren’t far off.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship with the U.S. government. In the process, he may set in motion political and judicial processes that will endanger the security of all our mobile devices, Christopher Mims writes.

Facebook’s strategy to get people in the developing world onto the social-media site is no longer suited to its organization’s goals, writes Christopher Mims.

Columnist Christopher Mims says that perhaps one way to make online dating less fraught is to treat it with clinical detachment. With Valentine’s Day near, it’s time to bring on the economists.

The current version of Soylent, the meal replacement of choice for techies and early adopters, is much evolved from its nearly unpalatable first version.

Twenty years after the book “The Innovator’s Dilemma” came out, companies still fall prey to nimble competitors. One venture capitalist thinks he knows why so many businesses often fail to build the next big thing.

The information-technology revolution has transformed our lives: how we drive, how we order taxis and record daily events, how we consume movies and the news. What it hasn’t done—yet—is give the world a true jolt of productivity or prosperity. Columnist Christopher Mims explores how we get there.

The computer systems that run our world—secure our financial information, protect our privacy and even keep our power grid running—all have a critical, unpatchable weakness: the humans who use them.

There is no such thing as “good enough” encryption. Once a backdoor has been added, they can be and are discovered by bad actors, writes Christopher Mims.

Columnist Christopher Mims on virtual reality, predicting the future, and why some entire tech sectors are ripe for flameout and consolidation.

Hoverboards are the surprise hit of this holiday season even though they are catching fire, getting banned by airlines and being removed from retailers due to shoddy batteries and an apparent lack of quality control.Their popularity also has led to a surprisingly far-reaching patent war.

New sensors are cheap and fast enough to add additional layers of inspection to our food system, for suppliers, restaurants and consumers, writes Keywords columnist Christopher Mims.

An open secret exists around equity crowdfunding: As a mechanism for funding startups, it’s basically a nonstarter.

How can authorities know, as quickly as possible, that an attack is under way? One possibility is using technologies like ShotSpotter, which helps pinpoints the exact location of gunshots and explosions, writes Christopher Mims.

Workplace systems that look more like the “gig” economy of contractors are coming to traditional, full-time employers, and many workers seem to love it, writes Christopher Mims.

Facebook is looking to replace web searches and apps with a single interface that just gets things done.