technology

Stories 281 - 300 | << Prev   Next >>

Send That Online Pal an Off-Line Drink

'Give Real' allows users to give credits for bars, restaurants

(Newser) - For those who are sick of shelling out to send Facebook friends cupcake icons and virtual champagne bottles for occasions, the startup Give Real has the answer. Through their site (or via a Facebook app), you can buy a friend credits redeemable at nearly any bar or restaurant in America....

Ariz. City Gets a Do-Over
 Ariz. City Gets a Do-Over 
GLOSSIES
Dec 7, 2008 5:00 AM CST

Ariz. City Gets a Do-Over

Officials annex extra 5 miles for Mesa's new downtown

(Newser) - Mesa, Ariz., is getting a do-over. The financially battered city experienced explosive growth for more than half a century, and municipal leaders hope to recover that vitality, reports the Economist. Their solution? Start building, but not in the strip-mall-and-tract-home model so familiar in the Sunbelt. The city has annexed 5...

Disney's New 'Tomorrowland' House as Bland as Leftovers

'Furiously unimaginative' update reflects down period in our culture: O'Rourke

(Newser) - In the 1950s, Disneyland wowed visitors and architecture aficionados with its dynamic vision of domesticity in its House of the Future, but, as PJ O’Rourke laments in the Atlantic, Disney’s latest house is “almost furiously unimaginative.” A peek at Disney’s domestic vision finds a future...

Finally, a Real Phone Camera
 Finally,  a Real Phone Camera 
PRODUCT REVIEW
Dec 4, 2008 10:54 AM CST

Finally, a Real Phone Camera

Picture-perfect phone closes the shutter on camera phone rivals

(Newser) - Adding a camera to a phone isn't exactly a novel concept, but the Motozine ZN5 breaks the mold by making it a proper digital camera instead of a feeble afterthought, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. For quality, he raves, "the ZN5’s photos trump anything offered...

Technology the Linchpin in Mumbai Attacks

They used GPS and satellite maps, phones

(Newser) - The Mumbai terrorists relied on advanced technology to carry out their attacks, and Indian security forces had trouble keeping up, the Washington Post reports. GPS devices enabled the non-sailors to get to Mumbai; satellite maps gave them "a good feel for the city's streets and buildings," said a...

'21st Century Girls' Force Scouts to Evolve

Declining membership prompts massive revamp

(Newser) - Sporty, ambitious, and tech-savvy, the modern American girl is forcing a century-old program to change its ways, Time reports. Sagging cookie sales and plummeting membership have compelled Girl Scouts to merge councils, sell off lucrative campsites, and redefine its relevance for "21st century girls," says Mary Connell, a...

BlackBerry Storm: It's a Dud
 BlackBerry Storm: It's a Dud 
product review
Nov 26, 2008 5:45 PM CST

BlackBerry Storm: It's a Dud

Potentially great phone 'inconsistent and confusing:' Pogue

(Newser) - BlackBerry has a knack for simple phone names, and the Storm couldn’t be more spot-on, David Pogue writes in the New York Times. Stormy it is: dark, sodden, and unpredictable. The feature-packed phone is shrouded in a “marathon of frustration”—keys that don't do anything, scrolling that’...

Smile, NFL &mdash;You're in 3-D
 Smile, NFL
 —You're in 3-D 
Nov 24, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Smile, NFL —You're in 3-D

(Newser) - The NFL is embracing new technology and exploring the possibility of broadcasting games in 3-D, the Wall Street Journal reports. Select industry insiders and executives have been invited to watch the Dec. 4 Chargers-Raiders game live at private screenings in theaters in LA, Boston, and New York. "We want...

Gadgets Have Consumers Crying for Help

Buyers frustrated by problems with cell phones, internet access and computers

(Newser) - Digital technology plays a key role in the lives of most Americans, but it's often too complex, frustrating, and prone to failure, a study by the Pew Research Center finds. Nearly half of consumers said they regularly need help setting up a device, learning how to use it, or solving...

Tech Sector Short-Circuits
 Tech Sector Short-Circuits
Nov 15, 2008 7:09 AM CST

Tech Sector Short-Circuits

Once-insulated Silicon Valley fails to outpace slowdown

(Newser) - A sudden slowdown has sent the tech industry into a slump so severe some are comparing it to the dot-com bust, the New York Times reports. The sector was confidently chugging along as recently as September but last month saw orders for both business and consumer tech rapidly plunge—"...

Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride&mdash;in the Slow Lane
Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride—in the Slow Lane
Tech review
Nov 13, 2008 10:06 AM CST

Wi-Fi Goes for a Ride—in the Slow Lane

In-car system is reliable but may distract drivers: Mossberg

(Newser) - Wi-Fi has moved to the car, with Chrysler and Autonet Mobile teaming up to offer connectivity on wheels. It's a neat idea that works reasonably well, writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal, though speed isn't great, and the initial cost is steep. Moreover, "the company says the...

New ID System Scans Finger's Veins, Not Prints

Hitachi system is faster, more secure than fingerprinting, retinal scans

(Newser) - A new technology that scans finger veins to authenticate identity claims to be quicker and more reliable than fingerprinting, retinal scans, or facial recognition, the Times of London reports. Japanese company Hitachi's system shines infrared light through the network of capillaries in the index finger, capturing a unique 3D “...

Twitter Tries to Get Real, Trades In CEO

Micro-blogging pioneer with plenty of buzz but no revenue swaps execs

(Newser) - Twitter has shunted CEO Jack Dorsey into the chairman's role and given his job to current chairman and co-founder Evan Williams, CNET reports. The micro-blogging site has grown fast since launching last year and has been surrounded by plenty of buzz—but while managers say things are right on track,...

Tech Tips You Should Know, But Don't
Tech Tips You
Should Know, But Don't
OPINION
Oct 2, 2008 6:55 PM CDT

Tech Tips You Should Know, But Don't

'Common knowledge isn't the same as universal knowledge,' Pogue writes

(Newser) - What people don’t know about basic computer tricks is pretty shocking, David Pogue found while gathering info for his New York Times column. After a call for tips from readers, all involved “soon discovered that what’s common knowledge isn’t the same as universal knowledge.” Here...

Tech Helps Prints Tell More of the Story

Snack, drug habits can be traced on bullets, similar surfaces

(Newser) - Advances in fingerprint technology are making the century-old forensic tool even more vital, the Boston Globe reports. Scientists have developed methods that can not only detect traces of food or chemicals in prints, but also single out targets at a confused crime scene. “We're using fingerprints to learn more...

China Tops US With More High-Speed Lines

Nation's rise in broadband technology 'a major milestone'

(Newser) - China's broadband network is now bigger than America's, InformationWeek reports. In fact the Asian nation has the planet's biggest high-speed network—which "means a lot more for building a modern, hi-tech economy" than China's spacewalk yesterday, one expert said. "This is a major milestone for China."

Flash! Here's What's New in Photo Gear

Spy pens, 3-D cameras and new lens technologies on display

(Newser) - The biggest photography-gear expo on the globe, Photokina, got under way this week in Germany as manufacturers rolled out everything from state-of-the-art lenses to geotagging devices. Wired takes a look:
  1. Fuji’s FinePix Real 3D System incorporates dual lenses that capture separate images, then meshes them into a single 3-D
...

Internet Hookup Would Make Appliances More Efficient

Linked fridge, for instance, could adjust usage automatically

(Newser) - Electric bill breaking the bank these days? Your fridge might be able to help, when developers start bringing Internet-ready appliances to market, GigaOm reports. Proactive dashboards could control energy usage to save money and conserve by telling wired appliances to reduce power during certain time periods without human input, and...

Oxford Revives Einstein's Greenie Fridge Design

Fridge cooled by pressure and vapor, not polluting freons

(Newser) - Oxford scientists are rebuilding one of Albert Einstein’s first inventions—a refrigerator cooled with pressurized gases—in a bid to replace today’s eco-unfriendly fridges, the Guardian reports. Modern fridges use freon, a greenhouse gas worse than carbon dioxide, and are increasingly in demand worldwide. But Einstein's design employs...

Wall Street Woes Will Wallop Tech Sector
Wall Street Woes Will
Wallop Tech Sector
ANALYSIS
Sep 16, 2008 2:02 AM CDT

Wall Street Woes Will Wallop Tech Sector

Drying up of IPOs expected to hit tech ventures especially hard

(Newser) - Troubles hitting the Wall Street giants promise particularly dark days ahead for the tech business world, analysts tell CNET News. The problems are bound to stifle mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry and further dampen the market for initial public offerings. IPOs have already slowed to a trickle—and...

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