technology – News Stories About technology - Page 20

Oct 4, 2007 2:33 PM CDT

LCD Flat Screens Get Flatter

Big screens are out, and flat screens are flatter than ever

(Newser) - Much like modeling, electronics companies are now competing to make LCD TVs thinner and thinner, Computerworld reports. Sony is leading the way with its release Monday of the world's first organic light-emitting diode (OLED) television, boasting a screen just 3mm thick. Competitors Hitachi, Sharp, and JVC are close behind, with...

Bain, Chinese Firm Buy 3Com

Sep 30, 2007 5:14 PM CDT

Bain, Chinese Firm Buy 3Com

US will check telecommunication buyout for security risks

(Newser) - Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co. will help private equity firm Bain Capital buy 3Com Corp., a flailing US telecommunications company, by picking up almost 20% of the tab. Recently Chinese businesses have bought strategic stakes in US companies rather than full buyouts to skirt political scrutiny, which can lead to...

Palm Aims $100 Smart Phone
at the Masses

Sep 28, 2007 5:45 PM CDT

Palm Aims $100 Smart Phone at the Masses

Centro seeks to appeal to many who won't shell out big bucks

(Newser) - While smart phones took a leap forward with the iPhone, it didn't quite end up in the hands of soccer moms everywhere. But by combining Treo hardware with an appealing $99.99 price-tag, Palm's new Centro aims to bridge the price gap that kept smart phones from the masses, CNET...

Grand Jury Indicts 2 for Espionage

Sep 27, 2007 3:17 PM CDT

Grand Jury Indicts 2 for Espionage

Techies accused of attempted sale of microchips to China

(Newser) - Lan Lee and Yuefei Ge, both of California, were indicted Wednesday by a grand jury on two counts each of economic espionage, conspiracy and theft of trade secrets. The former employees of chip maker Netlogics Microsystems allegedly downloaded chip tech plans onto their home computers, intending to start their own...

Free Phone Service Listens In, Tailors Ads

Sep 24, 2007 12:42 PM CDT

Free Phone Service Listens In, Tailors Ads

Startup sparks privacy concerns with marketing that draws on conversations

(Newser) - In much the same way that Gmail scans emails to push relevant advertising, a California start-up is using voice-recognition software to translate the strategy to Internet phone calls. Puddingmedia offers free phone service if customers allow eavesdropping on their conversations, the AP reports. The data isn't recorded, but privacy advocates...

Microsoft, EU Await Landmark Antitrust Decree

Sep 16, 2007 4:13 PM CDT

Microsoft, EU Await Landmark Antitrust Decree

Verdict could change firm's business model, or embarrass EU

(Newser) - Microsoft execs will be waiting to hear if they won an antitrust appeal against the EU tomorrow, the BBC reports. A 2004 probe declared the tech giant guilty of abusing its industry status and fined it $690 million. If Microsoft pulls off a victory, analysts say, the EU commission will...

Technology Goes to
the Toilet

Sep 15, 2007 8:59 AM CDT

Technology Goes to the Toilet

Japanese fixtures warm, clean, massage and disguise noises

(Newser) - In a country obsessed with both technology and cleanliness, it should be no surprise that Japanese toilets set the standard for high-tech hygienic services, ranging from pre-warmed seats to artificial flushing sounds that drown out bodily noises without wasting water. More than 60% of all Japanese households are now equipped...

Apple Takes
a Bite Out of
the Competition

Sep 7, 2007 3:10 PM CDT

Apple Takes a Bite Out of the Competition

iPod maker replaces Microsoft as industry bully, monopolist

(Newser) - Apple has replaced Microsoft as the tech industry’s “biggest bully,” according to PC World. The iPod dynamo has shed its rebel rep and assumed Microsoft’s former mantle as a monopolist, copycat, and bully. “Bundling,” a tactic Microsoft used to tie together Windows and Internet...

NYC Cabbies Begin Strike

Sep 5, 2007 1:40 PM CDT

NYC Cabbies Begin Strike

Level of participation unclear; new technology at issue in labor dispute

(Newser) - A 2-day strike by New York taxi drivers protesting an order to install new technology began today, with the union claiming up to 95% participation by the city's estimated 20,000 cabbies, to the mayor's prestrike estimate of 30%. The city instituted an emergency fare structure to encourage cab sharing...

US Laborers Work Hard for the Money

Sep 3, 2007 1:55 PM CDT

US Laborers Work Hard for the Money

New UN report says Americans more productive than peers

(Newser) - Labor Day is a well-deserved rest for Americans, as a new UN report shows US laborers work longer, harder, and get more done than their counterparts worldwide. The average US worker produces the most wealth, raking in $63,885 yearly, followed by Irish laborers at $55,986. Only Norway beat...

Techs Lead Mega Stock Rally

Aug 29, 2007 4:14 PM CDT

Techs Lead Mega Stock Rally

(Newser) - The Nasdaq added 2.5% of its value, or 62.52 points, to close at 2563.16, its biggest gain of the year. Techs were up across the board, after hard-disk manufacturer Seagate announced better-than-expected profits and outlook, and Apple hinted at a new line of iPods. Nokia and Intel...

iPod Users Can Grin and Hear It

Aug 21, 2007 10:28 AM CDT

iPod Users Can Grin and Hear It

Hands-free controls for mp3 players give listeners' jaws a workout

(Newser) - New computerized headgear developed in Japan will allow commuters and other users who have their hands full to control their iPods by clenching their teeth. The infrared sensors are sensitive enough to distinguish gum-chewing and speech from the second-long clenches intended to skip a track or pause a song, AFP...

Kick-Ass Jobs of the Future

Aug 16, 2007 2:47 PM CDT

Kick-Ass Jobs of the Future

(Newser) - Doctors and lawyers are so old-school—CNNMoney lists the movers and shakers of the future:

Disease Mapper: Use satellite technology to track and predict epidemics.
Robot Programmer: Today's robots can analyze blood samples and mix cocktails—if someone shows them how.

Robots Get Their Own Surge

Aug 13, 2007 4:59 PM CDT

Robots Get Their Own Surge

Military wants 3000 new war-bots ASAP

(Newser) - The military wants more robots, and it wants them fast. The Pentagon is looking to enlist more small, maneuverable 'bots that can look out for insurgents and bombs—1,000 by the end of this year and 2,000 more over the next five years, Wired reports. The military is...

Microsoft Renews FCC Fight Over TV 'White Space'

Aug 13, 2007 9:28 AM CDT

Microsoft Renews FCC Fight Over TV 'White Space'

New access to Web opens in 2009

(Newser) - Regulators won't OK Microsoft's plan to give consumers access to the Internet through unused TV airwaves, but the firm isn't taking no for an answer. The FCC has already nixed a protoype that caused static on existing broadcasts, but Microsoft says it now has a version that works, and a...

Judge Declines to Dismiss
Vista Lawsuit

Aug 8, 2007 6:00 PM CDT

Judge Declines to Dismiss Vista Lawsuit

Consumers may press case that 'Vista Capable' label was deceptive

(Newser) - A federal judge has denied Microsoft's motion to dismiss a lawsuit alleging its "Vista Capable" campaign misled consumers, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Although PCs bearing "Vista Capable" stickers run the new OS, many can handle only the bare-bones Vista Home Basic system, which lacks highly touted features included...

Apple Boots Up New iMacs

Aug 7, 2007 5:32 PM CDT

Apple Boots Up New iMacs

New 24-inchers thinner, cheaper

(Newser) - Steve Jobs unveiled a redesigned version of his company's popular iMac this afternoon, Scientific American reports. Apple ditched their trademark pearly plastic shells for a more svelte aluminum casing and a glossy glass display panel, and slimmed the keyboard as well. The company put the kibosh on the 17" model,...

Physicists Float a New Theory
of Levitation

Aug 7, 2007 7:32 AM CDT

Physicists Float a New Theory of Levitation

Frictionless parts could fly through the air with the greatest of ease

(Newser) - Two Scottish physics professors have published a report on forces of attraction that could be used to make objects levitate, writes the Telegraph. They've engineered a way to reverse the Casimir force, which normally causes elements to stick together. The discovery may lead to frictionless levitating parts in small mechanical...

10 Technologies on the Cusp

Aug 5, 2007 2:33 PM CDT

10 Technologies on the Cusp

MIT experts look ahead at breakthroughs and brainstorms that may change the way we live

(Newser) - Technology Review presents 10 technologies you'll soon be hearing about.

Peer-to-peer networking as a way for legitimate businesses to handle heavy data streaming.
Nanocharging solar, which could make solar power cost-competitive.
Artifically structured metamaterials.
Personalized medical monitors.
Single-cell analysis.

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

Aug 4, 2007 4:43 PM CDT

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

(Newser) - Heavily armed, remote-controlled robots are on the ground in Iraq—a first in military history. Only three of these robo-soldiers, armed with M249 machine guns, are currently deployed, but the Army has requested 80 more. Their location is classified, but officials report they're involved in reconnaissance and street patrol missions....