technology

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Grand Jury Indicts 2 for Espionage
Grand Jury Indicts 2 for Espionage

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

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

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
Technology Goes to
the Toilet

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

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
NYC Cabbies Begin Strike

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

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
Techs Lead Mega Stock Rally

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
iPod Users Can Grin and Hear It

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
Kick-Ass Jobs of the Future

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
Robots Get Their Own Surge

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'

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

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
Apple Boots Up New iMacs

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

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
10 Technologies on the Cusp

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

Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq
Gun-Toting Robots Patrol Iraq

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....

Schools Cater to Tech-Enamored Students

New teaching, learning styles may spell an end to lectures

(Newser) - An increasing number of colleges and universities are using new Web applications to engage a generation of students eager to collaborate—and strut their stuff—on the Internet. Blogs, wikis, and other collaborative tools are being used as more than just empty Web 2.0 buzzwords, CNET reports; they allow...

The 10 Laws of Design Simplicity
The 10 Laws
of Design Simplicity

The 10 Laws of Design Simplicity

MIT expert reveals the secrets of great products and services

(Newser) - In an interview with John Maeda, NPR correspondent Ira Flatow questions the MIT Media Lab designer about his new book, "The Laws of Simplicity." The 10 laws are:
  1. Reduce: Remove functionality
  2. Organize: Organization makes a system of many seem fewer
  3. Time: Savings in time feel like simplicity
  4. Learn:
...

Intel, Third World Laptop Initiative Join Forces

Chip giant makes peace with One Laptop Per Child

(Newser) - Intel and the One Laptop per Child initiative are making peace and embracing the notion of synergy. The chip maker and the pioneer of the $100 laptop concept will stop competing for deals with governments in the developing world and team up, the AP reports. The partnership is a big...

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