News
Sony Execs to Give up Bonuses
May 1, 2013 10:34 am | by Associated Press | CommentsAround 40 executives of Sony Corp. and its group companies in charge of the mainstay electronics business have decided to give up their bonuses for fiscal 2012 ending March, taking responsibility for poor business performance, company officials said Wednesday.
Carnegie Mellon Develops Zooming Technique for Entering Text into Smartwatches
May 1, 2013 10:25 am | by Carnegie Mellon University | CommentsTechnology blogs have been abuzz that smartwatches may soon be on their way from companies such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft. But as capable as these ultra-small computers may be, how will users enter an address, a name, or a search term into them?
Talking Tissue Boxes and Other Smart Objects
May 1, 2013 9:59 am | by Penn State | CommentsAs sensors and computers increasingly become smaller and cheaper, smart objects will appear in more homes and offices and not be hidden or shielded from interacting with people, according to the researchers. For example, smart refrigerators could talk or send tweets to signal...
Mozilla: UK Spyware Company Hijacking Our Brand
May 1, 2013 9:59 am | by RAPHAEL SATTER, Associated Press | CommentsThe Mozilla Foundation — responsible for the Firefox browser — said late Tuesday that Gamma International Ltd. was passing off its FinFisher spy software as a Firefox product to avoid detection. Mozilla described the tactic as abusive...
Apple Sells $17B in Bonds in Record Deal
May 1, 2013 9:58 am | by Associated Press | CommentsThe Cupertino, Calif., company sold the bonds in its first debt issue since the 1990s to raise money to pass along to shareholders through dividend payments and stock buybacks. The payments are part of an effort to reverse a 37 percent drop in Apple's stock price...
Coursera to Offer New MOOC Options for Teachers
May 1, 2013 9:57 am | by JUSTIN POPE, AP Education Writer | CommentsCoursera, the California-based for-profit platform for MOOCs from 62 leading universities such as Stanford, Princeton and the University of Pennsylvania, planned to announce Wednesday a new range of partners that include education schools and...
T-Mobile USA Completes MetroPCS Acquisition
May 1, 2013 9:56 am | by Associated Press | CommentsNo immediate changes are expected for customers of either company. However, T-Mobile plans to shut down MetroPCS's network over two years, which means MetroPCS phones will eventually stop working. T-Mobile will use the space freed up on the airwaves to boost its own coverage and data speeds.
The Laptop of the 1920s
April 30, 2013 11:01 am | by Tammy Real-McKeighan, Fremont Tribune | CommentsJean Meenen might have had the closest thing to a laptop that was available in the 1920s.Actually, it wouldn't have fit on her lap. Meenen was only about 5 years old when she got a Chautauqua Industrial Art Desk. The Fremont Tribune reports the turn-of-the-century tool looks like a wooden briefcase.
Internet-Based Program Effective in Reducing Stress
April 30, 2013 10:44 am | by Cleveland Clinic | CommentsOnline stress management programs aim to increase accessibility for individuals affected by chronic stress at a lesser cost than traditional methods. Data suggests that stress reduction using ISM is comparable to face-to-face stress management.
Google Invades Siri's Turf with iPhone, iPad App
April 30, 2013 10:25 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | CommentsSiri may be feeling a little job insecurity. The sometimes droll assistant that answers questions and helps people manage their lives on Apple's iPhone and iPad is facing competition from an up-and-coming rival made by Google. The duel began Monday with the release of a free...
Review: Google Now Useful as a Supplement to Siri
April 30, 2013 9:13 am | by ANICK JESDANUN, AP Technology Writer | CommentsGoogle Now is often compared with the Siri voice assistant on Apple's mobile devices, but its power lies in giving you information you need to know before you have to ask. It works best as a supplement to Siri, rather than a replacement, now that it has expanded from Android devices to iPhones and iPads.
Shape-Shifting Mobile Devices
April 29, 2013 11:24 am | by University of Bristol | CommentsThe research paper, to be presented at one of the world's most important conferences on human-computer interfaces, will introduce the term 'shape resolution' and its ten features, to describe the resolution of an interactive device: in addition to display and touch resolution.
Smartphones Overtake 'Dumb' Phones Worldwide
April 29, 2013 11:19 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | CommentsManufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year, compared with 189 million regular cellphones, according to a study IDC released late Thursday. IDC said smartphones made up 51.6 percent of the 419 million mobile phones shipped.
Higher Expectations for Digital Media at NewFronts
April 29, 2013 11:14 am | by JAKE COYLE, AP Entertainment Writer | CommentsThere will be plenty of the same this week in New York at the second Digital NewFronts, the digital world's take on the annual TV "upfront" tradition. But ahead of this year's five-day-long overture to Madison Avenue, the talk is of both the great progress of digital entertainment and unrealized promises.
Cyberattack Suspect to Be Sent Home to Netherlands
April 29, 2013 11:12 am | by CIARAN GILES, Associated Press HAROLD HECKLE, Associated Press | CommentsA Dutch citizen arrested in Spain on suspicion of launching what authorities have called the biggest cyberattack in Internet history is expected to be handed over to the Netherlands within 10 days, a Spanish court official said Monday. The suspect — identified only by his initials S.K. — was questioned Saturday in the National Court...
