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Tech News

At a loss for words? Google offers search by sight

Google's first search engine let people search by typing text onto a Web page. Next came queries spoken over the phone.

updated Tue Dec 08 2009 08:30:27

At a loss for words? Google offers search by sight

Google's first search engine let people search by typing text onto a Web page. Next came queries spoken over the phone.

updated Mon Dec 07 2009 15:36:01

Google launches real-time search

Google announced Monday the fruits of its earlier deal with Twitter, showing off how it has decided to present real-time Internet content within search results.

updated Mon Dec 07 2009 09:58:36

MIT wins $40,000 prize in nationwide balloon-hunt contest

A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology won $40,000 in a high-tech scavenger hunt on Saturday by discovering the location of 10 red weather balloons.

updated Mon Dec 07 2009 09:40:18

The hidden costs of identity theft

Debra Guenterberg doesn't have to go to a horror movie to get spooked. She says she's been living a nightmare for the past 13 years.

updated Mon Dec 07 2009 08:45:28

Facebook board aims to keep kids safe

Facebook has joined forces with five Internet groups to help protect kids, the social-networking site said.

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 17:36:37

How the Square mobile payment service will work

Twitter creator Jack Dorsey's Square application, which is like a smartphone PayPal for credit cards, has attracted lots of warranted attention for its potential to enable peer-to-peer and merchant credit card transactions in the real world far beyond what's capable today in most countries.

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 12:46:15

Latest 'Super Mario Bros.' a superb sequel

What better way to reinvent one of the most popular video game franchises of all time than by adding simultaneous multiplayer fun?

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 10:39:05

Follow Friday: Tiger talk

It's the story that wouldn't go away.

updated Fri Dec 04 2009 08:19:41

Nationwide balloon-hunt contest tests online networking

On Saturday, thousands of people nationwide will search the skies in a high-tech scavenger hunt designed to test how far-flung groups can use the Internet and technology to work together.

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 13:52:29

10 Web trends to watch in 2010

As 2009 draws to a close, the Web's attention turns to the year ahead. What can we expect of the online realm in 2010?

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 12:42:02

Bing Maps Beta: Very cool, but limited

Microsoft's Bing took a major step forward Wednesday in adding rich mapping and image data to its search engine, but until it assembles more data, pretty pictures aren't enough to beat the Google Maps juggernaut.

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 08:35:36

A vision of computing from Microsoft's future thinker

In the next 10 years, the way people interact with computers will wildly change. Hand gestures will be as common as the click of a keyboard, and an assortment of documents will be selected not with a mouse, but with a scan of the eye.

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 07:48:15

Climate change: Issues, solutions, politics and more

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 07:47:58

Living at the edge of an island

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 07:47:39

12 Alaskan villages under threat

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 07:47:24

Sea eating away at Eskimo village

updated Thu Dec 03 2009 07:47:06

Time lapse video: Sun skates across Alaska horizon

updated Wed Dec 02 2009 13:52:31

Racist Obama image shines light on Web searching

When a racist image of first lady Michelle Obama surfaced from the ugliest corners of the Internet last week to top Google's image search results, the episode shined a spotlight on the mysterious workings of search engines.

updated Wed Dec 02 2009 12:30:32

Apps of the Week: Help with your commute

The ubiquitous iPhone has more than 100,000 apps that can do everything from tell you the weather in Nome, Alaska to give you headlines from The New York Times to order you a burrito from Chipotle.

updated Wed Dec 02 2009 10:10:19

Microsoft investigating 'screen of death'

Microsoft said on Monday that it is looking into reports that its latest security updates are causing some serious problems for certain users.

updated Wed Dec 02 2009 10:03:06

Facebook to lose geography networks, add privacy features

Facebook users will soon lose the ability to join a network of friends who live in the same area but will gain the widely desired ability to control who sees every piece of information they post.

updated Tue Dec 01 2009 14:16:26

Activist's Web site, tweets put new face on homelessness

Fourteen years ago, Mark Horvath was in crisis. The former exec was living on the streets in Hollywood, California, where for a dollar he let people take a photograph of his pet iguana, named Dog.

updated Tue Dec 01 2009 07:35:11

Will this thing even float? The craziest boats on the oceans

From catamarans made out of plastic bottles hoping to cross the Pacific Ocean to the recession-busting extravagance of billion-dollar superyachts, 2009 has been the year of crazy boats.

updated Mon Nov 30 2009 08:59:35

In defense of bloggers' free speech

Bernard Bailyn, the Harvard historian who won a Pulitzer for his 1967 book "The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution," wrote about the critical role pamphlets played in 18th century America.

updated Mon Nov 30 2009 08:25:14

'Pulp Fiction' Oscar winner appears to be tweeting from jail

An inmate wrestles with his fear, boredom and remorse.

updated Fri Nov 27 2009 08:27:52

Follow Friday: Tweets for shopping smart

OK, so if you're reading this you've probably just finished your yearly, post-Thanksgiving rugby scrum of consumerism.

updated Thu Nov 26 2009 20:16:54

Hacked e-mails fuel climate change debate

An online debate over global warming science has broken out after an unknown hacker broke into the e-mail server at a prominent climate-research center, stole more than a thousand e-mails about global warming and posted them online.

updated Thu Nov 26 2009 10:24:40

3G wireless still holds promise

There's been a lot of talk in 2009 about the next generation of wireless technology, known as 4G wireless broadband, but the current generation of 3G wireless technology is far from dead.

updated Thu Nov 26 2009 09:00:49

Jet-powered Ford guns for 300 mph

Joe Wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged, alcohol-injected Hemi-engined hot rod more power: Put a jet engine in the trunk.

updated Thu Nov 26 2009 08:46:00

Jet-powered Ford guns for 300 mph

Joe Wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged, alcohol-injected Hemi-engined hot rod more power: Put a jet engine in the trunk.

updated Thu Nov 26 2009 00:47:50

Google apologizes for results of 'Michelle Obama' image search

For most of the past week, when someone typed "Michelle Obama" in the popular search engine Google, one of the first images that came up was a picture of the American first lady altered to resemble a monkey.

updated Wed Nov 25 2009 23:21:08

Test your techno-jargon!

updated Wed Nov 25 2009 15:23:37

Cashmore: Block Google and consumers will lose

If Rupert Murdoch gets his way -- and he's not simply bluffing -- you may one day need to "Bing it" rather than "Google it" to find news stories online.

updated Wed Nov 25 2009 08:56:51

Apps of the Week: Time to shop

With the holiday shopping season upon us, recession-minded retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart have created apps that let people buy products directly from their smartphones.

updated Wed Nov 25 2009 03:39:44

Is your date a 'stud or dud?' Ask your phone

If that dreamy blind date seems too good to be true, or the guy at the bar with a martini and a pencil-thin moustache looks a little sketchy, the truth about them -- or at least some of it -- could be found on your phone.

updated Tue Nov 24 2009 23:42:47

From Twitter to advertising treasure

The Twitter phenomenon, in which anybody can tell his or her followers anything -- in 140 characters or less -- now has a payoff that can go beyond the thrill of self-publishing.

updated Tue Nov 24 2009 14:36:07

Hot video games for holiday shopping

Like a well-placed power-up, the right gift can light up the eyes of that video gamer in your life.

updated Tue Nov 24 2009 10:38:21

Let battle for holiday gadget shoppers begin

For the past few years, holiday cheer has been in short supply for electronics retail chains.

updated Mon Nov 23 2009 16:18:04

Large Hadron Collider back online

"The LHC is back," the European Organization for Nuclear Research announced triumphantly Friday, as the world's largest particle accelerator resumed operation more than a year after an electrical failure shut it down.

updated Mon Nov 23 2009 02:49:50

EBay apologizes for Web site glitch

Online auction giant eBay apologized Sunday for a daylong glitch that inactivated the search function on its Web site, and said it will compensate sellers for their losses.

updated Sun Nov 22 2009 09:18:47

Solar gadgets for when you're on the go

When it comes to sun energy, the focus is often on solar power plants or rooftop panels. But there's an increasing number of snazzy portable products that also draw juice from our nearest star -- things we can carry, wear or set on our desks.

updated Fri Nov 20 2009 14:49:22

Rothschild heir to cross Pacific on boat made of plastic bottles

Heir and maverick adventurer David Mayer de Rothschild is planning a voyage across the Pacific Ocean on a boat made of reclaimed plastic bottles.

updated Fri Nov 20 2009 14:04:23

Three charged as Comcast hackers

Three alleged members of the hacker gang Kryogeniks were hit with a federal conspiracy charge Thursday for a 2008 stunt that replaced Comcast's homepage with a shout-out to other hackers.

updated Fri Nov 20 2009 13:45:12

False alarms prompt space station scare

Astronauts aboard the international space station and space shuttle Atlantis woke up to a worrying sound -- alarms indicating a fire and dangerous loss of pressure, NASA said Friday.

updated Fri Nov 20 2009 08:39:15

Follow Friday: Tweeting with the vampire

Among a certain (mostly young, mostly female) segment of the population, this weekend's news is all about one thing and one thing only: the opening of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

updated Fri Nov 20 2009 08:23:30

Google OS: the end of the hard drive?

Google today unveiled more details of Chrome OS, a lightweight, browser-based operating system for netbooks.

updated Thu Nov 19 2009 23:39:36

Withdrawal symptoms: Getting more out of ATMs

When reading this article, you will most likely fall into one of two groups.

updated Thu Nov 19 2009 14:31:43

How Microsoft blew it with Windows Mobile

Microsoft Windows continues to dominate the PC market with a 90 percent market-share stronghold, but when it comes to smartphones, Microsoft is getting beat up worse than a mustachioed villain in a Jackie Chan movie.

updated Thu Nov 19 2009 14:16:56

Awards honor top 10 Internet moments of the decade

The explosion of Craigslist's online classifieds. The death of Napster. The "Twitter Revolution" in Iran.

updated Thu Nov 19 2009 13:18:19

Next year's Twitter? It's Foursquare

As 2009 draws to a close, with Twitter undoubtedly this year's media darling and Facebook continuing on its path to global domination, you may wonder which social-media service will become tech's poster boy in 2010.

updated Thu Nov 19 2009 12:20:28

With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft fights back in browser wars

With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft showed Wednesday it's trying to retake the browser initiative.

updated Wed Nov 18 2009 23:18:11

California approves new energy efficiency standards for televisions

The California Energy Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to become the first state to impose energy efficiency standards for televisions. The agency estimates the move will save consumers $1 billion a year in energy costs.

updated Wed Nov 18 2009 11:55:42

Social network sites criticized on bullying

The world's biggest social networking site has brushed off criticism by a senior UK police officer responsible for preventing online bullying that it is failing to combat abuse.

updated Wed Nov 18 2009 11:34:20

Apps of the Week: To infinity, and beyond!

Space Shuttle Atlantis has blasted off, on its way to the international space station. The annual Leonid meteor shower peaked Tuesday. And NASA just found water on the moon.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 19:59:56

Can the law keep up with technology?

In a case that would have been impossible even five years ago, bad-girl rocker Courtney Love is being sued for libel by a fashion designer for allegedly slamming the woman on Twitter.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 17:55:23

Dictionary word of the year: 'Unfriend'

It's prone to cause drama in the online world.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 17:06:34

Android's rapid growth has some developers worried

A year after its release, Google's open source Android operating system has become a sensation.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 11:11:48

Report: Countries prepping for cyberwar

Major countries and nation-states are engaged in a "Cyber Cold War," amassing cyberweapons, conducting espionage, and testing networks in preparation for using the Internet to conduct war, according to a new report to be released on Tuesday by McAfee.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 11:01:02

Mapping a floating swath of plastic waste

The center of the Pacific Gyre, an area of spiraling ocean currents, has accumulated large amounts of waste and debris that gets trapped by the large clockwise flow of water between North America and Japan.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 09:34:44

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen diagnosed with cancer

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, more than 25 years after he was treated for Hodgkin's disease, a spokesman at his company Vulcan Inc. told CNN on Monday.

updated Tue Nov 17 2009 08:21:46

Can the law keep up with technology?

In a case that would have been impossible even five years ago, bad-girl rocker Courtney Love is being sued for libel by a fashion designer for allegedly slamming the woman on Twitter.

updated Mon Nov 16 2009 15:14:06

Apple battles 'jailbreakers' over iPhone control

When he was 17, George Hotz poured hundreds of hours of his summer vacation into a special project: learning the iPhone's secrets. His unpaid labor eventually paid off.

updated Mon Nov 16 2009 14:49:31

Follow Friday: Tweets on Fort Hood, the military

With Veterans Day, the continuing investigation into the shootings at Fort Hood and talks continuing on future U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, the military has been all over the news this week.

updated Mon Nov 16 2009 13:12:00

Follow Friday: Tweets on Fort Hood, the military

With Veterans Day, the continuing investigation into the shootings at Fort Hood and talks continuing on future U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan, the military has been all over the news this week.

updated Sun Nov 15 2009 09:18:05

Online churches draw believers, critics

Hjalti á Lava was searching his iPhone for a Bible app when he stumbled across Church Online, a service of Web site LifeChurch.tv. Soon he was regularly logging into the Oklahoma-based cyber-church -- some 4,100 miles away from á Lava's home in the Faroe Islands, west of Norway.

updated Fri Nov 13 2009 15:25:33

Reviews: Drive, fight and spin in new game releases

For video gamers, the fall season is both a blessing and a curse. While many high-quality titles debut around this time each year, there are only so many dollars to go around.

updated Fri Nov 13 2009 13:34:00

Dell unveils Android-based Mini 3 smartphone

Dell said Friday that it's ready to enter the smartphone business with the Android-based Mini 3.

updated Fri Nov 13 2009 08:19:28

Google poised to become your phone company

Google is set to become your new phone company, perhaps reducing your phone bill to zilch in the process.

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 13:20:14

Report: Microsoft bans 1 million Xbox Live players

It's oh-so enticing: you find a copy of a brand new game like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on a pirate site and the temptation to download it is too strong.

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 10:17:35

Huge $10 billion collider resumes hunt for 'God particle'

Is the Large Hadron Collider being sabotaged from the future? Or merely by birds?

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 09:38:53

5 tips for fixing your Facebook page

With more than 300 million active users, Facebook has come a long way from its roots as a way for Harvard students to keep in touch.

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 09:11:53

Is Facebook the future of micropayments?

In the ongoing saga of paid content on the Web, Rupert Murdoch is once again threatening to pull his Web sites from Google's search results.

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 07:39:35

Mullenweg: 10 blogs to make you think

There are 100 million blogs in the world, and it's part of my job as the co-founder of WordPress to help many more people start blogging.

updated Thu Nov 12 2009 02:00:07

When it comes to making data sexy, you can't be too graphic

The good news: data from governments and other organizations is increasingly open and online. The bad news: it's rather dull.

updated Wed Nov 11 2009 20:38:18

'Modern Warfare 2' terrorism hits close to home

The early hours of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" take gamers around the world and back again, but the new game's story hits close to home.

updated Wed Nov 11 2009 18:10:46

Review: 'Modern Warfare 2' a fiery hit

Given the extraordinary anticipation swirling around "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2," the follow-up to the 13 million-unit-selling military shooter game from 2007, living up to the hype might seem like an impossible mission.

updated Wed Nov 11 2009 15:50:07

After 5 years, Firefox faces new challenges

Five years ago, Mozilla made it clear that the browser wars weren't over after all.

updated Wed Nov 11 2009 12:22:22

Apps of the week: Getting there from here

We're reviewing two $99 turn-by-turn navigation applications for the iPhone, TomTom and Navigon. Yes, that's right, a $99 application for your phone to take the place of a stand-alone device that doesn't cost much more than that.

updated Tue Nov 10 2009 15:39:22

Protesters hijack more than 200 Facebook groups

Hundreds of Facebook groups have been hijacked in recent days by users pointing out what they say is a weakness in how the social-networking site handles the administration of its groups.

updated Tue Nov 10 2009 12:30:20

Does China really want the iPhone?

Now that Apple's iPhone is officially for sale in China, the question is, will the country's 700 million mobile phone users want to buy it?

updated Mon Nov 09 2009 23:15:58

Technology helps unearth family trees

Here's a fun exercise: Compare the DNA profiles of random individuals who reside in different regions of the world, have little in common and don't much resemble one another.

updated Mon Nov 09 2009 11:23:03

Balloon bursts 90,000 feet up

updated Mon Nov 09 2009 09:22:52

Apple tablet could cement Jobs' legacy

If you've only been half paying attention, you probably think that the Apple Tablet is a done deal.

updated Fri Nov 06 2009 13:51:40

Can design change the world?

The title of Warren Berger's recently published book -- "Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life and Maybe Even the World" -- is ambitious.

updated Fri Nov 06 2009 11:06:23

Google releases Dashboard privacy tool

Ever wonder what information Google knows about you? With a click or two, now you can find out.

updated Fri Nov 06 2009 09:35:15

Follow Friday: Tweeting about politics

With widely watched off-year elections in New York, New Jersey and Virginia grabbing the nation's attention, politics was back in the news in a big way this week.

updated Thu Nov 05 2009 13:14:25

Google tries its own take on customer service

If you rely on a compelling service that happens to be free, what level of customer support are you entitled to receive?

updated Wed Nov 04 2009 16:27:43

Twitter lists and real-time journalism

The Twitter community is abuzz this week about the site's new "Lists" feature, which allows users to create collections of interesting people to follow on the micro-messaging service.

updated Wed Nov 04 2009 15:26:17

A trip into the secret, online 'cloud'

One day, while uploading yet another text file to the Google Docs Web site, I started to wonder: When I save this file online, where does it actually go?

updated Wed Nov 04 2009 09:56:20

Apps of the week: Games for kids

Your kids may be too young for their own cell phones.

updated Tue Nov 03 2009 17:44:21

Social networks and kids: How young is too young?

Status updates, photo tagging and FarmVille aren't just for adults or even teenagers anymore.

updated Tue Nov 03 2009 16:39:12

Review: Rock on with 'Brutal Legend'

From the ingenious mind of game designer Tim Schafer ("Day of the Tentacle," "Psychonauts") comes an uber-fun fantasy adventure starring funny man Jack Black as Eddie Riggs, an aging roadie who longs for the glory days of heavy metal music.

updated Tue Nov 03 2009 15:49:42

My week of recording a 'digital memory'

I woke up unexpectedly on a recent morning at 3:13.

updated Mon Nov 02 2009 16:45:20

Scubacraft explores surface and depths

The vehicle shown above may be both yellow and submersible, but please don't call it a submarine. It's a Scubacraft, the first self-contained submersible that's also a capable surface watercraft.

updated Mon Nov 02 2009 15:27:44

A new way of looking at the world

What's the first thing that goes through your mind when someone says the word "data"?

updated Fri Oct 30 2009 16:44:59

Let's kill the OS upgrade disc

I love upgrades. But I hate upgrade discs and upgrade pricing. Let's find a way to do away with both, or at least make the upgrade transaction a bit cleaner.

updated Fri Oct 30 2009 11:11:38

Follow Friday: Tweets about planes, errant pilots

This week's news of the Northwest Airlines pilots who overshot their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles because they were reportedly using laptop computers is only the latest aviation story to captivate audiences.

updated Fri Oct 30 2009 08:13:24

Internet domain names set to appear in non-Latin scripts

The group that controls top-level domain codes for Internet addresses is poised to permit non-Latin language codes for the first time in its history.

updated Thu Oct 29 2009 12:44:19

High-tech gizmos for Halloween

updated Thu Oct 29 2009 11:02:20

Verizon, Motorola unveil the Droid

Verizon Wireless customers will soon be able to get their hands on the much anticipated Google Android phone called the Droid.

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