News
Taiwan's MediaTek profit up 51 percent in 1Q
May 6, 2013 11:10 am | by ANNIE HUANG, Associated Press | CommentsMediaTek Inc., Asia's largest chipset designer, said Monday its first quarter profit grew 51 percent from a year earlier, boosted by China's flourishing smartphone market. The Taiwanese company's net profit totaled 3.7 billion New Taiwan dollars ($125 million) in the January-March period on revenue of NT$24 billion.
New efforts to curb cellphone theft
May 6, 2013 11:01 am | by TERRY COLLINS, Associated Press | CommentsIn San Francisco, where half the robberies were phone-related last year, District Attorney George Gascon is calling on major companies to create new technology such as a "kill switch" to permanently and quickly disable stolen smart phones, making them worthless to thieves.
The fluorescent future of solar cells
May 6, 2013 10:56 am | by Yale UniversityYale University | CommentsFor some solar cells, the future may be fluorescent. Scientists at Yale have improved the ability of a promising type of solar cell to absorb light and convert it into electrical power by adding a fluorescent organic dye to the cell layer. This squaraine dye boosts light absorption and recycles electrons, improving the conversion of light into energy....
Solar plane lands in Ariz., 1st leg of major trip
May 6, 2013 10:55 am | by BOB SEAVEY & SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN, Associated Press | CommentsAlone in the single-seat cockpit and high above the American Southwest, pilot Bertrand Piccard could hear only his plane's gear box and the quiet whine of four electric motors. No noisy jet engines. He's flying Solar Impulse, considered the world's most advanced sun-powered plane.
Experimental Air Force aircraft goes hypersonic
May 6, 2013 10:43 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsAn experimental, unmanned aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force went hypersonic during a test off the Southern California coast, traveling at more than 3,000 mph, the Air Force said Friday. The X-51A WaveRider flew for more than three minutes under power from its exotic scramjet engine and hit a speed of Mach 5.1, or more than five times the speed of sound.
Pentagon clears use of Samsung's devices
May 6, 2013 10:41 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co. says the U.S. Department of Defense has approved using Samsung smartphones for its networks. The South Korean company said Friday the Galaxy S4 smartphone has become the first Android device to meet the security requirements set out by the U.S. government...
Alan Alda wants scientists to cut out the jargon
May 6, 2013 10:28 am | by FRANK ELTMAN, Associated Press | CommentsAmong the procedures Army surgeon Hawkeye Pierce performed on "M.A.S.H." was an end-to-end anastomosis. Most of the viewers, actor Alan Alda concedes, had no idea he was talking about removing a damaged piece of intestine and reconnecting the healthy pieces.
New technology propels 'old energy' boom
May 6, 2013 10:16 am | by JONATHAN FAHEY, AP Energy Writer | CommentsTechnology created an energy revolution over the past decade - just not the one we expected. By now, cars were supposed to be running on fuel made from plant waste or algae - or powered by hydrogen or cheap batteries that burned nothing at all.
BMC Software agrees to be sold for $6.6 billion
May 6, 2013 10:14 am | by The Associated Press | CommentsBMC Software Inc. has agreed to be sold to a private investor group for about $6.6 billion in cash. The Houston-based maker of system management software for businesses said Monday that the deal is for $46.25 per share. That's less than 2 percent above Friday's closing stock price of $45.42. ...
EBay expands presence in Utah, plans to hire 1,600
May 3, 2013 6:00 pm | by PAUL FOY - Associated Press - Associated Press | CommentsEBay Inc. said Friday it is launching a significant expansion in Utah with a new operations center and eventual plans to add 1,600 or more jobs. The Internet company showed off a 241,000-square-foot building in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper. Gov. Gary Herbert was on hand for the dedication....
US Cellular embraces iPhone after rejecting it
May 3, 2013 3:14 pm | by PETER SVENSSON - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | CommentsU.S. Cellular, the fifth largest cellphone company and the only major one to resist the iPhone, says it's going to start selling it this year. CEO Mary Dillon announced the reversal Friday on a call with investors and analysts. She didn't specify exactly when the company would start selling...
'Going negative' pays for nanotubes
May 3, 2013 2:15 pm | by Eurekalert! | CommentsA Rice University laboratory's cagey strategy turns negatively charged carbon nanotubes into liquid crystals that could enhance the creation of fibers and films. The latest step toward making macro materials out of microscopic nanotubes depends on cage-like crown ethers that capture potassium cations.
App lets amputees skip office visit, take programming bionic limbs into their own hands
May 3, 2013 2:06 pm | by KATHY MATHESON Associated Press | CommentsDouble-amputee Jason Koger used to fly hundreds of miles to visit a clinician when he wanted to adjust the grips on his bionic hands. Now, he's got an app. Koger came to Philadelphia this week to demonstrate the i-limb ultra revolution, a prosthetic developed by the British firm Touch Bionics.
More than a game: Exploring new digital frontiers
May 3, 2013 2:03 pm | by Eurekalert! | CommentsA groundbreaking new initiative led by the University of York, with partners at Cass Business School, part of City University London and Durham University Business School, aims to unlock the potential for scientific and social benefits in digital games.
Icahn Enterprises 1Q net income surges
May 3, 2013 12:31 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsIcahn Enterprises LP, the investing vehicle for billionaire Carl Icahn, said Friday that its net income climbed in the first quarter. Earnings rose to $277 million, or $2.50 per unit, from $49 million, or 48 cents per unit, a year ago. Revenue nearly doubled, rising to $5.32 billion from $2.68...
