Computing
U.S. judge tosses Apple vs. Google lawsuit over patents
November 6, 2012 8:59 am | by Dan Levine and Alexei Oreskovic, Reuters | News | CommentsAn Apple lawsuit against Google's Motorola Mobility unit over alleged patent abuse was thrown out on Monday just hours before trial, a setback for the iPhone maker in its efforts to gain leverage in the smartphone patent wars. The two rivals were set to square off in a Madison, Wisconsin federal court over the library of patents
Apple sells three million iPads over first weekend
November 6, 2012 8:57 am | by Poornima Gupta and Sinead Carew, Reuters | News | CommentsApple Inc sold 3 million of its new iPads in the first three days the tablet computers were available, driving optimism for a strong holiday quarter despite intensifying competition.Sales of the 7.9-inch iPad mini and fourth-generation 9.7-inch version, both Wi-Fi only models, were double the first-weekend sales of the Wi-Fi iPad sold in March, Apple said on Monday.
Microsoft expands Internet, data centers in China
November 1, 2012 8:39 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMicrosoft Corp. is expanding its data-center service and Internet version of its Office software suite into China. The deal announced Thursday calls for Microsoft to work with Beijing-based 21Vianet Group Inc. to sell Office 365 and Windows Azure to companies in the world's most populous country....
Music in our ears: The science of timbre
November 1, 2012 5:13 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsNew research, published in PLOS Computational Biology, offers insight into the neural underpinnings of musical timbre. Mounya Elhilali, of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues have used mathematical models based on experiments in both animals and humans to accurately predict sound source recognition and perceptual timbre judgments by human listeners.
Top 10 must-see posts from October
November 1, 2012 1:49 pm | by The ECN Editors | Articles | CommentsHere’s a rundown of the most read, most popular, most awesome articles on the web. Take a look at what you missed the first time around or check up on an old favorite to see the conversation in the comments. Keep checking out the Lead at www.ecnmag.com and follow us on Twitter @ecnonline for our most up-to-date articles.
Genetic test results for Lynch syndrome improved with new computer program
November 1, 2012 1:33 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsMany patients who have genetic testing for Lynch syndrome, a hereditary predisposition to colon cancer, receive the inconclusive result "variants of uncertain clinical significance." This can be a problem, as people with Lynch syndrome have a much higher probability to develop...
Computational medicine enhances the way doctors detect and treat disease
November 1, 2012 1:21 pm | by Johns Hopkins University | News | CommentsComputational medicine, a fast-growing method of using computer models and sophisticated software to figure out how disease develops–and how to thwart it–has begun to leap off the drawing board and land in the hands of doctors who treat patients for heart ailments, cancer and other illnesses.
Dual, 16-bit ADCs for JESD204B market tout 250 MSPS speeds and clock jitter cleaner
November 1, 2012 12:00 pm | Product Releases | CommentsTexas Instruments Incorporated (TI) introduced a pair of devices supporting the JEDEC JESD204B serial interface standard for data converters. The ADS42JB69 is said to be the industry’s first dual-channel, 16-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) featuring the JESD204B interface and is asserted to be the
Why I don't trust cars that think for themselves
November 1, 2012 10:32 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsMost drivers wouldn't feel comfortable just handing over control of their vehicle to, well, their vehicle, but a new system from Nissan may do just that. The Autonomous Emergency Steering System, as the name suggests, will take over steering in emergency situations in which a crash could be avoided when you remove human error from the equation.
Sakura Internet selects Mellanox InfiniBand for new public cloud infrastructure
October 31, 2012 12:05 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsMellanox® Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX) (TASE: MLNX), a leading supplier of high-performance, end-to-end interconnect solutions for data center servers and storage systems, today announced that leading Japanese Internet provider Sakura Internet has selected Mellanox InfiniBand technology for its new cloud hosting infrastructure.
ORNL debuts Titan supercomputer
October 30, 2012 3:31 pm | by Oak Ridge National Laboratory | News | CommentsThe U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory launched a new era of scientific supercomputing today with Titan, a system capable of churning through more than 20,000 trillion calculations each second—or 20 petaflops—by employing a family of processors called graphic processing units first created for computer gaming.
Flooded data center takes down websites as phone companies start picking up pieces after Sandy
October 30, 2012 2:39 pm | by PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsFlooded data centers in downtown Manhattan brought down Gawker, Huffington Post and many popular New York-based blogs Tuesday while phone and cable companies were scrambling to assess damage and restore service in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Future of Nokia hangs on Windows Phone 8 rollout
October 29, 2012 9:35 am | by MATTI HUUHTANEN - Associated Press | News | CommentsFor Nokia, it comes down to this: Is Microsoft's new phone software going to get it back in the smartphone race, or is it going to be too late? After being the top seller of cellphones in the world for 14 years, Nokia failed to meet the challenge when Apple in 2007 introduced the dazzling iPhone...
Poll: Little demand for Microsoft's Windows 8
October 29, 2012 1:35 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsMicrosoft bills Windows 8 as a "re-imagining" of the personal computer market's dominant operating system, but the company still has a lot of work to do before the makeover captures the imagination of most consumers, based on the results of a recent poll by The Associated Press and GfK. The phone...
Windows 8 to bridge gap between PC, mobile devices
October 25, 2012 7:31 pm | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writers - Associated Press | News | CommentsMicrosoft launched a radical redesign of its world-dominating Windows operating system Thursday, introducing a touch-enabled interface that attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing mobile devices powered by the company's fiercest competitors. The debut of Windows 8...
Study reveals impact of public DNS services
October 25, 2012 3:49 pm | by Northwestern University | News | CommentsA new study by Northwestern University researchers has revealed that public DNS services could actually slow down users’ web-surfing experience. As a result, researchers have developed a solution to help avoid such an impact: a tool called namehelp that could speed web performance by 40 percent.
Quantum computing with recycled particles
October 23, 2012 11:59 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsA research team from the University of Bristol's Centre for Quantum Photonics (CQP) have brought the reality of a quantum computer one step closer by experimentally demonstrating a technique for significantly reducing the physical resources required for quantum factoring.
Power inductor for chock coil applications designed for tablets
October 23, 2012 11:44 am | Product Releases | CommentsTAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. has announced the commercial release of the new “MDMK4040” (4.0 x 4.0 x 1.2mm, the maximum height value), following the commercialization of a 4mm square metal core SMD power inductor “MCOIL” series that uses metallic magnetic materials.
Gadgets add complexity to brutal bank layoffs
October 23, 2012 9:06 am | by Sarah White, Reuters | News | CommentsIn the high-tech, gadget-addicted world of investment banking, layoffs are becoming more complex and brutal as firms try to stop sensitive data leaving with employees. Sackings are usually swift, with bankers escorted out, a few belongings thrown into boxes and Blackberries and phones disabled the minute they get their marching orders.
Federal agency to switch to iPhone, drop BlackBerry
October 23, 2012 9:05 am | by Nicola Leske, Reuters | News | CommentsThe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) said it will end its contract with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd in favor of Apple Inc's iPhone, dealing a new blow to RIM just months before it launches a vital new device. The agency said in a solicitation document posted last week
Apple expected to reveal smaller iPad on Tuesday; price is big question mark
October 23, 2012 9:01 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer, The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe price tag remains a big question mark as Apple prepares Tuesday to unveil what is expected to be a smaller iPad. Apple hasn't said anything about the device, but the veil of secrecy that the company throws over unreleased products has been a see-through affair this year. Most of the details
High-tech product announcements this fall
October 22, 2012 4:23 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIt's high season for consumer electronics. Manufacturers of various gadgets are unveiling their holiday lineups. Add to that products surrounding a new version of Windows coming out Friday. Here's a recap of the announcements so far: — Sept. 4: Microsoft Corp. releases the first major update to...
Early Look at Windows 8 Baffles Consumers
October 22, 2012 12:40 pm | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe release of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock. Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done.
Analysis: Most companies won't be early adopters of Windows 8
October 22, 2012 9:44 am | by Bill Rigby, Reuters | News | CommentsThere was once a time when the launch of a new Windows operating system was a huge deal for the technology departments in many businesses. Not anymore. Microsoft Corp's release of Windows 8 on Friday is likely to be a non-event for most companies -- and some experts say many may never adopt it.
Video-sharing applications put users in the picture
October 22, 2012 9:43 am | by Natasha Baker, Reuters | News | CommentsText messaging is fast and efficient but a new video-sharing application aims to put users in the picture. The London-based company Six3 has launched a new video-sharing app by the same name that will enable users to send short video messages as easily as sending a text. Whether it is a business traveler
