Consumer
Engineering Newswire 15: Disney robots play catch with your kids
December 4, 2012 9:54 am | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by PD&D TV, we're playing catch with Disney robots, colonizing mars with deep pocketed donors, and beaming aboard a Star Trek classroom. This episode features....
Engineering Newswire 14: Blowing up James Bond's Aston Martin
December 4, 2012 9:49 am | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by PD&D TV, we're propelling bio-bots with rat blood, creating a dancing robot, "Gangnam Style", and blowing up James Bond's Aston Martin. This episode features....
Smartphones might soon develop emotional intelligence
December 4, 2012 9:22 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsIf you think having your phone identify the nearest bus stop is cool, wait until it identifies your mood. New research by a team of engineers at the University of Rochester may soon make that possible. At the IEEE Workshop on Spoken Language Technology on Dec. 5, the researchers will describe
Preventing 'Cyber Pearl Harbor'
December 3, 2012 9:01 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsCyber attacks that have long caused major work disruption and theft of private information are becoming more sophisticated with prolonged attacks perpetrated by organized groups. In September 2012, Bank of America, Citibank, the New York Stock Exchange, and other financial institutions were targets of attacks
Pope joins tweeting masses with Pontifex handle, sends "pearls of wisdom" on faith
December 3, 2012 8:58 am | by NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press | News | CommentsBenedict XVI, the pope known for his hefty volumes of theology, is now trying brevity - spreading the faith through his own Twitter account. The pontiff will tweet in eight languages starting Dec. 12 using his personal handle (at)Pontifex, responding live to questions about faith during his weekly general audience, the Vatican said Monday.
The cause of engineering project delays – multitasking
November 29, 2012 12:21 pm | by Sanjeev Gupta, CEO of Realization | Articles | CommentsEngineers have come to expect that most projects will be delivered late, out of scope and over budget even though to all appearances everyone is working long hours and putting their noses to the grindstone. It’s just become an accepted fact of the industry, and it’s a shame, because it doesn’t have to be that way.
2013 International CES shines spotlight on start-ups
November 27, 2012 4:22 pm | News | CommentsThe Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) today announced a new program with the Startup America Partnership, a national network of communities dedicated to advancing the success of American start-ups, for the 2013 International CES. The partnership will bring specific programming for entrepreneurs and start-ups at the 2013 International CES, world’s largest innovation event.
AP IMPACT: Will NYC act to block future surges?
November 27, 2012 9:13 am | by JEFF DONN Associated Press | News | CommentsThink Sandy was just a 100-year storm that devastated New York City? Imagine one just as bad, or worse, every three years.Prominent planners and builders say now is the time to think big to shield the city's core: a 5-mile barrier blocking the entryway to New York Harbor, an archipelago of man-made islets
UN Web conference stirs 'culture clash' over regulations' reach
November 26, 2012 8:57 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsAn upcoming U.N. gathering about Internet oversight is raising alarms from a broad coalition of critics, including the U.S., tech giants such as Google and rights groups, concerned that changes could lead to greater efforts to censor Web content and stifle innovation in cyberspace.
North America and China TV shipments rise ahead of holidays, according to NPD DisplaySearch
November 21, 2012 12:52 pm | News | CommentsDespite a 7% Y/Y dip in global TV shipments, retail sales in North America have been steady, if not exciting, and unit shipments were up almost 3% in Q3’12 after posting small declines in 1H’12. The trend in the US market has been toward bigger and cheaper TVs, in the U.S. market lately, which is expected to be the focus during Black Friday this year.
7 things I am thankful for...
November 20, 2012 3:21 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen I was little, at some point during the Thanksgiving season we would write down things we were thankful for. It was usually at school, written on a turkey that I’d made by outlining my hand, and it was usually things like candy, puppies, family, food, and probably whatever else was in my direct line of sight while I was writing.
What I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving
November 20, 2012 11:46 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsIt's that special time of year when we all get bloated from eating too much turkey, get into fist fights at Best Buy over that last doorbuster sale, and enjoy Christmas music that started in June. But there is much to be thankful for, and it goes far beyond my propensity for Holiday-induced mayhem.
Review: A gift guide to the season's best small tablet computers
November 20, 2012 9:34 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer, The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe tablet computer is without a doubt the gift of the season - just like it was last year. But if you resisted the urge in 2011, now is the time to give in. This season's tablets are better all around. Intense competition has kept prices very low, making tablets incredible values compared to smartphones and PCs.
Outrage in India over arrest of 2 women for Facebook post criticizing Mumbai shutdown
November 20, 2012 9:33 am | by NIRMALA GEORGE Associated Press | News | CommentsAs India's financial capital shut down for the weekend funeral of a powerful politician linked to waves of mob violence, a woman posted on Facebook that the closures in Mumbai were "due to fear, not due to respect." A friend of hers hit the "like" button.
Top 5 free apps for the holiday season
November 20, 2012 9:22 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsBack in the dog days of summer, we offered up a list of the 6 must-have apps for a stress-free summer. It was all about keeping kids distracted, watching your spending, and utilizing apps that got you to the relaxation phase faster.Now we’ve entered a season that can feel entirely the opposite of relaxing: holiday season
This watch could save your kid’s life
November 19, 2012 11:35 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsIf you’ve ever felt that heart-in-throat, hyperventilating, out-of-body feeling of not being able to find your kid in a park or after school, only to have her reappear after a few seconds of mind-numbing panic, you can understand why someone would want to invent a Lojack for children.
In defense of the Tesla Model S
November 19, 2012 9:10 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen Motor Trend announced an electric car was their pick for Car of the Year, something tells me you could have heard a pin drop in the car world. An electric car? They must have rigged the vote.Well, my friends, I hate to break it to you, but Consumer Reports just agreed with Motor Trend,
Nintendo's Wii U launches in an ocean of gadgets. Will it sink or swim?
November 19, 2012 8:30 am | by BARBARA ORTUTAY AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsIn the six years since the last major video game system launched, Apple unveiled the iPhone and the iPad, "Angry Birds" invaded smartphones and Facebook reached a billion users. In the process, scores of video game consoles were left to languish in living rooms alongside dusty VCRs and disc players.
France considers broad tax clampdown on web companies
November 18, 2012 8:24 pm | News | CommentsThe French government is discussing how to tax internet companies such as Google and Amazon both at the national and international levels, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
Stacked MLC capacitor series accommodates a broad range of applications
November 16, 2012 11:45 am | Avx Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAVX Corporation has expanded its range of surface mount switch mode power supply (SMPS) capacitors to include the new SMM Series (switch mode max capacitance) stacked MLC capacitors, which incorporate the “High K” Super X7R dielectric. Featuring high dielectric constant (K), the capacitors provide
Fundamentals of battery fuel-gauging
November 16, 2012 10:49 am | by Karthik Kadirvel, Texas Instruments, www.ti.com | Articles | CommentsThe battery fuel gauging system is the component responsible for determining the energy remaining in the battery. In this article, a battery fuel gauging system used in single-cell applications is described. This is followed by a discussion of the various algorithms used by the fuel-gauging system to determine battery capacity along with the pros and cons of the algorithms.
Greatest advertising technique of all time (Hint: Involves urinals)
November 15, 2012 4:18 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsHere at ECN, we often talk about alternative energy options. Sometimes it’s solar power, other times wind power, and occasionally we dabble in the world of electric cars. But there is one energy option we’ve been sorely remiss in covering: pee-power.
Military drones zero in on $400 billion civilian market
November 15, 2012 9:10 am | by Chris Wickham, Reuters | News | CommentsMilitary drone technology, which has revolutionized warfare over the last decade, will be ready for civilian use within four years and could create a market worth more than $400 billion.That's the prediction from a UK research project backed by the government and top aerospace companies hoping
A look at how new Google Nexus 10 device compares with other large-size tablets
November 15, 2012 9:08 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle has started shipping a larger version of its Nexus tablet computer, one that comes closer to competing with Apple's full-size iPad and other tablets. Here's a look at how the Nexus 10 compares with other tablets with similar screens.
California lawyer sues Microsoft claiming storage space on Surface tablet less than advertised
November 15, 2012 9:07 am | by RYAN NAKASHIMA AP Business Writer | News | CommentsA California lawyer is suing Microsoft Corp., claiming the Surface tablet he bought doesn't have all the storage space the company advertised. Andrew Sokolowski, a lawyer in Los Angeles, claims that he bought a Surface with 32 gigabytes of storage last week. But he quickly ran out of space after loading it with music and Microsoft Word documents.
