Consumer
Hackers angry over suicide of Internet activist hijack federal sentencing guidelines website
January 28, 2013 9:13 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe hacker-activist group Anonymous says it hijacked the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The FBI is investigating.The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday
What’s mine should be mine: Ruling makes it illegal to unlock your phone
January 25, 2013 2:29 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThink you own your wireless handset, inside and out? Think you can do whatever you wish with your own property? Think again. Beginning Saturday, it will become illegal to unlock a phone without the express permission of the carrier who locked it.
Speaking of speakers
January 25, 2013 9:14 am | by M. Simon, Technical Contributor | Blogs | CommentsThe Consumer Electronic Show (CES) has been in the news at ECN, but boy was I surprised when my home town paper featured a CES story on its front page this past week. The story was mainly about Prescient Audio, a local company that has designed a new type of bass driver that will reduce the volume such drivers take up in cars.
Fame and fortune await the inventor _ along with angry mobs, burnings, exile. A brief history
January 25, 2013 9:04 am | by BERNARD CONDON AP Business Writer | News | CommentsNEW YORK (AP) -- For every clever man who invents a labor-saving machine, it seems a crowd of angry men rises up to destroy it. The most famous of the machine haters were the Luddites, the skilled weavers of England who, in 1811, began smashing power looms that were threatening to take their jobs.
Meet the Luddites: They fought the future with hammers and lost, but their legacy lives on
January 25, 2013 9:02 am | by PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsTheir name is synonymous with futile attempts to roll back technology - and with fuddy-duddies who can't figure out how to use the iPhone. The Luddites were British textile artisans who 200 years ago smashed the mechanized looms they thought threatened their jobs.
Will a high-velocity, DNA-tagging police pellet gun deter protesters?
January 24, 2013 3:43 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsGun control is a hot button issue, so it makes sense that police and security firms would look towards expanding effective methods of nonviolent interaction. This becomes particularly important during riot situations with a lot of people and confusion, where police are often outnumbered and overwhelmed.
Obsolete industries won’t drive economic growth
January 24, 2013 12:09 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Articles | CommentsAn article in the Associated Press, "Big Data and cloud computing empower smart machines to do human work, take human jobs," bemoans the loss of jobs to technology – a highly dubious assertion that crops up every generation like a broken record. And like the damaged piece of vinyl, this argument is immune to logic and reason.
Preparing for the worst: Author Martin Ford imagines a future when machines have all the jobs
January 24, 2013 9:38 am | by PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer | News | CommentsMartin Ford saw it everywhere, even in his own business. Smarter machines and better software were helping companies do more work with fewer people. His Silicon Valley software firm used to put its programs on disks and ship them to customers. The disks were made, packaged and
Engineering Update #1: Smart TVs & Unmanned Cars
January 24, 2013 9:08 am | Videos | CommentsNew from Electronic Component News is the very first episode of our Engineering Update newscast, brought to you by Mouser Electronics (www.mouser.com), the electronic components distributor with the widest selection of the newest products. We talk about...
Steve Jobs threatened patent suit to enforce no-hire policy: filing
January 23, 2013 2:13 pm | by Dan Levine, Reuters | News | CommentsApple co-founder Steve Jobs threatened to file a patent lawsuit against Palm if that company's chief executive didn't agree to refrain from poaching Apple employees, according to a court filing made public on Tuesday.
"Bring your own device" trend gaining speed -- benefits, risks and solutions
January 23, 2013 9:28 am | by Dean Wiech, Managing Director, Tools4ever | Blogs | CommentsA new trend gaining speed in many industries is the concept of “bring your own device” (BYOD). Plainly put, BYOD is when employees have the ability to bring their own technical devices—like smart phones, tablets and laptops -- and use the company’s network instead of a company-provided device. BYOD has many benefits and risks, though....
Vibrating steering wheel might prevent car accidents
January 23, 2013 9:12 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsI’ve talked a lot about intelligent systems in cars that are steering the industry towards a safer overall product by allow computers to take over where human error would mean an accident.There has been talk of new seatbelts, new braking system, and sensors that communicate with traffic lights and other cars,
Will Apple's first-quarter earnings report confirm or quell rising skepticism?
January 23, 2013 9:02 am | by PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsFor many investors, Apple's best days are behind it. Competitors are catching up, they believe, and the latest iPhone is stumbling. The company's doubters have backed their conviction with billions of dollars. Last week, the stock fell below $500 for the first time in 11 months. Since Apple's stock peaked at $705.07 on Sept. 21 -the day of the iPhone 5's release- it has fallen nearly 30 percent, cutting Apple's market capitalization by nearly $200 billion.
Would you like some iPhone with your ramen noodles?
January 22, 2013 9:43 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsSometimes, an innovative product changes the landscape of the tech world. It illuminates the masses, electrifies the blogosphere, and raises the overall standard of living. And then there’s this – the Anti-loneliness bowl, a ramen soup receptacle that doubles as an iPhone dock.
What technology do you expect to take the consumer space by storm in 2013? (Part II)
January 21, 2013 11:31 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe question of, "What technology do you expect to take the consumer space by storm in 2013?" continues in part II of the February Brainstorm series as experts take on the question of what will be popular in consumer electronics and the consumer technology space in the next 12 months.
What technology do you expect to take the consumer space by storm in 2013?
January 21, 2013 11:30 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe question of, "What technology do you expect to take the consumer space by storm in 2013?" begins in part I of the February Brainstorm series as experts take on the question of what will be popular in consumer electronics and the consumer technology space in the next 12 months.
CR2032 battery holder with cover offers off-board mounting
January 21, 2013 9:42 am | Memory Protection Devices, Inc. | Product Releases | CommentsMPD offers a category of lithium coin cell battery holders for the “off board” mounting of lithium coin cell batteries. These holders offer designers the flexibility to locate lithium coin cell batteries anywhere there is physical room. No soldering tools, chemicals, reflow/wave processing, circuit board required.
Poll: Samsung, Apple seen pulling ahead in smartphone race
January 18, 2013 3:45 pm | News | CommentsSamsung and Apple pulled ahead in the global smartphone race last quarter, according to forecasts by analysts in a Reuters poll, while Nokia and others are expected to have fallen further behind.
Is Apple changing its mind on touch panel structures?
January 18, 2013 9:33 am | by Calvin, Senior Analyst at DisplaySearch | Display Search | Blogs | CommentsRecently, the supply chain has been buzzing about potential changes in the touch technologies used for future iPhones and iPads, in particular involving LCD suppliers rather than touch panel makers. First came a report that Innolux had delivered TOD (touch on display) samples for the iPhone....
Google to develop new headquarters at London's Kings Cross
January 18, 2013 8:55 am | News | CommentsGoogle Inc. is developing a new UK headquarters which could be worth as much as 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) when finished, the latest overseas property deal for the cash-rich U.S. Internet group. Google has purchased a 2.4 acre plot at the Kings Cross Central development,
Social media dispute resolution stumps some companies
January 18, 2013 8:53 am | by Mitch Lipka, Reuters | News | CommentsIf HBO cuts out on you in the middle of the latest "Girls" episode, and if you have Charter Communications Inc as your cable provider, don't try tweeting your dismay to their customer service department. Nobody will hear your lament.
Would these “smart” ice cubes change how you drink?
January 17, 2013 2:24 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsSometimes great technology comes out of bad life experiences. Like the time Dhairya Dand from MIT Media Lab was so intoxicated he blacked out, and came up with an idea for a technology that would prevent people from drinking too much.By placing a smart LED inside molds of waterproof, edible jelly...
CES 2013 a meager showcase for consumer electronics
January 17, 2013 2:20 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Microsoft Corp. | Articles | CommentsCES has never been more irrelevant. I wrote those words last year when Microsoft pulled out of CES and the industry was in the thralls of its 3D hysteria, pushing a technological gimmick that no one wanted. Since then, the industry has found a new rallying cry – 4K (or Ultra-HD) – and largely abandoned hopes of shoving stereoscopy down our throats, but the pizzazz is still missing.
Seeing beyond cameras: Predicting where people move in CCTV blind spots
January 17, 2013 9:03 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsA new model from Queen Mary, University of London could be a useful security tool in tracking people in large, busy venues such as airport terminals and shopping centres. The research fuses information gathered from multiple Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) network cameras and geographical maps for the first time,
Retailers taking tech battle for shoppers to next level
January 17, 2013 8:53 am | by Phil Wahba and Jessica Wohl, Reuters | News | CommentsThe store of the future has arrived and it is threatening to leave technology laggards behind.The modern store is equipped with cameras that look at you, guess your tastes based on your gender, age and behavior, and send deals to your smart phone accordingly. It also has the technology to reduce endless check-out lines and speed up the process for picking up something ordered online.
