Consumer
In defense of crazy technology
February 6, 2013 4:22 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsAlright, I’ll admit it. I’m a bit of a technological dreamer. I’ve seen my fair share of pipe-dream technology—easily created, easily dismissed—but most days are a roving door of surprisingly innovative, potentially life-changing, incredibly awesome designs. In general, I tend to be a bit jaded, some might say curmudgeonly...
Microsoft and Huawei launch phone aimed at growing African phone market
February 6, 2013 8:58 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsChinese phone maker Huawei and Microsoft are combining forces to sell a new smartphone in Africa, which they say is the world's fastest growing mobile phone market. The two companies launched the Huawei 4Afrika Tuesday. The phone runs Windows Phone 8 and comes pre-loaded with applications designed for the African market.
Online sales tax is immoral, runs contrary to the free markets
February 5, 2013 2:54 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsThe central fallacy with crony capitalism is that it ignores the invisible hand of the free marketplace. This is precisely what the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is doing with their support for "e-fairness" legislation (i.e., an Internet sales tax).
Top 10 posts for January
February 1, 2013 12:41 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe had a record-breaking January here at ECN online with our most trafficked month in the history of the website. So, without further delay, here’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.
Science cafes offer a sip of learning
January 31, 2013 9:09 am | by Barbara Liston, Reuters | News | CommentsAmericans may be turning away from the hard sciences at universities, but they are increasingly showing up at "science cafes" in local bars and restaurants to listen to scientific talks over a drink or a meal. Want a beer with that biology? Or perhaps a burger with the works to complement the theory of everything?
Review: BlackBerry Z10 is good stab at rebirth for embattled brand, but has uphill slog
January 31, 2013 9:07 am | by PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsAre you ashamed to have a BlackBerry? It's not exactly a status symbol any more, at least not in the U.S., after it got left in the dust by the iPhone. Now, there's a new BlackBerry that wants to get back into the cool club: the Z10.
Did the Justice Department cause Aaron Swartz’s suicide?
January 31, 2013 9:00 am | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Articles | CommentsAaron Swartz was a 26-year-old computer programmer and online activist who died of apparent suicide on January 11, ahead of a scheduled trial where he was charged with 13 felonies. Swartz, founder of Demand Progress, an online group actively working against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)...
A disturbance in the Force: The smartphone market is changing
January 30, 2013 2:45 pm | by Andrew Berg, Senior Editor, Wireless Week | Blogs | CommentsCan you hear it? That's the sound of the device market changing. It sounds a little like the whispers that RIM just might have something with BlackBerry 10. It also sounds a little like rumors that Amazon has the right kind of content ecosystem to launch a smartphone of its own.
Sensor pad analyzes impacts in football helmets
January 29, 2013 4:27 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Texas Instruments | Articles | CommentsOne of the highlights of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was a low-power wireless system that could revolutionize the game of pigskin. The Riddell InSite Impact Response System utilizes a five-point sensor pad lined in the player’s helmet to quantify an impact and, if it passes a predetermined threshold, notifies the sideline.
Insight: Apple's grip on carriers, suppliers loosens
January 29, 2013 12:27 pm | by Poornima Gupta and Noel Randewich, Reuters | News | CommentsApple Inc's shareholders have been hit by one of the bloodiest weeks in the history of the stock, but wider fallout from such weakness might be more important to the long-term value of their investments.
Plastic interconnection technology touts easy, fast application of LED arrays
January 28, 2013 11:29 am | Molex Incorporated | Product Releases | CommentsMolex Incorporated announced a new technology that transfers the connectivity and ease of use features from the LED array metal or ceramic substrate to a separate plastic body substrate, allowing for improvements in thermal, optical and mechanical interconnect functionality. This plastic
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.
