Consumer
The Lead
Mourning the death of Google Reader (and finding a suitable replacement)
March 18, 2013 3:40 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | Comments
Like many of you, I was shocked, dismayed, and several other adjectives upon learning that Google Reader will soon go kaput. As a journalist, I sift through copious amounts of content daily, and it would be no exaggeration to say that Google Reader makes my job exponentially simpler, so I took its demise rather hard.
My wish list for the next iPhone
April 4, 2013 10:32 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | Comments
A new iPhone is imminent! Man the ramparts! Sound the trumpets! A new coronation is upon us! OK...
Technology forces your teen to stop texting and driving
March 19, 2013 12:19 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | Comments
Everyone knows texting (or Redditing or Facebooking or Tweeting) while driving is a bad idea,...
Why your car is a better driver than you
February 7, 2013 2:06 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | Comments
It came to my attention while working on an article about intelligent systems in cars that...
The long road to the 2000-watt society: How sustainable is Switzerland?
May 24, 2013 10:02 am | by EMPA | News | CommentsThe vision of a society in which each inhabitant of the earth manages to consume only 2000 watts has already been around for 15 years. During this time, there has been a steady increase in environmental awareness in the West. Technology has become more efficient and there appears to be very little standing in the way of a sustainable lifestyle.
Sanyo may sell stake in Chinese joint venture
May 24, 2013 9:37 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsSanyo Electric a group company of Panasonic, is considering selling a stake of about 30 percent in its joint venture in the eastern Chinese province of Anhui, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday. U.S. home appliance maker Whirlpool Corp. is one of the companies interested in buying the stake...
Cradle turns smartphone into handheld biosensor
May 23, 2013 3:26 pm | by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | News | CommentsResearchers and physicians in the field could soon run on-the-spot tests for environmental toxins, medical diagnostics, food safety and more with their smartphones. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign researchers have developed a cradle and app for the iPhone that uses the phone’s built-in camera and processing power as a biosensor...
End-to-end test solution analyzes IP-based applications
May 23, 2013 11:05 am | Rohde & Schwarz | Product Releases | CommentsRohde & Schwarz has developed the world's first integrated end-to-end test solution that examines the impact applications have on smartphones and the network using IP and protocol statistical analysis. Equipped with the new R&S CMW-KM051 option, the R&S CMW500 wideband radio communication tester can comprehensively analyze and test IP-based applications....
The future of food: NASA's printed pizza
May 22, 2013 1:50 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsIn the great world of 3D printing, nothing is more fascinating to me than the idea of printed food. There has been some rumblings about printed meat, but it’s been mostly outliers in the industry. However, NASA just made it a little more legitimate with by offering a $125,000 grant to Systems and Materials Research Corp to develop a 3D printed version of an American (and worldwide) favorite: Pizza.
With high-tech guns, users could disable remotely
May 22, 2013 10:51 am | by MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer | News | CommentsA high-tech startup is wading into the gun control debate with a wireless controller that would allow gun owners to know when their weapon is being moved — and disable it remotely. The technology, but not an actual gun, was demonstrated Tuesday at a wireless technology conference in Las Vegas and was shown to The Associated Press in advance.
First Look: New Xbox elegant, but much unknown
May 22, 2013 10:47 am | by DERRIK J. LANG, AP Entertainment Writer | News | CommentsAfter four years of development, Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One entertainment console and touted it as an all-in-one solution for playing games, watching TV and doing everything in between. Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be central to your living room...
What steps are necessary to keep counterfeit components out of the supply chain?
May 21, 2013 3:36 pm | Articles | CommentsWhat steps are necessary to keep counterfeit components out of the supply chain? Are more industry standards needed? Stop having unrealistic pricing expectations. Understand and qualify quality vendors of all kinds. Allocations and obsolescence are part of our industry....
New study recommends using active videogaming ('exergaming') to improve children's health
May 21, 2013 12:45 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsLevels of physical inactivity and obesity are very high in children, with fewer than 50% of primary school-aged boys and fewer than 28% of girls meeting the minimum levels of physical activity required to maintain health. Exergaming, using active console video games that track player movement to control the game (e.g., Xbox-Kinect, Wii), has become popular....
Apple's Cook to face Senate questions on taxes
May 21, 2013 12:32 pm | by MARCY GORDON, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsApple's CEO is disputing assertions by a Senate panel that the company avoids billions of dollars in U.S. taxes by shifting profits to foreign affiliates. Tim Cook testified at a hearing Tuesday by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which released a damning report Monday on Apple's tax practices.
Yahoo takes big leap with $1.1B deal for Tumblr
May 20, 2013 11:33 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsYahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times. The deal announced Monday represents Mayer's boldest move yet since she left Google 10 months ago to lead Yahoo's latest comeback attempt.
Smartphone sector sees vibrant performance in Southeast Asia
May 20, 2013 10:47 am | by GFK | News | CommentsConsumers in Southeast Asian markets continue to snap up mobile handsets at a rapid pace, propelling the region’s overall mobile phone market to expand further in the latest 12 months by 14 percent in value and 8 percent in units. Declining demand for basic feature phones are met by the corresponding spike in smartphone sales...
This is what a 1950s robot looks like
May 20, 2013 10:11 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsIt’s pretty crazy when you think about how far technology has come in the past five years, let alone the past 50 years. Recently, we talked about different humanoid robots, including DARPA’s PETMAN and the Alphadog Proto, a humanoid robot used to test protective clothing and a 4-legged battlefield companion, respectively.
My 90 year old grandmother tries the Oculus Rift
May 20, 2013 9:11 am | Videos | CommentsFrom the author's YouTube description: "My 90 year old grandmother tries the Oculus Rift. We were using the Tuscany demo." A virtual reality (VR) headset by the name of Oculus Rift made a big splash on Kickstarter, raising a stellar $2.43 million to get development kits into the hands and on the noggins of game developers.
Nickel-based energy storage system provides long life in high temperature
May 17, 2013 4:39 pm | Varta Microbattery | Product Releases | CommentsAnnounced today by VARTA Microbatteryis the addition of HVCAP35, a Nickel (Ni) based energy storage system to the V-Cap Series. VARTA Microbattery's new Ni based energy storage system is a hybrid technology that combines the high energy density advantage of batteries, with the high power advantage of supercapacitors.
The future of Google Glass
May 16, 2013 3:49 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsThere has been a lot of talk about Google Glass lately, mostly due to the prototype debut, but one interesting aspect of that public viewing is that developers –outside of GoogleLand—can take a crack at coming up with interesting uses for the technology. By allowing new voices into the conversation, the world is seeing even more possibilities for Google Glass.
Welcoming grandma into our virtual future
May 16, 2013 1:27 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Blogs | CommentsA virtual reality (VR) headset by the name of Oculus Rift made a big splash on Kickstarter, raising a stellar $2.43 million to get development kits into the hands and on the noggins of game developers. And now that the units have started to ship, people in the gaming community are getting treated to video after video of people wearing the goggles and trying to explain just how floored they are....
Google's products dig deeper into people's lives
May 16, 2013 9:56 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsIn the latest display of its technological prowess and sweeping ambition, Google is rolling out another wave of products and services that will test how much more people want computers to control their lives and enhance their perceptions of reality.
Experts: Smartphones another avenue for hackers
May 16, 2013 9:38 am | by TONY WINTON, Associated Press | News | CommentsSmartphones are increasingly popular not only with consumers, but also with thieves who see the devices as another way to tap into bank accounts and other sensitive information, experts say. Many consumers simply don't realize how vulnerable their Androids, iPhones and other devices can be. An April study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta said threats are proliferating....
Intelligent sensor hub integrates programmability, precision in a single package
May 15, 2013 3:40 pm | Freescale Semiconductor | Product Releases | CommentsFreescale Semiconductor is introducing a new Xtrinsic intelligent sensor hub that serves as an advanced sensor fusion platform. The Xtrinsic FXLC95000CL sensor hub integrates an on-board accelerometer with capability to manage multiple external sensors. The solution provides
Big 4 cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads
May 14, 2013 9:18 am | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe country's four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T's "It Can Wait" slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile will be joined by 200 other organizations backing the multi-million dollar ad campaign.
Project aims to track big city carbon footprints
May 13, 2013 10:45 am | by ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer | News | CommentsEvery time Los Angeles exhales, odd-looking gadgets anchored in the mountains above the city trace the invisible puffs of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases that waft skyward. Halfway around the globe, similar contraptions atop the Eiffel Tower and elsewhere around Paris keep a pulse on emissions from smokestacks and automobile tailpipes.
Tesla Model S gets Consumer Reports' top score
May 10, 2013 11:15 am | by TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer | News | CommentsThe Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine's automotive testing. The Model S, which starts at $62,400 after a federal tax credit, scored 99 points on a scale of 100 in the magazine's battery of tests.
AT&T launches prepaid cellphone business
May 10, 2013 10:05 am | News | CommentsAT&T is launching a prepaid cellphone service - Aio Wireless. The new subsidiary will offer nationwide wireless service to value-conscious customers interested in unlimited talk, text and data plans without an annual contract. Aio launches Thursday in select stores in Houston, Orlando, Fla., and Tampa, Fla.
More than just a mother, now she's your 'friend'
May 10, 2013 9:48 am | by MARTHA MENDOZA, AP National Writer | News | CommentsJosh Knoller, a young professional in New York City, spent years refusing his mother's "Friend Request" on Facebook before, eventually, "caving in." Today they have an agreement: she'll try not to make embarrassing comments, and he can delete them if she does.
