Technology

Nvidia's GTX 780 Boosts Performance With Less Tweaking
May 23, 2013

With a slew of advanced action games for the PC on deck for release later this year, including Activision's just announced Call of Duty: Ghosts and Electronic Arts' Battlefield 4, Nvidia has introduced a graphics card that will provide top-notch performance for gamers. The GeForce GTX 780 GPU is the latest evolution in Nvidia's line of powerful Kepler-enabled processors.

Google's Makani Buy Could Take Wind Energy to Higher Levels
May 23, 2013

Google X Labs, the not-so-secret-but-secretive facility that works on cutting edge projects, has bought airborne wind turbine developer Makani Power, which announced the news on its website. Makani uses tethered aircraft that fly in figure 8s to generate power. The purchase formalizes a long and productive relationship between the two companies.

Call of Duty Draws Players Into Brave New World
May 23, 2013

Activision's Call of Duty: Ghosts from developer Infinity Ward got the honor of demonstrating the power of Microsoft's Xbox One at its unveiling earlier this week. The game development studio reportedly has designed new game-engine technology specifically to handle what the Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4 can deliver.

Senators Piling on Apple's Taxes Are Missing the Point
May 23, 2013

So is Apple a tax-dodging evil company with a dark heart? No. The answer is no. However, Apple is certainly a corporation, and all corporations are driven first and foremost by profit -- no matter what the company says about the joy of making great products. Astoundingly passionate and driven individuals, who sometimes run corporations, might be driven by the joy of creation.

Microsoft Could Be Saving Xbox One's Best for E3
May 22, 2013

Microsoft's new Xbox One video game console, announced with fanfare on Tuesday, is certainly a step forward -- but the early reaction has been mixed at best. Much of the massive attention it caught from Twitter users, for example, seems to be anything but positive. There's a perception that Microsoft focused too much on living room entertainment and too little on gaming.

Qualcomm Puts Super High-Res Mirasol Magic on Display
May 22, 2013

Qualcomm, which has been struggling to market its futuristic Mirasol display technology, demonstrated the product at the 2013 Display Week conference being held in Vancouver, Canada. The company displayed a 5.1-inch panel with 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. It also showed off a 1.5-inch panel embedded on a smartphone and on a smartwatch, but these were apparently mockups.

Amid Threats From Anonymous, Guantanamo WiFi Shut Down
May 22, 2013

Despite cries from the Left, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp is still up and running. The same, however, can't be said for Guantanamo's WiFi. The U.S. military turned off wireless Internet service at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base amid threats from the hacker collective Anonymous. Officials have also nixed access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, a spokesperson for the prison said.

3D Food Printer Could Sustain Long-Distance Space Explorers
May 22, 2013

In space no one can hear you call out for pizza, but technology being developed in a NASA-funded project might let astronauts print one instead -- or any number of potentially delectable meals. Systems and Materials Research Corporation received a $125,000 grant from NASA to build a prototype device that prints food.

Cook Plays Defense Against Senators Over Apple's Taxes
May 22, 2013

Apple CEO Tim Cook defended his company's tax policies in Congress Tuesday, after the Senate released a report that condemned it for tax policies that used global subsidiaries to avoid paying billions in U.S. taxes. Apple dodged taxes on as much as $44 billion in foreign income from 2009 to 2012, the report alleges.

MicroStrategy's Saylor: Our Mobile Identity Completes Us
May 21, 2013

Mobile identity was the theme that kicked off at a keynote speech Tuesday at CTIA 2013, the wireless industry trade show under way this week in Las Vegas. Michael Saylor, founder, chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy and author of The Mobile Wave, spoke of how mobile identity is becoming a vital part of consumers' lives.

IBM Suits Up Watson to Tackle Thorny Customer Service Problems
May 21, 2013

IBM on Tuesday announced that it will offer Watson -- its artificial intelligence software package that won the Jeopardy game show -- as a customer service solution called "Watson Engagement Advisor," a cognitive computing assistant that rapidly learns, adapts and understands a company's data.

New Chair Puts Spectrum, Access High on FCC's Priority List
May 21, 2013

During her keynote address at the opening session of the CTIA 2013 wireless industry trade show in Las Vegas, acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn spoke of continuing the work of her predecessor -- with a slight shift from focusing on rural communities to addressing the needs of the underprivileged. Clyburn, in her second day in office, stepped in as a late addition to the keynote lineup.

Microsoft Packs Xbox One With Home Entertainment Power
May 21, 2013

Microsoft has officially unveiled the Xbox One, promising it will usher in a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. The One comes a dozen years after the original Xbox video game console debuted, and eight years after its best-selling Xbox 360 proved that Microsoft was a serious contender in the gaming arena. The reveal took place at an event at its Redmond, Wash., campus on Tuesday.

Congressional Investigation Scopes Apple's Web of Tax Havens
May 21, 2013

A series of subsidiaries spanning numerous countries have helped Apple avoid billions in United States taxes, congressional investigators reported Monday. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., head of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is looking into Apple's suspected transgressions, said that Apple "sought the holy grail of tax avoidance."

Food Testing for Safe Tasting
May 21, 2013

As parents of children with peanut sensitivities well know, awareness of what's in their kids' food is of paramount importance. In order to detect this allergen -- and many others -- engineers at UCLA have created a system called iTube. It involves placing a small amount of food in a test tube, shining a light on it, and then using a smartphone's camera and a specially-designed app.

Teenager's Power Storage Project Lights Up Science World
May 21, 2013

Interest in nanochemistry research and energy storage led 18-year-old Eesha Khare, a senior at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, Calif., to develop a supercapacitor that could potentially be used in flexible displays and fabrics. Her effort won her first prize at the Intel Science Fair and the Project of the Year award in the California State Science Fair's senior division for 2013.

Yahoo's Too Uncool for Some Tumblr Bloggers
May 20, 2013

Yahoo confirmed on Monday that it was acquiring Tumblr for US$1.1 billion -- perhaps further propelling the flight of Tumblr bloggers that began when rumors of the sale intensified last week. While the deal has implications on many levels and for many players, at least one group appears to have weighed the transaction and come to a conclusion about its merits.

Will BlackBerry, Nokia or Amazon Replace Apple or Google?
May 20, 2013

Apple and Google are currently at the top of the mobile device heap, but both companies are vulnerable at the moment. Apple has lost its iconic CEO and appears to be chasing Samsung, and you can't lead by following. Samsung is the dominant player on Android, but Google and Samsung are having relationship problems at the moment. Both have been quietly expressing dissatisfaction with the other.

Nintendo Scoops E3 With Previews of Upcoming Titles
May 17, 2013

Nintendo has once again gone straight to gamers with its latest Nintendo Direct video to generate hype for its latest offerings. The video game console maker and game publisher announced Friday that popular characters will arrive for the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS handheld system. The latest Nintendo Direct primarily focused on games coming out this summer.

Lawmakers Ask for Clarity on Google Glass and Privacy
May 17, 2013

Eight members of Congress have sent a letter to Google asking about the privacy implications of Google Glass. The letter was sent from Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and seven other lawmakers from the bipartisan Congressional Privacy Caucus. It asks Google whether users will be able to opt in to various proposed scenarios.