Tech news and business reports by CNET News. Focused oninformation technology, core topics include computers, hardware, software,networking, and Internet media..
A new audio data API, default hardware acceleration, and a return of some menu options that had been missing in previous betas are the keystones to Firefox 4 beta 5.
Using two grids of 16 microelectrodes implanted atop the brain, Utah researchers are one step closer to enabling paralyzed people to speak via their thoughts.
Philadelphia appeals court rules that no search warrant is needed for police to track Americans' cell phone whereabouts but says individual judges can "sparingly" require one.
Created as part of The Guardian's Music Hack Day, Piracy app lets users "drop" songs from their music collection in physical locations for other users to pick up later.
Apple in "active negotiations" for song samples with rights holders, but some music publishers want Apple to pay. How the negotiations fare could set the mood for negotiations over cloud music.
Hewlett-Packard accuses Hurd of breach of contract and potential misappropriation of trade secrets a day after he signs on to become Oracle's co-president.
What will happen when millions of electric vehicles plug into the grid at at the same time? If ZigBee Alliance's blueprints for the smart grid go according to plan, not much.
Harnessing the power of its World Community Grid of users, Big Blue embarks on a series of projects designed to improve the quality of drinking water around the world.
Silicon Valley-based company claims industry-first UL certification for solar modules made from thin-film CIGS material which are making their way to market from multiple suppliers.
DOJ is determining whether Google's acquisition of the online travel firm will unfairly hurt competition and drive people to Google's travel services instead of third-party sites.
The Berlin show is for regular folks, not just industry insiders. About 230,000 attend to see the electronics products, some of them freshly announced.
San Jose Mercury News
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A journalist captured in Afghanistan told the world he was still alive over the weekend by tweeting with a prison guard's cellphone. This remarkable tale about a tweet kicks off a new meme here at Gadget Lab that we're calling Tweet of the Day.
A federal appeals court is ruling the government may obtain cell-site information mobile phone carriers retain on their customers without a probable-cause warrant under the Fourth Amendment. Cell-site location information, which carriers usually retain for about 18 months, identifies the cell tower to which the customer was connected at the beginning of a call and at the end of the call.
Most flash photos — even those shot with your new, fancy $500 camera — look like junk. But you can create amazing images using a flash if you know a few tricks.
An Obama administration policy allowing U.S. border officials to seize and search laptops, smartphones and other electronic devices for any reason is being challenged as unconstitutional.
Clearly, some of us make bad decisions with our gadgets. But even without having to live down a mobile phone-fueled tirade of Mel Gibson proportions, many of us have sought forgiveness for our gadget-enabled sins through a ritual purge: a day without gadgets.
You live your life at 2.4 GHz. Your router, your cordless phone, your Bluetooth earpiece, your baby monitor and your garage opener all love and live on this radio frequency, and no others. Why? The answer is in your kitchen.
The Neuromancer author digs deep into the vertigo-inducing machinations of modern life to spin a story about militarism, marketing and "gear queers." He also calls Twitter "the most powerful novelty aggregator that has ever existed."
Get a look at the sci-fi writer's latest future-present story, in which a detail-obsessed Russian translator named Milgrim, a postmodern marketing mogul known as Hubertus Bigend and a taste-making detective called Hollis Henry tussle with technology and its far-reaching tentacles.
LONDON â Every so often, in cities across the world, a group of digital music professionals get together for a Hack Day, where they'll cobble together hardware, software and anything else they can get their hands on into innovative musical mashups. London's event took place last weekend, and it was an orgy of creativity. Here are 10 of our favorites.
Google is now allowing any Yahoo user to sign in to Google using OpenID, the company announced Tuesday. Anyone with a Yahoo account can start using Google's web apps with a new one-click sign up process.
Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham, an 18-year-old from Las Vegas, recently pulled off the world's first wheelchair double backflip, after several failed (and painful-looking) attempts at Camp Woodward, just east of State College, Pennsylvania.
Steve Jobs wasn't kidding when he called the iPod Touch the "iPhone without a phone." We have been calling it that for years, of course, but with each iteration the two iOS devices get closer and closer in terms of features. Now a vibrating alert has been added to the Touch.
BERLIN - Google gave a live demonstration of Google TV at Berlinâs IFA Tuesday, and CEO Eric Schmidt promised it would be a couch potatoâs dream come true. 'Once you have Google television, youâre going to be very busy, he said. 'Itâs going to ruin your evening.'
A new technique may one day lead to solar cells that bring themselves together like a molecular flash mob and repair damage they sustain during the rough business of turning light into electricity.
Some jerk has fired a heat-seeking missile at your Black Hawk. You've got a few options. You can try to dodge the thing, but good luck with that. You can fire off a flare in order to fool the missile into no longer following you as you maneuver. Or you can shoot off a laser from on board your bird to do the same thing. Not really a choice, is it?
Packed with beautiful images and behind-the-scenes details, this rich tribute to the classic '60s sci-fi show is a must-have for any Trekker. Get a first look at the book and enter to win a copy.
Nike has quietly released a new Nike+ app that costs $2 and doesn't require the use of an external sensor. Instead, the app is GPS- and accelerometer-based, meaning anyone with two bucks and an iOS device can now enjoy full Nike+ functionality.
Whether you're into cute furry mammals, hairless rodents or menacing reptiles, live webcams are the ultimate way to get your fix from the comfort of your desk. Here we've put together some of our favorite live animal feeds.
Google is in talks with music labels on plans for a download store and a digital song locker that would allow its mobile users to play songs wherever they are as it steps up its rivalry with Apple, according to people familiar with the matter.
Recent greentech IPOs have had mixed and less than stellar results. Here are some wild prognostications of ten potential greentech IPOs coming in late 2010 through 2012. These companies have real products, serious revenue and the prospect of profits in high-growth markets.
Tattooing, an aggressive and intimidating mixture of endurance and art, is as old as warfare itself. But each generation, and each war, yields its own warrior body art. In Afghanistan, America's longest war, troop tats have matured alongside the culture's growing acceptance of ink.
