J.K. Rowling's 'Book of Spells' puts magic in your hands[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 21:32:38 GMT ]Famed Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has a new book out ... of sorts. It's called the "Book of Spells" and it is the first augmented reality book for Sony's new Wonderbook peripheral. And good news Muggles: This book/game hybrid will teach you how to cast spells like a real Hogwarts wizard.

Facebook's 'couples' pages not off to happy start[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:21:23 GMT ]I didn't ask for a "couples" page on Facebook. The whole idea seems... saccharine and very 1950s. Besides, it's one thing for me to share photos of my beloved on my Facebook page, but another to have a page automatically generated of "us." That's creepy. Period.

Mayan doomsday 'safe zone' shut down[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:33:58 GMT ]Citing fears that doomsday believers, curiosity seekers, and "above all" journalists, will flood a French mountaintop on Dec. 21, the supposed day of the Mayan apocalypse, local officials are banning access to the mountain.

How Israel's 'Iron Dome' intercepts incoming rockets in Gaza conflict[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:58:18 GMT ]As the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians continues along the Gaza border, Israelis have been putting to use an anti-rocket defense system, called "Iron Dome," meant to intercept Palestinian rockets that are headed for major population centers.

iPad Mini with 4G comes to AT&T, Sprint and Verizon but ...[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 18:11:53 GMT ]How (and when) buyers will track down the 4G iPad Mini depends on whether they're an AT&T, Sprint or Verizon Wireless customer.

Windows 8 sales 'well below' projections, report claims[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:38:54 GMT ]Windows 8 isn't flying off the shelves in the numbers Microsoft was hoping for, according to a report. [Read more]

GM extends EV drivability with apps[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:45:44 GMT ]Ahead of its first new electric-vehicle launch, GM's OnStar division announces apps to help drivers plan trips and charge their vehicles. [Read more]

Russia demands broad UN role in Net governance, leak reveals[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 04:48:14 GMT ]commentary Leaked document from upcoming treaty negotiations reveals Russia wants transfer of authority over Net to national governments. The U.N.'s increasingly shrill denials are ringing ever more hollow. [Read more]

This week in Crave: The red-hot edition[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 14:00:00 GMT ]This week, we prepared for the possible return of Darth Vader, started packing for a trip to Mars, and stared into a stunning solar eclipse. [Read more]

Before you buy a sound bar speaker, read this[ Sat, 17 Nov 2012 15:36:00 GMT ]Sound bars are an attractive solution for lots of buyers, but are there better-sounding alternatives? [Read more]

Will Twitter war become the new norm?[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:16:30 EST ]War is not just about bombs and rockets. It's about words.

This Matters? 'It's Thanksgiving'[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:41:06 EST ]Before we begin, I need mom and dad to go to YouTube and watch Rebecca Black's music video for "Friday." Otherwise, the rest of this column will lack context. So go have a look, and then, if you two actually manage to stomach the whole thing without jumping off a bridge, please, dear parents, continue reading.

Review: 'Call of Duty: Black Ops II'[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:40:31 EST ]Forget the distracting cameo by David Petraeus. Despite its disjointed narrative, "Call of Duty: Black Ops II" twisted me around so many times with its compelling story that I really enjoyed myself.

When war is pre-packaged for sharing[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:26:09 EST ]As rockets fly in Gaza and Israel, a shareable and ready-to-retweet version of the violence is playing out online.

When war is pre-packaged for sharing[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:26:09 EST ]As rockets fly in Gaza and Israel, a shareable and ready-to-retweet version of the violence is playing out online.

8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD now shipping[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 19:41:10 GMT ]The Kindle Fire HD was announced back in September, but the impressively decked-out 8.9-inch version wasn't ready to ship until today. If you like Amazon but the Fire was too small, this might be the device for you.

Slideshow: Unseen Worlds[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:09:56 GMT ]The 2012 FEI Image Contest gave scientists and researchers a chance to share their exploration of the sub-microscopic world. See if you can guess what is being photographed in these extreme close-ups.

Lonesome George's species may survive[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:36:23 GMT ]The death of Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George this summer was thought to mark the extinction of a subspecies, but a new study hints that the reptile may not have been the last of his kind after all.

Anonymous targets Israeli websites in response to Gaza conflict[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 01:46:02 GMT ]Hacker collective Anonymous has embarked on a campaign to harass and disable Israeli websites in response to the country's attacks on those tied to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Government and Israeli-associated sites can be seen to have been taken down or defaced.

The new propaganda: Israel, Hamas take conflict to Twitter[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 23:41:40 GMT ]As Israeli and Palestinian forces clash in Gaza this week, those same armies are engaging in a real-time battle of hashtags and twitpics, trying to win the hearts and minds of watchers around the globe.

Droid Razr free at Best Buy today with new contract[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:03:54 GMT ]The original Razr smartphone had a good run of a year before it became a giveaway in the eyes of retailers. [Read more]

Wii U to ship incomplete, missing Nintendo TVii service and more[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:06:59 GMT ]One of the most anticipated features of Nintendo's new Wii U system will no longer be available at launch. Nintendo TVii has been delayed until December. [Read more]

'Tailored tweets' make their debut on iOS, Android apps[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 16:26:48 GMT ]The refreshed Twitter app's Discover page now conjures up a list of stories based on what Twitter assumes are your interests. [Read more]

Get WinX DVD Ripper Platinum (Win/Mac) for free[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:00:00 GMT ]This powerful utility can turn your DVDs into digital files for viewing on smartphones, tablets, and optical drive-less laptops. Strings attached: zero. [Read more]

Jeff Bezos: We would love to open Amazon retail stores[ Fri, 16 Nov 2012 17:01:05 GMT ]Bezos: We want to do something that is uniquely Amazon, but we haven't found the idea yet. [Read more]

5 big tech issues awaiting Obama [ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:58:52 EST ]Technology policy didn't get much air time in the 2012 presidential election, but the Obama administration will face serious issues over the next four years.

Google's super-fast Internet goes live[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:14:22 EST ]After months of fanfare and anticipation, gigabit home Internet service Google Fiber finally went live on Tuesday in Kansas City.

The Petraeus scandal and your e-mail[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:31:17 EST ]Here's a thought that might make even the most conscientious e-mail user nervous: "When the CIA director cannot hide his activities online, what hope is there for the rest of us?"

5 digital tips for saner holiday travel[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:24:10 EST ]Whether arriving by train or (more likely) plane or automobile, you're bound to encounter some headaches. Take a deep breath and vow now to follow these netiquette tips en route.

Will Twitter war become the new norm?[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 20:16:30 EST ]War is not just about bombs and rockets. It's about words.

Kepler planet-hunting mission extended[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:42:47 GMT ]NASA's planet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope has begun its extended mission, which should keep the prolific instrument searching for alien worlds for another four years, agency officials announced Wednesday.

Supercomputer uses Twitter to tell how you're feeling[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:57:39 GMT ]The Global Twitter Heartbeat offers a real-time analysis of random data via supercomputer —the SGI UV 2000 Big Brain supercomputer at the University of Illinois — to process an impressive amount of raw information very quickly.The result is a pretty accurate picture of what’s going on in the United States at any point in time.

Super Dad hacks video game, transforms hero for his daughter[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:59:23 GMT ]Meet Super Dad. His name is Mike Hoye. By day he is a tech entrepreneur in Toronto. By night he is a video game-hacking Super Dad who transforms famed game heroes into game heroines ... all for the sake of his young daughter.

Pre-caffeine tech: Apple issues, things that are lost[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 15:21:25 GMT ]The latest Twitter heat map offers a real-time analysis of random data via supercomputer — the SGI UV 2000 Big Brain supercomputer at the University of Illinois — to tell you almost exactly how America is feeling. Somebody swiped a NASA employee's laptop, potentially putting thousands of workers and contractors at risk.

Government surveillance 'on the rise': Google[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:12:32 GMT ]Government demands for user data worldwide from Google have "increased steadily," the search giant says in a new report. U.S. government agencies continue to make the most requests for user data, Google says: 7,969 such requests in the first half of the year. Google says it complied with 90 percent of those requests.

Flipboard adds iBookstore perusing to iOS app[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:37:06 GMT ]The company says that users will be able to browse 25 new sections containing books across a wide array of genres. [Read more]

$1.5 million worth of iPad Mini tabs stolen from JFK[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:41:29 GMT ]Bold theft from a cargo building at New York's biggest airport this week nets thousands of the new smaller tabs that had just arrived from China. [Read more]

Apple patent aims to stifle noise from iPhone's vibrate mode[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:43:34 GMT ]A patent filed today describes a way to lessen the sound your mobile phone gives off in vibrate mode any time a call or alert comes through. [Read more]

Low Latency No. 43: Calling out of duty[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:47:02 GMT ]Call of Duty: Black Ops II will surely break sales records, but what will it do to productivity? [Read more]

What is 600Hz?[ Thu, 15 Nov 2012 16:55:00 GMT ]Plasma TV specifications hype "600Hz" refresh; is this better than 120Hz or 240Hz? [Read more]

The tech of 'Call of Duty: Black Ops II'[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:14:36 EST ]The future in video games is usually depicted in one of two ways.

5 big tech issues awaiting Obama [ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:58:52 EST ]Technology policy didn't get much air time in the 2012 presidential election, but the Obama administration will face serious issues over the next four years.

Google's super-fast Internet goes live[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:14:22 EST ]After months of fanfare and anticipation, gigabit home Internet service Google Fiber finally went live on Tuesday in Kansas City.

The Petraeus scandal and your e-mail[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:31:17 EST ]Here's a thought that might make even the most conscientious e-mail user nervous: "When the CIA director cannot hide his activities online, what hope is there for the rest of us?"

5 digital tips for saner holiday travel[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 17:24:10 EST ]Whether arriving by train or (more likely) plane or automobile, you're bound to encounter some headaches. Take a deep breath and vow now to follow these netiquette tips en route.

General Petraeus has a bright future ... in video games[ Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:19:20 GMT ]David Petraeus' career as the head of the CIA may have come to an abrupt and shocking end last week, but America's retired four-star general is destined for big things in the future. Or at least, he has a very bright future career in the entirely fictional world of "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

Ultrasound to 21: Dad gives son time-lapse movie[ Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:53:24 GMT ]From the time Cory McLeod showed up in an ultrasound photo to when he turned 21 recently, his dad Ian has been capturing photos of him — 71 photo albums' worth that dad lovingly turned into a movie. Since that video hit YouTube, it has garnered nearly 5 million views.

Russia: Satellites fine after cable break[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:25:59 GMT ]Russia's space agency said it had to refigure communications with civilian satellites and the International Space Station on Wednesday after a cable broke outside Moscow, but that the satellites and the station were operating normally.

Best Buy aims to avoid Black Friday inventory meltdown[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:53:42 GMT ]Last year, Best Buy failed to stock the inventory required to fill all of its Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders, and made things worse by failing to notify its customers until just a week before Christmas. "What happened last year will not happen again," Best Buy management said in a statement outlining new policies for the 2012 shopping season.

Total eclipse turns into the biggest show at sea[ Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:52:57 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Hundreds of cruise-ship tourists came out for a total solar eclipse, the biggest show at sea. And most importantly, the sun came out as well.