Tracking the universe's first light[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:19:20 EDT ]How cute was our universe as a baby? We now know better than ever -- the picture of our early universe just got sharper, and tells scientists with greater precision many important facts about how the universe evolved.

Sapphire in your next phone screen?[ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:44:33 EDT ]The next wave of smartphones and tablets might have super-sturdy screens fashioned from the human-made version of a gemstone.

Nigerian tech hub solves social ills[ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:44:58 EDT ]Nigeria's CC Hub is a state-of-the-art space for creative and tech-savvy people to collaborate, part of Africa's social tech revolution.

Open that iPad before you buy it[ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:36:14 EDT ]If you're handing over cash for a heavily discounted iPad from some random guy in a McDonald's parking lot or at a gas station, then yes, you should consider your purchase a risk.

That iPad box might be filled with a fake[ Fri, 22 Mar 2013 08:45:37 EDT ]If you're handing over cash for a heavily discounted iPad from some random guy in a McDonald's parking lot or at a gas station, then yes, you should consider your purchase a risk.

Drones crash (a lot) but the military's safety lessons may help civilians[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:15:45 GMT ]Around 9:30 on the night of May 1, 2011, an Air Force Predator that had been in the air for 18 hours began losing altitude, finally crashing near a U.S. base at Jalalabad, Afghanistan.The soldiers who brought the craft back to camp had to cut off its wings so it would fit in their vehicles. Cause of crash? Engine failure, clogged oil filter.Five years earlier, over American soil, a similar inciden...

Twitter celebrates 7th birthday, 200 million users[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:08:10 GMT ]It's been seven years since Twitter creator Jack Dorsey first tweeted. And in the time that has passed, the social network has gathered over 200 million users who generate over 400 million tweets each day.To mark the social network's birthday, the folks at Twitter made a video covering some of the key moments in Twitter's history.The year 2007 brought the hashtag — the invention often credited to ...

Holy land: Medieval monks drained wetlands to build[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:21:30 GMT ]By Stephanie PappasLiveScience A medieval monastery in Belgium went to major effort to drain wetlands on its land, building structures on artificially raised soil, a new study finds.Archaeologists excavated the Boudelo Abbey, once part of the medieval county of Flanders, in the 1970s. Until now, however, they had no idea that an extensive drained wetland surrounded the site. "They placed these abb...

Adulation for Richard III is fit for a king[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:55:31 GMT ]By Stephanie PappasLiveScienceMore than a month has passed since archaeologists announced they'd found the bones of Richard III under a parking lot in Leicester, and the headlines have mostly moved on. But for many, the lure of King Richard III is just beginning.Richard III enthusiasts, or Richardians, as they are known, have societies in both the United Kingdom and the United States. The discover...

Planck probe's cosmic 'baby picture' revises universe's vital statistics[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:08:57 GMT ]The European-led team behind the Planck cosmology probe on Thursday released the mission's first all-sky map of the cosmic microwave background — a post-big-bang "baby picture" that suggests our universe is slightly older than scientists thought.The map traces subtle fluctuations in temperature that were imprinted on the deep sky when the cosmos was just 370,000 years old. Scientists say the impri...

Huawei Premia 4G now available at MetroPCS[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:09:21 GMT ]The carrier's second Huawei 4G LTE smartphone runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and features a 4.0-inch display. [Read more]

The iPhone tops J.D. Power satisfaction rankings -- again[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:09:39 GMT ]It's the ninth consecutive time that Apple's iPhone has led all other smartphones in customer satisfaction. Samsung wasn't No. 2, but it was close. [Read more]

YouTube vice president touts paid subscriptions[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:17:50 GMT ]The online video site sees paid subscriptions as a way to generate more revenue for content creators but remains mum on specific details. [Read more]

HTC One's camera takes on iPhone 5, Lumia 920, Galaxy S3[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:50:13 GMT ]Four heavy-hitting smartphones get their chance to impress in color, close-up, and low-light situations. The results are telling. [Read more]

Epson Moverio BT-100 head-mounted display: In-depth hands-on[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:55:00 GMT ]Google Glass glasses aren't the only iGlasses. [Read more]

Spoof Steve Jobs biopic is coming [ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:39:47 EDT ]Forget Ashton Kutcher and Aaron Sorkin. The next Steve Jobs biopic you see will star the "I'm a Mac" guy and come from the twisted minds of Funny or Die.

What's more popular in bed than TV?[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:07:27 EDT ]If you fall asleep in bed every night with the TV on, you're apparently a dying breed.

Seven lives changed by Twitter[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:06:38 EDT ]Twitter turns 7 on Wednesday, and in some ways, it's like a lot of 7-year-olds.

Meet Google's answer to Evernote[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:06:25 EDT ]Android users, take note: Google Keep — a long-overdue app for creating lists and reminders — has arrived.

Seven years, seven lives changed by Twitter[ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 05:41:47 EDT ]Twitter turns 7 on Wednesday, and in some ways, it's like a lot of 7-year-olds.

No GPS tracking without warrant, ACLU demands[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:28:23 GMT ]The ACLU is in federal appeals court Tuesday, arguing that law enforcement should be required to obtain a warrant from a judge before attaching a GPS tracking device to a suspect's car. The Department of Justice says that the case in question didn't merit a warrant because there was more than enough "reasonable suspicion" and "probable cause" about the suspects for the device to be attached to the vehicle.

Mating of ocean giants: It's squid pro quo[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:04:44 GMT ]Though they roam the deep sea around the globe, enigmatic giant squid are all part of the same species, new research finds.

Samsung TV upgrade kit costs $300 (and that 85-inch UHD TV costs $40K!)[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:43:31 GMT ]Samsung held an event Wednesday in New York to announce TV-related news both big and small, including details of its Smart Evolution kit for older TVs.

S. Korea on alert after hackers strike TV, banks[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 08:28:44 GMT ]South Korean police were investigating a hacking attack on an Internet provider that brought down the servers of three broadcasters and two major banks on Wednesday, and the army raised its alert level due to concerns of North Korean involvement.

Congress warned: Pay for asteroid defense, or pray[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:18:51 GMT ]Congress got the word from NASA on Tuesday about its options for dealing with the threats posed by asteroids and comets: Lawmakers can either provide adequate funding for detecting and characterizing near-Earth objects, and diverting them if necessary — or they can pray.

Abalta announces smartphone-powered car tech system[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:00:00 GMT ]Abalta announced the release today of WebLink, which lets a smartphone power a car's head unit. [Read more]

Stinky Footboard gives your PC gaming foes agony of the feet[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:00:02 GMT ]A foot-based PC gaming input device might seem silly, but it can also smooth out your gaming flow. [Read more]

Amazon could be next Spotify challenger[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:26:00 GMT ]Streaming-music subscriptions look to be the next Internet battleground, Google adds filters to search for animated gifs, and Evernote Food serves up new reservation and recipe tools. [Read more]

Comcast scoops up rest of NBC Universal from GE[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:36:50 GMT ]The cable giant has completed its $16.7 billion deal to acquire the remaining 49 percent of NBCU from former owner General Electric. [Read more]

Samsung 4K TV? It'll cost you $40K[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:58:10 GMT ]The Korean electronics giant also unveiled three new apps for its smart TVs -- Fox, Spotify, and Univision. [Read more]

Samsung: We're making smart watch[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:55:40 EDT ]Apple, as the reports go, is working on a "smart watch," although the secretive company won't say anything about it, of course.

iPhone facing big-screen rivals[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:11:14 EDT ]Almost three years ago Dell launched a phone called the Streak, an Android-based handset with a 5-inch display that was marketed more as a tablet with phone capabilities than the other way around.

Google Maps climbs Mt. Everest[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:55:27 EDT ]Google Maps' Street View is becoming less and less about photographing the road to grandma's house and more about getting you off the road entirely. The tech giant's latest project, unveiled Monday, takes mapping initiatives to new and extreme heights by offering interactive galleries of some of the world's tallest mountains.

Spoof Steve Jobs biopic is coming [ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:39:47 EDT ]Forget Ashton Kutcher and Aaron Sorkin. The next Steve Jobs biopic you see will star the "I'm a Mac" guy and come from the twisted minds of Funny or Die.

Phones, tablets more popular in bedrooms than TV[ Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:07:55 EDT ]If you fall asleep in bed every night with the TV on, you're apparently a dying breed.

'Lost' tectonic plate found -- mystery solved[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:58:21 GMT ]A tectonic plate that disappeared under North America millions of years ago still peeks out in central California and Mexico, research finds.

Spring begins a day early this year -- kind of[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:36:49 GMT ]Around this time of year, I often get letters asking why spring is beginning early this year. Many folks assume the vernal equinox has always come on March 21. Not necessarily so.

Watch out, Apple! Samsung's been planning a smart watch 'for so long'[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:57:05 GMT ]We've heard rumors that Apple's quietly working on a smart watch, but we now know that Samsung is doing the same.

Princess Zelda saves hero Link in hacked Nintendo game[ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:21:51 GMT ]There's another entry in what appears to be a trend of gender-swapping retro games, this one inspired by a "Donkey Kong" hack that had Daisy jumping barrels and saving Mario.

Venture wants to name the closest exoplanet[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:05:41 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The closest known exoplanet is currently called Alpha Centauri Bb, but a commercial space venture called Uwingu wants you to come up with a cooler name.

Google undeletes RSS extension for Chrome browser[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:37:37 GMT ]It's not dead after all. Google has resurrected an extension that lets Chrome handle RSS and Atom feeds, even though it's not resurrecting the related Google Reader service. [Read more]

Another Yahoo exec leaves the fold. Is Mayer to blame?[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:42:05 GMT ]The latest to depart is James Carroll, senior VP of the company's consumer and global platform group, according to AllThingsD. [Read more]

Get a Vizio CT14 ultrabook for $599 shipped[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:44:42 GMT ]That's a hefty $250 off the list price on this brand new model, which debuted just a few months ago. [Read more]

Google looks to unify chat services under 'Babble'[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:58:25 GMT ]That's reportedly going to be the new name of a collection of Google instant-messaging services. [Read more]

Skype for Windows Phone 8 adds HD video support[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:07:48 GMT ]The latest version of Skype's Windows Phone 8 app adds support for high-definition video and lists your contacts in the People Hub. [Read more]

Twitter's Dorsey eyes NYC mayor job[ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:09:50 EDT ]Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey lives in San Francisco, not New York.

One-handed violinist helps others play[ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:26:09 EDT ]The young man tucks his violin under his chin and begins to play. A hush falls over the few spectators in the largely empty opera house, who turn toward the bare stage. As his lilting notes float through the room, other people trickle in from the lobby to listen.

iPhone under assault from big-screen rivals[ Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:41:10 EDT ]Almost three years ago Dell launched a phone called the Streak, an Android-based handset with a 5-inch display that was marketed more as a tablet with phone capabilities than the other way around.

A Mississippi man's viral obituary[ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:27:52 EDT ]You probably never met Harry Stamps.

Florida election faced cyberattack[ Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:16:33 EDT ]It's a fear that keeps cybersecurity experts up at night: an attack on an online election system.