'Bitcoin is a currency': Federal judge says the virtual cash is real money[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:58:24 GMT ]Is the "online crypto-currency" Bitcoin money like dollars or is it no more the business of government regulators than virtual gold pieces in an online game? A federal judge may have ended the controversy with an opinion issued in a Bitcoin-related fraud case — and the verdict is: It's money.

Open season on drones? Town split over licenses to hunt unmanned aircraft[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:58:26 GMT ]A town called Deer Trail, located an hour east of Denver, Colo., is considering issuing a novel kind of hunting permit. If passed, the town would give residents licenses to "kill" drones ... by shooting them out of the air.

LulzSec hacker gets year in prison for Sony data breach[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 22:28:43 GMT ]LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors say a hacker has been sentenced in a data breach that exposed personal information for 138,000 people kept in Sony Pictures Entertainment computers. Los Angeles U.S.

Likes breed likes: Study finds 'herding' behavior among commenters[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 23:35:09 GMT ]The comments sections of websites are home to a herd mentality — but rather than the stream of spam and abuse one associates with Internet comments, there seems to be a bias toward positivity, according to a new study.

Lavabit email service linked to Snowden shuts[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 07:34:45 GMT ]LONDON — A Texas-based secure email service reportedly used by National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden says it is shutting down and can't legally explain why.

Microsoft spot takes on the iPad Mini -- dubiously[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 04:25:00 GMT ]Even for an ad, Microsoft may be going out on a limb with its latest targeting Apple's iPad Mini. [Read more]

Canon, Nikon struggle against smartphone cameras in Korea[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 05:50:00 GMT ]Harder times ahead for Canon and Nikon in South Korea where smartphone cameras dominate, according to a report. This echoes news from Japan where Canon cut its annual profit forecast. [Read more]

Crave giveaway: Comic-Con 2013 swag bag extraordinaire, part 2[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 07:00:00 GMT ]Bummed that you missed Comic-Con this year? We're bringing it to you with the second part of this year's giveaway straight from the show floor. [Read more]

Banger racing (destruction derby) proves that motorsport doesn't have to be expensive[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 08:29:00 GMT ]Everyone with a drop of petrol in their veins fancies their chances as a racing driver, right? Well, one way to get your racing kicks is to try banger racing (destruction derby). So we had a go. [Read more]

Wearable tech that makes you smarter[ Fri, 09 Aug 2013 11:00:00 GMT ]A slew of controversial, DIY methods of brain stimulation have culminated with the Focus headset. Unknown is whether augmenting the mind is safe. [Read more]

New Galaxy Note coming Sept. 4?[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:40:22 EDT ]It's becoming an annual tradition: Samsung will unveil the next generation of its Galaxy Note smartphone in advance of the IFA technology conference in Berlin. The company sent invitations to the press on Monday for an event on Sept. 4, two days before the first day of the conference.

What Mars rover has taught us[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:56 EDT ]Curiosity has driven 1.6 kilometers since landing on Mars on August 6, 2012.

5 scary new hacks[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:19 EDT ]If something can connect to a network, it can be hacked. Computers and phones are still popular targets, but increasingly so are cars, home security systems, TVs and even oil refineries.

YouTube creators unveil MixBit[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 13:09:07 EDT ]The people who created YouTube are getting into the quickie-video app business ... with a twist.

Nearly half of all video gamers are women[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 19:58:19 EDT ]A new report suggests adult women are nearly half of all video game players. That's a number that can be read in the changing tone of some of today's top games. But it's also one that some female gamers say isn't really as close to even as it should be.

'Doom' and 'Quake' creator John Carmack joins Oculus Rift virtual reality startup[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:49:45 GMT ]

Updated Firefox brings brighter tail — and better security[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 19:12:03 GMT ]Firefox 23, the newest version of the Web browser released Tuesday, has an updated look for its well-known fox logo and adds new features, including one that will help protect users from what's known as "man-in-the-middle attacks" and from eavesdroppers on Web pages labeled as secure.

Instagram video comes to Android in new update (with other features)[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 20:36:07 GMT ]Instagram has issued a new version of its popular photo and video sharing app, bringing Android into the video fold at last and improving the way content is handled when you upload.Android users with version 4.

TV watching you? Senator calls for smarter smart-TV security[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 21:15:20 GMT ]“Disturbed” at the idea of Internet-enabled HDTVs equipped with video cameras potentially becoming spytools for hackers, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has written a letter to Samsung, LG, Sony and other TV makers asking them to adopt new security protocols to protect consumers.

Windows Phone and Android vault ahead in smartphone market share[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 01:19:08 GMT ]The latest market share numbers from tracking firm IDC show Android in the lead and Apple's iOS losing ground globally, as expected in the period before the new iPhone is announced. Also showing healthy (even robust) growth is Windows Phone.Microsoft's mobile platform saw shipments in Q2 grow by 77.

Infiniti compacts its new concept car[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 05:05:00 GMT ]At the Frankfurt auto show next month, Infiniti will show off its design for a new compact car model, in concept form. [Read more]

T-Mobile adds 1.1 million net new customers as growth returns[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 05:09:23 GMT ]T-Mobile posts solid results in its first earnings report as a publicly traded company, with 688,000 "post-paid" customers signing up in the period. But the company swung to a loss. [Read more]

Windows XP endgame: Firm moving 30,000 PCs to tablets[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 05:40:00 GMT ]A Japanese insurance company will make a giant leap from Windows XP to Windows 8. A total of 30,000 personnel will be moved to Fujitsu tablets, Microsoft says. [Read more]

Road Trip Pic of the Day, 8/8: What is this?[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 11:00:00 GMT ]If you know what today's picture is, you could be eligible to win a prize in the CNET Road Trip Picture of the Day contest. [Read more]

How Goodyear uses tech to make a faster race tire[ Thu, 08 Aug 2013 11:00:00 GMT ]From its Akron, Ohio, manufacturing facility to Nascar races around the U.S., Goodyear and Nascar are studying how racing tires can be more efficient and help drivers go faster than ever. [Read more]

Limbaugh: Tech bloggers 'hate' Apple[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:44 EDT ]Apple, that icon of left-leaning Silicon Valley whose board of directors includes former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, is really a symbol of the Republican Party.

New Galaxy Note coming Sept. 4?[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:40:22 EDT ]It's becoming an annual tradition: Samsung will unveil the next generation of its Galaxy Note smartphone in advance of the IFA technology conference in Berlin. The company sent invitations to the press on Monday for an event on Sept. 4, two days before the first day of the conference.

What Mars rover has taught us[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:56 EDT ]Curiosity has driven 1.6 kilometers since landing on Mars on August 6, 2012.

5 scary new hacks[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:19 EDT ]If something can connect to a network, it can be hacked. Computers and phones are still popular targets, but increasingly so are cars, home security systems, TVs and even oil refineries.

Why more Amber alerts will be waking you up[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 17:46:46 EDT ]Many Californians were startled awake Monday night and early Tuesday morning by Amber Alerts that made screeching noises on their cell phones. Some people even took to Twitter to complain.

Facebook 'story bumping' will show you what you haven't seen first[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 18:30:17 GMT ]Facebook's News Feed can be a mishmash to deal with, as cumbersome as federal bureaucracy and not nearly as fun.

Solved: The mystery of scanners randomly switching digits in docs[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 21:57:54 GMT ]A perplexing and potentially very troublesome problem affecting Xerox scanners has been explained and fixed, thanks to some sleuthing by a savvy software engineer — and a bit of viral attention on the Internet.D. Kriesel, a German Ph.D.

Copier conundrum: Xerox machines swap numbers during scans[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 22:14:51 GMT ]A perplexing and potentially very troublesome problem affecting Xerox scanners has been explained and fixed, thanks to some sleuthing by a savvy software engineer — and a bit of viral attention on the Internet.D. Kriesel, a German Ph.D.

Effort to stop 'Apple picking' phone theft now extends to London [ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 00:11:11 GMT ]Smartphones are a hot item, both in stores and on the street, as anyone who has had their device stolen can attest.

Twitter's new security measure ditches texts for in-app alerts[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 01:12:21 GMT ]Twitter has added a layer of security to its mobile app, giving users another tool with which to protect against account hijacking. The new two-factor authentication uses the Twitter app itself to authorize account access, rather than via text messaging — which not everyone trusts.

Apple tops PC market, but lead shrinks, says Canalys[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 02:35:00 GMT ]Apple sits up top of the global PC market, but No. 2 Lenovo is beginning to ship more tablets, says market researcher Canalys, which includes tablets in its calculations. [Read more]

Shark Week show gets panned for being a fake 'documentary'[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 03:54:24 GMT ]On Facebook, Twitter, and across the Web, people lash out against the Discovery network's "Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives" for being a sham. [Read more]

Yahoo to give its corporate logo a month-long makeover[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:04:33 GMT ]The Web company begins 30-day campaign to introduce new corporate logo. Spoiler: the exclamation point is staying! [Read more]

Samsung gains as Apple display supplier, says researcher[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 05:44:03 GMT ]Despite expectations to the contrary, the South Korean electronics giant is growing as a display supplier to Apple, says NPD DisplaySearch. [Read more]

AOL's hold on ad growth underpins $405M takeover[ Wed, 07 Aug 2013 11:31:38 GMT ]The company, once front door to the Internet and now a burgeoning digital media outfit, continues to increase revenue from advertising in the latest quarter, helping it toward a planned takeover of Adap.tv, a marketplace for digital video advertising. [Read more]

Limbaugh: Tech bloggers 'hate' Apple[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:44 EDT ]Apple, that icon of left-leaning Silicon Valley whose board of directors includes former Democratic Vice President Al Gore, is really a symbol of the Republican Party.

New Galaxy Note coming Sept. 4?[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 11:40:22 EDT ]It's becoming an annual tradition: Samsung will unveil the next generation of its Galaxy Note smartphone in advance of the IFA technology conference in Berlin. The company sent invitations to the press on Monday for an event on Sept. 4, two days before the first day of the conference.

What Mars rover has taught us[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:56 EDT ]Curiosity has driven 1.6 kilometers since landing on Mars on August 6, 2012.

5 scary new hacks[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 10:29:19 EDT ]If something can connect to a network, it can be hacked. Computers and phones are still popular targets, but increasingly so are cars, home security systems, TVs and even oil refineries.

5 things Mars rover Curiosity has taught us[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 09:53:01 EDT ]Curiosity has driven 1.6 kilometers since landing on Mars on August 6, 2012.

Pre-caffeine tech: Fake meat, new Doctor Who[ Mon, 05 Aug 2013 13:53:33 GMT ]Our pre-caffeine roundup is a collection of the hottest, strangest, and most amusing stories of the morning."Intense flavor": The $330,000 hamburger that was built in a lab hits the spot!Twitter just added rules to better combat rape threats and other abusive talk.

'Intense flavor': The $330,000 burger that was built in a lab hits the spot[ Mon, 05 Aug 2013 18:43:34 GMT ]LONDON — After years of research and weeks of buildup, taste testers on Monday finally bit into a burger created from stem cells in a culture dish rather than meat from a farm or a store.

How anonymous? Tor users compromised in child porn takedown[ Mon, 05 Aug 2013 23:38:27 GMT ]A man in Ireland is arrested on child pornography charges, and a network of ostensibly anonymous and invisible websites goes down at the same time. It's no coincidence, and this latest chapter in the story of privacy on the Internet shows that it's hard to hide, even in the "deep Web.

Google's Sergey Brin explains why he paid $330,000 for lab burger[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 00:33:25 GMT ]When scientists brought out a hamburger created in a laboratory for its first public tasting on Monday, they also revealed who paid more than $330,000 (€250,000) for that burger: Sergey Brin, one of Google's billionaire founders."Some people think this is science fiction — it's not real.

Smartphone game may destroy your smartphone[ Tue, 06 Aug 2013 00:33:26 GMT ]Are you a fan of "disruptive" technology? Well, there's a new mobile app that's so disruptive it may actually break your smartphone.That's the idea behind "Send Me to Heaven," a new mobile "sport game" whose main objective involves hurling your phone as high into the air as humanly possible.