No major security breaches on HealthCare.gov, Democrats say[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 20:21:33 GMT ]Only a few people have tried to hack into the HealthCare.gov website and no one has successfully stolen any information, Democrats in the House of Representatives said Friday.

Google removes privacy feature from Android, says it was included by accident[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 22:20:14 GMT ]SAN FRANCISCO — Google has removed an experimental privacy feature from its Android mobile software that had allowed users to block apps from collecting personal information such as address book data and a user's location. The change means that owners of smartphones using Android 4.4.

A few of our favorite things: Gadgets everyone in the home will enjoy[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 23:48:27 GMT ]While most of the year’s gadget headlines continued to be dominated by tablets and smartphones from Apple, Samsung, Google and Amazon, there are a handful of gadgets that deserve a mention not only because they work so well, but because they’re great for gifts.

One giant leap for Kerbalkind: Spaceflight sim wins geek gift award[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 01:05:36 GMT ]The creators of the Kerbal Space Program are over the moon about their spaceflight simulation game's latest honor: being named the Science Geek Gift of the Year."It's been a lot of fun," lead developer Felipe Falanghe told NBC News.

NSA can listen in on encrypted phone calls - but they're not the only ones[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 02:06:11 GMT ]The latest documents from the National Security Agency leaked by Edward Snowden show that government spies are capable of listening in on mobile phone calls that use a common form of encryption, according to a Washington Post report.

iPad Mini availability at Verizon, AT&T improves, supply eases[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 00:19:27 GMT ]Supply of the iPad Mini Retina appears to be easing significantly, as cellular models become more readily available at Verizon and AT&T. [Read more]

Tinder sparks half a billion matches[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 02:55:05 GMT ]Like Hot or Not but for dating, the 15-month-old app is matching young people left and right. [Read more]

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer on Mail outage: 'We really let you down'[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 03:56:36 GMT ]The company's CEO apologized for Yahoo Mail's prolonged, multiday outage. [Read more]

The prodigal daughter: Can she bring her Verizon LTE smartphone to AT&T?[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 08:00:00 GMT ]In this edition of Ask Maggie, CNET's Marguerite Reardon answers whether it's possible to take a Verizon smartphone to AT&T and still come out on top. [Read more]

Google acquires Boston Dynamics, maker of animal-inspired robots[ Sat, 14 Dec 2013 10:22:01 GMT ]In Andy Rubin's effort to buy its way into a future populated by autonomous mechanical entities, Google has acquired one company with impressive walking and running creatures. [Read more]

Gadget gifts your kids will love[ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 19:23:59 EST ]Technology touches all ages. Here are some gadgets aimed at the 18-and-under set.

A new way to ditch your wallet[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 11:38:57 EST ]"Coin" is an electronic credit card that stores all of your cards. CNN's Dan Simon reports.

7 tips for taking better selfies[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:10:10 EST ]There is no wrong way to take a selfie. The medium has grown into its own form of self-expression, and the artistic choices people make are as varied as the faces themselves.

How to protect your phone in the cold[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 18:27:07 EST ]Smartphones are not built for the extreme cold. But since that snowball fight didn't really happen unless you Instagrammed and tweeted it, here are some tips for using your device during the cold of this winter.

How to protect your phone in cold weather[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:26:19 EST ]Smartphones are not built for the extreme cold. But since that snowball fight didn't really happen unless you Instagrammed and tweeted it, here are some tips for using your device during the cold of this winter.

Cellphone calls on planes: Government agencies differ on rule change[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 21:31:06 GMT ]Just because it's safe to use cellphones on a plane, it doesn't mean that passengers should call just to say hello.

Circle, latest hot iPhone app, wants to connect you with your neighbors[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 23:28:16 GMT ]What goes around, comes around — that sums up the idea behind Circle, a fast-growing social app that focuses on keeping things in the neighborhood.Think of Circle as a cross between a social network, a community board and a news site.

New app lets you explore the universe with Stephen Hawking[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 00:12:50 GMT ]What’s it like to see the universe through the mind of Stephen Hawking? A new iPad app tries to get you there.

Wireless carriers to make it easier to 'unlock' cellphones[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 00:57:19 GMT ]WASHINGTON — Major U.S. wireless carriers on Thursday pledged to make it easier for consumers to "unlock" their mobile phones for use on competitors' networks, responding to pressure from consumer groups and the top U.S. communications regulator.

Blocking on Twitter now more like 'mute' (Update: Changes reverted)[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 06:56:26 GMT ]A change to how blocking is done on Twitter is causing a ruckus on the service. Instead of both hiding a user and preventing them from following you, blocking now acts more like a mute button — they can see your tweets and respond all they want, but you won't see them.

Twitter announces about-face on controversial new blocking rules[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 04:03:30 GMT ]Firestorm erupted after the social network relaxed blocking rules, allowing blocked users to see everything the blockee tweeted. [Read more]

Will 2014 be the year of the Google Chromebook?[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 05:27:34 GMT ]Research out of Asia provides two scenarios for the Chromebook in 2014. One shows it taking a not-insignificant chunk of the global notebook market. [Read more]

Amazon said to be cooking up Pantry service to take on Costco[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 05:55:03 GMT ]Internet retailer will offer delivery of about 2,000 products typically found at warehouse stores, according to USA Today. [Read more]

Crave giveaway: V-Moda Crossfade M-100 headphones[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 08:00:00 GMT ]This week, we have a free pair of handsome headphones that scored high marks from CNET reviewers. [Read more]

Presidential task force said to recommend overhaul of NSA[ Fri, 13 Dec 2013 08:25:06 GMT ]Nonbinding suggestions propose sweeping changes at the agency, including shifting its leadership from the military to civilians, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. [Read more]

200,000 people apply to live on Mars[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 16:25:14 EST ]Mars One says it is moving along with its plan to send four lucky Earthlings to colonize the Red Planet. The catch: They won't ever come back.

Google Glass users fight privacy fears[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:41:15 EST ]Carolyn Capern and her business partner Greg Trujillo were eating breakfast in a Panera bakery in Florida recently, each wearing Google Glasses but actually immersed in their smartphones when they were accosted by an angry stranger.

Gadget gifts your kids will love[ Fri, 06 Dec 2013 19:23:59 EST ]Technology touches all ages. Here are some gadgets aimed at the 18-and-under set.

7 tips for taking better selfies[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:10:10 EST ]There is no wrong way to take a selfie. The medium has grown into its own form of self-expression, and the artistic choices people make are as varied as the faces themselves.

E-mail outage casts shadow over Yahoo [ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 16:28:16 EST ]A days-long outage for some Yahoo e-mail users is casting a dark shadow over a perceived turnaround at the once-mighty Internet player.

Facebook to join S&P 500[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 00:11:17 GMT ]Standard & Poor's on Wednesday said Facebook Inc. will join its S&P 500 stock index after the close of trading Dec. 20, cementing the social media network's rise into one of the biggest, most powerful U.S. companies.

Google execs got improper discount on plane fuel, NASA says [ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 00:33:38 GMT ]SAN FRANCISCO — The company that manages a fleet of airplanes owned and leased by Google Inc executives Larry Page, Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt improperly bought fuel from the government at below-market rates, for a savings of up to $5.

3-D printed brain lets students take a stab at neurosurgery[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 01:13:13 GMT ]If you and your brain were going under the knife, wouldn't it be comforting to know that your surgeon had practiced the exact operation, location, procedure and all, just a few hours earlier?

Cory Monteith, Pope Francis, the Super Bowl: 9 things people couldn't stop tweeting about in 2013[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:18:10 GMT ]In 2012, President Barack Obama sent out the most retweeted message in the seven-year history of Twitter. It read, simply, "Four more years," with a picture of him embracing the first lady. This year, politics took a back seat to pop culture.

12 buzzworthy celebs who joined Twitter in 2013[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:40:26 GMT ]Famous people! They tweet just like us, except that way more folks actually care about what they have to say.In 2013, celebrities dominated the conversation on Twitter. But which ones decided to join the conversation? Prepare to hit "Follow" on these 12 star-powered Twitter accounts.

Privacy advocates blast AT&T's alleged sale of info to CIA[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 05:50:19 GMT ]Groups ask FCC to declare the carrier in violation of federal privacy rules. [Read more]

Lightroom 5.3 supports Nikon Df and D610, Lumia 1020 phone[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 06:19:43 GMT ]The latest version of Adobe's photography software can handle raw photos from Nokia's high-end Windows smartphone and a host of new higher-end cameras. [Read more]

DirecTV offers access point, set-top box with top-notch 802.11ac Wi-Fi[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 08:00:00 GMT ]DirectTV offers its customers nationwide a new generation of advanced TV and Internet equipment, including a set-top box and a Wi-Fi access point that use the latest four-stream 802.11ac Wi-Fi chip from Quantenna with up to 1.7Gbps wireless speed. [Read more]

CNN outgrows its TV roots[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 10:44:47 GMT ]With millions of people using its apps and Web site, CNN isn't just a TV company. But a top executive loathes today's set-top boxes and "second-screen" technology. [Read more]

Google emulates 1980s-era Amiga computer in Chrome[ Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:46:27 GMT ]Google's Portable Native Client technology gives a new Web-based lease on life for an old operating system and the games it could run. [Read more]

Where they found the 'god particle'[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:13:56 EST ]Scientists and technicians are hard at work upgrading the machinery so that the $10 billion dollar Large Hadron Collider can ramp back up in 2015 at unprecedented energies.

Report: Feds spied on 'World of Warcraft'[ Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:39:49 EST ]Spies with surveillance agencies in the United States and United Kingdom may have spent time undercover as orcs and blood elves, infiltrating video games like "World of Warcraft" in a hunt for terrorists "hiding in plain sight" online.

200,000 people apply to live on Mars[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 16:25:14 EST ]Mars One says it is moving along with its plan to send four lucky Earthlings to colonize the Red Planet. The catch: They won't ever come back.

Google Glass users fight privacy fears[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 08:41:15 EST ]Carolyn Capern and her business partner Greg Trujillo were eating breakfast in a Panera bakery in Florida recently, each wearing Google Glasses but actually immersed in their smartphones when they were accosted by an angry stranger.

Bus stunt fuels tech tensions in San Francisco [ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 19:08:02 EST ]A real protest, a fake Google employee, a viral video and some shiny buses have brought attention to the growing tensions between San Francisco's moneyed tech-sector workers and the city's working poor and middle class.

App-y holidays: Apple gives away free Christmas swag with '12 Days of Gifts' [ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 20:39:17 GMT ]Forget the North Pole. This Christmas, the gifts are coming from Cupertino, Calif., delivered by Apple to your iPhone or iPad.All you need to do: Download the free 12 Days of Gifts iOS app, then check in every day between Dec. 26 and Jan. 6 for a free song, app, book or movie from the iTunes store.

Knee deep in history: 20 years of "Doom"[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:54:23 GMT ]Twenty years ago Tuesday, id Software released "Doom," and the world of gaming has never been the same. While it wasn't the first shooter, it was inarguably one of the most influential, kicking off a new tradition both of complexity of gameplay — and of highly stylized, graphic violence.

Twitter app now lets you send private photos over DM[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 22:54:25 GMT ]Today, the Twitter app for iOS and Android received a small tweak, with the biggest change coming to how users communicate via direct message (DM).

Largest free public Wi-Fi network in US coming to Harlem[ Tue, 10 Dec 2013 23:55:59 GMT ]New York City is rolling out what Mayor Michael Bloomberg says will be the nation’s largest continuous free outdoor public Wi-Fi network, covering 95 blocks in Harlem.

Make your own Street View with new Google tool[ Wed, 11 Dec 2013 00:40:55 GMT ]Ever wish Google's Street View extended into your back yard, or the little museum down the street, or your favorite hiking trail? Make your fantasy a reality by doing it yourself with a few of Android's "photo spheres" and a new online tool.First, you'll need to take a few dozen pictures.