Archive for Science
NYTimes Science And Technology News: 19 February 2009
February 20th, 2009 • NYTimes, Science, Technology
- Gadgetwise: What’s Your Favorite Tech Folk Remedy?
We want your favorite unconventional fixes to common (or not-so-common) tech problems.
- Frugal Traveler: Photo Geo-Tagging on the Cheap
The Eye-Fi Explore SD is a wonder of miniaturization: an affordable 2-gigabyte memory card outfitted with a Wi-Fi chipset that automatically uploads photos.
- Dueling Software Is the Focus of Attention at a Mobile Phone Show
The focus has shifted from devices to mobile operating systems, shaking up a market that had been dominated by Nokia.
- Sirius XM Wins a Critical Loan From Liberty Media
Sirius XM’s infusion from Liberty Media means the satellite radio company can operate without fear of imminent bankruptcy.
- Video Game Review | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned: Grand Theft Auto: The Story Continues, as Gritty as Ever
“The Lost and Damned” is set in the same dark version of New York that provided the backdrop for the original game.
- With Four More Months to Switch, Hundreds of Television Stations Are All Digital
More than 400 stations have stopped broadcasting in analog form, months before the rescheduled transition to digital TV.
- Lawsuit Says Google Was Unfair to Rival Site
A small search engine accused Google of raising its ad rates after it realized the company was a potential competitor.
- As Earnings Drop 32%, Comcast Raises Dividend
The cable company also took a $600 million write-down on Clearwire, the wireless technology provider.
- India Opens High-Level Inquiry in Fraud Case
India’s highest-level investigative agency agreed to investigate Satyam Computer Services, a move that might complicate a quick sale of the company.
- Alcatel Chief Tries to Paint a Rosy Picture
Ben Verwaayen, the chief executive of the struggling telephone equipment maker, said Alcatel is poised to regain market share after stumbling for two years.
- Hewlett-Packard’s Profit Declines 13%
Sales at Hewlett-Packard felt the waning demand for technology products worldwide, but managed to meet earnings expectations.
- Revenue Drops as Sprint Nextel Loses Subscribers
The wireless carrier reported a $1.6 billion loss in the quarter as 1.3 million subscribers dropped its service.
- Yahoo Shows Search Ads With Images and Video
The struggling search engine is trying to win business back from its big rival, Google, by improving click-through rates.
- Facebook Withdraws Changes in Data Use
After a wave of protests, Facebook said it would withdraw changes to its terms of service concerning the data supplied by users.
Reuters Science And Technology News: 19 February 2009
February 20th, 2009 • Reuters, Science, Technology
- Formal “brain exercise” won’t help healthy seniors: research
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Healthy older people shouldn’t bother spending money on computer games and websites promising to ward off mental decline, the author of a review of scientific evidence for the benefits of these “brain exercise” programs says. - Facebook reverses course on privacy policy
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook’s efforts to build a business model around its online social network have hit another roadblock, as a backlash by its users forced the company to reverse a new policy. - Class action status denied in Microsoft Vista case
(Reuters) - A U.S. federal court denied class action status to a lawsuit accusing Microsoft Corp of misleading buyers about which computers could run expanded features that were part of the Windows Vista operating system. - Few report hitches as digital TV switch begins
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The digital transition has begun in earnest, and early reports suggest a relatively modest level of disruption for television viewers. - Hollywood struggles to find wealth on the Web
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After more than a decade of hype about the Internet being the next great stage for mass entertainment, it remains dominated by amateurs with most Hollywood stars watching from the wings. - Whereabouts of detained Egypt blogger unknown: Amnesty
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian authorities have not disclosed the whereabouts of an Egyptian blogger and activist who campaigns against Egypt’s Gaza policy and was reported to be detained earlier this month, Amnesty International said. - Mobile advertising edges closer to breakthrough
BARCELONA (Reuters) - After years of hype and hot air, advertising on mobile phones finally appears to be making some headway, boosted by the popularity of smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone and the content found on them. - iPhone features everywhere in rivals’ new phones
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Copying a few pages from the playbook of Apple Inc’s iPhone strategy, which brings many of the powers of the Internet to mobile phones, is no way to beat the computer interloper at its game. - Look beyond jobs for U.S. broadband payoff: experts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The $7.2 billion slice of the $787 billion economic stimulus package set aside to spur investment in high-speed Internet may not live up to its full promise of job creation. - Scientists make advances on “nano” electronics
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Two U.S. teams have developed new materials that may pave the way for ever smaller, faster and more powerful electronics as current semiconductor technology begins to reach the limits of miniaturization.
NYTimes Science And Technology News: 18 February 2009
February 19th, 2009 • NYTimes, Science, Technology
- Gadgetwise: Will Paid Apps Make Android Organize?
This week, the Android market will throw the door open to developers who want to charge for applications.
- Omnifone Nears Broadband Music Service in Europe
The company has reached a deal with four music companies to allow unrestricted downloads or streaming songs and music videos.
- S.E.C. Charges 4 From BlackBerry Maker Over Options
The Research in Motion executives agreed to pay more than $1.4 million in fines and give back more than $800,000 in profits to settle the case.
- More LG Phones to Use Microsoft System
The agreement increases the software maker’s bid to gain a bigger share of the mobile software business.
- Recession Starts to Worry Silicon Valley, Report Finds
The global recession came late to Silicon Valley, but the region is bracing for a rough year that may strain local social services.
- The Cellphone, Navigating Our Lives
Cellphones have changed how we communicate with others, and now they are changing how we think about information.
- Facebook’s Users Ask Who Owns Information
A change in the site’s terms of service raised suspicions that subscribers no longer control personal material.
- Frugal Traveler: Photo Geo-Tagging on the Cheap
The Eye-Fi Explore SD is a wonder of miniaturization: an affordable 2-gigabyte memory card outfitted with a Wi-Fi chipset that automatically uploads photos.
- Dueling Software Is the Focus of Attention at a Mobile Phone Show
The focus has shifted from devices to mobile operating systems, shaking up a market that had been dominated by Nokia.
- Sirius XM Wins a Critical Loan From Liberty Media
Sirius XM’s infusion from Liberty Media means the satellite radio company can operate without fear of imminent bankruptcy.
- Video Game Review | Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned: Grand Theft Auto: The Story Continues, as Gritty as Ever
“The Lost and Damned” is set in the same dark version of New York that provided the backdrop for the original game.
- With Four More Months to Switch, Hundreds of Television Stations Are All Digital
More than 400 stations have stopped broadcasting in analog form, months before the rescheduled transition to digital TV.
- Lawsuit Says Google Was Unfair to Rival Site
A small search engine accused Google of raising its ad rates after it realized the company was a potential competitor.
- As Earnings Drop 32%, Comcast Raises Dividend
The cable company also took a $600 million write-down on Clearwire, the wireless technology provider.
- Alcatel Chief Tries to Paint a Rosy Picture
Ben Verwaayen, the chief executive of the struggling telephone equipment maker, said Alcatel is poised to regain market share after stumbling for two years.
- Facebook Withdraws Changes in Data Use
After a wave of protests, Facebook said it would withdraw changes to its terms of service concerning the data supplied by users.
- Hewlett-Packard’s Quarterly Profit Falls 13%
Sales at Hewlett-Packard felt the waning demand for technology products worldwide, but managed to meet earnings expectations.
