Technology

Research In Motion (RIM), creators of the popular BlackBerry mobile device, are launching a more direct challenge to cell phone producers. The firm's newest model includes a flip-down keyboard, making it the first BlackBerry in the traditional phone ... shape. Previously, the BlackBerry had been available only as a flat-one piece device. Marketed primarily as a way to access emails wirelessly, its telephone functions had been seen as of secondary importance. For this reason it's generally been viewed as a business tool rather than a consumer device. The new BlackBerry Pearl is the first flip-down ... (view more)

The number of text messages sent by US phone users has more than doubled in the past year. However, an influential politician is asking questions about suspiciously similar price increases among leading politicians. The mobile phone trade body CTIA ... has just reported a record 75 billion text messages were sent during June, up from 28.8 billion in the same month last year. The same survey found 260 million people use some form of wireless communications device. That certainly raises questions as it would mean an average of 10 text messages per user per day, which sounds remarkably high. CTIA ... (view more)

How many times have you been driving to work and thought "Did I remember to lock the front door?" Or who remembers coming home early from school and finding all the doors locked with nobody home? Thanks to a new system, people will never have to ... worry about forgetting to lock their doors or bringing their house keys with them again. All you need is an Internet connection or a mobile phone. The company behind the plan, Ingersoll-Rand (under the "Schlage Lock" brand name) has manufactured a system that allows locks to be opened and closed via Internet commands. Now, users can lock and unlock ... (view more)

Those returning to school this month might want to invest in a new writing tool sure to take the pain out of jotting down lecture notes. The Pulse Smartpen boasts a hi-tech twist: while the pen writes with real ink, it also contains an infrared ... camera, audio recording device, twin microphones and a speaker. How does it work? The user removes a sheet of specialized "dot-paper" from their coiled notebook (included with the purchase of the Smartpen) and writes down information as they would using a standard pen. However, while a user is listening to what the teacher is saying, the built-in ... (view more)

If Plastic Logic has its way, printed newspapers will be a thing of the past. The company today introduced a new electronic reader focused on handling business and newspaper documents. The reader offers the same highly-readable display created by E ... Ink and offered on Sony and Amazon readers. The primary benefits of the E Ink display are that it does not need to be backlit, content remains on the screen even after power is turned off, and it looks better, not worse, in bright light. The Plastic Logic display, however, is more than twice the size of the Sony and Amazon readers and can store ... (view more)

Scientists are about to go ahead with the launch of a major physics experiment despite death threats from people convinced it will doom Earth to a black hole. Confused? The Large Hadron Collider, based near the border of France and Switzerland, is a ... cylinder that measures 27 kilometres around. When switched on this week, it will house two beams of protons which will collide at a speed just a millionth of one percent less than the speed of light. This will create up to 600 million particle collisions a second, allowing scientists to test theories about what makes up dark matter and why gravity ... (view more)

The next few years in the auto industry may bring about some interesting changes in the world of hybrid energy. Rather than worry about making gas-guzzling standard SUVs cheaper to operate, industry powerhouse Honda will seek an edge in the hybrid ... market by focusing exclusively on compact and subcompact hybrid vehicles. While competitors are trying to lure customers by making their desired large sedans and SUV's hybrid, Honda has decided to ignore that part of the hybrid market. The reason: Honda believes hybrid compacts and subcompacts are where the real energy savings are. By comparison, ... (view more)

Some of the top laptop manufacturers in the world have created a system that allows certain models to run frequently-used software in a matter of seconds. The specialized feature, called "Splashtop," does away with lengthy start-up times by avoiding ... Microsoft Windows in favor of a Linux-based "mini-operating system". For example: when a friend challenged me to a game of FIFA Soccer 2008 for the PlayStation 3, I was amazed to find that a new feature had been added that allowed users to practice perfecting their penalty shots while the game was busy loading the next page. Using this ... (view more)

It has always been assumed that the modern conveniences associated with the tech-revolution are something that everyone can enjoy. However, very rarely are the sacred teachings of some religious groups taken into consideration as technology ... continues to improve itself. Often times, people must alter the ways in which they manipulate certain products or refrain from using these products altogether to abide by their religious standards. Among the most prolific religions to voice their concern over the uses of some modern products is the Jewish faith. Many would be surprised to learn that a ... (view more)

The United States has long been considered an "innovation nation". But last year, John Kao, an accomplished jazz keyboard player, Yale philosopher, Medical School graduate, and an MBA from Harvard Business school sounded the alarm: America was ... losing its innovative touch. In his book, prepared for the 2008 presidential election candidates (inspired by Hillary Clinton), Kao points out that innovation drives geopolitical position and America is losing it. (Source: businessweek.com ) The main justifications for his position come from the globalization phenomena. He cited several observations in ... (view more)