Technology

The freedom to journey the web is largely taken for granted here in North America. Unfortunately, that's hardly the case in Asia, where mere images (or videos) are scrutinized for their most basic and even remote meanings. Two stories on this ... reality are emerging right now, and they're both fascinating glimpses of political environments Americans struggle to comprehend. And, despite that rather comforting disconnect, the United States plays a role in both accounts. The first involves (relatively) popular search engine Yahoo Inc, which is facing a lawsuit by imprisoned Chinese political ... (view more)

With the American dollar as the recognized measure of international currency in today's modern global economy, all eyes are expected to fall upon the unveiling of the new U.S. five dollar bill. But, unlike in previous years, The Bureau of Engraving ... and Printing is introducing the bill in a hi-tech way. The Bureau is expected to partake in a digital unveiling of the redesigned currency note. The new $5 bill will be shown to the entire world via a live Internet broadcast. The unveiling has been dubbed the "Wi-5" event. The broadcast will be hosted on the Bureau's website and a number of facts ... (view more)

A usability study by consulting firm User Centric has found that average cell phone users are more efficient when using a QWERTY keypad than Apple's new iPhone design. The study involved 20 participants who said they sent text messages at least 15 ... times per week. Half of these participants owned a QWERTY keypad, and the other half owned a phone with a numeric keypad. None of them had ever used an iPhone. All participants were asked to copy 12 standard messages that had been created for the study using their own phones. Then the participants were asked to copy the same messages with an iPhone ... (view more)

Five years ago, if you asked some of the people who resided in the Lenox neighborhood of New Jersey what they feared most, most of them would probably say drug dealing, prostitution solicitation and the occasional gunshot. It's a far step from the ... average person's fears, which might include rush-hour traffic or putting on weight over the holidays. However, the small suburb of Lenox had become so infested with criminal behavior that police were no longer being called to respond to most of the illegal activities taking place in the area. New Jersey police had tried a number of solutions to rid ... (view more)

Given the somewhat surprising popularity of the iPhone (come on, that price is rich), it's less-than-surprising that a host of third party options are headed towards the device. First up may be eBooks and even old-school text games, both taking ... advantage of a generally reliable service, awesome resolution, and long-time projected growth. For those of us who rarely leave the nauseating glow of the computer screen, eBooks have become a popular alternative to the rainforest-ruining fare of yesterday. Granted, sometimes there's just no replacement for the feel of a good, physical book, but for ... (view more)

Military scientists are in the midst of developing new technology that, if successful, will increase safety during times of war and change the face of battlefield health care. The new technology will be able to detect hidden brain injuries, critical ... for saving victims from the unseen. For years, researchers have tried to develop a system for use on the battlefield to determine the severity of injuries experienced by soldiers who are near explosive devices when they detonate. Many problems in the past have resulted from troops being exposed to a blast, but showing no visible injuries. These ... (view more)

Sony is jumping on the 'save the earth' bandwagon with its "Take Back Recycling Program". Starting September 15, 2007, Sony will recycle its customers' Sony-brand electronic products free of charge. Sony's new recycling program is coming at a good ... time. Lately, electronic waste has been growing; in 2005, between 1.9 million and 2.2 million tons of electronics products were discarded in the U.S., and as little as 345,000 tons was recycled. With the increase in the number of electronic gadgets being produced and the decrease in prices, once a new product comes along the old one ... (view more)

Love your iPod, iPhone, or iMac? If you're an owner of any of these popular devices, there's a good chance you've been impressed with Apple's products in the past. For the last few years, it has experienced almost unrivaled satisfaction from ... consumers. Unfortunately, that seems to have changed. According to the University of Michigan's annual rankings (cited through the American Customer Satisfaction Index, or ACSI), Apple dropped some five percentage points in its overall customer satisfaction ranking. That's a plummet from an impressive 84 to a still-stellar 79. Also dropping in the ... (view more)

North Americans usually assume a moral obligation when conserving energy. An individual will likely turn off the lights in an empty room or shut off the water when brushing their teeth. But, if this energy-conscious person is one of the many ... millions of computer users who leave their PC sitting idle, they are actually contributing to over a days worth of wasted energy in just one hour of computer use. Industry analysts are now reporting that a standard desktop PC, with its many cooling fans and whirring disk drives, uses enough energy to illuminate up to three 100-watt light bulbs, more if ... (view more)

Apple is not only known for its sleek and simple product designs, its success is actually built on it. Thus, it came as quite a surprise when AT ... (view more)