Technology News
Browse all articles and features filed under the News desk.
Samsung holds final talks on Google TV venture
Samsung Electronics is holding final talks with Google about launching a television using the US search giant's software platform next year, an executive of the South Korean company said Tuesday. Yoon Boo-Keun, president of the visual display division, declined to elaborate on th
German firm starts selling space travel insurance
A German firm is to start offering space travel insurance, hoping to cash in on a new wave of 'ordinary astronauts' ahead of next year's first commercial space trips. Insurance giant Allianz will start offering its new space travel policies from the start of next year to coincide
Samsung to release modified tablet in Germany
Samsung Electronics said Thursday it has modified the design of its newest tablet PC to bypass a sales ban in Germany, and would start selling it there as early as this week. The Galaxy Tab 10.1N, based on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, has a different metal frame and the location of the s
Orbital solar power plants touted for energy needs
The sun's abundant energy, if harvested in space, could provide a cost-effective way to meet global power needs in as little as 30 years with seed money from governments, according to a study by an international scientific group. Orbiting power plants capable of collecting solar
PM Gilani inaugurates ground station of Paksat-1R
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani formally inaugurated the commercial operation of Pakistan’s second communication satellite Paksat-1R in Lahore Saturday, Geo News reported. Paksat-1R was launched on August 12 from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre by China Great Wall Industry
Japan computer smashes speed record
A Japanese supercomputer has broken its own record as the world's fastest machine by performing 10 quadrillion calculations per second, its developers announced. The "K Computer", which has more than 88,000 central processing units - the computer's "brain" - compared with the few
ST-Ericsson beats Qualcomm Windows Phone
ST-Ericsson won a deal to supply chipsets for future Nokia phones based on Windows software, breaking Qualcomm's monopoly over Microsoft's mobile platform. ST-Ericsson said on Wednesday its technology would enable Nokia, the world's largest cellphone vendor, to offer cheaper Wind
Angry Birds tops 500 million downloads
Mobile gaming firm Rovio said on Wednesday its hit game Angry Birds had reached a record 500 million downloads in less than two years since its launch. "It's more than any game ever before," Rovio's marketing chief Peter Vesterbacka told a conference in Helsinki. Unlike most mobi
Moscow's Mars volunteers to 'land' after 520 days
Six volunteers Friday will emerge blinking into the outside world after spending almost one-and-a-half-years in isolation at a Russian research centre to test the effects on humans of a flight to Mars. The six men, who have spent 520 days in a capsule in a car park outside the Mo
Bill Gates unfussed by Steve Jobs' jab
Microsoft founder Bill Gates coolly parried some harsh criticism from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, in an interview Sunday, saying their professional rivalry was positive. Gates, who maintained a long rivalry with the Apple innovator, was asked about an authorized biography o
Apple celebrates life of Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs was honored online and off Wednesday as tributes poured into a memorial website set up by Apple for its late co-founder and shops closed temporarily as workers celebrated his life. Doors were locked and curtains drawn at Apple Stores to allow retail store employees to
Apple wins Australian ban in Samsung tablet case
US technology giant Apple on Thursday won a temporary ban on Samsung selling its Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia, the latest victory in its global battle over patents related to the iPad. The Federal Court of Australia granted an interim order against the sale of the Galaxy 10.1, ru
Sony halts 93,000 online accounts after new breach
Sony said Wednesday it had suspended 93,000 accounts on its online networks after detecting a large amount of unauthorised sign-in attempts months after a massive data breach. The attempts took place between October 7 and 10 and succeeded in verifying valid sign-in IDs and passwo
Apple unveils updated iPhone, stock slips
Apple on Tuesday unveiled an updated iPhone complete with a built-in "personal assistant" in a move that failed to dazzle investors but promised to keep the smartphones ahead of the pack. Apple shares slipped on Wall Street after the California gadget maker showed off a slick, im
First super bus made in Holland
The first super bus has been developed in Holland costing 7 million pounds and was flown to the United Arab Emirates where it will be used by a sheikh. The super bus crafted with state-of-the-art materials which seats 23 passengers and had a top speed of 155mph. The hi-tech bus m
Electric cars set to hit Paris roads
Paris will on Sunday launch an ambitious electrically powered car-share service that it hopes will not only improve the quality of life in the City of Lights but also herald a revolution in sustainable urban transport. But the “Autolib” venture also constitutes a risky gamble bot
E-gate' adds face recognition to airline security
Silicon Valley-based AOptix on Monday introduced new "e-gates" that recognize faces as well as irises of passengers before opening to let them board flights. "This is what we call the future of passenger boarding," AOptix director of corporate communications Brian Rhea said as an
US satellite may crash back to Earth Sept 23
A 20-year-old satellite that measured the ozone layer is expected to crash back to Earth late next week, but NASA said Friday it still does not know where it will fall. The US space agency stressed that the risk to public safety from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
Crew makes safe return to Earth afer space crash
Three astronauts returned safely to Earth from the International Space Station on Friday aboard a Soviet-era capsule whose mission follows an unprecedented spate of Russian space accidents. Space officials said the Soyuz TMA-21 capsule landed on its side in the wind-swept steppes
Rocket lifts off with satellites to probe moon
An unmanned US rocket blasted off on Saturday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to deliver twin robotic probes to the moon in the hope of learning what is inside. The 124-foot (37.8-meter) booster soared off its seaside launch pad at 9:08 a.m. EDT, arcing over the