Will The iPod Kill Blockbuster?

Forget the cavernous big box stores that laid waste to the retail landscape a decade ago. Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs’ tiny iPod has turned his company into a category killer for the digital era–first wiping out music stores and now, potentially, the corner video store. Starting in mid-January, the Cupertino, Calif., computer and gadget [...]

Sorry, gamers: Wii workout poor exercise

So you just gave the kids a Wii game system and figure they — and you — might get a little exercise, as well as enjoyment, out of it? Well, enjoy, but forget about the exercise. British researchers found that a group of 13- to 15-year-old boys and girls burned up about 60 calories an [...]

Vonage, AT&T Agree On Patent Lawsuit Settlement

Vonage and AT&T (NYSE:T) finalized the settlement of a lawsuit AT&T filed in October, which alleged the VoIP provider infringed AT&T patents. AT&T claimed Vonage used proprietary technology that allowed Vonage to make VoIP calls possible using traditional telephones hooked up to a Vonage-branded router. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. On November [...]

Bug fixes may help Vista, but let’s hope successor is better

The love-hate relationship between Microsoft and its users has always centered on the performance of its operating system. And during the past year, Windows Vista has given us reasons to be both positive and negative about the future of the PC. Before it came out in January, Vista got good reviews, though some critics complained [...]

Russia launches final satellites for its own GPS

Russia successfully launched a rocket on Tuesday carrying the last three satellites to complete a navigation system to rival America’s GPS. The military-run GLONASS mapping system works over most of Russia and is expected to cover the globe by the end of 2009, once all its 24 navigational satellites are operating. A space rocket blasted [...]

Bible put on a pinhead-size chip

Researchers in Israel say they have succeeded in putting a version of the Bible on a chip smaller than a pinhead. Its 300,000 words in Hebrew were inscribed on a silicon surface at the Haifa Institute of Technology. Scientists say the aim of the project is to increase young people’s interest in nanoscience and nanotechnology. [...]

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics

$1 Billion Project to Include Images of Irises and Faces The FBI is embarking on a $1 billion effort to build the world’s largest computer database of peoples’ physical characteristics, a project that would give the government unprecedented abilities to identify individuals in the United States and abroad. Digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm [...]

More Price Drops in Store for High-Definition Players

As the format war wages on, it will wage on with cheaper players. According to Home Media Magazine, a new study reveals that the price drops for HD DVD and Blu-Ray players will likely continue through the year 2011. The study, conducted by Understanding & Solutions, reveals that the prices for high-def players will be [...]

Windows XP SP3 Release Candidate Now Available To Public

One feature should prove popular with corporate IT managers, who often need to oversee hundreds, or even thousands, of operating system installations. Microsoft has released to the public a near-final version of a major update to its Windows XP operating system. As of Wednesday, the ‘Release Candidate’ for Windows XP Service Pack 3 was available [...]