Sign up for a new account or log in here:
also @ TechSpot: Building a Thin Mini-ITX PC: Small and Silent Performance
TechSpot News
research articles
Physicists may prove we exist in a computer simulation
- Have you ever considered the possibility that we may all live in a holographic universe constructed by vastly superior beings? I know -- it sounds like the basis for good science fiction (The Matrix, anyone?), but Nick Bostrom famously hypothesized (pdf)…
Facebook bug silently tallies up extra "likes"
- Facebook is once again finding itself under investor scrutiny after a U.S. security researcher uncovered a flaw in its "like" system which appears to be responsible for liking sites an unintended number of times. Although Facebook has pointed to a…
Custom UT2004 bots are more human than real-life players
- Programmers were tasked with the challenge of creating the most human-like UT2004 bots -- and it appears they delivered. In the competition sponsored by 2K games, the top two UT2004 bots tricked 52 percent of the judges into thinking they…
Hitachi unveils quartz-based storage, data may last 100 million years
- This morning Hitachi demonstrated its ability to encode data onto what it calls "quartz glass". Data etched into the material should last 100 million years, the company claims. Diamonds may be forever, but apparently quartz isn't very far behind. …
10-15% of online reviews will be paid for by companies in 2013
- Research firm Gartner reports that corporate spending on positive social media ratings and reviews will continue to swell by 2014. The expected result is a 10 to 15 percent increase in paid-for ratings and reviews, making the web an increasingly…
Consumers love their tablets, study shows, favor iPad, Kindle Fire
- Analytics firm comScore has released the results of a three-month TabLens survey which aimed to discover more insight about tablet owners and what they like. The firm draws a number of conclusions from its results, but most notably it finds…
Samsung may begin producing flexible AMOLED displays this quarter
- According to The Verge, Korean news site DDaily says Samsung is set to begin manufacturing its long-rumored "Youm" displays -- a new type of ultra-thin AMOLED panel which is bendable, stretchable, rollable and possibly even foldable. This jibes with rumors we heard…
Explore the Antarctic with Google Maps and Street View
- Armchair explorers can now enjoy impromptu South Pole safaris from the warm comfort of their cozy homes. Google announced on Tuesday that its Street View team has been hard at work collecting 360-degree imagery of notable locations in Antarctica and…
Experian: password theft soars 300% to 12 million in the first quarter
- Cybercriminals illegally trading stolen personal information online such as passwords has soared exponentially to 300% during the first four months of 2012, according to the latest research from Experian CreditExpert and market research agency Opinion Matters.
CERN says newly discovered particle is consistent with Higgs boson
- Scientists announced today that the Higgs boson -- or a new subatomic particle like it -- appears to indeed be real. The hunt for the Higgs boson has been an intense one, for its absence could have single-handedly destroyed whatever…
Google creates neural network, teaches itself to recognize cats
- Google engineers claim they've designed a computer network capable of analyzing, categorizing and ultimately teaching itself to recognize the content of images. The "neural network" was fed 10 million images from YouTube video thumbnails and -- without being told how…
Scientists hit wireless speeds of 2.56Tbps using light vortex beams
- Researchers at USC, JPL and Tel Aviv University have managed to transfer 2.56 terabits of information by multiplexing 8 x 300Gbps "twisted" streams of visible light into a single beam. The feat exploits a phenomenon which, up until recently, scientists…
Intel claims new plastic chassis will rival aluminum in quality, price
- Intel has announced what it considers to be a breakthrough in structural design for Ultrabooks and possibly other portables. The chip maker claims it has engineered a plastic chassis which rivals the solid aluminum unibody case designs made popular by Apple --…
German cable ISP hits 4.7Gbps Internet speeds via existing infrastructure
- Kabel Deutschland, Germany's largest cable provider, claims to have broken Internet speed records yesterday. While besting existing network throughput records seems to be a frequent occurrence, Kabel Deutschland's 4.7Gbps demonstration utilized standards, technology and infrastructure that already commonly exist. …
Genetically-engineered viruses may power devices of the future
- Riding along a fine line between modern day technology and creepy science fiction, Department of Energy researchers unveiled a device which generates energy by harnessing the electro-mechanical properties of genetically-engineered viruses. The nanotechnology-based power generator leverages piezoelectric principles, an old concept…
Chrome, IE market share creeps upward, Firefox losing ground
- According to data from analytics firm Net Applications, Internet Explorer may be making a slow come back after years of being on the decline. Although IE's market share only ticked upward from 53.83 to 54.09 percent, this is compounded by…
MoPub: Apple's UDID policy costs iOS developers 24% in ad revenue
- MoPub, a mobile ad company, claims that Apple's policy of rejecting ads which utilize unique device identifiers (UDID) is resulting in an ad revenue loss of 24 percent for iOS developers. MoPub arrived at this finding after analyzing three months worth…
"Biggest ever" review finds no link between cell phones and health
- It seems like every few months, new research surfaces which either validates or invalidates links to cell phone radiation and human health. So, what's the truth -- the real truth? It may disappoint you to know the jury is still…
Forrester: Tablets expected to supplant laptops by 2016
- Thanks in part to industry efforts to make tablets both magical (video) and affordable, Forrester Research predicts that tablets will become the preferred computing device for millions of people by 2016. Global tablet sales have been steadily climbing and there's no doubt…
NPD survey: 40 percent of freemium gamers pay for in-game content
- According to the NPD Group, for every five gamers in the U.S. who play freemium games, two of those individuals will purchase in-game content. Freemium, which also falls into the category of F2P or free-to-play, is a sales model where…
Pew: 20% of adults avoid Internet, smartphones closing digital divide
- According to an annual Pew Research survey, about 1 out of 5 American adults don't use the Internet. Out of that 20 percent, most of those adults believe the Internet is irrelevant to their lives while merely 10 percent of…
Researchers create wearable ultra-thin solar cells thinner than spider silk
- A team of scientists from Austria and Japan have developed a solar cell that is thinner than a single thread of spider silk. The device unveiled Wednesday is about 1.9 micro-meters thick; one micro-meter is equal to one millionth of…
Google X reveals "Project Glass", an augmented reality visor
- We've all seen what happens when technology becomes portable and connected to everything around us -- we get fatally bad driving and people walking into water fountains -- but what if your smartphone could be a visor, glasses or even…
IBM to build low-power, exascale computer for largest-ever radio telescope
- For the next five years, IBM will be working with the Netherland's National Institute of Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in hopes of developing a low-powered, exascale supercomputer. According to IBM, such a computer would be millions of times faster than today's…
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
-
Building a Thin Mini-ITX PC: Small and Silent Performance
-
Metro: Last Light Tested, Benchmarked
-
Microsoft officially announces Xbox One: here's what we know so far
-
Xbox One: Entertainment hub first, gaming console second - but can it disrupt TV?
-
'Supercapacitor' could fully charge your phone in less than 30 seconds
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.
TechSpot on: