If you like to shop online, you may like Perk, which is a new browser that lets you rack up reward points for surfing, searching, and shopping online. Perk is based on the same technology underlying Google’s popular Chrome browser. if they allowed the company to track their browsing habits. Up to now, these programs have had one thing in common. They failed to gain any traction with the online community.
Mobile operators in the U.S. will warn subscribers when they’re heading toward a big bill, after most carriers agreed to send email or text alerts when users are about to exceed their monthly usage limits or start using international roaming. Carriers serving 97 percent of U.S. mobile users instituted the alerts before a Wednesday deadline, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said on Thursday. Service providers agreed to provide the alerts in 2011 after a change in the voluntary Consumer Code for Wireless Service, sponsored by the CTIA mobile trade group. Other carriers may also warn their customers but are not participating in the program. So-called “bill shock” has made headlines over the past several years as ordinary consumers have received bills for thousands of dollars for high voice, text or data use, especially while using international roaming. A recent FCC survey showed that 30 million people in the U.S., or one out of six mobile users, had experienced bill shock, according to the agency. The new rules don’t change what carriers charge in those situations but are designed to make sure the customer knows what’s happening.
Thursday. . , with a GA release in early-September, is no longer achievable.” The new anticipated date for general availability of Java 8 is the first quarter of next year, while a developer preview release is eyed for September instead, he said.
The race to make the most advanced chips for smartphones and tablets is gaining steam, with contract chip manufacturer TSMC hastening implementation of its latest manufacturing technology to close a chip-making advantage long held by Intel. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.), the world’s largest contract chip manufacturer, on Thursday said it is breaking its traditional two-year manufacturing upgrade cycle and will start making chips using the 16-nanometer process early next year. The company earlier this year started making chips for devices such as smartphones and tablets using the 20-nm process. Smartphones and tablets are getting smaller, faster and more power-efficient thanks to new manufacturing technologies and the reduction in the size of transistors. Intel’s manufacturing capabilities are considered the most advanced today, and TSMC’s quick jump to a new process could allow the company’s customers to bring faster and more power-efficient chips to mobile devices a year ahead of schedule. The nanometer process refers to the underlying physics used in fabrication plants to create substrates on which chip features are etched. One of the recent advances in manufacturing technology is stacking transistors on top of each other—called FinFET or 3D transistors by the semiconductor industry—instead of placing transistors next to each other. That helps squeeze more power efficiency and boost performance of chips, which is reflected in the speed and battery life of smartphones.
Yahoo has released two new mobile apps, for weather and email, suggesting the company may be on track toward delivering on its promise of offering users a range of new mobile products over the next several months. The company, formerly one of Silicon Valley’s most esteemed tech players, has been under pressure in recent years to demonstrate its value to users as more people have migrated to mobile devices, social apps and social networks. Yahoo, unlike Google, Apple or Facebook, currently does not have any social network or smartphone of its own. Yahoo sees itself as being in the “second sprint” of its rebuilding efforts to , CEO Marissa Mayer said Tuesday during the company’s first-quarter earnings call. The first sprint was geared around improving Yahoo’s in-house talent, which the company has now accomplished, Mayer said.
Boston was perhaps the first major domestic improvised-bomb attack. The U.S. military had nearly no part to play in the response. That's an encouraging sign.
Lauren Crabbe happened to take this panoramic shot of the Boston Marathon about 90 minutes before the bombs exploded. She's sent it to the FBI so investigators can search it for clues.
Scientists are reporting a bounty of new worlds that may be capable of sustaining life, with the discovery of three exoplanets slightly larger than Earth orbiting within their stars? habitable zone.
If you walk into the lobby of the data center Facebook operates in the high desert in Prineville, Oregon, you'll find a flatscreen display on the wall where you can check the pulse of this massive computing facility.
The cofounder of the popular social news site Reddit has called on the leaders of Google, Facebook and Twitter to help defeat a controversial cybersecurity bill that would compromise the privacy of their users if passed by lawmakers.
The Dutch city of Nijmegen is collaborating with more than 20 architecture firms to offer its residents the chance to choose from a range of high-quality flat-pack designs for their first home.
This summer, a new underwater robot will start tracking some of the ocean's top predators -- including great white sharks -- to learn more about their habits.
After spending hundreds of millions of dollars designing, engineering, building and testing the complex pieces that make up a rocket, Orbital Sciences' Antares rocket was undone by the most mundane of issues: A faulty ethernet cable.
Man-made lava is a real thing and it is created in one of the most dangerous situations known: during the reactor core meltdown of a nuclear power plant. This rare variety of lava, named corium, has incredible properties, which scientists study to better understand and protect people and the environment in the case of the unthinkable.
The coelacanth isn't called a "living fossil" for nothing. The 2-meter-long, 90 kg fish was thought to have gone extinct 70 million years ago?until a fisherman caught one in 1938?and the animal looks a lot like its fossil ancestors dating back 300 million years. Now, the first analysis of the coelacanth's genome reveals why the fish may have changed so little over the ages. It also may help explain how fish like it moved onto land long ago.
WoodSkin is a fascinating new composite material created by the Milan design studio Mamma Fotogramma that looks like lovely patterned wood, but moves with the flexibility of a sheet blowing in the breeze. Its plastic nature allows it to function as a stylish, organic-looking skin for projects that might otherwise be built with standard, flat materials.
When the U.S. needed to draw up divisions for its various federal banking reserve divisions, two members of President Woodrow Wilson?s cabinet struck upon an ingenious method. They asked 20,000 state and local banks which city they'd like to be aligned with and drew the district lines around that. This surveying method is quite similar to making maps of sports fandom in the U.S.
Yahoo is clawing its way back from the grave with style. Today it introduces two apps to its mobile repertoire, Yahoo! Weather and a tablet version of its Yahoo! Mail app.
Twitter unveiled its new music app today. As expected, it's a music discovery service that helps you find new music based on what's popular, what your friends are listening to and (surprise!) what's trending on Twitter. The songs themselves are supplied by Rdio, Spotify and iTunes--Rdio and Spotify subscribers can link their services and play ...
The ability of scientists, doctors and companies to tell us how our genes might impact our health now hinges on a case being debated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Mexican drug cartels are all about the paper chase, which is why the Zetas are seeking to recruit more American citizens than ever before, according to the FBI.
This week, a little-noticed vote by the San Jose City Council paved the (run)way for one of the sweetest perks in the history of the tech industry. Call it Terminal G.
Not everyone realizes this, but whenever you use Siri, Apple?s voice-controlled digital assistant, she remembers what you tell her. How long does she remember? Apple isn?t saying. And the American Civil Liberties Union is concerned.
Photographer Will Steacy has been documenting financially difficult years for the
There are still some corners of the web that look like they're stuck in 1999 -- and that's a good thing.
LinkedIn is on a redesign rampage. Next in line: mobile.
Google wants to bring its ultra-high-speed internet service to Provo, Utah, the city?s mayor John Curtis announced at a press conference Wednesday. Instead of building new infrastructure, Google plans to acquire the existing iProvo fiber-optic network service.
Get a whiff of this:
For years, the military has dreamed about giving its troops infrared cameras small enough to carry around. Leave it to Darpa to figure out how.
A complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission accuses wireless phone carriers with leaving millions of Android phone users vulnerable to attack from hackers by failing to distribute fixes for known security flaws in a timely manner.
Alongside a massive pile of other game news, Nintendo announced today that a sequel to their 1991 classic
Since January, nearly 1,300 starving sea lion pups have been brought into Southern California's rehab facilities -- about 5.5 times more than the historical average. But in the last week, the rate of pup strandings has decreased.
Assuming the weather holds up, you will be able to watch a live rocket launch as Orbital Sciences Corp. conducts the first major test of their Antares vehicle. NASA's coverage begins at 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST with the launch scheduled for an hour later, 2 p.m. PST/5 p.m. EST.