Posts by Technology - 2RSocial

Technology: Lone Signal aims to send 'hello!' tweets to extraterrestrials

2013-06-18T05:24:00-04:00

Technology:
Lone Signal's website will let Earthlings submit messages for transmission to Gliese 526, a potentially habitable solar system 17 light years away. The messages will be sent from the fabled Jamesburg Earth Station, a satellite site that was first built to support the Apollo 11 moon mission. The property, which includes 160 acres of prime real estate in California's rural Carmel valley, is now privately owned, and Lone Signal has secured a 30-year lease on its satellite equipment. But Lone ...

Technology: China's Tianhe-2 retakes fastest supercomputer crown

2013-06-18T05:04:27-04:00

Technology:
Tianhe-2, developed by the government-run National University of Defence Technology, topped the latest list of the fastest 500 supercomputers, by a team of international researchers. They said the news was a 'surprise' since the system had not been expected to be ready until 2015. China last held the top rank between November 2010 and June 2011. According to the list, the US has the world's second and third fastest supercomputers, Titan and Sequoia, while Japan's K computer drops to fourth ...

Technology: EU quizzes telecom firms, handset makers on Google's Android

2013-06-14T13:34:01-04:00

Technology:
European Union antitrust regulators are asking mobile telecoms operators and handset makers if their Android deals with Google block rivals in mobile telephony, a move that could lead to a second investigation into the company. Google is already seeking to settle a three-year probe into complaints it squeezed out online search rivals. The Internet search company has offered concessions including labeling its products in search results and providing links to competing sites. EU Competition ...

Technology: China Now Has the World's Most Powerful Supercomputer

2013-06-14T13:06:18-04:00

Technology:
Two weeks ago, Jack Dongarra flew to Changsha, China for a meeting with researchers at the National University of Defense Technology, home to the country’s top supercomputing program. He expected an update on their plans for a new mega-machine, but they had a little surprise for him: The system was already up and running. It’s called Tianhe-2, and with more than 3 million processor cores, it’s the world’s most powerful supercomputer. It can perform more than 30 quadrillion ...

Technology: Cloud schools offer new education

2013-06-14T10:14:27-04:00

Technology:
Children in developing countries could educate themselves using computers, the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh has been told. While there would be an online adult moderator at times, the pupils would largely organise themselves, he said. Meanwhile, an MIT professor laid out his vision of bringing the very best university education to some of the poorest parts of the world. Prof Anant Agarwai already has one million students enrolled in his online school, edX, an online platform offering ...

Technology: Did Apple Just Ally With Microsoft Against Google?

2013-06-12T06:48:16-04:00

Technology:
It was one of those blink-and-you-miss-it moments. In Monday's WWDC keynote, Apple executive Eddy Cue was running through the new iOS 7 version of Siri, when he happened to mention Siri's default search function would be powered by Bing, not Google. That means the first default search engine on Apple's voice assistant, baked into 600 million iPhones, will be brought to you by Microsoft. It's a huge win for the giant of Redmond, which has long been hunting for more fronts to open up on ...

Technology: Sony Finally Reveals the PlayStation 4

2013-06-10T22:48:09-04:00

Technology:
Sony announced the the device during a press event in late February. The company began developing the PS4 shortly after it released the PlayStation 3 in 2006. While we learned a bit about the fourth-generation console in February, Sony didn't reveal it at the time. The PS4 has an X86 processor, enhanced PC GPU and 8GB of high-speed unified memory. It also includes a dual-shock controller that includes a touchpad, headphone jack and share button. The share button is particularly ...

Technology: 8 Over-the-Top Baby Gadgets

2013-06-03T06:16:37-04:00

Technology:
Here are eight superfluous baby gadgets you probably don't need. Expectant parents are inundated with list upon list of baby product 'essentials.' While some subscribe to the less-is-more theory, opting to stick with the basics (i.e. food, clothing, diapers, crib), others snatch up everything possible. Think: baby-wipes warmer, bottle warmer, the newest model diaper disposal and more. Every parent needs certain essentials for baby care and comfort, but it’s safe to say the eight ...

Technology: Google Updates Google Calendar for Android With Color Labels

2013-05-30T02:42:50-04:00

Technology:
Google updated its calendar app for Android Wednesday, bringing with it one of the most requested features for the app: the ability to customize event and calendar colors.Available for Android 4.1 devices and above, your Google Calendar can now be given the color of your choice (Google offers 24 options) directly from the Android app. Individual calendar items, such as birthdays or important meetings, can also be highlighted in a contrasting ...

Technology: Glasgow scientists create single-pixel camera for 3D images

2013-05-17T15:59:44-04:00

Technology:
A projector displays patterned light on the face on a mannequin. These patterns are used to produce a 2D image. A 3D image is then formed using a technique called 'shape from shade' Scientists in Glasgow have discovered a low-cost way to create 3D images. Their system uses detectors which have a single pixel to sense light instead of the millions of pixels used in the imaging sensors of digital cameras. The detectors can 'see' frequencies beyond visible light, which researchers say could ...

Technology: Top 10 best tablets in the world today: Which is the best tablet for you? Find out here

2013-05-17T06:00:04-04:00

Technology:
Luckily we've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available in the UK. We'll keep this listing constantly updated as new players enter the market and the older ones fizzle out.

Technology: Is Marissa Mayer About to Buy Tumblr for $1 Billion?

2013-05-16T23:00:36-04:00

Technology:
In a deal that would vault Yahoo into the premiere league of social media, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer is said to be closing in on a $1 billion acquisition deal with David Karp, the CEO of New York-based Tumblr. Details of the talks leaked out earlier Thursday via AllThingsD, a site which prides itself on its Yahoo sources in particular. A later report in AdWeek, via its own sources, cited $1 billion as the figure currently under discussion. Coincidentally, that is said to be the valuation Tumblr ...

Technology: Nasa buys into 'quantum' computer

2013-05-16T15:11:56-04:00

Technology:
It will be shared by Google, Nasa, and other scientists, providing access to a machine said to be up to 3,600 times faster than conventional computers. Unlike standard machines, the D-Wave Two processor appears to make use of an effect called quantum tunnelling. This allows it to reach solutions to certain types of mathematical problems in fractions of a second. Effectively, it can try all possible solutions at the same time and then select the best. Google wants to use the facility at ...

Technology: iPhone 5: Finally, the iPhone we've always wanted

2013-05-16T14:50:21-04:00

Technology:
The good: The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light. The bad: Apple Maps feels unfinished and buggy; Sprint and Verizon models can't use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There's no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android ...

Technology: Samsung claims 5G mobile data transmission breakthrough

2013-05-13T15:07:38-04:00

Technology:
Samsung says it has developed technology that could sit 'at the core of 5G' - the successor to the 4G mobile-communications standard. The company says its equipment is capable of transmitting data at more than 1Gbps across a distance of up to 2km (1.2 miles). It suggests the tech would eventually allow users to stream ultra-high-definition video while on the move. However, one expert says the news needs to be put in context. Prof Rahim Tafazolli - who heads up the University of Surrey's ...

Technology: Web game extras get Office of Fair Trading scrutiny

2013-04-12T09:57:42-04:00

Technology:
Web and phone games aimed at children that charge for extras are being investigated by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT wants to find out if the games put undue pressure on children to pay for additional content. Many games ask players to pay to get coins, gems or other virtual items to speed their progress through levels. The OFT wants ...

Technology: Hacker says phone app could hijack plane

2013-04-12T09:50:39-04:00

Technology:
A German security consultant, who's also a commercial pilot, has demonstrated tools he says could be used to hijack an airplane remotely, using just an Android phone. Speaking at the Hack in the Box security summit in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Hugo Teso said Wednesday that he spent three years developing SIMON, a framework of malicious code ...

Technology: Jay Silver: How to control a computer with a banana

2013-04-05T13:40:38-04:00

Technology:
Camden, Maine (CNN) -- To understand Jay Silver, it helps to go back 10 years, to a night he spent flying kites on a beach in his native Florida with the woman who would become his wife. She asked him whether he knew how to listen to the wind. Being an engineer, he responded that wind produces only white noise, and white noise contains no ...

Technology: Coming to your phone: High-definition voice

2013-04-03T06:14:18-04:00

Technology:
Smartphone makers have long touted the appeal of their high-definition display screens. Soon they'll be able to add high-definition sound to the mix, too. 'HD Voice,' also known as wideband audio, is a technology designed to make a caller's voice, and other noises, sound on phone calls as close as possible to how they do in person. On ...

Technology: Raspberry Pi comes to U.S., sells out in hours

2013-04-02T13:06:25-04:00

Technology:
Raspberry Pi, the tiny, ultra-cheap, Linux-based PC, went on sale Monday in the U.S. through retailer Allied Electronics, but it's already out of stock. The A version of the computer, which only costs $25, has 256MB of RAM, a single USB 2.0 socket, an HDMI, SD card, and 3.5 audio sockets, but no Ethernet port. Available only through Allied, ...

Technology: Petaflop supercomputer is decommissioned

2013-04-02T01:15:40-04:00

Technology:
The machine was the first to operate at 'petaflop pace' - the equivalent of 1,000 trillion calculations per second - when it launched in 2008. It has been used to model viruses and distant parts of the universe, as well as in nuclear weapons research. It remains one of the fastest supercomputers in the world, but has been replaced by ...

Technology: Samsung Galaxy S4 keeps calm, carries on with big screen, 8-core chip and, yes, eye tracking

2013-04-01T07:31:05-04:00

Technology:
If you're looking for Samsung's new Galaxy S4 to define a novel new era of smartphone greatness, it's time to temper your expectations. The brand-new flagship smartphone, which runs the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, improves hardware significantly and it piles on the features. Compared with the extremely successful Galaxy S3 that came ...

Technology: Google is run by adolescents, says Evgeny Morozov

2013-03-31T18:42:29-04:00

Technology:
As an author known for his viciously mocking criticism of web culture, Evgeny Morozov recently found himself the unaccustomed target of ridicule for his own technological habits. Promoting his challenging new book, To Save Everything Click Here, the Belarusian journalist-turned-academic revealed he stores his smartphone and ...

Technology: iPad mini vs Nexus 7 vs Nexus 10 vs Surface RT: tablet comparison review

2013-03-29T00:25:40-04:00

Technology:
Choosing a new tablet is much more complicated if you have multiple needs - but which will suit me best? (Please note: this is not a comprehensive roundup of every tablet on the market, nor a detailed list of every specification of those tablets. It's my examination of what will actually suit my needs - which if you read on you'll ...

Technology: Bitcoin miners hit back at cyber-thieves

2013-03-28T14:43:14-04:00

Technology:
Cyber-thieves are attempting to cash in on the rising value of the bitcoin virtual currency. Bitcoins have almost tripled in value in a month. In late February one bitcoin was worth £22 ($33) but now each one sells for about £60 ($90). Thieves who run networks of hijacked PCs are increasingly using these machines to create or 'mine' the ...