Technology

New, high-tech mobile services are being designed to help drivers in congested cities find parking spaces. It's hoped these services will help save time and reduce pollution throughout the United States. These innovations are made possible through ... communications between a host of mobile applications and sensors planted into parking meters and parking spaces. This new form of technology has even been given a name: "smart parking." Meter Time, Parking Space Info Available Among the more prolific services available is "Streetline," which embeds wireless sensors in parking spaces ... (view more)

Mozilla plans on making a splash in the mobile market this summer with the release of its very own Firefox operating system (OS). It's the first time ever that Mozilla has ventured into this highly-competitive sector of the consumer technology ... market. Mozilla says the Firefox OS will be a smartphone operating system based entirely on HTML 5, which is widely considered the most advanced web browser programming language. HTML 5 Could Present Problems The advantage to using HTML 5 is that there are many developers willing to build HTML 5-based applications. The downside is that HTML 5-based ... (view more)

It appears telepathy, or speaking to one another with our minds, could soon become a reality. Possessing the ability to control certain machines via brain activity is not entirely new. In recent years, specialists have been able to help amputee ... patients overcome their disabilities using bionic limbs moved by specific thoughts. But up until now, such innovations have come following invasive surgeries that involve, above all else, penetrating the skull. And while the possibilities for such advancements are seemingly endless, those without life-altering disabilities are not readily willing to ... (view more)

Spanish researchers say they've found a way to drastically improve the accuracy of GPS-based satellite navigation. They believe they can track a vehicle's location to the nearest six-and-a-half-feet, down from a current radius of nearly fifty feet. ... The improvements might not only allow drivers to get more accurate directions, but could even increase the viability of cars that can drive themselves. The research was carried out by two departments at the Carlos III University in Madrid: the Applied Artificial Intelligence Group and the Systems Intelligence Laboratory. Researchers Remove GPS ... (view more)

Vancouver General Hospital is testing a new, super-efficient robotic machine capable of ridding small- and medium-sized rooms of bacteria. Called Tru-D SmartUVC, the device uses powerful ultraviolet light to sanitize an enclosed area. It measures ... 1.65 meters tall and has long bulbs running vertically up a round, clear shaft (it resembles an illuminated R2D2). When the machine is activated, a mechanical voice gives a 15-second countdown. While this is happening, Tru-D measures reflections from the ultraviolet light to determine the size of its surroundings and calculates how much exposure will ... (view more)

California officials have overturned a ban that prevented a smartphone app-based taxi-style service from legally operating. The case was prompted by a smartphone app called 'Uber,' which allows customers to summon a luxury car and driver to their ... location at the press of a button. The cost of the ride is automatically charged to a customer's credit card. The service was a welcome idea for customers who wanted to avoid trying to hail a cab. Unfortunately, Uber initially ran into problems with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). California Officials: Uber a Taxi Service Why? ... (view more)

Canada's Research in Motion (RIM) finally unveiled its BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system (OS) on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the company's stock value plunged in the hours that followed, indicating that investors don't believe the new OS or a ... fresh range of smartphone devices can save the struggling firm. RIM showed off BlackBerry 10 (BB10) in a highly-publicized event on Wednesday, January 30, 2013. The new mobile OS is specially designed with touchscreen devices in mind and reflects RIM's decision to enter market space previously dominated by Apple's iPhone and a wide range of Android- ... (view more)

European researchers have made it possible to store coded data in the form of DNA, officially creating the most compact form of digital storage ever in existence. UK-based EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) recently announced the ... successful storage of encoded data in DNA format. The files include an MP3 of Martin Luther King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech, a .jpeg photo, and several other text files. Millions of Data Stored in a Cup of DNA The innovative encoding method makes it possible to store over 100 million hours of high-definition video in just a cup of DNA. Among its ... (view more)

It appears that one of the technology industry's most troubled companies may soon be staging a comeback. BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) has just announced that its newest mobile operating system, BlackBerry 10, will begin to ship to ... consumers by late January, 2013. The news has led to a remarkable spike in RIM's recently languishing stock price. 2012/2013: Years RIM Would Like to Forget The last two years have represented a tough period for Canadian firm Research in Motion, which produces the BlackBerry smartphone. The formerly-innovative firm has struggled to prevent its customers ... (view more)

US-based aerospace and defense firm Boeing is working to improve the WiFi Internet service on its commercial aircraft. Surprisingly, the company is using potatoes as a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem. Recently, Boeing loaded passenger seats ... on a grounded aircraft with 9,000 kilograms (kg) of potatoes in sacks for several days, as technicians meticulously checked WiFi signal strengths. Because of their overall chemistry and high levels of water content, potatoes absorb and reflect radio wave signals much the same as human bodies. This makes standard spuds a suitable substitute for ... (view more)