technology

The solution to the age-old problem of weakening battery capacity may soon emerge thanks to tech wizzes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Scientists there have discovered an efficient way of powering electronic devices using ... bacteria-infused batteries. No, this isn't a late April Fool's joke or a long-lost X-Files plot. It's true; the new batteries use a kind of bacteria that can construct an anode after being protected by a layer of cobalt oxide and gold. Once this process is complete, the bacteria batteries can be formed into a nanowire . This makes them drastically ... (view more)

Microsoft has won another skirmish in the war for market share , as Queensland University of Technology agreed to transfer about 40,000 student email accounts to the Live@edu suite of applications. Queensland University of Technology has been ... internally testing email products from both Microsoft and Google for the past year, and made the choice to use Live@edu based on student feedback and the school's overall familiarity with the Microsoft environment. Professor Tom Cochrane, deputy vice chancellor for the Division of Technology, Information, and Learning Support, also noted that the ... (view more)

Rumors this week suggest that software giant Microsoft has acquired an Israeli virtual reality company. Although the acquisition could present any number of uses, insiders are speculating that the move has been made to improve the Redmond-based ... company's second-place position in the video game industry. While much of the technology world buzzes about its upcoming Windows 7 , Microsoft has made an important move in its attempt to halt Nintendo's steady advance in the gaming industry. As the Wii continues to run away with the gaming crown by employing motion-sensitive technology and accessible ... (view more)

Is there anything Google can't do? Google mapping technology, the subject of intense international criticism last week with the introduction of the Latitude location-based social application, steps in to save the day by mapping raging Australian ... bushfires. This weekend, as the largest bushfires Australia has ever seen ravaged the landscape, engineers at Google Australia lent a helping hand by creating a Google Map that tracks the progress of the fires and provides essential information to those at risk. The map allows Australian citizens to keep track of clear, threatened, and danger zones ... (view more)

For those of you who feel that USB 2.0 isn't quite fast enough for your needs, take note: USB 3.0 is on its way, and the new technology offers data transfer speeds that are ten times faster than the last generation. Dubbed "SuperSpeed USB" at the ... recent USB Implementers Forum in sunny San Jose, USB 3.0 is the next step in a must-have technology. USB data transfer devices can be found just about anywhere, including wireless Internet peripherals and "sticks", tiny thumb-sized disc-like storage units that allow one to carry several gigs worth of data in their pocket. USB 2.0 isn't exactly ... (view more)

If Plastic Logic has its way, printed newspapers will be a thing of the past. The company today introduced a new electronic reader focused on handling business and newspaper documents. The reader offers the same highly-readable display created by E ... Ink and offered on Sony and Amazon readers. The primary benefits of the E Ink display are that it does not need to be backlit, content remains on the screen even after power is turned off, and it looks better, not worse, in bright light. The Plastic Logic display, however, is more than twice the size of the Sony and Amazon readers and can store ... (view more)

U.S. residents living in a state bordering Canada or Mexico may reportedly be given a remotely readable driver's license designed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify U.S. citizens as they approach the nation's borders as a way ... to save time and simplify border crossings. The DHS was created after the attacks of 9/11/01 . Residents may want to think twice before signing up for the department's new program. The licenses come equipped with radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that are readable through wallets, pockets or purses from as far away as 30 feet. Tiny ... (view more)

While an unlimited power source has yet to be developed, researchers at Intel are testing new technology that would allow laptop computers and mobile phones to be recharged without having to be plugged in to an electrical socket. Few people would ... contest the benefits of using a very mobile laptop computer over a standard desktop PC. But, are notebook computers as versatile as we've been led to believe? Sure, a laptop can be taken anywhere, but without a battery charger, its power source is limited to only a few hours. The same can be said for other portable electronic devices and mobile ... (view more)

Japanese mobile phones consistently deliver high-speed connections, digital television broadcasts and super-fast video downloads. It's not that Japan is hoarding the technology; the country is very willing to share their innovations with the global ... market. Still, some Japanese products (despite their efficiency) continue to fair poorly in North America. A number of Japanese manufacturers are once again venturing westward in the hopes of financial success. Their North American promotional tour will be headlined by the "wallet phone". Don't let the name fool you. The "wallet" tagline does not ... (view more)

In yet another case where government appears to be above the law, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has issued a report warning that your printer may be spying on you. Some color laser manufacturers are encoding each page with identifying ... information -- secret code that could be used to identify the printer and, potentially, the person who used it. Without your knowledge or consent, an act you assume is private could become public. What's worse is that there are no laws to prevent abuse. There's little to stop the Secret Service from using printer codes to secretly trace the origin of ... (view more)