No training wheels needed

Three Purdue University industrial designers tapped into memories of their own childhood cycling misadventures to build a bike that ditches the training wheels but keeps rookie riders stable.

For one Silicon Valley company, hiring Indian programmers wasn't about greed, it was about survival. Read the report by Katherine Mieszkowski.

The Mozilla Foundation's Firefox Web browser passed a significant milestone in adoption on Friday, with more than 50 million copies of the program downloaded, according to its distributors.

Related stories 1 and 2

Why spelling counts

Be careful typing "Google.com" in your browser, or you could end up stampeded by Trojans horses.

Renaissance robots

photos These days, robots are doing just about everything, from dancing to riding camels to taking people up stairs.

Tiger Takes Center Stage

Tiger has arrived, and we’ve got an in-depth look at the major OS update. First, read details about Mac OS X Tiger and Tiger Server. Then dive deep into Tiger with our Tiger Field Guide, featuring all-new looks at the top 10 features of Tiger, including Spotlight, Dashboard, and Automator. And be sure not to install Tiger before reading Ted Landau's Guide to installing OS X 10.4. For all of Macworld's extensive Tiger coverage, visit and bookmark the Macworld Tiger topic page.

Google may base listings on news credibility

Google has plans to dramatically improve the results of Internet news searches, by ranking them according to quality rather than their date and relevance to search terms. New Scientist

Looking for jobs 'Indeed'

Indeed is a search engine for jobs - with a radically different approach to job search. In one simple search, Indeed gives job seekers free access to millions of employment opportunities from hundreds of websites. Indeed.com includes all the job listings from over 500 websites - major job boards, the top 200 newspapers, hundreds of associations and company career pages - and they continue to add new sites every day. Check it out.

Longhorn Blogs

This is NOT a Microsoft site. It is a community-based initiative to spread the word about the next version of Windows, sponsored by Interscape Technologies. Check it out here.

Yahoo! Toolbar Gets to Know RSS

Yahoo! Toolbar for IE (v5.6) now detects RSS/Atom feeds just like its toolbar sibling for Mozilla Firefox.

The toolbar uses RSS Autodiscovery to detect feeds. To make sure feeds on your web site are detected, just add the following to the of your web pages:

And when we say FEED TITLE we mean the name of your site PLUS the specific area of your site (e.g. Engadget: Gaming). When a user clicks the button it will say something like "Subscribe to Engadet: Gaming."

Get To Know Your Toolbar
Here are some other power user features that are useful for many folks:

Drag and drop any text on the page into the toolbar search box to search the web.

Press Alt-S to instantly put the cursor focus into the toolbar search box.

Right-click any toolbar button or menu item to open its destination in a new window.

Use Search This Site button to get results only for the current web site. See Toolbar Options

Enjoy!

Duke Fan
Yahoo! Toolbar Product Manager

Can Google mop up with Ajax?


Search giant shows that rich Web applications can be built from older tech. At risk: Flash, Java and even Microsoft. Read more here.

Can You Outsource Innovation?

BusinessWeek is asking interesting questions about outsourcing innovation in this week's issue.

"R&D used to be treated as one big black box," says Vivek Paul, CEO of Indian info-tech services giant Wipro Technologies (WIT ), whose contract R&D service employs 8,000 engineers. "Now, companies are deconstructing the whole R&D chain, sorting out what's strategic and what's not."

To help provide answers, Parametric Technology (PTC), a Needham, (Mass.) producer of collaborative design software for 31,000 clients worldwide, commissioned a study of a typical R&D workforce of a typical electronics company. It concluded that about 30% of the jobs were "portable," meaning companies could shift them offshore. (From: R&D Jobs: Who Stays, Who Goes?)

Is there a point of no-return with offshoring and outsourcing?

Flexible-screen phone in 2007...

Or so they say. Philips Polymer Vision is reportedly making great strides in producing a flexible screen for phones. When you want to view a larger screen than the tiny external display on your phone, you can unfurl your phone's flexible screen like a scroll. Not only will this scroll screen be a boon to wizards, it can also provide a 320 x 240-pixel image, making it better (but not entirely good) for viewing documents and web pages on your phone. Rumor has it that this new screen could be ready in as little as two years. We think it'll show up around the time that your refrigerator begins talking to your dishwasher via Bluetooth and all of your monetary needs are taken care of by the Intergalactic Federation.

Future Now: Wrist Video

So, it took us 40+ years to come from Dick Tracy's imaginary wrist radio to Israeli Army's very real wrist video, developed by Tadiran Spectralink. The screens display video shot by unmanned airplanes. "We are fulfilling the science fiction movies that we see," said Itzhak Beni, chief executive of the Elisra Group's Tadiran Electronic Systems and Tadiran Spectralink companies.
-- Associated Press via Engadget

Adverting Robots

A Japanese firm Flower Robotics has developed a mannequin robot that can strike a pose for customers - and spy on who they are and what they're buying.

"Mannequins have been static but this will pose for the nearest person by sensing his or her position," robot designer Tatsuya Matsui told a news conference. The robot would be able to judge the age and sex of shoppers and even identify the bags they are carrying and pass along the information to stores for marketing purposes.
--tvnz.co.nz

iPod People

Andrew Sullivan's written an interesting piece about how isolated and lonely we seem to be these days. He wonders if we've turned into the iPod People, as he describes a recent stroll through New York:

There were little white wires hanging down from their ears, or tucked into pockets, purses or jackets. The eyes were a little vacant. Each was in his or her own musical world, walking to their soundtrack, stars in their own music video, almost oblivious to the world around them. These are the iPod people.

I noticed this when I went skiing this past week, especially obvious were the iPod teens on the ski lifts, staring into space like zombies, seated next to me.

Can a product change a society so fundamentally, or is this product showing us something about our society that was always there?

Mobile networks seek turbo boost

Third-generation mobile (3G) networks need to get faster if they are to deliver fast internet surfing on the move and exciting new services.

The "digital divide" between rich and poor nations is narrowing fast, according to a World Bank report.

The World Bank questioned a United Nation's campaign to increase usage and access to technology in poorer nations.

Lead; Follow - Get Out of the Way!

Could Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs be thinking about more than just inducing a few PC enthusiasts to switch to the Mac? He claims not to be interested in the Media Center concept, noting that the cable industry is a monopoly. However, he is also famous for misleading analysts.

Firefox Keeps Gaining

"If ever there were a sign that Firefox is gaining markeshare, here you have it. Yahoo has released a PC Firefox version of its toolbar, and plans to add Mac support soon."

Further evidence: the B2 Website's tally of browser now has Explorer's share at 73% and Firefox at 10%.

Fiorina out!

Carly Fiorina, one of corporate America's highest ranking female executives, has stepped down as chairman and chief executive of Hewlett-Packard.

UPDATE: Who said incompetence doesn't pay off.

The Business Of Nanotech

There's still plenty of hype, but nanotechnology is finally moving from the lab to the marketplace. Get ready for cars, chips, and golf balls made with new materials engineered down to the level of individual atoms.

Yahoo launches 'contextual' search

Yahoo is offering a new search service designed to help people find more-relevant content online.

RFID: Plenty of Mixed Signals

Despite Wal-Mart's push for radio-frequency identification, skeptical suppliers are still foolishly slow to embrace the new technology.

New Yahoo tool sends business info to mobile phones

Yahoo began offering on Thursday a new tool that allows users of its local search service to send restaurant or business information in the form of a text message from a computer to a mobile phone.

Amazon search pictures your destination

Amazon.com is mapping the streets of the United States in an ambitious digital photography project to drive people into local businesses.

Sun poised to take open-source Solaris

Sun Microsystems is about to take the next step in its plan to refurbish the reputation of its Solaris operating system in the eyes of a small but crucial group: programmers.

CES 2005

Which gadgets will come out of CES 2005 to capture the hearts and dollars of consumers?

Bezos offers glimpse into space project

Blue Origin, the secretive space exploration company founded by Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos, on Thursday, Jan. 13th, quietly announced plans to build a testing facility on a remote ranch in western Texas.

Yahoo, Microsoft gaining ground on Google

Google remains the favorite of search consumers, but Yahoo and Microsoft are closing the gap, according to a new survey.

Google unveils budget search appliance

With the new product, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company hopes to broaden its search-appliance business to cater to smaller businesses with fewer documents and tighter budgets.

Interent Phones

Your next telephone may not actually be a telephone. It may look and work like a phone, but it will connect to the Internet, not a telephone line, and it will cost less than today's phones.

Apple unveils $499 PC!

SAN FRANCISCO--After decades of being criticized for producing luxury items, Apple Computer is aiming squarely at the mass market with a new budget PC unveiled Tuesday.

VoIP's voice gets stronger

Internet telephones broke through the mass market in 2004, after nearly a decade in gestation, and became the telecom story of the year.

Bundle up, it's cold outside

With evidence mounting that bundles do wonders for service providers, the next mad dash is to figure out ways to bundle mobile phone service with other offerings.

Sirius to lanuch video service in 2006

With help from Microsoft, Sirius Satellite Radio is refining plans to add a visual component to its stream of entertainment, mostly targeting people in cars. As it now stands, the service is audio-based.

What's Next for Google?

Running the Web’s best search engine isn’t enough: Google wants to organize all digital information. That means war with Microsoft.

TV to Go: TiVo Unveils Portable Service

TiVo Inc. pioneered digital video recording as a new way of watching television -- when you want it. Now it could be TV where you want it, too.

You, Too, Can Be a Podcaster

Although he’s famous for having been an MTV VJ, Adam Curry is better known these days as one of the fathers of podcasting, a rapidly growing technology that allows anyone to subscribe to and automatically download audio content feeds to an MP3 player.

The BlackBerry Brain Trust

First Mike Lazaridis reinvented the way we get email. Now he's rounded up a bunch of radical thinkers to reinvent physics itself.

VOIP Howto

Voice Over IP is a new communication means that let you telephone with Internet at almost null cost. How this is possible, what systems are used, what is the standard, all that is covered by this Howto.

Build Your Own Hot Spot

Free, ubiquitous Internet access may be just around the corner--literally. One of the most exciting aspects of wireless LAN technology lies in its potential for broadband sharing.

Looking for 'opinions' on computer hardware? Check out Epinions web site on this category.

Find it fast: six apps that search your hard drive

Need to find a specific e-mail message or file on your hard drive? You're not alone. Fortunately, six new localized search apps let you search your hard drive. Read on to find out more.

RSS: News you choose

Finding it hard to stay abreast of the latest news and conversations on the Web? You're not alone.

Dear IE, I'm leaving you for good

Robert Vamosi, Senior editor, CNET Reviews; gives his viewpoint on IE.

EXCLUSIVE: Apple to drop sub-$500 Mac bomb at Expo

With iPod-savvy Windows users clearly in its sights, Apple is expected to announce a bare bones, G4-based iMac without a display at Macworld Expo on January 11 that will retail for $499, highly reliable sources have confirmed to Think Secret.

Bosses keep sharp eye on mobile workers

DANBURY, Conn. - Ciro Viento commands a platoon of 110 garbage trucks, so when a caller complained after seeing one of the blue and white trash tanks speeding down Route 22, Viento didn't know which driver to blame. Until he checked his computer.

Peer-to-peer goes legitimate
In most countries, the music industry is taking song-swappers to court. But the sheer demand for downloading is forcing record labels, and now movie companies, to work with online retailers to offer legitimate alternatives.

Games giant EA buys Ubisoft stake
Shares in French game maker Ubisoft were up 24% after the world's leading video game publisher, Electronic Arts, said it was buying 19.9% of the firm.

Podcasting...what is it?

Podcasting is similar to time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge. Note, however, that this technology can be used to pull any kind of file, including software updates, pictures, and videos.
Read more about Podcasting.

Some additional links about Podcasting:
Podcast Alley
Podcast.net
Engadget

Frog Design rethinks thinking

Frog rethinks education through a dynamic hybrid of technology and adaptive interfaces to encourage user-centered learning.

frog believes that the purpose of education is to instantiate a well-rounded cultural knowledge, to develop analytical and creative thinking skills, and to encourage social development and interaction. Go here for more information.

April 17,2004

How Adobe plans to keep beating Microsoft
Adobe Systems is on a roll these days.


Will nanotech save the world or is it mostly hype?
Nanotechnology is often mentioned as the tool that will dramatically alter the future.


Robots May Fight for the Army
Lightweight, super-strong robots will lead human soldiers into battle within 10 years -- at least according to iRobot. Go here to see iRobot's web site.

Wi-Fi on Steroids Heads for U.S.
Residents of Bozeman, Montana, will test a broadband wireless data service called iBurst that blows away existing offerings. If people like it there, the service could expand to other parts of the country.


The current issue of Business Week magazine has a forward-looking Special Report on wireless technologies.

April 13,2004

Google Challenges Microsoft Monopoly

While Linux advocates look to desktop software to challenge Microsoft's desktop championship, a new top-ranked contender is coming from a direction that's both unexpected and obvious: Google.


Gmail likely to clear U.K. privacy hurdles

Google's forthcoming e-mail service probably won't run into legal issues in Britain, as long as the company doesn't deceive customers about how their personal information will be treated.

Info about Gmail can be found here.

April 2,2004


Sun's trip into the 'hair ball'
Sun chief says a licensing deal with Microsoft will not deter the company from pushing for open standards.

March 31,2004


Apple, Adobe drifting apart
They're still partners, but the relationship between the desktop publishing pioneers is showing strains..



Wal-Mart sells PCs with Sun's Linux
Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, has begun selling Microtel PCs that come with Sun Microsystems' version of the Linux operating system.



Search gets sketchy as engines look to get the picture
Think of it as Google meets Etch A Sketch.
Go here to visit the ImgSeek web site.

Gunning for the U.S. in Technology
Once the undisputed leader, America is now under assault from countries worldwide. How did this happen, and will the U.S. be able to fight back?

Finally, 21st Century Phone Service
Internet telephony promises far more sophisticated features and much lower prices. It also promises to upset the telecom power structure

Google takes searching personally
As the search wars intensify, Google hopes that making a personal connection with its visitors will give it an edge.

Google hit with 'geo-location' lawsuit
A Georgia company is suing Google over technology that the search giant uses to target advertising at Web surfers based on their location.

Sun to hand out Web-ready Java tool
The company said on Monday that an early-access program for Java Studio Creator, formerly called Project Rave, will begin April 8. The update includes enhancements that will be included in the final version of Creator, which is slated for release this summer, according to Sun.

What Happens to Java Now?
Sun essentially has open sourced Java already. It still is seeking ways to ensure that it remains relevant -- and not only in terms of quantity of users, developers and applications.

Who are those guys?
RSS readers collect the news that interests you from different sites and puts it all in one place.

More info on RSS here.

Spam Monster Eyes Another Target
Spim is to chat clients what spam is to e-mail -- unsolicited messages from unknown losers pushing products and services.

Yahoo to buy European shopping service
The company agrees to acquire price comparison Web site Kelkoo for about $575 million to expand its range of e-commerce portals. Go to the Kelkoo web site here.

Microsoft Concedes Misstep in Search
When Microsoft Corp. entered the Internet browser war in the 1990s, Netscape Navigator was the early leader and Microsoft's Internet Explorer the late-blooming upstart. Now, Microsoft is gearing up for a similar battle in search technology.

Apple Delays iPod Mini Global Launch
Apple CEO Steve Jobs, shown here holding a mini iPod at Macworld in January 2004. Apple said it would delay the worldwide launch of the mini until July due to stronger-than-expected demand in the US market.

EU cracks down on Microsoft
Regulators hit the software giant with record fine and order unbundling of Media Player.

Opera Sings with IBM's Speech Technology: New version of Opera Embeds ViaVoice from IBM
At AVIOS, SpeechTEK 2004, Opera Software announced the upcoming release of a multimodal desktop browser that incorporates IBM's Embedded ViaVoice speech technology. By leveraging IBM's voice libraries in this version of Opera, users can navigate, request information and even fill in Web forms using speech and other forms of input in the same interaction.

eBay: Buy It Now?
Yes, it's pricey, and the e-commerce giant's growth goals are ambitious -- but they're reachable, and that could give the stock still more upside.

BREW to pipe Hotmail into cell phones
Microsoft is tapping Qualcomm's BREW download software to deliver its MSN Internet applications to the cell phone masses.

The Coming RSS Revolution Watch a few of your favorite Web sites these days, and you may have noticed some orange-colored icons showing up.
Need more information regarding RSS? Look here, or at Yahoo.

Adobe Systems Reports Record Revenue and Profit
43 Percent Revenue Growth Driven by Strong Adobe Creative Suite Adoption and Continued Adobe Acrobat Success!

Sun makes server for online gaming
Sun Microsystems is expected to announce today that it has created a prototype for a computer server that will be sold to online game companies.

Sending several photos via e-mail. How does one do it? Find out here.