The Austin Times

A Multicultural News Source

Facebook faces rumors of membership fees

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False rumors that Facebook is about to implement a plan to charge for profile pages have been burning up email accounts and Facebook pages. But the social networking giant, which just announced a series of new features, says charging for profile pages and use of the site is not among the changes.To make sure such rumors do not gain traction, Facebook's home page states that "it's free and always will be." On Facebook's own product page on the site, it posted the following Status Update: "A rumor … [Read more...]

Apple has already won against android

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The war between Apple and Android has supposedly been going on since the first Android handset, the T-Mobile G1, was rushed to market in 2008. But in fact, the two were never even fighting -- at least not directly. Because both Apple and Android are gaining market share, at the expense of things like RIM's BlackBerry. See, the fight was never between Apple and Android. The two of them were just racing to pick up as many "dumbphone" and featurephone users as possible, and upgrade them to … [Read more...]

Sony Online entertainment goes dark

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First the Playstation Network, now all of Sony Online Entertainment has been taken offline in the wake of a fresh invasion by hackers. Citing an "issue that warrants concern," SOE made an announcement on Monday that it would be taking their servers offline for an unspecified length of time while they addressed the problem. Initially they did not say what the actual issue is that they discovered, but given that its sister service, the Playstation Network, has been offline for two weeks already … [Read more...]

Could gene tests tell if kids can be sports stars?

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CHICAGO – Was your kid born to be an elite athlete? Marketers of genetic tests claim the answer is in mail-order kits costing less than $200. Some customers say the test results help them steer their children to appropriate sports. But skeptical doctors and ethicists say the tests are putting profit before science and have a much greater price tag — potentially robbing perfectly capable youngsters of a chance to enjoy activities of their choice. "In the `winning is everything' sports … [Read more...]

Man ties machine on Day 1 of “Jeopardy!” showdown

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A man-versus-machine showdown on popular U.S. quiz show "Jeopardy!" ended in a tie on the first day of a three-day challenge, when an IBM computer showed off its knowledge of the Beatles, as well as a few glitches. The machine, dubbed Watson after International Business Machines Corp's former president Thomas Watson, is the computer and software maker's latest display of its expertise in advanced science. Watson's ability to understand language and solve problems through complex … [Read more...]

Meet T-Mobile’s first 4G tablet, the Dell Streak 7

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Yes, T-Mobile will be getting its own, LG-made Android "Honeycomb" tablet to go head-to-head with Motorola's sexy Xoom. But the G-Slate made only a fleeting cameo during T-Mobile's CES press event Thursday; instead, the story was more about 4G-ready but non-Honeycomb Dell Streak 7. Set for release in the "coming weeks," the seven-inch, Android 2.2-based Streak will represent the carrier's first 4G tablet, running on T-Mobile's speedy HSPA+ network. Of course, what does or does not … [Read more...]

KLD Energy Technologies selected as Texas Emerging Technology Fund recipient

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December 30, 2010 -  The Austin Chamber of Commerce and the Central Texas Regional Center of Innovation and Commercialization (CenTex RCIC) announce that the State of Texas has chosen KLD Energy Technologies, Inc. (KLD) as the recipient of a commercialization award funded through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The company, which develops clean energy technologies and manufactures high-performance electric drive systems, will receive a $2.8 million award to forward the … [Read more...]

AT&T expands Wi-Fi zones in public spaces

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NEW YORK – AT&T Inc. is expanding Wi-Fi access for its subscribers in New York and introducing it in San Francisco, adding data capacity in two cities with heavy wireless network use from the iPhone and other devices. The phone company is to announce Tuesday that it will expand Wi-Fi hot spots in New York's Times Square just ahead of New Year's revelers cramming there for the annual countdown to midnight. It is also deploying its first hot spots in a public, outdoor area of San … [Read more...]

Apple could release iPad 2 in April

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We’ve got a new iPad 2 rumor for you: the fabled new version of the Apple (AAPL) tablet will be seeing an early April release, with a Chinese manufacturer being notified that it’ll need to start production on 400,000 to 600,000 new version iPads within the next 100 days. Foxconn Electronics (2317.TW), the Chinese manufacturer supposedly charged with Apple’s order, refused to comment, but they’re going to be building some kind of new iPad, according to DigiTimes’ sources. The DigiTimes … [Read more...]

Five hot gadgets for the holidays

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Every holiday shopper has at least one uber-elitist gadget nerd on their list -- and this is perhaps the most stressful stereotype to shop for. Not only are gadgets expensive, they change all the time. Drop an iPhone 3GS in Nerdy McNerdington's stocking and he's likely to erupt in a fit of geekery. "Don't you know I'm an ANDROID person now!? This doesn't even FACE TIME!" But before you give up entirely -- running through Brookstone in search of a clock that looks like an egg and is also a … [Read more...]

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