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13,779 articles from Technology Review Feed - Tech Review Top Stories


MONDAY 8. SEPTEMBER 2014



FRIDAY 5. SEPTEMBER 2014


Tesla’s Massive Nevada Factory Will Need Massive Results to Pay Off

Tesla’s gigafactory plan depends on selling 10 times more cars by 2020 than it does today.Tesla’s much publicized “gigafactory”—to be built in Nevada, the company announced on Thursday—is a gamble that demand for electric vehicles will increase rapidly in coming years. In fact, for the factory to truly pay off and make batteries substantially cheaper, as Tesla hopes, the company will...

“Hello, Computer” -- Intel’s New Mobile Chips Are Always Listening

Tablets and laptops coming later this year will be able to constantly listen for voice commands thanks to new chips from Intel.A new line of mobile chips unveiled by Intel today makes it possible to wake up a laptop or tablet simply by saying “Hello, computer.” Once it has been awoken, the computer can operate as a voice-controlled virtual assistant. You might call out “Hello, computer, what...

Google Glass Can Now Track Your Stress Level

A new way to track heart and breathing data, demonstrated with Google Glass, could heighten interest in wearable sensors.Besides projecting directions and e-mails in front of your face, Google Glass can also measure biological signs like heart and breathing rates, according to new research. The work suggests a new way for wearable devices to track a person’s stress level and provide instant...


THURSDAY 4. SEPTEMBER 2014


Fingerprinting Infants Helps Track Vaccinations in Developing Countries

Biometrics researchers are using off-the-shelf fingerprint sensors and new software to track vaccination records of young children in Africa.Billions of dollars a year are spent vaccinating children in developing countries, but about half as many immunizations are administered as could be because of unreliable vaccination records. Biometric researchers from Michigan State University have developed...


WEDNESDAY 3. SEPTEMBER 2014


Networked Home Gadgets Offer Hackers New Opportunities

Connected appliances such as TVs can provide hackers a way into your house.Connecting a new appliance to your home’s Wi-Fi network or broadband modem could increase the risk that data such as passwords will be taken from computers in your house. Such is the warning from antivirus company Kaspersky Lab in a forthcoming report on the side effects of more and more home devices being connected to...

A Path to Better Smartphone Cameras

A Canadian startup turns to software to improve the quality and reduce the size of smartphone cameras.Fitting the hardware for a high-quality camera into a slender smartphone is tricky. The smoother a camera lens, the less distortion it will produce. But if a lens is too small, the effect of any distortion is magnified. As a result, you sometimes see a bulge sticking out of handsets to accommodate...


TUESDAY 2. SEPTEMBER 2014


On the Horns of the GMO Dilemma

Can genome-editing technology revive the idea of genetically modified livestock?Four years ago, Scott Fahrenkrug saw an ABC News segment about the dehorning of dairy cows, a painful procedure that makes the animals safer to handle. The shaky undercover video showed a black-and-white Holstein heifer moaning and bucking as a farmhand burned off its horns with a hot iron.

On the Horns of the GMO Dilemma

Can genome-editing technology revive the idea of genetically modified livestock?Four years ago, Scott Fahrenkrug saw an ABC News segment about the dehorning of dairy cows, a painful procedure that makes the animals safer to handle. The shaky undercover video showed a black-and-white Holstein heifer moaning and bucking as a farmhand burned off its horns with a hot iron.

Hackers Are Homing in on Hospitals

Computer criminals are increasingly capturing valuable information stored on hospital computer networks.Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the computer networks of hospitals—one recently announced theft involved data from 4.5 million people who had received treatment from Community Health Systems (CHS), a company that runs more than 200 hospitals. Malware attacks are on the rise in many...

A Dating Site for Algorithms

A startup called Algorithmia wants to connect underused algorithms with those who want to make sense of data.A startup called Algorithmia has a new twist on online matchmaking. Its website is a place for businesses with piles of data to find researchers with a dreamboat algorithm that could extract insights–and profits–from it...