KOMO News - Technology

Report: Yahoo nearing $1.1B acquisition of Tumblr

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:56:23 -0700

The Sunnyvale, Calif., company's board of directors will meet Sunday evening to consider approving a $1.1 billion acquisition of online content-sharing site Tumblr

4 Lulzsec hackers jailed for cyberattacks

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:20:51 -0700

Four young computer hackers who masterminded cyberattacks on targets from the CIA to Sony Pictures and Rupert Murdoch's News International were sentenced to up to 32 months in prison on Thursday.

'Sonic the Hedgehog' games coming to Nintendo

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:19:45 -0700

Sega says it will exclusively release the next three games starring the popular blue critter on Nintendo platforms. The first title will be called "Sonic Lost World" and is set for release on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS later this year.

Labor group says Apple making progress at Foxconn

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:17:37 -0700

A labor group Apple Inc. joined to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China, where its products are made, says conditions are improving. But employees are still working more hours than the country's legal limit.

NASA craft's planet-hunting days may be numbered

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:23:44 -0700

NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope is broken, potentially jeopardizing the search for other worlds where life could exist outside our solar system.

Apple says App Store hit 50 billion downloads

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:22:13 -0700

Apple Inc. said Thursday that the 50 billionth download was a game called "Say the Same Thing" by Space Inch.

New Zealand's top court takes Kim Dotcom appeal

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:20:38 -0700

New Zealand's highest court ruled Thursday that it will hear an appeal by Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and three colleagues as they seek to avoid extradition to the United States.

Google executive defends tax strategy to British lawmakers

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:21:18 -0700

A senior Google executive defended his company's complicated structure before Britain's Parliament, denying charges that it was misleading authorities to dodge paying tax.

Google unveils new social, photo, music features

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:37:47 -0700

Google's sixth annual conference for software developers opened Wednesday with a chance for the company to showcase its latest services.

RIM unveils cheaper BlackBerry

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:14:16 -0700

Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry aimed at consumers in emerging markets, stepping up its efforts to regain market share lost to Apple's iPhone and Android devices powered by Google's software.

Judge tosses movie pirating lawsuit

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:59 -0700

A federal judge has dismissed a movie company's Internet piracy complaint against 34 Oregonians, saying the company was unfairly using the court's subpoena power in a "reverse class-action suit" to save on legal expenses and possibly to intimidate defendants into paying thousands of dollars for viewing a movie that can be bought or rented for less than $10.

Russians attempt to topple Google in Vietnam

Wed, 15 May 2013 08:03:41 -0700

Vietnam's booming Internet scene is littered with failed startups that tried to take on Google and other entrenched U.S web companies. That's not deterring a newly launched Russian-Vietnamese outfit which believes it can unseat the American search engine in this fast-growing Asian market.

Hedge fund boss Loeb lobbies for breakup of Sony

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:40:46 -0700

The U.S. hedge fund manager renowned for shaking up Yahoo Inc. has set his sights on Sony Corp., proposing that the Japanese electronics giant spin off up to 20 percent of its movie, TV and music division and use the money to strengthen its ailing device manufacturing unit.

Update to address Windows 8 confusion will be free

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:16:24 -0700

A planned Windows 8 update to address complaints and confusion with Microsoft's new operating system will be made available for free this year, the company said Tuesday.

Microsoft embraces a Google service for a change

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:11:56 -0700

In a rare bit of cooperation, Microsoft's Outlook.com is giving users of its free email service the option of logging into Google Chat to exchange instant messages and engage in audio or video conversations.

BlackBerry CEO unveils 'slim, sleek' new version

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:06:07 -0700

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry that is designed to entice consumers in emerging markets as the company stepped up efforts to regain market share lost to the iPhone and Android devices.

Nokia unveils metallic smartphone, stock tumbles

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:04:10 -0700

Nokia Corp. has unveiled its first Lumia smartphone with a metal cover, low-light camera features and new social network apps. But the new model failed to impress markets, sending the company's stock down.

German court orders changes to Google search hints

Tue, 14 May 2013 08:01:55 -0700

Google Inc. must respect requests to remove autocomplete entries from its search bar in Germany if they are defamatory, a German court ruled Tuesday.

Big 4 cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads

Tue, 14 May 2013 06:59:01 -0700

The country's four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T's "It Can Wait" slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer.

Embarrassed by your online past? This company will rescue you

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:34:07 -0700

Ever want to hide those embarrassing MySpace photos from eons ago? Reputation Changer, a company that says it can hide your digital past, gave the KATU Problem Solvers an example of how the service works.

Gadgets help track big city carbon footprints

Sun, 12 May 2013 17:59:57 -0700

It's part of a budding effort to track the carbon footprints of megacities, urban hubs with over 10 million people that are increasingly responsible for human-caused global warming.

World grapples with rise in cyber crime

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:11:01 -0700

International law enforcement agencies say the recent $45 million dollar ATM heist is just one of many scams they're fighting in an unprecedented wave of sophisticated cyberattacks.

More than just a mom, now she's your Facebook 'friend'

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:27:21 -0700

As Mother's Day approaches, 1 in 3 mothers are connected with their teens over Facebook, according to the social networking giant's review of how users self-identify.

YouTube's new pay channels go from campy to kids

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:21:50 -0700

Roger Corman's campy B movies, children's shows like "Sesame Street" and "Inspector Gadget," and inspirational monologues by celebrities - these are among the offerings on 30 channels that will soon require a paid monthly subscription on YouTube.

AT&T launches prepaid cellphone business

Fri, 10 May 2013 08:17:01 -0700

AT&T is launching a prepaid cellphone service — Aio Wireless. The new subsidiary will offer nationwide wireless service to value-conscious customers interested in unlimited talk, text and data plans without an annual contract.