For the 5th Time in 6 Years, Britney Spears Tops Yahoo's Most Popular Search Term List in 2006

Oops, she did it again. For the fifth time in the last six years, Britney Spears topped Yahoo Inc.'s most popular search term list for 2006.
 

Robots and Computers Are Digitizing the World's Books, Many of Which Will Be Available on the Internet

Deep in the basement of the Stanford University library, hidden among the volumes of Homer and Shakespeare, is Stanford's fastest reader.

Students in NYC Use High-Frequency Ring Tone Inaudible to Adults to Evade Cell-Phone Rules

NEW YORK — Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class — and many teachers can't even hear the ring.

Harvard Scientists to Try and Clone Human Embryos to Create Stem Cells

Stepping into a research area marked by controversy and fraud, Harvard University scientists said Tuesday they are trying to clone human embryos to create stem cells they hope can be used one day to help conquer a host of diseases.

SEATTLE - Researcher David Baker believes the key to an AIDS vaccine or a cure for cancer may be that old PC sitting under a layer of dust in your closet or the one on your desk doing little else but running a screen saver. Those outdated or idle computers may be just what Baker needs to turn his ideas into scientific breakthroughs. 
 

Duck X-Ray Reveals What Appears to Be a Clear Image of an 'Alien Head' in the Bird's Stomach

CORDELIA, Calif. — The International Bird Rescue Research Center in Cordelia plans to raise funds with an unusual duck X-ray.

Microsoft to Offer Premium Business License for Its Exchange E-Mail Server

SEATTLE  — Microsoft Corp. will offer a premium license for the upcoming version of its Exchange e-mail server that will let users do things like retrieve voice mails from their e-mail inboxes or give their computer a voice command to check their calendar or alert co-workers they're going to be late for a meeting.

Microsoft Says New Version of Office Software Won't Include Means to Save Documents in PDF Format

SEATTLE — Microsoft Corp. said it has canceled plans to include an automatic way to save documents in the popular PDF format in the next version of its Office software, amid an ongoing dispute with Adobe Systems Inc.

AMD Unveils Plans for New Products It Says Will Deliver Improved Performance and Efficiency

SUNNYVALE — Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Intel Corp.'s biggest rival in the market for microprocessors that act as the brains of personal computers, unveiled plans for new products it said would deliver improved performance and efficiency.

Intel, the World's Biggest Chip Maker, Is Unique in Way It Rolls Out New Manufacturing Methods

Intel Corp., the world's biggest chip maker, is unique in the way it rolls out new manufacturing methods, perfecting it in a laboratory and then painstakingly duplicating it at factories around the world.

School District Votes to Discipline Teens for Bad Behavior on the Web

If you're like most parents of teenagers, your kids spend quite a bit of time after school tapping away at the computer. Well, here's a tip: They're probably not doing homework.
 

Google to Bundle Some Software on Dell Personal Computers

SAN FRANCISCO — Google on Thursday confirmed a long-rumored deal that will bundle some of its software on Dell Inc.'s personal computers, providing the online search engine leader with another potentially potent weapon in its fierce rivalry with Microsoft Corp.

The Holy Grail of online music sales is the ability to offer iPod-compatible tracks.

Like the quest for the mythical cup itself, the search for iPod compatibility has been largely fruitless for Apple's competitors, whose DRM schemes are incompatible with the iconic music player.

 

The GP2X is an open-source portable gaming machine that claims to offer four times more power than the DS.

GP32/2x Distribution Ltd has announced that the GP2X is now available in the UK. It is the successor to the GP32 handheld, which sold more than 32,000 units. The console features a 240MHz processor, 64MB of RAM, and 64MB of onboard NAND flash memory. It will retail for £124.99 in the UK.

Review: Addition of High-Quality Graphics to PlayStation Portable Makes for New Way of Gaming

Developers continuously try to reinvent how gamers interact with titles and consoles. But the addition of high-quality graphics to the portable gaming scene with Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable makes for new gameplay and, sometimes, more complex controls.

Review: Audio Systems Aim to End IPod Isolation by Amplifying Sound From Their Own Power Sources

NEW YORK— In subways, at the gym and on sidewalks worldwide, millions of people seal themselves in an iPod cocoon. Not anymore.

Windows Media Player 11 has been leaked two days before the beta was due to go out to the general public, reports Daily Tech.
 
For this go-round at challenging the tight grip that Apple's iTunes and iPod have on the music market, Microsoft is trying a swarm approach, choosing to partner with powers inside the music industry--aiming to offer a hipper alternative than it has in the past--as well as with hardware manufacturers.

MTV Enters Online Music Fray With Launch of New Download Service

LOS ANGELES — For years, MTV Networks Inc. sat on the sidelines while Apple Computer Inc., RealNetworks Inc. and others racked up sales of music downloads. Now the cable network group that helped popularize music videos two decades ago is entering the online music fray with URGE, a new service that makes its public beta debut on Wednesday.

FBI: Finding People Who Want Child Pornography 'Is Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel'

CALVERTON — Seconds after she announces her presence in an online chat room, the girl is besieged by a half-dozen men who want to know more about her. "r u a virgin?" one man asks, after about a dozen quick exchanges that begin with her age (13) and why she is home on a school day (illness).
 

Hollywood Watches As Adult Film Studio Offers Downloads to DVDs That Will Play on TVs, Computers

LOS ANGELES — Hollywood has been tiptoeing its way toward letting consumers buy a movie online, burn it onto a DVD and watch it on a living-room TV. While the studios hesitate, the adult film industry is taking the leap.

Large Amounts of TV-Quality and Especially High-Definition Programming Could Make Internet Choke

NEW YORK — Every day, it seems, a new service pops up offering to send you video over the Internet. "Desperate Housewives," Stephen Colbert heckling the president, clips of bad dancers at wedding parties: It's all there.

You may be up for it, but is the Internet?

Canadian Officials Believe They Have First Documented Case of Grizzly-Polar Bear in Wild

TORONTO — A DNA test has confirmed what zoologists, hunters and aboriginal trackers in the far northern reaches of Canada have dreamed of for years: the first documented case of a grizzly-polar bear in the wild.

Internet Oversight Agency Rejects xxx Domain Name for Use by the Adult Entertainment Industry

NEW YORK — Faced with opposition from conservative groups and some pornography Web sites, the Internet's key oversight agency voted Wednesday to reject a proposal to create a red-light district on the Internet.

 

Google Adds New Tool to Make It Easier to Share Information Through Its Online Search Engine

MOUNTAIN VIEW - Google Inc. on Wednesday fired another salvo aimed at maintaining the lead in Internet search while making its software more accessible outside Web browsers in its ongoing duel with rivals Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc.
 

Video Game Console Makes Moves With Motion-Sensitive Controller

LOS ANGELES — It was the talk of the show even before the Electronic Entertainment Expo — E3 — began today, but Nintendo's new Wii video game console isn't just hype. It delivers.

In a semi-private backstage sneak peek at the machine, ABCNEWS.com got its hands on the Wii's unique new motion-sensitive controller.