Google Buys Smart Alarm & Thermostat Firm Nest

Google has paid $3.2 billion to buy a company that makes high-tech smoke alarms and thermostats. The purchase of Nest suggests Google wants to have more involvement in non-traditional Internet-connected devices. Nest launched in 2011 with a Wi-Fi controlled thermostat system. Although you can program it or manually alter it in the same way as […]

Pro Wrestling Goes High Tech With Streaming Network

World Wrestling Entertainment is to launch a combined online streaming channel and video-on-demand service. From a tech rather than takedown perspective it’s an interesting twist on existing online services, made possible by the company’s unusual business model. The WWE Network, which will cost $9.99 a month (with a minimum six-month commitment), will be available as […]


XBOX ONE BUYERS BEWARE: 4chan Prank Has Users Bricking Their Consoles!

Gamer Guys and Gals, please be aware: 4chan’s /b/ forum — the same one that convinced lots of people to dunk their phones in water — has now promised new Xbox One users a way to “hack” their new gaming units so they will be backwards compatible. INSTEAD, IT BRICKS THE CONSOLE, RENDERING IT INOPERABLE. […]

China Launches Chang’e-3 Rocket [Video]

On Sunday, Dec. 1, China launched its Chang’e-3 lunar probe. If all goes as planned, it will not only be China’s first spacecraft to land on an extraterrestrial body, but it will be the first rover to land on the moon in nearly 4 decades. According to io9: The six-wheeled rover, called “Jade Rabbit” in English, […]

Amazon Prime Air: Unmanned Aerial Drone Delivers Package to Your Door in Approximately 30 Minutes

Nope, this isn’t an April’s fools joke. It’s just like getting a present from a sponsor in The Hunger Games! We’re excited to share Prime Air – something the team has been working on in our next generation R&D lab. The goal of this new delivery system is to get packages into customers’ hands in […]

Samsung Spends an Estimated $14 Billion a Year on Advertising

Samsung is reported this week to be on course to spend around $14 billion on advertising during 2013. That’s led to questions about how effective the spend is compared with that of rival firms. The figure comes from the Reuters news agency, though it doesn’t make clear if that is an actual number from Samsung […]