The Buffalo News: Technology and Science

Technology and Science

Google at 10: Still changing the world: By Michael Liedtke - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 09/07/08 7:21 AM; MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google Inc. on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor’s $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world.

Sony recalls laptops: Updated: 09/05/08 6:32 AM; TOKYO (AP) — Sony Corp. is recalling 440,000 Vaio laptop computers worldwide because of a wiring flaw that could cause overheating.

Falls ethanol plant deal advances: By Jonathan D. Epstein NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
Updated: 09/04/08 6:39 AM; The Canadian firm that plans to build an ethanol plant in Niagara Falls has signed an agreement to buy 70 acres of land from Praxair to locate its planned facility.

Xbox 360 prices to fall: Updated: 09/04/08 6:39 AM; NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft Corp. is cutting the price of its Xbox 360 gaming console beginning Friday, with the cheapest version selling for $200, making it less expensive than the Nintendo Wii, which retails for $250.

Google introduces ‘Chrome’ browser: By Michael Liedtke - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 09/03/08 6:28 AM; MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The new Web browser that Google Inc. released Tuesday is designed to expand its huge lead in the Internet search market and reduce Microsoft Corp.’s imprint on personal computers.

Solid contingency plans can avert disaster: By Jonathan D. Epstein NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
Updated: 09/01/08 6:19 AM; HSBC Bank USA has struggled mightily to recover from the crash of a key computer system two weeks ago, but it could have been a lot worse if the banking giant hadn’t had a backup plan and system in place.

GM recalling 944,000 vehicles: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 08/30/08 6:57 AM; WASHINGTON — General Motors Corp. said Friday it was recalling 944,000 vehicles because of a problem with a windshield wiper fluid system that could lead to a fire.

Judge tosses copyright case: Updated: 08/29/08 6:55 AM; SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Legal analysts say a federal judge’s ruling absolving a Web site of responsibility for the posting of copyrighted video clips without their owner’s consent could be a good sign for YouTube and other video sharing services.

HSBC confirms cause of system crash: By Jonathan Epstein NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
Updated: 08/28/08 6:56 AM; HSBC Bank USA confirmed Wednesday that its computer crash this month was caused by bad hardware related to its disk storage, answering a key question that many customers and observers have posed.

‘Spore’ designer spills on explicit creatures: By Derrik J. Lang - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 08/26/08 6:56 AM; LOS ANGELES — Will Wright is not offended by the explicit monsters some folks have created using his evolution simulator, no matter which private parts they may resemble. In fact, Wright said he’s been impressed with the indecent beasts spawned by a slimmed-down edition of “Spore,” his much-anticipated but difficult-to-describe game.

Facebook cuts off Scrabulous: By Anick Jesdanun - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 08/26/08 6:56 AM; NEW YORK — A highly popular Scrabble clone already pulled from Facebook in the United States and Canada continued its tumble over the weekend as the online hangout extended its block of the game throughout most of the world.

Fake iPhone customers?: Updated: 08/25/08 6:54 AM; WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Polish mobile operator said Friday it had hired actors to stand in line to buy Apple’s iPhone as the ubiquitous device went on sale for the first time in the Eastern European country.

HSBC’s issues mostly repaired, but cause still sought: By Matt Glynn NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
Updated: 08/23/08 7:11 AM; HSBC Bank USA said Friday it is continuing to resolve problems stemming from a computer failure last weekend but has not yet completed the job.

American launches in-flight Internet: By Anick Jesdanun - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 08/21/08 6:44 AM; NEW YORK — One of the few remaining Internet-free havens vanished Wednesday as American Airlines launched airborne e-mail, Web and other online services on some of its longer, nonstop flights.

Intel unveils ‘Nehalem’ chip: By Jordan Robertson - ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated: 08/20/08 7:05 AM; SAN FRANCISCO — Intel Corp. cracked the lid Tuesday on a new chip design that is at once a big challenge to smaller rival Advanced Micro Devices and an admission that AMD nailed a key design feature before it slipped into a severe financial slump.