These floors are made for walkin’: the Multitoe floor keeps track of footsteps, which can help scientists and doctors learn more about health and perhaps even human habits and aging.
A 114-year-old Japanese woman born the same year that radium was discovered was recognized as the world’s oldest woman by Guinness World Records on Wednesday.
Misao Okawa, who was born to a clothing merchant in 1898 and now lives in the western city of Osaka, received a certificate acknowledging her status and said she was pleased.
“Given everything, it’s pretty good,” she told a gathering at the nursing home where she resides.
Radio broadcasts in English from the BBC World Service are being jammed in China, the British broadcaster said on Monday, suggesting the Chinese authorities were behind the disruption.
“The BBC strongly condemns this action which is designed to disrupt audiences’ free access to news and information,” the BBC said in a statement.
China, which enforces strict restrictions on its domestic media, has been accused by several prominent foreign media of seeking to stop their news reports reaching Chinese audiences.
“The BBC has received reports that World Service English shortwave frequencies are being jammed in China,” said the London-based public service broadcaster.
Sony is expected to showcase a new PlayStation console on Wednesday in a pre-emptive strike against Microsoft’s bid to make its Xbox the world’s leading hub for household entertainment.
The rare PlayStation event in New York comes amid industry speculation that Microsoft is set to unveil the successor to its Xbox 360, which beats the seven-year-old PlayStation 3’s online network with features such as voice commands on interactive gaming and superior connectivity to smartphones and tablets.
“Their focus is on establishing a beachhead for the next generation of consoles, and that’s what February 20 is all about,” said P.J. McNealy, CEO and founder of Digital World Research. “The reality is they have been playing catch-up.”
Research In Motion Ltd on Wednesday unveiled a long-delayed line of smartphones it says will put the company on the comeback trail in a market it once dominated, promising its BlackBerry 10 devices will wow consumers and businesses alike when they hit stores.
Signaling his hopes for a fresh start for the company that pioneered on-your-hip email, Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said RIM was abandoning the name it has used since its inception in 1985. From now on, he told tech analysts and other guests, the company will just be known as BlackBerry.
The new BlackBerry 10 phones will compete with Apple’s iPhone and devices using Google’s Android technology, both of which have soared above the BlackBerry in a competitive market.
The BlackBerry 10 phones boast fast browsers, new features, smart cameras and, unlike previous models, enter the market primed with a large app library.
READ ON: RIM unveils BlackBerry 10, signaling hope for new start
Walt Disney Co, which reported record earnings in November, started an internal cost cutting review several weeks ago that may include layoffs at its studio and other units, three people with knowledge of the effort told Reuters.
Disney, whose empire spans TV, film, merchandise and theme parks, is exploring cutbacks in jobs no longer needed because of improvements in technology, one of the people said.
It is also looking at redundant operations that could be eliminated after a string of major acquisitions over the past few years, said the person, who did not want to be identified because Disney has not disclosed the internal review.
Executives warned in November that the rising cost of sports rights and moribund home video sales will dampen growth.
“We are constantly looking at eliminating redundancies and creating greater efficiencies, especially with the rapid rise in new technology,” said Disney spokeswoman Zenia Mucha.
EXCLUSIVE: Disney looks for cost savings, ponders layoffs - sources
2012’s worst tech ideas: Flops, fails & fiascos - Tech Tonic
In an exceptional year for tech innovation, not every idea had the brightest bulb. Find out which ones were the absolute worst, with Reuters tech correspondent Jon Gordon. (December 28, 2012)
Several Google Inc Web products, including the popular GMail service, appeared to go dark for users on several continents on Monday.
Google confirmed that “service disruptions” had affected GMail and Google Drive, its online storage service. The two products are part of Google’s Apps suite, a Microsoft Office rival that caters to both consumers and businesses.
By 10:10 a.m. Pacific Time (18:10 GMT), Google’s Apps Dashboard monitoring service reported that GMail and Drive service had resumed. The company did not specify how many users were affected, or where, but the outage prompted widespread complaints on social media on both coasts in the U.S. and other major markets, from the United Kingdom to Brazil.
How the Tumblr worm worked - Sophos
Although Tumblr is now cleaning-up pages which were affected by today’s worm, SophosLabs was able to briefly explore how the infection spread.
Research In Motion Ltd plans to introduce its new line of BlackBerry 10 smartphones on January 30, the company said on Monday, giving investors a measure of confidence that the long-awaited devices are nearing completion.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based company, a one-time pioneer in the smartphone industry, is betting its future on the new products, which will be powered by its new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Its shares rose 5.5 percent to $9.01 in trading before the U.S. stock markets opened.
RIM has struggled over the last two years as its devices lost ground to snazzier and faster smartphones like Apple Inc’s iPhone and Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy line.
RIM said the twice-delayed launch would take place simultaneously in multiple countries. It will introduce two BlackBerry 10 smartphones as well as the platform that powers them.
The company has said the first devices will have touchscreens. Phones with the mini QWERTY keyboards that many long-time BlackBerry users rave about will come a few weeks later.
