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AP Technology NewsBrief at 1:18 p.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Yahoo redesign aims to make site more invitingSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yahoo is renovating the main entry into its website in an effort to get people to visit more frequently and stay longer. The long-awaited makeover of Yahoo.com's home page is the most notable change to the website since the Internet company hired Marissa Mayer as its CEO seven months ago. The new look debuted Wednesday in the U.S., although it could take a few more days before everyone starts to see it. Review: Microsoft email better, not revolutionaryNEW YORK (AP) _ Longtime users of Hotmail, MSN and other Microsoft email services will start noticing a big change: When they sign in to check messages, they'll be sent to a new service called Outlook.com. You might be thinking, isn't Outlook the software Microsoft Corp. makes for people to use email at work Indeed it is, but Microsoft is now adopting that brand for personal, Web-based email services as well. It's part of a broad makeover that includes the company's overhaul of the Windows operating system and the Office software suite. Google to sell Internet glasses to contest winnersSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google is giving a few more people a chance to pay $1,500 for a pair of the Internet-connected glasses that the company is touting as the next breakthrough in mobile computing. The product, dubbed "Google Glass," will be offered to those selected as part of a contest announced Wednesday. Participants must submit an application of up to 50 words explaining what they would do with the Google Glass technology. The deadline to apply is Feb. 27. US ready to strike back against China cyberattacksWASHINGTON (AP) _ As public evidence mounts that the Chinese military is responsible for stealing massive amounts of U.S. government data and corporate trade secrets, the Obama administration is eyeing fines and other trade actions it may take against Beijing or any other country guilty of cyberespionage. According to officials familiar with the plans, the White House will lay out a new report Wednesday that suggests initial, more-aggressive steps the U.S. would take in response to what top authorities say has been an unrelenting campaign of cyberstealing linked to the Chinese government. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the threatened action. Commercial cyberspying offers rich payoffBEIJING (AP) _ For state-backed cyberspies such as a Chinese military unit implicated by a U.S. security firm in a computer crime wave, hacking foreign companies can produce high-value secrets ranging from details on oil fields to advanced manufacturing technology. This week's report by Mandiant Inc. adds to mounting suspicion that Chinese military experts are helping state industry by stealing secrets from Western companies possibly worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Chinese military has denied involvement in the attacks. Future science: Using 3-D worlds to visualize dataCHICAGO (AP) _ Take a walk through a human brain Fly over the surface of Mars Computer scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago are pushing science fiction closer to reality with a wraparound virtual world where a researcher wearing 3-D glasses can do all that and more. In the system, known as CAVE2, an 8-foot-high screen encircles the viewer 320 degrees. A panorama of images springs from 72 stereoscopic liquid crystal display panels, conveying a dizzying sense of being able to touch what's not really there. German antitrust probe into Amazon pricing policyBERLIN (AP) _ Online retailer Amazon may have broken antitrust laws in Germany by banning third-party traders from selling their products cheaper elsewhere, officials said Wednesday. German antitrust authorities said they have begun questioning 2,400 traders who signed up to Amazon's Marketplace platform, where they can sell products directly to the web giant's millions of users. In return they must abide by its policies. NYPD, Microsoft create crime-fighting tech systemNEW YORK (AP) _ A 911 call comes in about a possible bomb in lower Manhattan and an alert pops up on computer screens at the New York Police Department, instantly showing officers an interactive map of the neighborhood, footage from nearby security cameras, whether there are high radiation levels and whether any other threats have been made against the city. In a click, police know exactly what they're getting into. New Boeing contract splits engineers, tech workersSEATTLE (AP) _ Boeing Co.'s engineers have accepted a new four-year contract while technical workers rejected their offer and voted to authorize a future strike. The union representing both groups had recommended rejection of the contract because it would not provide pensions to new employees. They would have a 401(k) retirement plan instead. Renewed fervor for Google lifts stock above $800SAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Google's stock price topped $800 for the first time Tuesday amid renewed confidence in the company's ability to reap higher profits from its dominance of Internet search and prominence in the growing mobile market. The milestone comes more than five years after Google's shares initially hit $700. Not long after breaking that barrier in October 2007, the economy collapsed into the worst recession since World War II and Google's stock tumbled into a prolonged malaise that eventually led to a change in leadership. (c) 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |