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Latest by Ed Oswald

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Facebook's giant, internet-serving drone just completed its first full-scale test flight

The first test flight of Facebook's internet-serving drone was a success, but the company cautions that there's quite a bit of work left to do.
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Heads up Surface Pro 3 owners: you might have a failing battery

If you have a Simplo battery, there's a good chance it may eventually be unable to hold a charge for more than an hour or two, reports indicate.
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China doesn't want self-driving cars on its roads until regulations are in place

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is working with law enforcement on new rules, but there's no timetable for completion.
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Google's DeepMind is helping the company save money on its electricity bill

Much of Google's power usage is due to its vast data centers. Now its DeepMind AI is looking for ways to cut power bills while maintaining efficiency.
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Skype drops support for older Windows Phone, Android devices

Skype's moving to the cloud, and Microsoft says that older Windows Phone and Android devices aren't compatible with their plans.
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Apple could make up to $3 billion from 'Pokémon Go' over the next two years

Thanks to App Store policies and fired-up Pokémon Go fans, Apple could make as much as 10 to 15 percent of its App Store revenue off a single game.
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Self-driving cars might get ‘black boxes’ in Germany after rash of accidents

Following a rash of accidents involving Tesla's Autopilot functionality, German regulators want a way to tell whether self-driving tech is at fault.
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Microsoft won’t have to turn over emails from servers in Ireland, court rules

Microsoft has won an important victory in preventing the U.S. government from obtaining emails stored on a server in Ireland in a closely watched case.
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Samsung’s last chance to overturn Apple’s patent case win comes on October 10

The Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether Samsung is liable for just the profits attributed to the infringing design parts, or the whole device.
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Take that, Apple! Samsung’s Galaxy S7 outsells the iPhone 6S

The Galaxy S7 outsold the iPhone 6S in the three months ending in May. However, the two companies together are dominating the mobile phone market.
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6 amazing tiny homes on wheels are ready to roll wherever life takes you

The tiny house movement is taking off. Could you live in a home a fraction of the size of today's modern home? Check out some of the best designs out there.
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US Army to begin testing autonomous vehicle tech on Michigan roads

The Army is taking baby steps toward self-driving cars, with a test now underway on a 21-mile stretch of highway in southeastern Michigan.
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Virtual Eye could be a potential lifesaver for military and first responders

A new virtual reality technology could help first responders and our military see into dangerous places without risking human life, all in real time.
Windows 10 Cortana

Cortana has answered 6 billion voice queries since Windows 10 launch

Those that have upgraded to Windows 10 use Cortana a lot. And soon, through "conversation as a platform," they might be using it without realizing they are.
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Roku makes finding news, entertainment a breeze with expanded search functionality

With more than 50 streaming services now supported by Roku's native search, the set-top box is making it much easier for cord-cutters to find hard-to-find video.
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Who needs a prosthetic arm when you can have a steampunk tattoo machine arm instead?

JC Sheitan Tenet's prosthetic arm is much more than that. He can now tattoo you with that arm thanks to the impressive work of a fellow French artist.
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Gawker files for chapter 11 bankruptcy; deal in place to sell company to Ziff Davis

Faced with paying $140 million to Hulk Hogan and Peter Thiel, Gawker and founder Nick Denton plan to sell the company to Ziff Davis. But what comes next?
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CSI: The Ocean? Researchers study seafloor ‘fingerprints’ to gauge storm surge

Storm surge is one of Mother Nature's most powerful and destructive phenomena. Researchers are studying seafloor ripples to better understand its behavior.
GPS over Earth

FAA warns that GPS on the West Coast may be unreliable due to secret tests this month

We don't know why the U.S. Navy is doing it, but pilots in the Southwest will need to be mindful they may not have GPS service on six days this month.
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Airbus sees drones as worthy alternative to high-cost, high-maintenance satellites

Drones won't be able to perform all the tasks that permanent satellites do, but simpler duties could be left to these "pseudo-satellites."
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A decade after Katrina, meteorologists say hurricane models vastly improved

Meteorologists forecasted where Hurricane Katrina made landfall accurately, but underestimated its strength. Better weather models now will help prevent such miscalculations.
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Former McDonald’s CEO: $15 minimum wage will drive use of more automation

Ed Rensi says a $15 minimum wage will push franchisees to choose automation. Current systems cost just fractionally more than a human's yearly wages.
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Meet TWIRL, and the storm chasers who planted sensors in the heart of a twister

This spring, researchers will comb the central United States in search of tornadoes and purposely put themselves in harm's way to help save your life.
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We've just seen the second trailer of Justin Lin's Star Trek Beyond, and It. Looks. Awesome.

While the second trailer for the new Star Trek movie due out July 22 still leaves a lot of questions, it's clearly another step away from traditional Trek.
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The key to unlocking OS X 10.12 could be your iPhone

Apple is working on a method that uses Touch ID on your iPhone to unlock your Mac computer. The feature is expected to debut this fall.
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101Hero just launched a $49 3D printer on Kickstarter — but is it too good to be true?

We've had our share of false starts with sub-$100 3D printers, but this one from 101Hero is already prototyped and needs some Kickstarter love.
Apple Pencil.

New patent suggests Apple is making a more powerful, trackpad-compatible Pencil

The move to make the Pencil compatible with more than just the company's iPad Pro line is sure to make graphic artists happy.
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Leaked images suggest Siri is coming to a Mac near you this fall

New leaked information suggests that the popular digital assistant is set to debut at WWDC next month, and in Mac OS X this fall.
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SpaceX’s 2018 Mars mission has a few legal hurdles to clear, but NASA’s helping out

SpaceX is going full steam ahead to prepare for its mission to Mars, but it appears to be getting some help from the U.S. government on legal hurdles.
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IBM memory breakthrough could lead to drives 70 times quicker than today’s SSDs

Researchers at IBM have found a way to increase the number of bits stored per cell in PCM memory threefold.
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Is Soundcloud about to place serious restrictions on DJ mixes? Sources say yes

Following deals with major record labels, the site might be preparing a new policy that could change the very nature of the service.
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Still resisting Apple Pay, Walmart pushes own mobile payment service to 500 stores

Locations in Texas and Arkansas are now able to use Walmart Pay. Managers elsewhere are being told to prepare for the launch soon.
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Faced with more retailer defections, CurrentC shelves its plans and lays off staff

The future of CurrentC's QR-code based mobile payments system is in question following the defections its partners. On Monday, MCX made it official.
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In a world full of multi-purpose wearables, can one-trick-ponies like Fitbit survive?

Fitbit is facing pressure to do more than just track fitness. Is it necessary? Depending on who you ask, the company's either in trouble or doing just fine.