Silicon Valley and its sister technology hubs around the country have driven unprecedented innovation. Learn about the state of the industry, from startups dreaming of profits to mature tech giants fighting to protect their patents.
by Laura Sydell
Microsoft has had few blockbuster successes in recent years. On Tuesday, when the tech giant is scheduled to introduce its new Xbox, it will be targeting more than just hard-core gamers. Analysts say Microsoft will also be aiming to make its console the center of entertainment in your living room.
by Elise Hu
Tumblr joins GeoCities, Broadcast.com and Overture in the small fraternity of Yahoo's $1 billion-plus acquisitions. What can the company can learn from its previous purchases?
by Mark Dewey
A new rifle goes on sale on Wednesday, and it's not like any other. It uses lasers and computers to make shooters very accurate. A startup gun company in Texas developed the TrackingPoint rifle, which is so effective that some in the shooting community say it should not be sold to the public.
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by NPR Staff
Starting Tuesday, ABC will let viewers in New York and Philadelphia watch their local stations over the Internet. But this is not a way to cut your cable bill. The new Watch ABC service will require a cable account to log in.
by Steve Henn
Facebook is expected to pay out $20 million in a settlement over its "Sponsored Stories" advertising service, after placing user images in personalized ads. But the settlement doesn't stop the service, and a legal expert says Facebook's option to let users opt out creates more problems.
by Wendy Kaufman
The Internet has managed to disrupt many industries, from publishing to music. So why not lending? Google's recent investment in Lending Club has raised the profile of peer-to-peer lending, which gets borrowers and lenders together outside the conventional banking system.
by Laura Sydell
Consumers already have an abundance of choice when it comes to entertainment and news subscriptions. But analysts say it's still early days for all the digital subscription offerings we'll have to pay for.
by Eric Molinsky
Matthew Burnett wanted his clothing line to be "Made in the USA." But he decided it was too difficult to find information on U.S. manufacturers. So Burnett and his business partners created Maker's Row, a website where people who design things can find people who make things.
by Steve Henn
When Microsoft introduced Windows 8 last year, the software giant billed the new operating system as one of the most critical releases in its history. The system would bridge the gap between personal computers and the fast-growing mobile world of tablets and smartphones. But this week, the company sent signals that it might soon alter Windows 8 to address some early criticism.
by NPR Staff
Your inbox overflows with spam, so what else is new? But have you ever wondered how junk email got its name? And where all of it comes from? Finn Burton, author of Spam: A Shadow History of the Internet describes the spam business, how it's become a criminal enterprise and how you can protect yourself online.
by Wendy Kaufman
At Harvey Mudd College in California, about 40 percent of the computer science majors are women. That's far more than at any other co-ed school. And it's thanks in large part to the school's president, Maria Klawe. She has worked hard to keep women interested in computer science and empower them to succeed in the field.
by Martin Kaste
Tough federal aviation rules and public backlash against drones have raised worries that the U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle industry will be left behind foreign competitors. Developers say the U.S. light drone industry is being overtaken by manufacturers in Israel and Australia.
by Sami Yenigun
Video game makers want their products to be as realistic as possible. Often, that means modeling virtual weapons on real ones, then buying permission to use real brand names. For gun makers, that brand placement is worth a lot more than the licensing fees they collect.
by Tracy Samuelson
Roughly one in four cellphone towers in the path of Hurricane Sandy went out of service. It was a frustrating and potentially dangerous experience for customers without a landline to fall back on. Now, local officials and communications experts are pushing providers to improve their performance during natural disasters.
by Laura Sydell
Only about 20 percent of all computer programmers are women, but one pioneering CEO is trying to change that. Blazing Cloud's Sarah Allen hopes that making women in the field more visible to each other will help young women see a path for themselves in this fast-growing profession.
