Stories by Sharon Gaudin

RFID chipmaker loses suit; tells users to take urgent action

A Dutch court has given university researchers the OK to publish their research about security flaws in the RFID chips used in up to 2 billion smart cards. The cards are used to open doors in corporate and government buildings and to board public transportation systems.

Intel slashes chip prices up to 31 per cent

Intel Sunday announced that it has dropped the price of seven processors by up to 31 per cent.

Employees hit Dell with class-action lawsuit

Dell has been hit with a class-action lawsuit filed by workers claiming the computer-maker underpaid its 5,000 call center employees.

NASA: Ancient Mars had lakes, rivers and possibly life

For thousands or even millions of years, rivers, lakes and deltas coursed across the surface of Mars, according to data sent from the planet over the past few weeks.

NASA: Robotic arm on Mars Lander shuts down to save itself

The robotic arm on the Mars Lander found itself in a tough position over the weekend.

Intel boosts lead over AMD with late Centrino 2 release

Despite a month long delay in shipping, analysts say Intel's first quad-core laptop processor will keep the chipmaker well ahead of arch rival Advanced Micro Devices.

Researcher set to demo attack on Intel chips

The author of several security books is slated to demonstrate how he could take advantage of flaws in Intel's chips to launch a remote attack against a computer - regardless of what software platform it's running.

NASA: Robotic arm gives Martian soil a zap

As NASA scientists prepare to give a faulty instrument on the Mars Lander another try, they've also been using an electric fork and an atomic force microscope to get more clues about the makeup of Martian soil.

Former VP at HP faces 10 years for IBM trade secret theft

A former Hewlett-Packard vice president faces up to 10 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing trade secrets from his former employer, IBM.

Chipmaker sues to quash info on smart card security flaws

A semiconductor company is suing a Dutch university to keep its researchers from publishing information about security flaws in the RFID chips used in up to 2 billion smart cards.

MIT researchers turn everyday windows into solar panels

Researchers at MIT have created a new way to harness the sun's energy -- by turning windows in big buildings into solar panels.

'Smart bomb' nanoparticles stop cancer's spread

University researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have discovered a way to use nanotechnology-based "smart bombs" to streamline lower doses of chemotherapy to cancerous tumors, cutting down on the cancer's ability to spread throughout the body.

NASA: Mars Lander short circuit pushes ice test up

After a short circuit last month in one of the Mars Lander's test ovens, NASA is moving its most important test to the front of the line in case this next run is the instrument's last.

MIT uses nanotech to shrink chips to 25nm

MIT researchers have discovered how to use nanotechnology to significantly shrink computer chips, making them cheaper and more powerful.

DreamWorks dumps AMD, teams with Intel on 3-D animation films

DreamWorks Animation SKG is pushing Advanced Micro Devices aside to team up with chipmaker rival Intel to make the big transition to 3-D animated films next year.