Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 2 shows strong progress

Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview 2 shows strong progress

Microsoft has updated its Internet Explorer 10 Platform Preview, and added a load of desirable new capabilities that will delight developers. It's shaping up well and is outperforming some of the competition on JavaScript conformance.

Doing the math on News Corp.'s disastrous MySpace years

Doing the math on News Corp.'s disastrous MySpace years

News Corp. has finally unloaded MySpace for a mere $35 million, years after spending $580 million to acquire what has become a social networking wasteland. Ars crunches the numbers to see just how painful the MySpace years were for News Corp.

webOS takes on tablets: Ars reviews the HP TouchPad

webOS takes on tablets: Ars reviews the HP TouchPad
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Like webOS? Want it on a tablet? With webOS 3.0 and a respectable set of launch apps, the HP TouchPad is the best tablet we've seen that isn't an iPad.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is equal parts terrible and weird (Light spoilers)

<em>Transformers: Dark of the Moon</em> is equal parts terrible and weird (Light spoilers)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon makes no sense, veers into some of the weirdest subplots I've ever seen, and gives birth to the best character of the franchise: Deep Wang.

The technology inside Apple's $50 Thunderbolt cable

The technology inside Apple's $50 Thunderbolt cable

Using Thunderbolt peripherals so far requires a rather expensive cable that is only available from Apple. There is technology involved that may justify the cost, but the high price might relegate Thunderbolt to a small, possibly Apple-only niche.

Paramount: No 3D printing of our alien Super 8 cubes!

Paramount: No 3D printing of our alien <em>Super 8</em> cubes!

Film studio Paramount Pictures is hip enough to know about 3D printing—and it has just demanded that a homebrew replica cube from the film Super 8 be scrapped.

Stars aligning on combined Lion, MacBook Air launch in mid-July

Three sources from two separate sites claim to have dates—or general time frames, as the case may be—for Apple's launch of Lion and updated MacBook Airs. Combined with all the other rumors and evidence, the new information does sound pretty close.

Civilizing the 'Net: ISPs told to play copyright cop

Civilizing the 'Net: ISPs told to play copyright cop

A major Internet conference in Paris has closed with an official document outlining "principles for Internet policy-making"—and protecting copyright holders is near the top of the list. ISPs around the world need to start "addressing" and "deterring" bad behavior online.

Impressions from Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception's open beta

Impressions from <em>Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception's</em> open beta

Nathan Drake and friends arrive on the PlayStation Network for an open beta test, and Ars takes the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta for a test drive.

Final Cut Pro X FAQ eases fears of some, confirms those of others

Final Cut Pro X FAQ eases fears of some, confirms those of others

Apple has posted a FAQ page about Final Cut Pro X in order to answer some of the questions being presented by disgruntled Final Cut Pro users. Some of the answers are good—the company promises updates as part of Lion—while other answers confirm users' fears.

Is drug resistance in humans coming from chickens?

Is drug resistance in humans coming from chickens?

A new paper provides more evidence that antibiotic use in agriculture has a direct effect on human health.

Sending a beam of light along a sheet of graphene

Sending a beam of light along a sheet of graphene

Scientists calculate that graphene will support plasmons that might be controlled using external electric fields. That's cool, but I think it misses a bigger point: the sort of nonlinear behavior involved may allow plasmons to switch plasmons efficiently. That would be a major breakthrough.

World of Warcraft is now free until level 20, core games drop in price

Blizzard has an attractive offer to new World of Warcraft players: the game is now free until you hit level 20, and you can purchase the game and the first expansion for $20 after that.

The Lego Barad-dûr: 50,000 pieces, 2 months to build, pure awesome

The Lego Barad-dûr: 50,000 pieces, 2 months to build, pure awesome

A group of 15 people from five countries set out to recreate Tolkien's world with Lego bricks, and one man had the intense challenge of building Barad-dûr. This is how he did it.

Hands-on: Opera 11.50's new "featherweight" interface packs a punch

Hands-on: Opera 11.50's new "featherweight" interface packs a punch

Opera has released a new version of its Web browser with an overhauled user interface and a number of new features. We took a hands-on look at the update.

Google, target of worldwide surveillance and takedown requests

Google, target of worldwide surveillance and takedown requests

New statistics from Google show how frequently governments around the world issue user information and takedown requests. Google generally complies—even taking down criticism of the Thai king—but there are some lines it won't cross.

Office 365 goes live, gives SMBs a taste of the enterprise

Office 365 goes live, gives SMBs a taste of the enterprise

Office 365, Microsoft's new cloud service offering e-mail, collaboration, document creation, and more, launches around the world today. Microsoft is positioning it as a great equalizer, giving small and midsize businesses the full power of enterprise software.

Google: half a million Android devices activated daily

Google's Andy Rubin says that 500,000 Android devices are activated every day, and growing worldwide at the rate of 4.4 percent every week.

Activision benefits from Supreme Court decision, didn't help pay for it

Activision benefits from Supreme Court decision, didn't help pay for it

The ESA spent over $2 million to fight for the first amendment rights of games, and Activision is ecstatic with the results. Of course, as one of the few large publishers without an ESA membership, Activision didn't have to help pay for it. Behold the free-rider effect.

Inside Google+: how the search giant plans to go social

Inside Google+: how the search giant plans to go social
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Google formally makes its pitch to become a major force in social networking with the unveiling of Google+ to a limited public beta. Some may wonder whether Google+ is just another questionable social effort by a company that has had a lousy track record in that space to date. But Google+ is not a typical release. It is a result of a lengthy and urgent effort involving almost all of the company's products. Hundreds of engineers were involved in the effort. It has been a key focus for new CEO Larry Page. And they aren't calling it a Facebook killer—but a better Google.

Hacker group says Apple developer site susceptible to phishing hacks

An "ethical" hacker group says it has given Apple just a few days to patch security holes in its Apple Developer Connection website before it publicly releases details of the vulnerabilities.

Skype, ooVoo videoconferencing finally makes its way to Congress

Congress members and their staff can now video conference with constituents thanks to a new agreement with Skype and ooVoo. Now, they can hold virtual meetings and collaborate remotely, but only if members agree to some special House rules.

Half of US twenty-somethings have no landline

Half of US twenty-somethings have no landline

The shift to mobile phones continues in the US, where most young adults no longer have a landline. But those mobile subscription fees aren't cheap—unless you use a lot of minutes.

Capcom crushes replay value of new game by making saved games permanent

Capcom has disabled the ability to delete your saved game in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, meaning there is no way to start from the beginning, loan the game to a friend, or buy a used copy and start from the beginning.

Chromosome ends tied to life history, chronic diseases

Chromosome ends tied to life history, chronic diseases

Telomeres are the end of the line as far as chromosomes go. But the tips of our DNA are now being subjected to exhaustive analysis by a robot, and initial results are suggesting there are major implications for human health.