phoenix

NASA extends Mars lander mission, search for water

A correction was made to this story after it was published. See below for details.

NASA's planning to spend another month and $2 million on its Mars robotic lander mission to obtain more icy soil samples, study the weather, and size up the planet's suitability for human life.

In a press conference Thursday, NASA scientists said that the Mars Phoenix Lander mission has been going so well that it plans to extend the vehicle's stay through the end of September, instead of August. On May 25, the Phoenix landed more than 200 million miles away from Earth, … Read more

News.com Daily Podcast: Which cell phones give off the most radiation?

The Phoenix lander touches down safely on Mars; researchers find an exploit in the newest version of Adobe Flash; and the man heading up Microsoft's Windows efforts starts talking Windows 7. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Safety issues related to cell phone radiation are still up for debate. But for consumers concerned about radiation emitted from their cell phones, CNET has put together a guide to radiation levels of individual phones. Mobile phone reviewer Kent German talks with podcast host Jennifer Guevin in the studio about which phones top the list.

The Phoenix lander touched down safely on Mars … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 732: Make family, not phone

An amusement park in the U.K. thinks you'll have more fun if they confiscate your smartphone. I think I would not go to that amusement park. I don't care if they say I'll have more fun-- I don't trust them with my iPhone. Also YouTube and Viacom are spatting again, and Brazilian beetles might lead to photonic computing! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 732

Why Friday audio sucked

What we just learned about Windows 7 http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-9952067-56.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-9951638-56.html

First pictures from Mars Phoenix lander … Read more

Mars lander gets a solid start

The first images from the Phoenix Mars Lander have confirmed that the solar panels needed for its energy supply unfolded as planned and that masts for its camera and weather station are in position.

A successful touchdown late Sunday was followed by the first pictures about two hours later. More images are expected Monday evening.

The pictures "show a beautiful Martian landscape," Brent Shockley, Phoenix configuration and information management engineer, wrote in his blog Sunday night.

The landing of NASA's machine concluded a 422-million-mile journey that began last August. The Phoenix is on a three-month mission to … Read more

On Mars, the Phoenix has landed

Updated 6:31 PM PDT with initial information from the arrival of Phoenix on Mars and then again at 7:20 PM PDT with one of the first images from the lander. That follows an earlier update to reflect the Phoenix lander's acceleration as it approached Mars and to clarify its speed and course in traveling through space.

NASA said Sunday evening that radio signals have been received from the Phoenix spacecraft on the surface of Mars.

The Phoenix Mars Lander is the latest embodiment of humankind's quest to learn whether life might once have been sustainable on … Read more

Microsoft's friendly sham

I try hard to give people the benefit of a doubt, even Microsoft. So when I read this post from Mary Jo Foley I just wanted to cringe. As Mary Jo notes, Microsoft seems to be institutionally incapable of doing anything for the right reasons, most recently at its intransigent best/worst when relaxing its Vista EULA to allow virtualization.

Microsoft claimed it had seen the light. As it turns out, the only light it saw was a potential investigative flashlight from the US antitrust regulators after Phoenix Technologies filed a complaint. Mary Jo concludes:

In the Phoenix case, Microsoft's behavior change staved off a potential antitrust investigation. In the interoperability case, Microsoft's gyrations were in vain; the company was still fined by the European regulators.… Read more

Flash apps are taking over--Phoenix is the latest proof

There are invitations to Phoenix, the new app discussed in this post, set aside for Webware readers. Read on to learn how to get yours.

As I reported from Demo 2008, new Flash- and Flex-based Web apps are putting traditional desktop apps to shame. The database Blist, the widget maker Sprout, and the photo manager Joggle are all Web-based apps that give up almost nothing to run inside a browser.

Flash-based applications are inherently cross-platform, because there are Flash runtimes that work in Internet Explorer and Firefox; on Macs, Windows, and Linux. (There are even Flash runtimes for mobile phones … Read more

The Gizmo Report: Sentry's QE5541 Fire-Safe

There was only one product at CES 2008 that I couldn't wait to get--a new model of safe from the Sentry Safe company. I even tried to buy one from Sentry's website one evening while I was still in Las Vegas, but that turned out to be impossible; it has to be shipped by truck freight, so I had to place the order with Sentry over the phone to make those arrangements.

I ordered the safe when I got back home, and it arrived here last week--a good bit sooner than the company predicted. I've got it … Read more

Vista virtualization move opens real doors

Microsoft's decision to allow Home versions of Vista to run inside virtual machines may have far-reaching benefits in the coming years.

The initial market for such virtual Vista machines is likely to be among Mac users looking to run Windows or within the ranks of hard-core PC enthusiasts. But the move could also benefit the average PC user who just wants a machine that's easier to use, says Woody Hobbs, CEO of Phoenix Technologies, a leading maker of the BIOS (basic input/output system) software that loads before a PC boots up.

Phoenix has been working on HyperSpace, … Read more

Update on Phoenix New Times jailings

It isn't often legal nightmares are resolved quickly. In fact, anything pertaining to the law tends to drag on tirelessly.

But for the two executives at Village Voice Media who spent a night in jail last week, their legal woes were abated before the weekend arrived. On Friday afternoon, I wrote about how Michael Lacey and Jim Larkin were incarcerated after they published details in the Phoenix New Times about a subpoena they received. Hours later, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, dropped all the charges against Lacey, Larkin and the paper.

Dennis Wilenchik, the special prosecutor assigned to the case, was removed from the investigation by Thomas the same day. Wilenchick has denied any wrongdoing, stating that "his investigation was not 'grossly mishandled or mismanaged,'" and he will not stand to have his reputation tarnished.

While it's not entirely clear what prompted the county attorney to drop the charges and remove Wilenchick, The Arizona Republic points out, that "Thomas' announcement came just hours after the State Bar Association confirmed that it had received multiple complaints and had launched an internal investigation into Thomas and special prosecutor Dennis Wilenchik for their actions in the New Times case and an unrelated one."