Top technology news headlines

• 

  Boeing's next-gen 747
  takes first flight

  On Monday, the 747-8 Freighter took off for its first flight. The passenger version of the iconic plane is about a year behind the cargo model.
  • Photos: 747-8 takes first air

  Read full story
• 

  Google to make Gmail
  a little more social

  Sources familiar with the company's plans tell CNET that Google is set to blend status updates into Gmail a la Twitter, with a stream of text and multimedia updates.
  • Google struggles with social skills

  Read full story

• University worker accused of extorting student file sharers

  Security analyst at University of Georgia tasked with catching copyright violators allegedly uses his position to shakedown students.

  (Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)

• Former Intel exec pleads guilty in Galleon case

  A former Intel executive pleads guilty to conspiracy and securities fraud by providing confidential information in the Galleon Group insider-trading case.

  (Posted in Nanotech - The Circuits Blog by Brooke Crothers)

• Microsoft denies Windows 7 battery problem

  The software maker says that an error message warning users that their batteries may need replacing appears to be working as intended, despite some complaints.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• Netflix says ISPs could threaten Web video

  Some bandwidth providers sell access to film and TV shows. Will that prompt them to relegate rivals to the Web's "slow lane"?

  (Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)

• Adobe promises faster Flash on Macs

  The Mac version of the widely used browser plug-in should catch up to the Windows version soon. Also: an apology for mishandling a bug.

  (Posted in Deep Tech by Stephen Shankland)

• Verizon temporarily blocks some 4chan sites

  Verizon spokesman says carrier blocked sites associated with online forum to thwart network attacks. It's not clear which sites were affected and exactly what the trouble was.

  (Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)

• New UI, features highlight McAfee 2010 suites

  Security suite vendor McAfee debuts their 2010 product line today, introducing an overhauled interface and new features in a bid to remain competitive.

  (Posted in The Download Blog by Seth Rosenblatt)

• Areva buys solar-thermal start-up Ausra

  Strong in nuclear power, Areva purchases concentrating solar-power company Ausra to expand its renewable energy portfolio.

  (Posted in Green Tech by Martin LaMonica)

• China breaks up Black Hawk hacking ring

  Xinhua news agency says police arrested three people suspected of running a group that disseminated hacking tools and Trojans to its members.

  (Posted in Security by Tom Espiner)

• Olympics and tech: 'No room to fail'

  q&a The Olympics relies on thousands of servers and PCs to manage all the athletes and scores. Magnus Alvarsson is the guy who must make sure everything works.
  • Olympics--on your PC--in high-def
  • Roundup: Winter Games tech

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• PCI compliance: What it is, why it matters

  q&a Bob Russo, general manager of the PCI Security Standards Council, explains what his organization is doing to keep payment card data out of the hands of criminal hackers.

  (Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)

• Security software maker Vitamin D exits beta

  The software, created by three former Palm executives, lets people use an ordinary Webcam as a security system.

  (Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)

• Endeavour streaks into space in final night flight

  Shuttle is carrying a new space station module that will give astronauts a bay window view, along with hardware to overhaul the lab's water recycling system.

  (Posted in The Space Shot by William Harwood)
• All CNET News headlines

Multimedia

Additional features