Technology - NewsFactor

Microsoft has unleashed a new Silverlight version of Bing Maps featuring a new immersive viewing mode and a third-party application gallery. Like Google Maps, Microsoft's search-driven offering now includes street-side and aerial views that enable users to explore what's around them, noted Bing Maps Technical Evangelist Chris Pendleton Full Story »

Micron Technology on Wednesday moved to raise the performance bar for solid-state drives with its latest innovation. The RealSSD C300 SSD is billed as the industry's fastest for notebooks and desktop PCs. Full Story »

It looks like we may soon need an iPhone application that keeps track of all the new iPhone applications. Full Story »

Google has announced a public DNS system designed to improve the Internet's performance and security. Google Public DNS is a free, global Domain Name System resolution service. Full Story »

After creating great distress in security circles, an issue with Microsoft Windows has proven relatively minor. The problem, labeled the Black Screen of Death, was initially thought to be widespread. Indeed, British security firm Prevx posted a series of blog items suggesting that several million computers using Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 could be compromised. The company said the problem often is associated with two Windows security patches, KB915597 and KB976098. Full Story »

It may not be Betamax versus VHS, but a war between two technology giants is heating up. On Wednesday, Facebook Connect added Yahoo's sites to its social-networking alliance. The Yahoo announcement, which goes into effect in the first half of next year, was made shortly before Google said its rival social platform, Friend Connect, now supports Twitter credentials. Full Story »

The introduction of the FlipShare TV by Cisco Systems shows the networking giant's strategic foray into the consumer space is moving ahead in a systematic fashion. The FlipShare is a companion piece to Flip Video camcorders, which were introduced by Pure Video in 2007 and came to Cisco in the acquisition of Pure in May. Full Story »

European explorers used to talk about the "blank spots on the map." In 2009, Verizon Wireless talked about the blank spots on AT&T's 3G coverage map. Now the map wars are over. Full Story »

On Wednesday, Intel researchers demonstrated an experimental, 48-core processor that rethinks how laptops, PCs and servers are designed. Described as a single-chip cloud computer, the futuristic chip offers 10 to 20 times the processing power of today's most advanced Intel processors. Full Story »

Want to accept credit cards at your next garage sale? A new iPhone application will soon make that easier. Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey has unveiled his latest project, the Square magnetic reader, which plugs into a vendor's handset, allowing customers to swipe their card. The credit information is then transmitted via an audio signal through included software to Square servers for processing. Full Story »