Google Voice brings greater control over anonymous and unknown callers

Think about it for a moment: do you recall a single instance when you were actually glad that you answered a telephone call from a blocked number? Unless that bill collector turned out to be your future spouse, the answer is likely no. Now, Google Voice users will find an extra perk in the online settings

NASA preps black hole-hunting space telescope for launch next month

Scientists will soon have a new tool at their disposal in their search for black holes and a greater understanding of what NASA describes as "the most energetic and exotic objects in space." The space agency announced today that it has begun preparing its Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array — otherwise

Lenovo ThinkPad X230 Review

The ThinkPad family of laptops has had a reputation for reliability since long before Lenovo started making them, and the fervency of their fans is perhaps the only thing that reaches the same level as Apple hardware these days. The X series, Lenovo’s road warrior class of thin and light laptops, remains

As Facebook Rumors Swirl, Opera Plays Up Its Social Cred In New Opera Mini 7 Browser

Talk about coincidence. Just earlier this week, when in a post on Facebook and the possibility of buying web browsing company Opera and facial recognition company Face.com, we highlighted how a new version of Opera Mini would feature much stronger social integration — specifically aimed at the feature

OmniVision’s 12.7-megapixel OV12830 can shoot 24 fps photo bursts from your smartphone

OmniVision has been on a bit of a tear introducing new mobile camera sensors this week, and its newest could well have the biggest impact on smartphones in the next year. The OV12830′s 12.7 megapixels don’t make it as dense as the 16-megapixel sensors we’ve seen, but it makes up for that with some mighty

Mary Meeker Re-Imagines Nearly Everything

Today at the D10 Conference, star analyst Mary Meeker gave her latest presentation of Internet Trends. You can download the whole presentation here (PDF) and it’s well worth spending time perusing. Here are the main takeaways, along with selected screenshots. Get ready for lots of re-imagining and proof

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Blu-ray full specs revealed, arrives in October

We already got an early peek at the trailer, but Universal has finally issued a press release that breaks down everything that will be included in the E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 30th Anniversary Blu-ray. The disc will include only the 1982 theatrical version of the movie, a Dolby Digital 7.1 surround

Tim Armstrong On The Future Of Aol — And TechCrunch Too [TCTV]

Aol’s chairman and CEO Tim Armstrong was in the house last week at TechCrunch’s Disrupt NYC conference, and while he got a good grilling on stage by my colleague Josh Constine, we still took advantage of the chance to pull him aside for a follow-up chat backstage for TechCrunch TV to ask a few more [...]

Anodizing aluminum and titanium explained and demonstrated in less than five minutes (video)

Many of us use gadgets that sport gleamingly refined, anodized aluminum or titanium cases — but have you ever wondered exactly how the process works? Bill Hammack, at it again after explaining to us how the CCD, LCDs, and hard drives work, breaks it down (pun intended) for us — in less than five minutes.

Google Play Store Gets Fleshed Out With Galaxy Nexus Accessories

When Google launched the new Devices section of their Google Play Store, it only seemed like a matter of time before the company would eventually expand beyond selling just the unlocked Galaxy Nexus. After all, it’s called the Devices section for a reason.

While rumors of forthcoming Nexus tablets dance