2.0

LAS VEGAS -- It's time to fix a broken immigration system that encourages smart engineers to study at U.S. universities but prevents them from staying afterward, a Republican senator said at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Sen. Jerry Moran from Kansas said here today that he was disappointed Congress hadn't acted on his legislation, called the Startup Act 2.0, which was introduced last spring but has languished in committee.

Engineers and other people in science-related disciplines who are "foreign-born but U.S.-educated" should be allowed to remain here, Moran said. Chile and other countries &… Read more

LAS VEGAS--Waterproofing solutions for smartphones were traditionally expensive and bulky -- until Liquipel came along. When the company showcased its nanocoating process at last year's CES, it caught the attention of many people with its unique invisible shield and relatively low cost.

This year, the company is back again at CES with Liquipel 2.0, which is said to be 100 times more effective than the version from last year. According to the brochure, the new process offers better durability and corrosion resistance, in addition to improved water protection. … Read more

Young people starting out in life used to receive cookbooks as gifts. These days, smartphones are even replacing desktop PCs for reference duties like providing quick and handy access to recipes. Take SplashPad Mobile's Top Recipes app. It puts hundreds of recipes, menus, and cooking tips at your fingertips, everything from favorites like grilled cheese and French toast to fancy dinner entrees. You can add any recipe's ingredients to the app's Shopping List with a tap. The only fly in the soup is a modest subscription fee, 99 cents a month, though the app itself is free … Read more

Real cricket fans will love IPL Cricket T20 Fever, a free Android app offering some of the most realistic cricket simulations we've seen. You can control not just the batter or bowler but also the viewing angle, bringing extra realism to high-quality animation and effects. While it's not exactly for cricket novices, true enthusiasts will appreciate not only its realistic play but also the fact that the game's teams, players, and matches are all based on the Indian Premier League, home to many of the world's top professional cricketers. IPL fans take cricket seriously, and IPL … Read more

Nikon photography pros will be happy to know there's a major new supplier of XQD flash-memory cards: Lexar.

They might not be so happy about the price for the new high-end format: a 1100X 64GB model costs $580, and a 32GB model costs $300. At CES today, the Micron subsidiary also announced a $45 USB 3.0 card reader for the new format.

Nikon's flagship D4 SLR uses the XQD cards, which before were available only from Sony. Lexar's 1100X models guarantee a 168MB/sec read speed, though write speeds are somewhat lower.

XQD is one of … Read more

Droplr is a file and link sharing app for Mac OS X. Available from the App Store and many download sites, Droplr installs easily and requires an account on the Droplr servers to operate. The basic Droplr service is free, and there is a Pro service, with more bandwidth, available for an additional cost.

Using Droplr is easy. You drag anything onto the Droplr menu bar icon or use the keyboard shortcut; whatever you selected is automatically uploaded to a remote server, and the remote URL is returned to you. You can then share the URL with others through email, … Read more

Around 2015, NASA plans to incorporate a spacesuit that amusingly looks like the one worn by Buzz Lightyear in "Toy Story" -- sans the shiny laser beam.

Before you laugh, know that these new digs aren't toy dressings; the Z-1 NASA spacesuit offers a plethora of advantages compared with the space agency's previous designs. Think of it as the baseline architecture for future NASA spacesuits. … Read more

With so many people ditching their landline phones in favor of their smartphone, the minutes can rack up fast, costing you a hefty bill at the end of the billing cycle. Talkatone aims to alleviate sticker shock by offering unlimited free calls and texts without taking up any of your minutes. The app worked as promised for phone calls, but the calls weren't exactly crystal clear, and the recipient may not know who is calling based on the caller ID info provided. Text messages are another story.

Once Talkatone is installed, it will ask for access to your contacts. … Read more

This physics game gives you all the fun of a bumpy ride without any skull fractures and will definitely quench your thirst for off-road driving. Hill Climb Racing becomes a little boring if you get stuck at the same level, but loads of customization and upgrade options will keep you coming back.

The game's Super Nintendo-style graphics makes it run incredibly smooth and won't tax your phone's processor. You will hear some goofy laughs whenever you flip your car and crush the redneck behind the wheel, which you'll do often. Though it's funny when you … Read more