Verizon Wireless on Monday confirmed that the DROID RAZR, RAZR MAXX, HTC Rezound, and DROID 4 will receive global roaming capabilities later this summer, enabling the handsets to access voice and data services in more than 200 countries, Droid-Life reported. “Customers will see a notification on their device when the software update is available for their device,” a Verizon spokesperson said. “After the software update, customers will be able to take their smartphone overseas and use voice service in more than 220 countries and receive data in more than 205 countries.” While the carrier didn’t give a specific timeline, there is a possibility the update may be included with the smartphone’s upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich updates, which are also slated for

VIEWING TIPS: Don't miss the very last transit of Venus in our lifetime. Before you rush outside, brush up on when to see it, what to see, and how to see it safely.

TOKYO (Reuters) - NTT Docomo Inc said on Wednesday it plans to apply for a license to upgrade its base stations to tap the 700 megahertz spectrum for high-speed mobile services, as it races with smaller rivals to attract smartphone users. The cost of migration to support a network for 3.9-generation phones could cost as much as 150 billion yen ($1.9 billion), it said. Japan's Communications Ministry allocated the coveted 900 MHz spectrum in February to smaller rival Softbank Corp, which supplies Apple Inc's iPhone in Japan along with KDDI Corp. ($1 = 79. ...

MODEL WOUNDS: A mathematical model that simulates wound healing could help improve treatments and prevent scaring.

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 series -- featuring an upgraded cloud computing service -- marks a "rebirth" of its operating systems, chief executive Steve Ballmer said.

Scientists have developed, using nanotechnology, a device with semiconductor materials which generate hydrogen independently in water using only sunlight.  This technology, which has been named artificial photosynthesis, was inspired by photosynthesis which occurs naturally. The device is submerged in an aqueous solution which, when illuminated with a light source, forms hydrogen gas bubbles.

Even the best weapons may fizzle on the battlefield if they contain counterfeit parts. A final report issued by the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee lists a wide range of military technologies that are suspected of having counterfeit electronic parts.

Some people try to make the most of their spare time by exercising, volunteering or simply recharging their batteries. Others like to use that time to build robots that can be blasted to the moon and then set free to roam the lunar landscape. A group of engineers and researchers calling themselves Team Part-Time Scientists have chosen the latter, and are building a moon rover named Asimov they hope will win the coveted Google Lunar X PRIZE by early 2014. [More]

Brains that maintain healthy nerve connections as we age help keep us sharp in later life, new research has found.

Biologists have completed genetic studies on all five snub-nosed monkey species, providing crucial information for the conservation of these rare primates.

WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- It's long been known that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can reduce epileptic seizures that resist drug therapy, and now researchers studying mice say they think they know why.

DUST TO DUST: Astronomers have for the first time, found a rocky planet that's slowly being vapourised by the blistering heat of the star it's orbiting.

Like a tourist waiting for just the right lighting to snap a favorite shot during a stay at the Grand Canyon, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has used a low sun angle for a memorable view of a large Martian crater.

WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Getting chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery can mean the difference between a mastectomy or a breast-conserving lumpectomy, experts say.

By Nick Leonard In December 2002, the US Japan Security Consultative Committee began a series of conversations about strategic military alignment in the Pacific and how to protect their associated countries in today s rapidly changing global security environment. [Guam Buildup EIS, 2010] This three-and-a-half-year conversation evolved into what has been know as the Defense Policy and Review Initiative, part of which planned for the relocation of over 8,600 United States troops from Okinawa, Japan to Guam and other parts of the Pacific. [More]

WEDNESDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- The number of regional care systems able to quickly identify, transfer if necessary, and treat patients experiencing the most severe form of heart attack is increasing, new research finds.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett Packard Co said on Wednesday it would lay off roughly 27,000 employees or about 8 percent of its workforce to jumpstart growth, and its shares rose 11 percent. The company said the layoffs would be made mainly through early retirement and would generate annual savings of $3 billion to $3.5 billion as it exits fiscal year 2014. The world's No. ...

Jonathan Ive - the British designer behind Apple's iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad - is knighted at Buckingham Palace.

Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday reported its second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations. Analysts expected the computer giant to report revenue of $29.92 billion and earnings of $0.91 per share, but the company surprised analysts when it reported earnings of $0.98 per share on sales of $30.69 billion. HP also confirmed new restructuring plans that will involve 27,000 job cuts, or 8% of the company’s workforce, and it expects to save more than $3 billion as a result. “We are making progress in our multi-year effort to make HP simpler, more efficient and better for customers, employees, and shareholders,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “This quarter we exceeded our previously provided outlook and are executing against our strategy, but

Stroke victims given a clot-busting drug after an attack recover better than those who do not receive the treatment, an Edinburgh study suggests.

Children exposed to their parents' cigarette smoke are at greater risk of suffering serious cardiovascular health problems later in life, a study showed Wednesday.

Shares of NetApp Inc. tumbled in aftermarket trading Wednesday after the data storage management system maker forecast a disappointing fiscal first quarter, citing "increasing uncertainty" in the global economy.

Can a privately run space company step in where NASA left off by offering cheap cargo flights to the International Space Station -- and eventually taking tourists to space?

Phthalates from PVC flooring materials is taken up by our bodies, according to new research. Phthalates are substances suspected to cause asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases in children. The study shows that children can ingest these softening agents with food but also by breathing and through the skin.

A look at how selected makers of phones and other consumer-electronic gadgets are faring:

Scientists in Israel say they have managed to turn patients' own skin cells into heart muscle in the lab.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's Android mobile platform has not infringed Oracle Corp's patents, a California jury decided, putting an indefinite hold on Oracle's quest for damages in a legal fight between the two Silicon Valley giants over smartphone technology.

(Reuters) - Apple Inc is rejecting charges that it conspired to fix prices of electronic books, calling the U.S. government's antitrust lawsuit a "fundamentally flawed" endeavor that could discourage competition and harm consumers.

When it comes to middle age, routine prostate cancer screening tests are to men what mammograms are to women. However, a federal task force believes administering the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test on a routine basis to healthy middle-aged men is a waste of time.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Top European software company SAP AG plans to buy Ariba Inc in a deal valuing the business and commerce network company at $4.3 billion, its latest maneuver against Oracle in the fast-growing Internet-based computing market. SAP is taking aim at Oracle, the world's No. 2 maker of business management software, as they vie with Salesforce.com Inc in the multibillion dollar cloud-computing services market, one of the industry's hottest area of growth. Shares in Ariba, which were halted briefly, leapt 20 percent to SAP's offer price of about $45 per share. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama, hoping to spur U.S. innovation in the explosive field of mobile communications, on Wednesday ordered all major federal agencies to make many more of their services available on mobile phones within the next year. "Americans deserve a government that works for them anytime, anywhere, and on any device," Obama said in a statement. ...

Lenovo, the world's second largest PC maker, reports big rise in annual profits thanks to strong demand for its products in China.

Facebook made its initial public offering last Friday and while it didn’t go as smoothly as many had hoped, the offering was still the largest of its kind. Facebook stock began trading at $42 on Friday before closing just above $38, the IPO price set by bankers the night before. The stock has since slid further, touching $30 in pre-market trading on Wednesday morning, and media coverage has turned sour as investors continue to balk. All things considered, however, the $16 billion Facebook raised on Friday smashed Google’s earlier record by more than eight times and made Facebook’s offering the biggest in Internet IPO history. To put things in perspective as Facebook’s stock battles to climb back to the $38 mark

On Wednesday, Hewlett-Packard Co. announced plans to cut about 8 percent of its work force, or 27,000 workers, by October 2014. It comes as the maker of personal computers struggles to compete with mobile devices.

We knew she was dangerous. People remarked on her beauty: “ Surprisingly symmetrical (pdf) ,” “ Fuji-san of America .” She was perfect, a flawless volcanic cone cloaked in deep green forests and mantled in brilliant white snow. [More]

During a debate hosted by Google, the search giant says that automatic porn filters are a mistake.

Two Asian Android-based micro-PCs offer users an alternative to the British-designed project.

As climate change brings hotter, drier conditions, Pacific leatherback sea turtles will face dire nesting challenges.

Android has a plethora of podcast radio apps so it can become overwhelming trying to find the perfect one. Even Google has dipped its toes in the Internet broadcasting phenomenon with their app, Listen. Unfortunately, the search giant’s offering has its own shortcomings. Featuring an intuitive layout, radio discovery app Stitcher provides a great alternative for your favorite podcasts and radio.

Evolution has a knack for confronting us with strange and unexpected questions. One of them echoed through the halls of the Collections Centre of the National Museum of Scotland, not too long ago: [More]

A vocal minority of pet food owners are willing to pay a premium for raw pets foods, believing they are healthier for their dogs and cats than commercially prepared foods.

The new OM-D E-M5 from Olympus is meant to evoke 1972's groundbreaking Single Lens Reflex Olympus OM-1. But this modern version isn't an SLR-it's digital, not to mention splash- and dustproof.

Expedia Inc.'s shares rose Wednesday after an industry report showed that the online travel company may be making gains in Europe.

A Channel Islands auction house says it's selling a vial that allegedly contains blood residue from Ronald Reagan — a move denounced Tuesday by the late U.S. president's family and his foundation.

Taking a firm tomato that was genetically engineered in the 1990s, scientists found that it fended off a common scourge related to calcium deficiency.

When 4G services start rolling out next year, two million homes will find it affects their TV signal, Freeview's boss warns.

The death from heart attack of the ultramarathoner Micah True has raised awareness about the safety of marathon racing and training. But the science suggests that distance running and racing are extremely unlikely to kill you -- except when, in rare instances, they do.

Astronomer Jill Tarter, the inspiration for heroine Ellie Arroway in the novel and movie "Contact," is retiring after spending 35 years scanning the heavens for signals from intelligent aliens. [More]

Third genders, two spirits, and a media without a clue. Author’s Note: Earlier this month the UK Daily Mail reported on continued excavation at an archaeological site near Prague where researchers described an individual with an alternative gender identity. The following post originally appeared at Neuron Culture hosted by Wired after the original report last year. [More]

Diablo 3's publisher says it has become the fastest-selling PC-based videogame despite launch glitches.