Security chip that does encryption in PCs hacked

San Francisco -- Deep inside millions of computers is a digital Fort Knox, a special chip with the locks to highly guarded secrets, including classified government reports and confidential business plans. Now a former U.S. Army computer-security specialist has devised a way to break those locks. - 02/09/2010

Chinese police shut down hacker training business

BEIJING -- Police in central China have shut down a hacker training operation that openly recruited thousands of members online and provided them with cyberattack lessons and malicious software, state media said Monday. - 02/08/2010

Prius problems put spotlight on car electronics

New York -- Your most expensive piece of electronics probably is not your flat panel TV or your computer. More likely, it's your car, which can pack 50 microprocessors to control everything from the fuel mix to the rearview mirrors. - 02/05/2010

Another redesign for Facebook on 6th birthday

New York -- Facebook is redesigning its site yet again, this time to better emphasize applications, games and search. - 02/05/2010

Game on

Review: 'Desperate Struggle' slings gore and more

As over-the-top gorefests in video games go, you would be hard-pressed to find one bloodier than 2008's "No More Heroes" for the Wii. The game was such a niche hit that it has brought back our favorite light-beam-wielding assassin for another go. - 02/05/2010

• Geek Watch blog: 'Darksiders' has solid gameplay

Is blogging a slog? Some young people think so

Chicago -- Could it be that blogs have become online fodder for the -- gasp! -- more mature reader? - 02/05/2010

Gang members hit Twitter, Facebook to boast about crimes

Los Angeles -- When a gang member was released from jail soon after his arrest for selling methamphetamine, friends and associates assumed he had cut a deal with authorities and become a police informant. - 02/04/2010

Google complaint highlights China-based hacking

Beijing -- Google's accusation that its e-mail accounts were hacked from China landed like a bombshell because it cast light on a problem that few companies will discuss: the pervasive threat from China-based cyberattacks. - 02/03/2010

Apple's approach to iPad e-books could confuse consumers

New York -- Even as Apple's iPad will likely energize electronic reading, the new device is undermining a painstakingly constructed effort by the publishing industry to make it possible to move e-books between different electronic readers. - 02/01/2010

• Amazon.com concedes to Macmillan price demand

Amazon.com concedes to Macmillan price demand

Amazon.com says it will give in to publishing giant Macmillan and agree to sell electronic versions of its books even at prices it considers too high. - 02/01/2010

• Apple's approach to iPad e-books could confuse consumers

Technology helps lost pets find their way home

From microchips to GPS-equipped iPhone applications, animal lovers are increasingly turning to technology to find wayward or stolen pets. - 01/30/2010

• Open heart surgery gives pets a second chance at MSU vet school

• CyberSurvey: Are your pets microchipped?
• Upload your own pet photos to the ReaderPix gallery

Game on

Review: 'Guitar Hero: Van Halen' is a waste of talent

Much like the band's last decade or two, "Guitar Hero: Van Halen" is a mess and a train wreck of music games under the "GH" banner. - 01/29/2010

• Geek Watch blog: sci-fi, comics, video games and more

Study: Distracted driving laws don't stop crashes

Washington -- A new study from the insurance industry finds that state laws banning the use of handheld devices to make a call or send a text message while driving have not resulted in fewer vehicle crashes. - 01/29/2010

Apple tablet finally unveiled

San Francisco -- Apple Inc. will sell the newly unveiled tablet-style iPad starting at $499, a price tag far below the $1,000 that some analysts were expecting. The iPad, which is larger in size but similar in design to Apple's popular iPhone, was billed by CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday as "so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smart phone." - 01/28/2010

• CyberSurvey: How likely are you to buy the iPad?