60-Second Tech

Researchers revealed their latest prototype contact lenses that magnify vision almost three times with the wink of an eye. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Users of the K-cup coffee company’s products have counterattacked against its efforts to restrict the brands that their new machines can brew. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Law enforcement agencies have handheld radar that can “see” through walls via RF signals, raising Fourth Amendment concerns. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Researchers have made a secure, waterproof wireless keyboard that gets charged by the action of your fingertips as you type. Larry Greenemeier reports  

SpaceX’s Elon Musk and fellow tech mogel Greg Wyler both have plans for low Earth orbit satellite networks that could fill in many of the world's current gaps in Internet coverage. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Carmakers are working on ways to let drivers interact with their cars using presumably safer hand gestures and eye movement in addition to voice controls and touch screens. Larry Greenemeier reports  

The social media behemoth buys voice-recognition start-up Wit.ai to prepare for the impending Internet of Things. Larry Greenemeier reports  

British students made a wrist monitor that senses if you nod off and sends a signal to your DVR to record whatever you were watching. Future such devices could control additional household functions. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Apple got a patent for a system to adjust your falling device in flight to minimize the damage on landing. Larry Greenemeier reports  

IBM scientists in India developed an experimental power supply from reusable lithium ion cells salvaged from three-year-old laptop battery packs. Larry Greenemeier reports  

New York City public schools are missing hundreds and possibly thousands of computers, due to poor record keeping, theft, corruption or some combo. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Training rescue robots to land safely from falls like cats could give them nine lives in the field. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Dutch cyclists can now pedal a path paved with solar panels. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Yondr’s locking gadget-case aims to keep digital distractions down during live performances. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Law enforcement agencies and retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy balk at Apple's operating system and payment app privacy efforts. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Twitter and M.I.T. have teamed up to launch the Laboratory for Social Machines to analyze the impact of social media messages on society. Larry Greenemeier reports

Drivers in a simulator reacted slowly to sudden traffic emergencies regardless of whether they were thumbing texts into smartphones or dictating them to Google Glass. Larry Greenemeier reports  

More than a million volunteer users of the smarthphone app Carat have helped researchers identify those apps that really suck battery power in both the Android operating system and Apple's iOS. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Mini-jet backpack for runners could help military personnel and others get home faster. Larry Greenemeier reports

A future smart bike helmet can track the rider's motion, determine if a crash was likely and call for help if the rider is incapacitated. Larry Greenemeier reports  

The rumor mill surrounding the company's latest is in high gear, with possibly a wearable device and smartphone wallet capabilities to be announced next week. Larry Greenemeier reports

Software start-ups getting big bucks to write code that can identify, find and link logos and brands in the billions of images posted daily. Larry Greenemeier reports

Hydraulic-powered, mind-controlled support suits aren’t just for superheroes. Soon you might have to wear one to work. Larry Greenemeier reports

The Internet-connected headset is drawing interest in the medical community as a video consultation tool. Larry Greenemeier reports.  

Moth eyes absorb almost all incident light, thus reducing reflection that predators would notice. Researchers have now used the moth eye structure as the basis of a highly efficient solar absorbing cell. Larry Greenemeier reports  

A multicat feeder system incorporates facial recognition so that owners can tell if individual cats are eating too much or too little. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Some users are modifying electronic cigarettes to produce stronger flavors, more impressive vapor clouds and to deliver even more nicotine. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Machine-learning researchers are developing software that automatically searches through long videos to create edited summaries, or personalized trailers. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Tech companies are offering an ever-increasing number of health monitoring and promoting apps, to keep you in shape and interesting in buying more gadgets. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Microsoft is allegedly adding Kinect-for-Xbox–like gesture recognition to the next generation of Nokia’s Lumia smartphone. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Don't bet all your chips on crypto coins yet, but Apple's app acceptance makes things interesting. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Researchers at Munich's Technical University had subjects control flight simulators with brainwaves via an EEG interface. Larry Greenemeier reports  

The social network hopes to fill in the info blanks for its low-profile members by having their friends supply the details. Larry Greenemeier reports  

A European Union court ruling endorses the right to be forgotten online. The U.S. is less forgiving. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Sony's new process lets them store more than 185 terabytes of data on a single tape cartridge. Larry Greenemeier reports  

The Lytro Illum camera system allows refocusing of a photo after it's taken. It's faster guts and more professional design make the camera more attractive—and pricier—than its predecessor. Larry Greenemeier reports

The U.S. Supreme Court will decide whether Aereo can keep streaming live broadcast TV to mobile gadgets and other devices. Larry Greenemeier reports  

A custom-designed video game that frustrated players left them at least as aggressive after playing as did other games famous for their violence. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Baseball's expanded review system excludes ball and strike calls, which a study finds to be biased in favor of star players, especially late in games. Larry Greenemeier reports  

The era of antisocial networking has begun with the development of apps such as Cloak, which identifies locations of your contacts so you don't have to see them. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Researchers are developing adapters that let smartphones take high-quality images of the eye that could be used to remotely screen patients for eye conditions or disease. Larry Greenemeier reports  

A consortium including Facebook and Qualcomm wants to launch solar-powered atmospheric satellite drones that can carry equipment for relaying wireless networks in remote areas that currently have no Internet connections. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Competitions like the Firearms Challenge could give guns that use radio-frequency tags, biometrics and other tech a push into the mainstream. Larry Greenemeier reports

California wants to be the first state to mandate antitheft features on mobile devices, but carriers fear lost insurance revenue. Larry Greenemeier reports

Paramount Pictures is the first of what will be many studios to release major motion pictures in all-digital, forcing small movie houses to upgrade their technology. Larry Greenemeier reports  

A new smartphone for youngsters is being marketed for its ability for parents to set parental filters and strict guidelines for use. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Using data about when you drive, the times of your starts and stops, and your speed, insurance companies may be able to also tell where you go, even without GPS. Larry Greenemeier reports  

Photos that include people now produce images clear enough to make a positive ID of any individuals whose faces are reflected in the corneas of the people in the picture. Larry Greenemeier reports

In a study of user behavior, Facebook determined that about 70 percent of people about to post an item engage in some form of self-editing or self-censorship. Larry Greenemeier reports.

The year brought numerous revelations about government surveillance on ordinary citizens. Do we care? Larry Greenemeier reports.

Just because your smartphone can bring up your position on a map does not mean that a call to 911 automatically shows responders where you are. Larry Greenemeier reports.