A new polymer jelly could be the next big step forward for lithium batteries. The jelly replaces the volatile and hazardous liquid electrolyte currently used in most lithium batteries. Read More

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. zoomed to the top of the list of global smartphone makers in the second quarter, blowing past Nokia Corp. and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., according to research firm IDC. Read More

Amazon.com has announced staggering sales figures from this year’s Cyber Monday event, the Internet’s version of Black Friday discount shopping. The company’s stats reportedly show that November 29 (Cyber Monday) was Amazon’s busiest day of 2010. On that day, worldwide visitors bought an average of 158 items every single second, totaling a “record-breaking” 13.7 million items sold.

“According to comScore, overall online spending in the United States surpassed $1 billion on Cyber Monday in 2010, up 16 percent versus [a] year ago. Clearly, Amazon took a huge piece of that particular pie,” writes TechCrunch Amazon also revealed that the third-generation Kindle e-reader was the most popular holiday item, based on the number of units ordered.

Thanks to the Kindle 3′s strong sales this year, Amazon dubbed the device its worldwide bestselling product of all time. Previously, Amazon’s bestselling item had been “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

“Kindle’s $139 price point is a key factor — it’s low enough that people don’t have to choose,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO in a press release.

Though Amazon did not outline the Kindle’s exact sales figures, Business Insider states that Amazon is probably “on pace to sell 8 million Kindles this year.”

source

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple says the end of daylight savings time could cause problems for iPhone users.The Cupertino-based company said on its website that repeating alarms set on iPhones and some versions of the iPod touch may not recognize the end of daylight saving time and may work incorrectly shortly before or shortly after the Sunday morning time change. Read More

(HUFFINGTON POST/AP, RON HARRIS) There are a lot of futuristic things we’re still waiting on: jet packs for the entire family, self-driving cars and time-travel, to name a few. But one new, pretty darn amazing bit of technology has finally come to fruition, thanks to the folks at Microsoft. Read More