A first look at iOS 4.1 Gold Master, the latest release of Apple's mobile operating system due out next week. A developer sent me a copy and I have it installed on my iPhone 4. Major new features are the HDR photo mode and Game Center.

Just say "no" to be being an iClone. Get a device with an open OS, lightning-fast data connectivity and a network that won't drop calls every five minutes.

Don't hit the books without getting the right gear. We've got all the kit you need from taking scrupulous notes, to working off campus, to being the most popular kid in your dorm.

If you're even thinking of working off-campus without taking this Wi-Fi-spewing wonder card, you'll need to be fitted for a straight jacket.

The sparkle of starlight off water could be the clincher for finding oceans on extrasolar planets. And it could be observable with the tech that will be deployed in the next generation of space telescopes.

Don't you wish there was a way to take notes with a pen and upload them to your computer? And don't you wish that pen had an infrared camera, a built-in speaker and mic? There is such a thing, and it's called the Livescribe Echo Smartpen.

Unless you're majoring in spandex and minoring in too-cool-for-school at Steephill State, you may not need a road, fixed-gear or a mountain bike. Consider REI's Novara Fusion commuter. Sure this hybrid 8-speed won't get you anywhere in a mega-hurry, but you'll likely enjoy getting there.

As we go backstage at the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma, we ponder what's more important to fans -- the drivers' skill, or the cars' technology?

By losing 30 pounds in less than a year, tennis pro Mardy Fish has quickly become one of the top Americans to advance at this year’s US Open in New York. Fish opens up on how he pulled it off and revitalized his career.

While winding down from Wednesday’s iPod announcements, Apple CEO Steve Jobs appears to have taken some time to respond to an e-mail criticizing the new look of the iTunes icon.

Joe Sylvester wants to set a new record for longest jump by a monster truck. Clearly he's still got some work to do.

Wired.com contributor Jeremy Hart is driving around the world in a Ford Fiesta. Along the way, he'll be testing gadgets from some of the most extreme — and amazing — locations.

In addition to the usual cadre of satellites, NASA is using a small fleet of unmanned aircraft into, over and around the hurricane as it tracks north from the Caribbean. While flying into a hurricane is nothing new, Earl is the first hurricane that NASA has observed using their unmanned Global Hawk observation aircraft.

EA Sports, publisher of the Madden NFL videogame franchise, has taken its latest game iteration, Madden NFL 11, and run through the upcoming 2010 NFL season, offering at least a simulated insight into who’ll be celebrating in Arlington, Texas, after Super Bowl XLV.

Six Apart is shutting down its Vox blogging service. Users have until Sept. 30 to export their data to another free blog publishing service like Six Apart's TypePad. After that, Vox will be gone.

This week's episode of the Gadget Lab podcast is heavy on fruits. High on vitamin A, Dylan Tweney gushes over the pluot, a plum-apricot hybrid, while Brian X. Chen dishes out this week's announcements of brand new Apple gear. They also share our impressions of Samsung's iPad rival, the 7-inch Galaxy Tab.

This morning, the Smithsonian National Zoo launched a live webcam of the zoo's four new baby African lion cubs and their mother. The cubs were born during the late evening and early morning between Aug. 30 and 31 and will remain inside until late fall.

Patience paid off for the venture capitalists who backed data-storage supplier 3Par Inc.

It's easy to figure out why e-readers and tablets are the size that they are: They're all about the size of paperback books. But why are paperbacks that size? It all has to do with the sheep.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on a mission to promote walking, cycling and mass transit in an effort to build healthier communities.