Technology Audio/Video - NPR

The iJET is a new type of solar cell that's cheap and easy to make, requiring not much more than a pizza oven, some nail polish remover, and a common inkjet printer. Australian scientist Nicole Kuepper describes her invention.

SpaceX's flagship Falcon1 rocket has successfully launched from an island in the central Pacific, becoming the first privately-developed rocket to orbit the planet. NASA has already contracted SpaceX to begin private space flight missions to the International Space Station beginning in 2010.

A consortium of Northeast states has completed the first cap-and-trade greenhouse gas auction in the U.S. Under cap-and-trade, limits are set on emissions. Companies that do not use up their quota of emissions are able to sell their excess emission capacity to other companies.

In 1967, Robert Kearns received patents for inventing intermittent car windshield wipers. He offered his idea to automakers but was turned away. When Ford and Chrysler started manufacturing cars with wipers without crediting Kearns, he took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. A new film called Flash of Genius tells his story.

NASA has postponed a planned repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope after a new problem developed with the orbiting observatory. Ed Weiler, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, explains why repairs won't take place until Feb. 2009 — at the earliest.

NPR's Cheryl Corley talks to News & Notes' tech contributor Mario Armstrong about Google's smart phone, the recently launched NPR Community social network, and how both presidential campaigns are developing high-tech ways to connect their voters.

High gas prices have pushed energy issues higher up on the agendas of both presidential campaigns. Sen. John McCain's senior domestic policy advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin describes his candidate's approach.

Marshall Brain, an engineer-turned-TV-host, takes viewers behind the scenes to see what goes into producing common consumer products — from tennis balls, to escalators, to frozen pizza. His show "Factory Floor" airs on The National Geographic Channel.

Many people generate an immense amounts of digital data during a single day — often without a second thought. But Stephen Baker, a senior writer at BusinessWeek, warns that the information generated is being monitored by a group of entrepreneurial mathematicians.

The long-awaited "Google phone" has arrived. The G1 phone carries Google's Android software and runs on T-Mobile networks. Though its touch screen and online integration make the G1 analogous to Apple's iPhone, the Android platform is open for use by multiple phone developers.

L-O-L. P-9-1-1. Don't know those abbreviations? Then you're probably not a teen with extra-nimble thumbs addicted to text messaging. The students at Chicago's Curie High School talk about the world of texting.

Google's entry into the mobile phone universe is an industry milestone that is likely to heat up competition between Apple, Google, Nokia and Microsoft. The Android phone offers software developers an open door for innovation. And consumers will get a phone that analysts say is similar to Apple's iPhone.

Everyone is calling it the Google Phone. In fact, Google has teamed up with T-Mobile to put its Android software on the phone unveiled Tuesday. T-Mobile said it will sell the phone, which is competing with the iPhone, for $179 with a two-year contract.

E-mail, online banking, social networking and other Internet conveniences make life easier every day. But the added convenience doesn't come without increased vulnerability. In September, hackers found their way into Sarah Palin's personal e-mail account, leaving many Internet users wondering if their privacy could be compromised as well.

A $60 billion missile defense system targets the potential threat from nations with intercontinental ballistic missile technology. Critics say much of the system will not work in the event of an actual attack.

Where do Sens. Obama and McCain stand on the big issues in science and technology? Plus, what does a sneaker company have in common with Wikipedia? Tech contributor Mario Armstrong explains.

"Rock Band" has been a phenomenon since its release. David Kushner, an author who covers digital culture for publications such as Rolling Stone and Wired, talks about the videogame and how it has him and his daughters playing along to tunes by Nirvana and Radiohead.

Wind farms are by their nature exposed to the elements, but now several energy companies are building wind towers in the hurricane-riddled Gulf of Mexico.

Airlines are adding a range of new fees for beverages and pillows and blankets to earn more revenue. They're deploying in-flight credit and debit card devices to bolster such transactions. And some carriers are scrapping their music and entertainment systems to save money.