Microsoft is reportedly joining Apple, Samsung and LG in the race to develop a smart watch

The software giant is working on designs for a touchscreen watch device, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited anonymous executives at suppliers

In early 2013, Microsoft asked Asian suppliers to ship parts for a potential watch-style device, the executives said. One source added that he had a meeting with Microsoft's research and development team at its Redmond, Wash. headquarters

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request to confirm reports

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You've seen how astronauts cry in space, but what about how they sleep?

Chris Hadfield, who currently lives on the International Space Station, explained how he catches some Zs in a zero-gravity environment

All it requires is putting on a pair of "space jammies," then heading to your individual "sleep pod," which has a sleeping bag tied to the wall inside. Without gravity, there's no need for a pillow or mattress — simply relax, and float

What do you think of how astronauts sleep in space? Could you sleep in zero G? Tell us in the comments, below

Screenshot image courtesy of YouTube, canadianspaceagency Read more...

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Helicopters swoop in to attack an armor-less Tony Stark at his California mansion in new Iron Man 3 footage released at the MTV Movie Awards. The billionaire hero summons a prototype suit to defend himself, but it doesn't appear to be much help during the attack — presumably orchestrated by the Mandarin, a villain hellbent on ruining Stark's personal life.

Iron Man 3 stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley.

The film arrives in theaters on May 3 Read more...

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The MTV Movie Awards doesn't usually show much in the way of actual awards (they have a "best shirtless category" — though there's no complaints, here), but it does promise a slew of antics by celebs on their worst behavior

Add Rebel Wilson as the wildest host in awhile, and you get the oddball of this year's awards season. There was plenty of sexual innuendo, partial nudity and general discomfort to keep us feeling awkwardly fulfilled until MTV's Video Music Awards

In case you couldn't catch the show, here's pretty much what happened — minus the dull acceptance speeches — in GIF form Read more...

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The long-awaited teaser trailer for Catching Fire, the second installment in The Hunger Games trilogy, debuted at the MTV Movie Awards. Actor Liam Hemsworth introduced the clip

The new footage gives fans a glimpse of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's lives on the "Victor's Tour" after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games. Sensing a rebellion, President Snow tries to destroy Everdeen's lovable image to control the uproar

Catching Fire hits theaters on Nov. 22, and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. Read more...

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Overall ad spending on magazines may have been down 5% in the first quarter of this year, but one sector dramatically (and surprisingly) upped its investment in the medium: the technology industry.

Technology companies increased their spending on magazines by 21.6% from Q1 2012, according to data released this week by the Publishers Information Bureau. The technology category includes hardware, software, devices (including mobile phones and other handsets) and telecom providers (i.e. AT&T), said a spokesperson for PIB.

Why has the technology industry — which last year reduced the number of ad pages purchased three out of four quarters — suddenly reversed direction, spending $215.9 million on magazines in the first three months of the year? It hasn't. According to Jon Swallen, chief research officer of Kantar Media (which supplied the original data to PIB), the increase in spending — at least in the hardware/software division — is something of an anomaly, one that can be linked to a single advertiser: Microsoft. Read more...

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With the summer season comes a multitude of dancing opportunities: weddings, proms, outdoor clubs, graduation gatherings, rooftop parties, festivals, concerts in the park and farmer's markets ... or maybe that last one is just me. The time to prepare yourself for all the grooving and shaking in your future is now. You need dance tutorials.

Lucky you — we at Mashable have compiled 10 sure-fire moves to impress your friends wherever you get the urge to shake it like a polaroid picture. We've got everything from the classic Moonwalk to more adventurous dances like The Stanky Leg and The Wobble

Read more...

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Over the past several years, Twitter has played a huge part in a comedy renaissance still going strong. Entertainers use the platform to take advantage of trending topics immediately, turning them into brilliant and timely nuggets of standup that might not otherwise make it to the stage in time

Yet even some of the most quick-witted writers will emphasize the difference between Twitter and their "true" comedy. Very few comics feel comfortable dubbing themselves "Twitter comedians."

"I think the term 'Twitter comedian' can seem like a pejorative because it's not a job, really, and there's such a low barrier for entry to get started," comedian Josh Gondelman tells Mashable. Read more...

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It isn't easy to find a reliable cellphone network, so you often find little tricks to make the most of it. Between holding your cellphone at weird angles or making calls with your nose pressed against a window, you're determined to get as many service bars as you can.

In this Sunday Comic by Maria Scrivan, we see one dog's attempt at getting better cell reception. It's OK, Fido. Totally worth a try.

Comic written and illustrated by Maria Scrivan. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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If you've ever had the desire to unleash your inner musician without actually investing in an instrument, this new app will help you achieve your symphonic dreams

AirHarp, developed by Leap Motion's Adam Somers, allows users to touch and pluck strings simply by waving their hands in mid-air.

Leap Motion made waves in 2012 for being a precise and responsive motion tracking device. AirHarp promises that same quick and precise design, Somers said, making it feel like you are actually playing an instrument (or using the Jedi force) when nothing is there. Check out the video above to see (and hear) AirHarp in action Read more...

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Admit it — you play with your cellphone on the toilet. It's nothing to be ashamed of (although studies show that 16% of phones have fecal matter on them, so that's gross). But what if there were a video game you could play while using urinals?

This comic shows that there might be at least one industry interested in this sort of gaming development. Just think: the more you drink, the sooner you can play again.

Comic written by Larry Lambert; illustrated by Jerry King. Read more...

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Chris Crowell is a veteran kindergarten teacher and contributing editor to Children's Technology Review, a web-based archive of articles and reviews on kids apps, technology toys and video games.

Practice addition, match puzzle cards and learn scientific concepts like friction and gravity — all in this week's top apps for kids. Check out our gallery for more educational apps that incorporate learning with fun and games.

SEE ALSO: Hospital Uses iPads to Help Mom Bond With Baby

Children's Technology Review shared these five top apps for children with us from their comprehensive monthly database of kid-tested reviews. The site covers everything from math and counting to reading and phonics. Download a free issue of CTR here. Read more...

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If you see a GIF go viral Sunday during the MTV Movie Awards chances are T. Kyle MacMahon will have assembled it. The popular GIF creator, who believes GIFs are the new emoticons of online conversation, will be the human machine behind the show's "Giffies."

The Giffies is MTV's new GIF-based "awards show" that will honor memorable moments from the MTV Movie Awards in real time. MacMahon will team up with comedians from VH1's Best Week Ever to quickly create GIFs for made-up categories (e.gSexiest Lip Licking).

We interviewed MacMahon, who this week also won Best GIF Maker at the Shorty Awards, to learn how he determines what makes a great GIFable moment, how he produces the GIFs and how he got his start turning split-second moments into viral artwork Read more...

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Didn't get a chance to watch this week's most-viral videos? We understand — spring fever's an acceptable distraction. Unless, maybe, you live in Minnesota. Regardless of your location, we've rounded up all you need to know from this week in YouTube

To start things off, the Slow-Mo Guys blew up a handful of paint jars, then recorded the mess — as you might have guessed — in super-slow motion. Some dudes impersonated animals eating food from the dinner table, too.

A Samurai cat, an almost-shark attack and a dubstep/classical battle royale made their rounds as well. Check out the full recap above Read more...

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Is there any doubt that cats are awesome? We love cats, and being Mashable and all, we know a thing or two about them. But is it even possible to put our feelings about cats into infographic form? You be the judge.

Undaunted by such a Herculean task, we bring you this comprehensive look at the cats we've loved throughout history and even take a stab at psychoanalyzing them

And you know what else? Cats love us back.

And you know what else? Cats love us back. There's even a scientific study that suggests that — see the infographic for details

And even though other animals attempt to make inroads into the cats' domination of the online world (we're looking at you, screaming goats), we are confident cats will keep their place on the throne of the Interweb memes for a long time to come. Read more...

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Celebrities, be weary if you're headed to the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon set, because you may just end up with egg on your face. No, we don't mean the metaphorical type caused by embarrassing and prodding questions from Jimmy Fallon. We literally mean that the comedian will make you break eggs over your head like he did with Tom Cruise

When the movie star appeared on the talk show to promote his latest flick Oblivion, he and Fallon went head to head in a suspenseful game of Egg Roulette. The premise of the game was simple — eight of the 12 eggs were hard boiled, four were not Read more...

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News traveled at a much different pace before the Internet came of age.

In 18th century England, town criers rang bells on street corners — "Hear ye! Hear ye!" — and shouted the city's announcements to passers-by. In Holland, they banged gongs from rooftops and bellowed news out to the market shoppers below.

That time period — not unlike quill pens and powdered wigs — has long been sketched in the history books. And while a handful of cities do still employ town criers, it's more an expression of tradition than functionality, meant to highlight the past in novelty form for tourist bucks. In short: It's old, old news Read more...

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Type an address into your phone, and up will pop a step-by-step route from where you are to where you want to be. This is, in its way, magic. But it's magic that has, at this point, been rubbed and polished into a simple fact of life. The ease with which we machine-carrying humans make our way through the world, however, is quite new — and the product of a long, painstaking history: of people plotting a course, getting lost, and finally finding their way.

The newest exhibit at the Smithsonian's Air and Space museum, "Time and Navigation: The Untold Story of Getting from Here to There," opened this weekend, shares the story of human route-charting, in the seas, in the sky, and in space. And it's largely a story of failure. The first spaceships we sent to the moon either missed their destination completely or crashed into it. Amelia Earhart was very likely lost due to poor navigation. Columbus and his ships were, famously, misdirected. Read more...

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Dating in the 21st century brings with it a slew of woes. How does one successfully navigate the minefields that are OKCupid dating profiles, Twitter handles and Instagram hashtags when it comes to matters of the heart?

Surely, you can't get through all this alone. You need some advice from a sophisticated man of the world. Someone who can successfully (and painlessly) guide you to finding love online

Well, we don't have that guy for you. Instead, we have the office guy — known more commonly to Mashable folks as Editorial Director Matt Silverman. He teamed up with Daily Candy to answer all your questions on romance in the digital age Read more...

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Earlier last week, a Chinese propaganda official said China's Internet-based "new media" were threatening the Communist party. Using one of Mao Zedong's most famous phrases, Ren Xianliang, vice-minister of propaganda in Shaanxi province, wrote in an editorial (link in Chinese): "Just as political power grows out of the barrel of a gun, the Party's control of the media is an unassailable basis of the party's leadership."

Indeed, it would seem that microblog Sina Weibo, video sharing sites, and other online forums used by millions of Chinese citizens have government officials shaking in their shoes. In a February survey, half of about 2,100 party officials polled by the People's Tribune said they feared microblogs would increase social unrest. In 2010, a survey found that over 70% of Chinese officials suffered from "Internet terror," a state fear of being the subject of an Internet vigilante campaign that could bring down one's career. Read more...

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Any avid gamer — especially those who play World of Warcraft — can recognize a video game by the sounds alone. Those dings, squeaks, blasts and crashes are so particular — it's like a human's fingerprint

Here, YouTuber Gold Pik Pik Carrots — mimicking a style made popular by YouTuber Pogo — uses the particular noises and characters' voices from World of Warcraft and creates a fantasy-world pop song

The footage in the video is also taken from scenes within the game, and the overall result is a catchy remixed beat that you could definitely see everyone in WoW breakin' it down to. Read more...

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Steve Jobs told us all to "Think Different," so why settle with having your MacBook look the same as everyone else's?

A new Kickstarter campaign is making sure to set your laptop out from a sea of other Apple computers with the Iconic Disc. The partially-transparent badge uses light from the Apple logo on the back of your MacBook’s screen to show off any image that you desire

The disc uses non-permanent sticky tape and magnets to fit perfectly over the original logo, and makes sure that you can keep changing the image as your favorite images change. And don't be afraid to think very differently when it comes to accessorizing your tech — its creators on Kickstarter have licensed plenty of quirky images including cats and retro Apple images Read more...

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Even though the web first saw Bitcoins in 2009, the decentralized virtual currency is the talk of the Internet right now. It reached a record value of $256 USD last week, before it took a nosedive on Wednesday.

In this Sunday Comic, our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech wonder if the only difference between Bitcoins and "real" currencies is that bankers can't take advantage of you.

What do you think of Bitcoins? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Comic illustration provided by The Joy of Tech. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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After a highly publicized appearance at Amsterdam's Anne Frank House, the site where Frank and her family hid from the Nazis from 1942 to 1944, an "inspired" Justin Bieber left some deep thoughts in the museum's guestbook. "Anne was a great girl," he wrote. "Hopefully she would have been a belieber."

If only this poor teen could have been able to hear the YouTube single of "Beauty and the Beat," or been one of Justin's 37 million Twitter followers, or read Justin's Rolling Stone interview, or seen Justin's haircut change before she was rounded up by the Gestapo, transported to Auschwitz concentration camp, exposed to typhus, and died. Read more...

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Attendees of this year's Coachella music festival over the weekend got a sneak peek at Daft Punk's new music video for "Get Lucky," the first single from the group's upcoming studio album Random Access Memories.

The infectiously funky song features rapper Pharrell Williams on vocals — and, as you can see in the video, there's no shortage of glamour and sequins.

The teaser trailer was shown on the big screen during the festival, then once again during last night's episode of Saturday Night Live

Random Access Memories, due to be released on May 21, will be the French electronic duo's fourth studio albumThe Verge reports that nine additional artists will make appearances on the album, including The Strokes' Julian Casablancas and Animal Collective's Panda Bear. Read more...

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Add two more to the growing roster of magazines integrating e-commerce capabilities onto their sites: Time Inc.'s Essence magazine and Conde Nast's Teen Vogue.

At Essence.com, a new "Beauty Matchmaker" tool helps women find foundations, lipsticks and shadows that compliment their individual skin tones and color preferences. Women will be presented with a multitude of options from different retailers, including Sephora and Drugstore.com. They can add products to an on-site shopping cart and check out without leaving the magazine's website.

Teen Vogue's e-commerce integration will come this July with a Back-to-School shop on TeenVogue.com. Again, readers will be able to shop across a range of retailers with a single, on-site checkout system. Read more...

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The Slow-Mo Guys are at it again, but this time they are making a mess of rainbow proportions

They lit jars of paint on fire and watched as they blew up, splattering colors everywhere. They framed the explosions with a camera running at 15,000 frames per second — that's 600 times slower than human vision in real time — to show us the slow motion bursts of color

There were no special effects added, but you'll still feel as if you're watching a miniature fireworks show.

And we definitely wouldn't recommend trying this at home, unless you were planning to repaint the ceilings Read more...

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Ashley Mosley is Community Engagement Manager of InternMatch, an online platform connecting the the best intern candidates and employers. Connect with Ashley and InternMatch on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

If you believe interns are the future of your company, you might just be right. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, more than 40% of employers' entry-level hires from 2011 to 2012 came from internship or co-op programs. Today’s intern might be tomorrow’s superstar employee

Finding the right interns for your program, however, isn’t always a picnic. Enter Google Hangout. Launched as part of social network Google+ in 2011, Hangouts allow employers to share information with potential intern candidates in a video-chat format. Intern candidates get to ask the burning questions they have about the company or position, while employers get an easy boost to their employer brand Read more...

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