Tech makes Olympic-size jump in Vancouver

The 2010 Winter Games aren't just about athletes breaking records and reaching new heights in their respective sports. They're also a venue for breakthroughs in science, technology, and energy efficiency. Check this page to follow our on-site coverage for a behind-the-scenes look at some of the tech powering the Vancouver games.

Live blog: Canadian hockey vet shut out of big game

Gordon Robertson won a gold medal in the 1952 Olympics, but even he couldn't land a ticket for Sunday's big game.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 28, 2010 11:00 AM PST

Techie bobsledder wins gold

Computer science major Steven Holcomb leads his four-man Night Train sled to America's first bobsled gold in 62 years.
• Holcomb, 'Night Train' team collect bobsled gold
• Geek bobsledder leads after day 1
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 27, 2010 3:45 PM PST

Notebook: Canon, Nikon get in the picture

Both camera makers are at the Games, helping photographers with demo lenses and cameras. CNET's Ina Fried borrows a lens from Canon to shoot bobsled images.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 27, 2010 12:15 PM PST

Notebook: Microsoft exec avoids the penalty box

Microsoft executive Kirill Tatarinov got caught watching a hockey game during an important team meeting. Luckily for him, his boss is an even bigger hockey fan.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 26, 2010 10:00 AM PST

Can IT guy deliver bobsled gold?

Stephen Holcomb, pilot of the "Night Train" bobsled and a Microsoft Certified Professional, will try to end the United States' decades-long drought in the sport.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 26, 2010 6:00 AM PST

Notebook: 'Snow Leopard' spotted in Vancouver

But it's a skier from Ghana, not the Apple operating system, that has caught people's eye at the Winter Games.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 25, 2010 11:49 AM PST

The Olympics run on Windows (XP)

The many Acer computers that dot the Olympic venues are running Windows, but it's the venerable Windows XP rather than one of Microsoft's newer operating systems.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 25, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Olympic timing a high-tech affair

Long gone are the days of timers with stopwatches. Now it's a combination of light sensors, transponders, GPS, and more. CNET's Ina Fried has a look at all the tech that goes into scoring the Winter Games.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 22, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Notebook: A kid's first hockey game

Canadian kindergartner gets a first-rate game for his inauguration to the national pastime, witnessing Switzerland's shootout victory over Belarus on Tuesday. Also, scenes from figure skating.
• Photos: Figure skating's women take to the ice
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 24, 2010 12:40 PM PST

Notebook: Photo finishes from Vancouver

Omega's high-end digital camera provides a unique look at some of the closest calls of the Winter Games. Meanwhile, geek bobsledder Steven Holcomb sets his eyes on the four-man after missing the podium in two-man event.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 22, 2010 11:59 AM PST

Live blog U.S.-Canada hockey game

A little more than an hour before the U.S. is set to take on Canada in men's hockey and the atmosphere is already beyond electric.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 21, 2010 4:30 PM PST

Notebook: Canada vs. U.S. on Super Sunday

Three big hockey match-ups are on tap, but it's the U.S. and Canada pairing that has the host nation on edge. Meanwhile, the geek bobsledder goes for a medal in two-man bobsled.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 21, 2010 10:42 AM PST

Notebook: Honoring the great Gretzky

The hockey legend drew giant cheers for his brilliant career and even louder cheers when he boldly predicted that Canada would take home Olympic gold this year.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 20, 2010 6:40 PM PST

PC-Mac rivalry makes for crowded USA bobsled

Bobsled pilot Steven Holcomb is as big into Windows as teammate Steve Mesler is into Mac. Somehow, though, their allegiances haven't derailed the world champions.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 20, 2010 6:00 AM PST

Canada's Patrick Chan on skating gold controversy

Chan defends the decision to award Evan Lysachek the gold even though his Russian rival performed a quad jump. The 19-year-old also talks tech, as well as his plans for the future.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 19, 2010 2:05 PM PST

Notebook: Canada's Brodeur talks hockey, tech

Fresh off his stellar shootout performance shutting down the Swiss, Canadian goalie Martin Brodeur talks about the pressure to win gold and the technology of hockey.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 19, 2010 12:12 PM PST

Canada's high-tech effort to 'own the podium'

The host nation has spent millions of dollars over the past few years investing in technology it hopes will give it a better showing in the medals standings.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 19, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Notebook: Meet the Games' youngest reporter

10-year-old Brennan LaBrie, in town to cover the Games as a Time magazine "kid reporter," is already a veteran journalist.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 18, 2010 3:30 PM PST

Spectators to get a better flame view

VanOC plans to move some of the current fencing around the Olympic cauldron and add a rooftop observation point providing an unobstructed view.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 17, 2010 11:59 AM PST

Notebook: The glitchy Games

A cauldron controversy, torch issue, ice-resurfacing problems and weather-related ticket cancellations have the Vancouver Games off to a rough start.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 17, 2010 9:33 AM PST

The Olympic skier known as 'spam king'

Vancouver silver medalist Dale Begg-Smith reportedly made a small fortune, and plenty of enemies, through pop-up ads and adware designed to be nearly impossible to remove.
(Posted in Politics and Law by Declan McCullagh)
February 17, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Top U.S. bobsledder is a gold medal nerd

In an interview with CNET, world champion sled pilot and medal contender Steven Holcomb talks about how he got addicted to tech.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 17, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Notebook: A fresh look at the medal table

Although the U.S. tops the traditional medal charts right now, one company has an app that shows Norway on top, adjusting for factors like a country's population or GDP.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 16, 2010 2:06 PM PST

Live from an Olympic medal ceremony

Loud cheers lead to a deafening roar as now national icon Alexandre Bilodeau receives the first gold of any Canada-hosted games.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 15, 2010 7:52 PM PST

Notebook: Interview with a Games junkie

Norman Tu is a self-described addict, attending his seventh Olympics. But, he says, that's the perk of owning his own company.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 15, 2010 4:21 PM PST

Notebook: Mapping the Vancouver Games

The Internet giants have gone to extraordinary lengths to make sure their mapping programs are ready for the Winter Olympics.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 14, 2010 9:39 AM PST

The site that lets you compete against Olympians

The Olympic committee has created a site where you can compete against Olympic champions--at sports like hula-hooping and putting golf balls into a cup.
(Posted in Technically Incorrect by Chris Matyszczyk)
February 13, 2010 5:09 PM PST

Luge star's death leads to Olympic course change

The Olympic committee has created a site where you can compete against Olympic champions--at sports like hula-hooping and putting golf balls into a cup.
(Posted in Health Tech by Elizabeth Armstrong Moore)
February 13, 2010 2:35 PM PST

Interactive airship to fly at Winter Games

WeBlimp conceptually places observers inside by projecting images snapped by its onboard camera onto a wall-size screen. Navigators can also control where it goes.
(Posted in Crave by Leslie Katz)
February 12, 2010 1:53 PM PST

The Vancouver games: Here's the app for that

NBC Olympics keeps you in the loop with news, photos, videos, and a complete roster of event dates and times. Best of all, it's a freebie.
(Posted in iPhone Atlas by Rick Broida)
February 12, 2010 12:51 PM PST

Skier Vonn uses Twitter, Facebook for leg update

In a posting on her Facebook page, Vonn updates fans and the world on her badly bruised shin, saying she is feeling more optimistic she can ski through the pain.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 11, 2010 3:11 PM PST

Is Sega's Olympics video game worth buying?

As the Olympics get into full swing, you may find yourself having an urge to pick up Sega's Vancouver 2010 and do a little Olympics video gaming. Before you buy, here's a quick look at what the game has to offer.
(Posted in Crave by David Carnoy)
February 11, 2010 3:02 PM PST

Yet again, NBC's Olympics strategy is a Web loser

As the Olympics get into full swing, you may find yourself having an urge to pick up Sega's Vancouver 2010 and do a little Olympics video gaming. Before you buy, here's a quick look at what the game has to offer.
(Posted in Technically Incorrect by Chris Matyszczyk)
February 10, 2010 5:58 PM PST

Wiring the Vancouver Olympics

Powering the Winter Games requires more than 5,000 kilometers of cabling, 6,000 computers, and a willingness to break with tradition.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 10, 2010 12:00 PM PST

Q&A: A chat with an Olympics IT guy

The Winter Games in Vancouver, which kick off Friday, rely on thousands of servers and PCs to manage everything from scores to travel plans. Magnus Alvarsson has to make sure everything is working.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 8, 2010 4:00 AM PST

Microsoft aims for smooth streaming in Vancouver

Software maker is helping NBC deliver HD video of the Olympic Games using Silverlight, offering new features, including the ability to pause a live event.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 7, 2010 9:00 PM PST

Olympics to athletes: Go ahead and tweet

Amid some confusion over guidelines, the International Olympic Committee reiterates that competitors are free to blog about their personal experiences at the games.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 5, 2010 12:45 PM PST

Want light? Just think about it

Technology from a Canadian company enables people to control objects using only their brain waves. Visitors to the upcoming Winter Olympics will be able to give it a try.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
February 3, 2010 9:22 AM PST

At Vancouver Olympics, straw battles sun, rain

With the Winter Games taking place so close to sea level, event organizers at Cypress Mountain are using bales of straw to lessen the amount of snow they need.
• Photos: Spinning straw into snow
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
January 29, 2010 9:42 AM PST

A new Olympic sport: Tracking building energy

The Vancouver winter Olympics will use a system that gives building managers a way to track energy use and make changes to reduce pollution.
(Posted in Beyond Binary by Ina Fried)
January 22, 2010 10:59 AM PST

Sharp idea: Olympic stadium from recycled knives

First medals from recycled consumer electronics, and now a stadium made from confiscated weapons. We're really liking this emphasis on recycling.
(Posted in Crave by Leslie Katz)
January 26, 2010 11:49 AM PST

previous coverage

2010 Olympic medals to contain used gadgets

Gold, silver, and bronze medals for the upcoming games will contain materials from recycled TVs, computers, and keyboards that otherwise would have ended up as e-waste.
(Posted in Crave by Leslie Katz)
October 16, 2009 11:46 AM PDT

Shaun White dishes out the details on his new game, World Stage

We got to sit down with the Olympic gold medal winner this week at an Ubisoft event in lower Manhattan where he explained what's new in Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage, an exclusive title for the Wii.
(Posted in Crave by Jeff Bakalar)
July 31, 2009 11:24 AM PDT

Beijing 2008: Tech gets in on the Games

The Summer Olympics in Beijing are getting unprecedented online exposure, and as the usual tech suspects (both wired and mobile) are aiming to grab sports enthusiasts' attention, others are dealing with censorship issues.
(Posted in CNET News by staff)
Last modified August 21, 2008 12:22 PM PDT