Technology News Gallery August 15, 2011

The weeks international tech news in pictures, courtesy of IDG News Service. This week: Social media plays a critical role in identifying London rioters, Defcon hackers build spy drones, WalMart shutters its MP3 store, and more

Social media and London's riots

In a tit-for-tat move, London's Metropolitan Police are using social media outlets to track down looters in riots that were partly organized through social media. Residents also organized cleanup activities over the Web.

Build your own spy-in-the-sky

Hackers at Defcon displayed do-it-yourself aerial surveillance technology, including wireless camera that can be fired from a flare gun and this surplus U.S. Army drone converted to flying spy station.

University researchers create optical ‘diode'

Researchers at California Institute of Technology and University of California at San Diego have developed a silicon-based optical waveguide that minimizes light interference, a breakthrough in the quest for low-cost, all-optical networks.

Google, Apple still big smart phone winners

Gartner Research analyst Roberta Cozza reported that Google and Apple have a combined share of 61.6 per cent of the smart phone market, while Microsoft's Windows Phone struggles, and will continue to until at least the second half of 2012.

Walmart had a digital music store?

Giant retailer Walmart announced it will close its eight-year-old Music Downloads store at the end of August, never having been able to entrench itself in a market dominated by Apple's iTunes and streaming services.