TechBytes: Hulu Subscription Service

April 23, 2010— -- One of the top video sites on the Web is ready to start charging. Hulu will begin testing a subscription service as early as next month, according to the Los Angeles Times. The site would still offer the five most recent episodes of a TV show for free, but anyone who wants to see additional episodes would have to pay $10 a month.

YouTube is expanding its rental business. The site has opened a rental store featuring movies and television shows. The cost ranges from 99 cents to $3.99 for 48 hours. Google began experimenting with rentals in January.

An extensive new study launched Thursday is hoping to provide answers on the long-term impact of cell phones on users' health. Researchers are recruiting 250,000 adults from five European countries and plan to follow them for 20 to 30 years. Research to date has shown no ill effects from phones but those studies may be too short for accurate results.

A study released this week has found that computer brain games may not increase your brain power or IQ. USA Today's Ed Baig has been testing some of the games, including Cognifit, Lumosity and InSight. He's not sure if they work but, he said, they are enjoyable. "These exercises are really a lot of fun and they are challenging," Baig said.

As for whether the games improve people's brains, Baig said, "I suppose getting you engaged is really half the battle on whether this stuff has a chance at working."

You can read his full review on USA today.com.

Driving laws may soon be enforced from space. Britain is testing a new kind of speed camera that uses satellites to measure speed. In addition to ticketing drivers, the system could be used to reduce congestion. And if you're hoping bad weather is a free pass to drive fast, it's not. The system works when it's cloudy.