On Tuesday, Google officially released the Livestream app that allows people to share live video captured with their Google Glass headsets. Glass users simply tell their devices to start broadcasting and the video that the headset records can be shared with other Livestream users for free. To broadcast to non-Livestream viewers, users can pay up to $399 per month to stream video to the Web. Google vetted Livestream’s policy to ensure the app addresses privacy concerns. Continue reading Livestream App Lets Google Glass Users Share Live Video

Amazon has released a new update for its Amazon Instant Video app for iPhones and iPads that lets viewers watch the first episode of selected TV series for free, as long as viewers are willing to watch ads both before and during the show. The ad-supported model is a departure from Amazon’s focus on making revenue through its subscription streaming service, Amazon Prime Instant Video. The iOS update also brings a slew of HBO content, as part of a recent licensing deal. Continue reading Amazon iOS App Update Offers Free TV Episodes with Ads

Twitter acquired SnappyTV last week, a video editing platform that helps TV networks and cable channels share their video clips on social media. SnappyTV already has Twitter data built into its platform, and Twitter plans to further integrate SnappyTV with Twitter Amplify, which distributes video clips and ads across Twitter feeds. The acquisition marks Twitter’s next step in its social television strategy, shortly after losing two top execs who served as champions of the initiative. Continue reading Social Television: Twitter Acquires Video Platform SnappyTV

Vice Media is best known for its wide array of online video content, which ranges from current events and investigative reporting to music and kittens. An insider says that the company expects to generate $500 million in revenue this year. Now, major media conglomerates looking for a younger audience are reportedly discussing a partnership with Vice that could potentially amount to billions — while some have suggested that such reports are exaggerated. Continue reading Vice Media Success Generating Interest from Media Giants?

Last week, chipmaker Intel introduced its own mobile app called “Pocket Avatars.” Unlike most of Intel’s functional software, Pocket Avatars is purely recreational. The app uses a smartphone’s camera and microphone to record the user’s voice and facial movements. Then the app translates those signals into a talking, animated avatar message that users can send to their friends. The free app is available for iPhones and Android smartphones. Continue reading Intel Enters the Mobile App Business with Avatar Messages

Lego is launching a new line of building block kits this summer that enable 7-to-12-year-old children to build a physical building and then see that building become a part of a virtual world in the corresponding smartphone app. The budding builder would construct a facade out of the 200-piece Lego Fusion set, and then use the app’s camera function to capture the creation and turn it into a building within the app’s game, such as a tycoon game or a racing game. Continue reading Lego Fusion Sets Combine Physical Blocks and Virtual Worlds

Amazon’s highly anticipated smartphone, the Fire Phone, comes with a new technology that combines image, text, video and audio recognition to make it easier than ever for users to identify (and hopefully purchase) some 70 million products in Amazon’s database. The Firefly technology can also scan QR codes, bar codes, and contact information. In terms of entertainment, the technology recognizes 245,000 movies and TV episodes, 160 live TV channels, and 35 million songs. Continue reading Amazon’s Firefly Technology Recognizes Millions of Products

Google’s Project Tango is developing 3D smartphones and tablets that can not only render locations and objects, but can also be used to record 3D images and videos. Mantis Vision’s technology, which will be used in the Google Project Tango devices, creates a depth map of a scene so that users can view an image from different perspectives and add different backgrounds and other 3D visual effects. Other electronics companies are investing in the Mantis technology as well. Continue reading Google 3D Smartphones Will Run on Mantis Vision Technology

Facebook’s iPad app will no longer be merely a larger version of the iPhone app. The social network has launched a new sidebar in its iPad app for U.S. users. This new feature makes it easier for people to discover games, videos, and news articles based on their interests and their friends’ activity. The update includes a new “My Games” section that has notifications from the games that users already play and “Popular Games,” which suggests new iPad games that users may be interested in. Continue reading Facebook Unveils New Sidebar with Games, Video in iPad App

NASA uses a super-fast shadow network, known as the Energy Science Network (ESnet for short), to connect researchers working on big data projects, such as the Large Hadron Collider or the Human Genome Project. ESnet uses fiber optic lines to reach transfer speeds of 91 gigabits per second, the fastest ever reported for end-to-end data transfer conducted under real world conditions. NASA does not plan on making ESnet available to consumers, but the tech may someday be picked up by Internet service providers. Continue reading NASA’s Shadow Internet: 100 Times Faster Than Google Fiber

DreamWorks Animation, which acquired the YouTube content company AwesomenessTV last year, is bringing original programming featuring Shrek, Puss in Boots, and others to a new YouTube channel known as DreamWorksTV. Each day, the channel will release three videos of animated or live action content. The new shows include vlogs from Shrek, a reality TV show “Record Setter Kids,” an animated Web series “Jimmy Blue Shorts,” and animated comedy “Gorillaville.” Continue reading DreamWorks and AwesomenessTV Launch YouTube Channel

Fans are not only getting their “Game of Thrones” fix from the popular episodes airing on HBO, but also the fan-generated “Game of Thrones” content on YouTube. From audience-reaction videos to alternate endings, more than 1.4 billion fan-created videos account for 89 percent of all “Thrones” related viewing on YouTube. According to Google research, online activity on YouTube helps drive viewers to TV shows, boost ratings, and keep fans engaged in between seasons. Continue reading Fan-Made YouTube Videos Bolster ‘Game of Thrones’ Success

Apple has ended its civil class-action lawsuit over the price of e-books with a settlement that is worth an estimated $100-$300 million. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Apple broke antitrust laws by driving up the prices of e-books in cooperation with five major U.S. publishers. If Apple’s appeal of last year’s case is unsuccessful, the tech giant may be paying out millions to e-book customers. The terms of the settlement also cancel a damages trial set for July. Continue reading Apple’s Settlement in E-Book Case Will Likely Pay Consumers

At Samsung’s Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco last week, the world’s largest phone maker introduced two of the first products, a smartphone and a TV, to run on the company’s own Tizen operating system. Samsung is hoping that using the open-source Tizen, instead of Google’s Android system, will differentiate them from other electronics companies. The major challenge for the company is getting developers to create apps for the fledgling operating system. Continue reading Samsung Unveils New Devices with Tizen Operating System

Video games are about to get very realistic, and it’s not just because of virtual reality headsets. Microsoft researchers have developed the technology to make sounds seem as if they are coming from a specific point in space. The 3D audio technology is made possible by the software that builds a 3D model of a player’s head and shoulders and calculates a personal filter to trick the player into perceiving sound as coming from a specific location. Continue reading Microsoft Has Developed 3D Audio to Augment Virtual Reality