The FAA proposed yesterday to fine Chicago-based aerial-photography firm SkyPan International “$1.9 million in connection with allegedly flying drones in restricted airspace above New York and Chicago 65 times from March 2012 through December 2014, including 43 flights near New York’s large airports,” reports The Wall Street Journal. This figure dramatically surpasses the $18,700 that was previously the FAA’s largest fine issued for unauthorized drone flights. As the use of drones continues to surge, the FAA “has stepped up a public campaign to keep drone users away from high-profile events like the Super Bowl and the papal visit.”

On October 15, the USC School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) will launch an Experimental Audio Design Lab within its Mobile & Environmental Media Lab. The new venture will serve as a creative think tank exploring innovative audio projects, and a service organization helping other projects within SCA realize audio goals. The lab will work across storytelling media including gaming, narrative, embedded and enchanted objects, augmented reality, virtual reality, mobile, world building, experimental cinema and more.  The Experimental Audio Design Lab seeks corporate involvement for both sponsorship and research problems to solve. Contact Chanel Summers (chanel@syndicate17.com) if you would like additional information.

Amazon is readying a new service, code-named Space Needle, designed to help businesses better analyze their growing collections of data. The service — which will compete with IBM, Microsoft, SAP, Tibco and others in the lucrative business intelligence space — could help the Amazon Web Services cloud-computing division secure more customers by housing more of their data. Amazon is in a strong position for an add-on service; clients such as Airbnb, Netflix, Nike and Pfizer already store their proprietary data on AWS. Continue reading New Analytics Service from Amazon to Make Better Use of Data

Microsoft announced that it has purchased Irish gaming tech firm Havok Software — which it describes as “the leading provider of 3D physics” — from chipmaker Intel. Since Microsoft is working on both gaming and augmented reality, “its Xbox and Hololens projects require that the software giant have the best tooling possible,” reports TechCrunch. According to Havok, its technology can be found in game titles such as “Halo,” “Call of Duty,” “Uncharted” and the special effects of movies including “X-Men: First Class,” “World War Z” and “The Matrix.” Microsoft says Havok is “a fantastic addition” to “existing tools and platform components for developers, including DirectX 12, Visual Studio and Microsoft Azure.”

Google’s Nest Labs is opening up its Weave software to other developers of home-automation devices. Initial partners will include manufacturers such as General Electric and Procter & Gamble. Weave enables connected products to communicate with each other. By not limiting Weave to its own digital thermostats and devices, “more products can work together to control lights, heating, cooling, security and other things in homes,” notes Bloomberg. Nest, which is also launching an online store, “is pouring resources into its product lineup to convince consumers that they need to modernize their homes with connected, intelligent devices.”

Oculus is joining with a number of hardware partners — including Alienware, AMD, Asus, Dell, Intel and Nvidia — to introduce “Oculus Ready” PC systems optimized for the Rift. Starting at price points under $1,000, PCs featuring the certification are expected to hit the market next year and could be a major step toward the consumer adoption of virtual reality. Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe previously hinted that a complete Rift system, including a PC, would run about $1,500. Founder Palmer Luckey recently added that the Rift headset alone will cost more than the $350 developer kit. Continue reading Hardware Partners to Introduce “Oculus Ready” Certified PCs

Following a search that lasted nearly four months, Twitter announced this morning that Jack Dorsey is now the company’s permanent CEO. Dorsey had been serving as interim chief exec since former CEO Dick Costolo stepped aside in June. Adam Bain, Twitter’s head of revenue, will become the new chief operating officer. According to the SEC filing, Dorsey will continue as CEO of Square, the payments company he launched in 2009. It was earlier reported that Dorsey might have to choose between the two companies. “Dorsey, who owns a significant stake in Twitter, won’t get paid to run the company,” reports Re/code.

The FLYBi automates many of the operational tasks that often frustrate drone users. In addition to standard features (remote control, companion app, 12MP camera, 1080p video, on-board Wi-Fi), the FLYBi has the ability to take off, hover, land — even return and change batteries — with little or no interaction by the pilot. VR goggles aid in operation, thanks to a camera unit installed on a gimbal and connected to the head-tracking unit. The FLYBi also features a 1.8-inch display with anti-glare glass and a wrist-worn remote, one of the first wearable drone controllers. Continue reading New Drone Adds Wearable Remote, Head-Tracking VR Goggles

Amazon made a bold move yesterday by announcing that it plans to stop selling Google Chromecast and Apple TV streaming devices by the end of October. While the online retailer sells the competing Fire TV, it is expected to continue offering Roku and other streaming devices. According to Amazon, the move is designed to prevent “customer confusion” since the Google and Apple products do not stream Amazon’s video content, offered through its Prime membership. “It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video,” said a company spokesperson. Continue reading Amazon Pulls Rival Streaming Devices to Prevent “Confusion”

Internet users are typically more engaged when accessing websites and social platforms that include photos and videos. Marketing firm Shift, for example, notes that readers are five times more likely to click an embedded link if a tweet includes an image. As a result, companies are now developing software solutions for sifting through the millions of online images in an effort to help brands, advertisers and e-commerce players identify what draws viewers. EyeEm Mobile and Neon Labs are among those looking to enhance the power of online visuals. Continue reading Companies Develop Tools for Sifting Through Online Images

Twitter announced this week that its “buy now” button would be more widely available to U.S. merchants, by offering the feature to stores that use e-commerce platforms Bigcommerce, Demandware or Shopify to run their online shopping operations. Businesses that use any of the three platforms can tweet out links to products that will appear with a buy button. “A Twitter user can then purchase the product in as few as two taps — one tap on the buy button and a second to confirm the purchase,” reports The New York Times. Earlier this week, YouTube announced that advertisers now have the ability to insert buy buttons in other people’s videos.

The team running a local TV news station in Switzerland believes that iPhones offer adequate capabilities for news broadcasts, according to PetaPixel. TV station Léman Bleu has replaced all of its field cameras with iPhones and selfie sticks. Swiss newspaper Le Temps reports that the station has outfitted its reporters with iPhone 6 kits for pre-recorded packages and live shots. “It’s a search for lightness and responsiveness, but also a way to reduce the costs of producing a newscast,” said news director Laurent Keller. The smartphones enable reporters to easily go live via broadcast and online. News organizations in the U.S. are also experimenting with the approach.

E-commerce giant Amazon launched a new delivery system this week called Amazon Flex. The Uber-like model offers individuals with their own vehicles and an Android smartphone the opportunity to deliver packages for $18-25 per hour. Drivers have the option of two-, four- or eight-hour shifts. In addition to a car and an Android phone for managing deliveries with the Flex app, drivers must be over 21 and pass a background check. The new system, initially rumored back in June, works with Amazon’s Prime Now service, which offers members one- and two-hour delivery on items. Continue reading Amazon Enters the Gig Economy with “Flex” Delivery Service

The Entertainment Merchant’s Association is offering ETC members a 50 percent discount on registration to its Digital Media Pipeline conference, taking place October 14 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. This year’s event — which runs $198 with the discount — will focus on the delivery of digital entertainment, including electronic sell-through, transactional VOD, subscription VOD and ad-supported VOD. Studio execs, digital retailers and service and tech providers will discuss the latest trends in online entertainment. To take advantage of EMA’s offer, visit the Non-Member Registration page and enter Discount Code 904. Continue reading ETC Members Offered Major Discount on Digital Media Pipeline

The NBA and Turner Sports are scheduled to simulcast the league’s first-ever live event on Facebook today. “The NBA’s ‘Real Training Camp,’ featuring LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers” will be simulcast from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm Eastern “on the NBA TV cable channel, NBA TV’s Facebook page and NBA.com,” reports Variety. While Facebook has no immediate plans to license sports content, the social giant’s goal is to serve as a video platform that will appeal to a range of media partners. In a similar first, the NFL has partnered with Yahoo to live stream a regular-season football game being played overseas on October 25.