Google has unveiled its new Chrome operating system designed for business customers, which includes changes aimed at allowing companies to operate many of their legacy software applications. Dell has announced new Chromebooks and management software designed to work with the new operating system. After years of pushing cloud-based systems for improved security and management, Google has learned that many companies require custom upgrades or rely on virtualized systems to address the multitude of applications that cannot easily move to the cloud. Continue reading Google Launches New Chrome OS for its Business Customers

In addition to the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, Apple is expected to unveil the long-awaited next-gen Apple TV at its September 9th event. While some have reported that the set-top box has been delayed by a lack of content deals (the company had originally announced a June WWDC launch), 9to5Mac says “the delay was internally attributed to a concern over compromising iOS 9 engineering resources.” In addition to a new hardware design and UI, the device is expected to feature Siri support, improved search, more storage and a faster processor. “According to sources, this new Apple TV model, codenamed J34, will be the first model to run a full-blown iOS core,” notes 9to5Mac. “Specifically, the new Apple TV operating system will be a TV-optimized version of iOS 9.”

Cable TV ratings have declined by double digits for cable channels this summer as viewers are turning to broadcast networks, binge-viewing on streaming services, and using DVRs and VOD to catch up on series from the previous season. “In July, 21 of the top 30 most-watched cable channels saw significant declines in prime-time ratings, according to Nielsen,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Ratings for some top cable networks dropped 18-24 percent during July, with similar declines among viewers age 18 to 49. While summer months have traditionally been good for cable, “network broadcasters have become more aggressive … with big-budget scripted shows [and] lower-cost reality programming.”

Sprint announced that it plans to abandon its two-year contract model in favor of allowing customers to lease their smartphones. Verizon made a similar announcement earlier this month, and T-Mobile dropped its contracts more than two years ago, while AT&T remains the only major carrier that subsidizes phone purchases. “Two-year contracts had been the norm for years, in which customers signed the agreement in exchange for a discounted price on a phone,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Now, carriers primarily offer cheaper monthly plans without contracts, but require customers to pay full price for their devices, typically in monthly installments spread out over two years.”

Stewart Butterfield, founder and CEO of office chat software maker Slack Technologies, says his company is using AI to help build an advanced virtual assistant. Slackbot, Slack’s current built-in assistant, is an icon used for tips, searches and even a sprinkling of humor. In discussing the future potential of Slackbot, Butterfield compares it to the Samantha software voiced by Scarlett Johansson from the film “Her.” Butterfield is leveraging natural language processing and machine learning to build a truly helpful digital office assistant. Continue reading Slack Uses Artificial Intelligence to Build New Virtual Assistant

The Department of Commerce announced that it would renew its contract with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for one year (with options to extend it another three years), delaying its plans to relinquish oversight of one aspect of Internet governance. Commerce has overseen ICANN’s management of the Internet’s domain-name system since 1998. But last year, the Obama administration proposed transferring the oversight to international stakeholders, a plan that has met criticism regarding the potential impact to free expression. Continue reading U.S. Renews Contract with ICANN, Delays Giving Up Oversight

Last week we reported that beneath the aura of excitement generated this year at SIGGRAPH 2015 by the prevalence of virtual reality, a number of compelling panels examined the nuts and bolts of creating VR experiences, including managing workflow and assets. Part 2 of our report on SIGGRAPH VR panels continues with coverage of the VR Village sessions Creating on the Edge and Convergences in Film and Games Technologies, featuring perspectives from professionals in production, post production, visual effects, gaming and journalism. Continue reading SIGGRAPH 2015: More on VR and 360 Degrees of Experience

According to a new report from music analytics firm Next Big Sound, consumers streamed more than one trillion songs during the first six months of this year. The report acquired data from Pandora, Rdio, SoundCloud, Spotify, Vevo, Vimeo and YouTube. While digital downloads and CDs continue to experience a decline, streaming music generated $1.87 billion last year. Streaming music is clearly on the rise (Next Big Sound cites only 450 billion streams for all of 2014), yet companies are still looking for opportunities to profit. Continue reading Music Fans Have Already Streamed One Trillion Songs in 2015

While Twitter’s 140-character limit may have become a defining characteristic of the social platform, the company has decided to address the growing popularity of messaging apps by making a change to its private messaging feature. Last week, Twitter opened up its private chat function to allow users to send messages to each other using unlimited characters. It is unclear whether Twitter is considering a similar change to the character constraint on public tweets. “Twitter’s move is yet another admission that it needs to make the service more useful and easier to navigate,” suggests The Wall Street Journal.

Paramount Pictures is looking to experiment with two October film releases — “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension” and “Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse” — by shortening the length of time it takes to make them available to watch at home via digital platforms. AMC and Cineplex are joined by several smaller operators in participating in the new approach. However, Cinemark (the nation’s third largest exhibitor) and Regal Entertainment Group (the No. 1 chain in North America) have declined. Continue reading Paramount to Experiment with Flexible Film Release Window

Facebook has been developing a tool that would enable public figures to broadcast live to their fans. The social network launched “Live” this week, as a feature in its Mentions app exclusively available to celebrities with verified Pages. The launch kicked off with streams from stars such as Luke Bryan, The Rock and Serena Williams. It is not known whether the feature will be made available to ordinary users to compete with the likes of Periscope and Meerkat, but the company plans to gather feedback from celebs and viewers to “evolve the product.” Continue reading Facebook Rolls Out Live Streaming Video Feature for Celebs

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that developers would be given access to the company’s augmented reality HoloLens headset within the next year. In a recent BBC interview, he noted that the HoloLens is on a “five-year journey” that will include a developer release and enterprise applications prior to arriving on the consumer market. Microsoft has been generating early interest in HoloLens with compelling demonstrations involving architecture, gaming, videoconferencing and more. “We are looking forward to getting a V1 out, which is more around developers and enterprises,” said Nadella. “It’s in the Windows 10 time frame, which means that it is within the next year.”

Samsung has shelved its ambitious plan to reinvent the remote control, a project known internally as “Perfect Experience.” Samsung acquired set-top box startup Boxee for $30 million in 2013, and recruited the Boxee team to build a tablet that would double as a media guide for TV viewers. “The tablet was supposed to give users access to a unified guide with listings of live TV and streaming content with a custom-built user interface that looked unlike any traditional multi-purpose mobile device,” reports Variety. In addition to making the device available with high-end TVs, Samsung was hoping to partner with streaming services and pay TV operators to include their apps and content.

Chinese electronics-maker Hisense is looking to ramp up its TV business in the Americas with the $23.7 million purchase of a Sharp manufacturing plant in Mexico. Sharp is exiting the business after struggling to compete with TV leaders such as LG and Samsung, and will lease rights to its brand name to Hisense. “Once Hisense picks up production, it’ll be the real name behind Sharp TVs, as well as the Aquos and Quattron branding,” reports The Verge. Sharp plans to continue offering other consumer electronics — such as ovens, photocopiers, and solar cells — in the Americas. However, the company is getting out of the TV game.

Major League Baseball’s fast-growing technology arm and the National Hockey League have announced a $600 million deal involving TV and digital rights to NHL games and related content. MLB Advanced Media will pay $100 million annually for six years to take control of NHL digital and broadcast operations, including NHL.com and distribution of live out-of-market games. The deal is also expected to lead to a fully integrated global hub including live game streaming, video, social media, apps, and statistical and analytical content. Continue reading NHL and MLB Advanced Media Team Up on Digital Global Hub