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Google Integrates Brands and Locations in Virtual Reality Game Ingress

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November 27, 2012
  • Currently invitation-only, Google will soon launch the beta of a new virtual reality mobile game, testing whether the model can lead players to visit retail and online locations.
  • The company will integrate communications for brands such as Jamba Juice, PopChips, Hint, Zipcar and Chrome Bags Store within the Android-based “Ingress” game.
  • The pilot will incorporate physical locations and use Google Maps, GPS locating, QR codes and possibly Google’s Project Glass virtual-reality eyeglasses as an accessory.
  • “As fiction, the game describes the app as a leaked piece of technology allowing people to use a smartphone camera to view exotic matter and portals around them in the physical world,” reports MediaPost. “In reality, it’s a free downloadable app from Google Play for Android-running smartphones that will become the marketing platform for brands.”
  • “The narrator, P. A. Chapeau, describes the journey through a series of notes and clues pinned to a pegboard, as well as shareable content on Google+, Facebook and Twitter,” explains the post.
  • “What’s most interesting about ‘Ingress,’ though, is what it suggests about Google’s future plans, which seem to revolve around finding new ways to extend its reach from the browser on your laptop to the devices you carry with you at all times,” notes Technology Review in a related post. “The goal makes plenty of sense when you consider that traditional online advertising — Google’s bread and butter — could eventually be eclipsed by mobile, location-based advertising.”

Video Professionals Put the 2.5K Blackmagic Cinema Camera to Work

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November 27, 2012
  • Australian video company Blackmagic Design announced its Blackmagic Cinema Camera (BMCC) earlier this year during the NAB Show in Las Vegas.
  • The 2.5K camera features a built-in SSD recorder and is designed to record footage in native formats including 12-bit CinemaDNG raw, Apple’s ProRes 422 (HQ) and Avid’s DNxHD at 220 Mb/s.
  • “Then it can offload its material over a Thunderbolt connection at up to 10 Gb/s for instant editing that is facilitated by including metadata directly from the camera,” reports creativePlanet. “Priced at $2,995, Blackmagic has bundled the camera with software packages including Resolve and UltraScope, which total more than the cost of the camera itself.”
  • As previously reported on ETCentric, the original camera was outfitted with an EF mount that accommodates Canon and Zeiss lenses, and the company later announced a Passive Micro Four Thirds (MFT) model for lenses with manual iris and focus capabilities. “Other lens formats, like PL or Nikon, can be used with third-party adapters,” explains the article.
  • Jacob Rosenberg, director and CTO at Bandito Brothers in Culver City, describes the camera as “awesome,” noting that Blackmagic truly understands the needs of video professionals.
  • “Blackmagic Design is aware of the color science that goes into using video formats like CinemaDNG raw files to get what we need out of them,” he says. “It gives you great latitude at 2.5K for an HD deliverable, giving us extra headroom for enhancements like stabilization.”
  • Marco Solorio, owner of OneRiver Media in the San Francisco Bay area, has shot several interesting tests, including one that offers a comparison between 12-bit raw footage and 8-bit alternatives.
  • Blackmagic has given the camera a 13-stop dynamic range, that serves bright and dark shooting environments. “Solorio finds that the camera has very solid low-light capabilities and says you can boost its sensitivity all the way up to 1600 ASA,” notes the article.
  • “This camera has a 15.81mm x 8.88mm sensor that is sized between Super 16mm film and Micro Four Thirds,” he says, “and some have expressed concerns over its potentially limited depth of field. But we’ve found that using a fast lens, like f/1.2, and stepping back so you can zoom in a bit can put backgrounds out of focus the way most modern shooters expect.”

Musician Will.i.am Wants to Upgrade Your iPhone to 14 Megapixel Camera

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November 27, 2012
  • Tech entrepreneur and music performer Will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas) will launch his iPhone hardware this week, which he claims “will turn your smartphone into a genius-phone.”
  • “The first product from his new consumer electronics and app venture i.am+ is an accessory that clips onto an iPhone and transforms the eight megapixel smartphone camera into a 14 megapixel camera, which it is claimed dramatically enhances the clarity and definition of your photographs,” reports The Telegraph.
  • Users who dock their iPhone into the device will have access to a dedicated sensor and improved flash. Additional details and pricing are expected to be offered during a November 28 press conference in London.
  • Those using the i.am+ camera will be encouraged to share their pictures on their own profile page at the www.i.am domain.
  • “Apple has granted i.am+ a development license to produce and sell the camera accessory and camera app for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5, but Will.i.am says that a larger range of tech hardware will follow,” notes the article.
  • Will.i.am has a reputation for technology. The musician transmitted into the CNN newsroom as a hologram to discuss the 2008 presidential election; this summer, one of his songs was beamed back from Mars via NASA’s Curiosity Rover; and last year he was signed by Intel as its director of creative innovation.

CES 2013: Vuzix Gets Ready to Enter AR Glasses Market with M100

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November 27, 2012

While Google’s Project Glass has grabbed most of the headlines this year regarding the future of augmented reality spectacles, a number of companies are developing similar devices. For example, Vuzix is planning to demo its M100 Smart Glasses prototype at CES in January and offer the device commercially by the middle of 2013 for less than $500. Winner of a CES Best of Innovation award, the glasses will be on display at the Vuzix booth (LVCC, Central Hall – 14046). Continue reading CES 2013: Vuzix Gets Ready to Enter AR Glasses Market with M100

Patent Application Shows Microsoft Considering Augmented Reality Specs

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November 27, 2012
  • Microsoft may take on Google with its own augmented reality specs, according to recently released details of a 2011 patent application.
  • While the company may have been late to the tablet party, it could become an early player in augmented reality eyewear.
  • “The Redmond-based computer company states in the patent that the specs would incorporate technology enabling a user to view supplemental information while watching a live event,” notes Digital Trends.
  • “So at a sports event, for example, stats and replays could be shown on the glasses, allowing you to keep your eye on the action instead of looking up at the big screen for the same information. Also, at something like a music event, the lyrics of a song could appear in front of the wearer’s eyes.”
  • The patent application details how the device might be operated, including a wrist-worn computer, voice commands or gestures.
  • “It’s not known if the computer giant has invested any time or money on building a prototype of the high-tech specs, or whether it’s simply a case of laying claim to various features early on to avoid threats of patent-related litigation from rivals should they wish to develop the idea further down the road,” explains the post.
  • Google is hoping to commercially launch its AR specs by 2014. Juniper Research forecasts the market for AR specs and other wearable technology could be worth as much as $1.5 billion by then.

CES 2013: Samsung Plans to Demo 85-inch UHD TV in Las Vegas

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November 27, 2012

Samsung has announced that it will showcase an 85-inch Ultra High Definition TV at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The set will be unveiled during a CES press conference on January 7 and then displayed at the Samsung booth (LVCC, Central Hall – 12004, 12527). The news comes after the TV was awarded a CES 2013 Best of Innovation award.

“Samsung’s 85-inch UHD TV, the world’s largest commercialized UHD LED TV, boasts lifelike picture quality in ultra HD resolution with over 8 million pixels, four times the resolution of Full HD displays,” according to the company.

“Samsung’s UHD TV uses an innovative enhanced dimming technology and a very high contrast ratio to deliver deep, real blacks and pure whites for greater detail and unmatched picture clarity. This new, cutting-edge TV also offers a powerful and dynamic range of sounds.”

The company has also been honored with a Best of Innovation award for its Smart TV Camera. “It adds Smart Interaction services, such as facial recognition and gesture control, to the company’s Smart TV sets that don’t come with a built-in camera,” reports Pocket-lint.

Stay tuned: The ETCentric reporting team will provide additional details on Samsung’s products live from CES.

Get Ready for New Wave of Ultra High-Definition TV Sets and Content

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November 27, 2012
  • While the price point for early Ultra High-Definition (UHD) or 4K TVs may cause average consumers to shy away from the new format, adoption is slowly moving forward. Pre-orders have been reported and new product announcements are expected for early January at CES in Las Vegas.
  • The Sony Store in New York is showcasing the pristine resolution of its $25,000 84-inch display. Southern California retailer Video & Audio Center (VAC) has reported at least five pre-orders for the Sony unit, according to corporate director Tom Campbell.
  • “In late October, LG’s 4K set went on sale at VAC and Campbell said at least 27 have been sold at $16,999.99,” reports MediaPost. “That’s $3,000 below LG’s suggested retail price.”
  • ETCentric have more information on LG’s UHD Cinema 3D Smart TV — winner of a CES Best of Innovations award — live from Las Vegas in January (for those planning to attend, the LG booth is in Central Hall – 8204). We also hope to see the Sony offering.
  • 3net Studios has announced three hour-long episodes of “Space” to be produced in native 4K. The series will attempt to detail how the speed of light feels and offer a glimpse inside a comet’s tail. The studio’s goal is to build the “foremost library of 3D content to air on its sister network and sold around the globe, where 3D has caught on quicker than in many parts of the U.S.”
  • MediaPost cites the early costs of HD sets and 3D production as a comparison to UHD TV and examples of technologies that eventually gained adoption. Despite the high prices, the Consumer Electronics Association forecasts that 2.5 million UHD sets will sell in 2016, up from 20,000 predicted for next year.

IBM Holiday Benchmark Report: Consumers Go Mobile on Black Friday

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November 27, 2012
  • IBM has released a new analytics report containing the latest online retail performance data related to Black Friday.
  • According to the report, mobile traffic grew by more than 67 percent and consumers responded to retailers’ early Black Friday promotions. Interesting findings include:
  • “Online sales on Thanksgiving grew by 17.4 percent followed by Black Friday where sales increased 20.7 percent over last year.”
  • “Mobile purchases soared with 24 percent of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailer’s site, up from 14.3 percent in 2011. Mobile sales exceeded 16 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2011.”
  • “The iPad generated more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone, reaching nearly 10 percent of online shopping. This was followed by iPhone at 8.7 percent and Android 5.5 percent.”
  • “The iPad dominated tablet traffic at 88.3 percent followed by the Barnes and Noble Nook at 3.1 percent, Amazon Kindle at 2.4 percent and the Samsung Galaxy at 1.8 percent.”
  • “Consumers shopped in store, online and on mobile devices simultaneously to get the best bargains. Overall, 58 percent of consumers used smartphones compared to 41 percent who used tablets to surf for bargains on Black Friday.”
  • “Shoppers referred from Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube generated .34 percent of all online sales on Black Friday, a decrease of more than 35 percent from 2011.”

Clear Channel Announces iHeartRadio App Hits 135 Million Downloads

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November 26, 2012
  • Clear Channel Media announced that its iHeartRadio app has reached a new milestone by surpassing 135 million downloads.
  • The app now has 20 million registered users, and claims to be outpacing the growth of rival entertainment offerings from Pandora, Spotify, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
  • The iHeartRadio network has more than 48 million unique digital visitors per month, while Clear Channel boasts 239 million monthly listeners.
  • “Since its launch 13 months ago at the inaugural iHeartRadio Music Festival, iHeartRadio has exceeded more than 20 million registered users,” notes Radio Online. “Registered users are only a percentage of iHeartRadio’s overall listeners, since registration is only required for the Custom Station feature which launched in September 2011.”
  • “iHeartRadio has experienced unprecedented growth as it continues to resonate with our listeners and super-serve our partners,” said Brian Lakamp, president of digital for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment.
  • “The reach of our broadcast radio properties, combined with our digital platforms truly creates unmatched promotional power that is unique to Clear Channel and allows us to be wherever our listeners are with the products and services they expect.”
  • In a related story, Affinity Labs of Texas has filed a lawsuit that claims the iHeartRadio platform “violates Affinity patents for receiving streamed FM audio signals over a wireless device as well as how the station information is displayed on such a device,” reports Radio World.

Magazine Covers Offer Groundbreaking Approach to Windows 8 Promos

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November 26, 2012
  • Microsoft’s print campaign for the Windows 8 operating system includes 14 Conde Nast magazine covers styled as the Windows 8 “Start” screens of the magazines’ top editors.
  • According to a Conde Nast rep, the covers are not paid ads, but are designed to coordinate with inside ads and the magazines’ own Windows 8 content.
  • The American Society of Magazine Editors guidelines stipulate that paid advertisements fixed to magazine covers are required to be identified as ads; however, the Start screen promotions are not.
  • Media agency Starcom MediaVest Group has called the approach a “groundbreaking multifaceted paid program with nonpaid elements.”
  • “The promotions, full pages attached to the covers of 14 titles from Allure to Wired, show the new Windows 8 Start screen tailored for most of the magazines’ top editors,” reports Advertising Age.
  • “Glamour, for example, depicts a Start screen for Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive with items such as highlights from a magazine event, a tweet that Windows 8 pulled in from @glamourmag, a December Issue Sampler for Windows 8, the Windows camera app, a special edition of the magazine and a holiday-party reminder from the new Windows 8 Calendar app.”
  • The concept of a paid program with nonpaid elements may raise some questions, but it is legitimate today for publishers to use covers to market digital content, notes Sid Holt, CEO of the American Society of Magazine Editors.
  • “Magazines frequently run stories about companies that advertise in the same issue — magazines put actors on the cover for movies advertised inside, for example — and we rely on editors not to let that influence them,” he said.

Esquire Offers Interactive Print Edition Enabled by Netpage Mobile App

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November 26, 2012
  • Hearst is going mobile to make the December issue of Esquire completely interactive, without the need for QR codes or digital watermarks. The Netpage application allows mobile users to access additional content or save and share content with friends on social media sites.
  • A Lexus ad, for example, can be activated with animation that turns into a 30-second video — and some products found in the issue can be purchased using the app. Scanning the cover leads to an exclusive video with actor Bradley Cooper. Readers can also interact with recipes and digital storefronts.
  • “Print publishers are embracing mobile to help drive deeper engagements with their publications as readers increasingly look to consume media via smartphones and tablets,” reports Mobile Marketer.
  • “Esquire’s readers and advertisers have come to expect leading-edge content experiences — this partnership with Netpage represents both a ‘first’ and a new standard for the industry,” says Jack Essig, senior VP, publishing director and chief revenue officer at Esquire.
  • “As partners in breaking boundaries, Esquire and Lexus will not only deliver a new means for engaging with our content but will also fuel the conversation around both our brands,” he adds.
  • “Going forward, all Esquire issues will be mobile-enabled via the Netpage app,” notes the post. “Hearst is also currently testing Netpage for other magazines with plans to launch more mobile-enabled titles next year.”

Second Screen: Hulu Plus Launches New App for Nintendo Wii U Console

By
November 26, 2012
  • While Nintendo Wii U users interested in television may have to wait for the company’s TVii services, they’ll still be able to access a second-screen viewing experience if they are Hulu Plus subscribers.
  • Hulu launched its Wii U app earlier than expected, offering bonus material and the ability to queue up TV episodes or view episodes previously watched on TV on the GamePad.
  • “While watching a show on the big screen, the Wii U’s GamePad displays information on a host of topics, including the current show or episode,” reports CNET.
  • “Although the console had promised a host of entertainment features, including a television programming handling through a service, called TVii, most of the features were missing at launch,” notes the post. “Nintendo plans to deliver those features in the coming weeks. And save for Netflix, the Wii U’s streaming offering was a little light. Hulu, though, should help bolster that.”
  • Hulu Plus, which currently costs $8 per month, is offering a one-week free trial to get Wii U users interested in the service.
  • The CNET post includes a 5-minute first-look video review of the Nintendo Wii U.

Nintendo Wii U Expands Entertainment Options with YouTube App

By
November 26, 2012
  • Game consoles are increasingly offering non-gaming entertainment options including access to online services.
  • “Movies streamed from Netflix, music courtesy Last.fm, and, of course, the ubiquitous crowd-sourced video content of YouTube have all become nearly as common uses for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii as those consoles’ respective games,” reports Digital Trends.
  • “It should come as little surprise that Nintendo’s newly-launched Wii U console should play host to a dedicated YouTube application a mere five days after its retail debut,” suggests the post.
  • “The Wii U’s official YouTube application appears to be little more than a relatively standard aesthetics and functionality update for the original Wii YouTube app, only with special accoutrements added which take advantage of the console’s exclusive features.”
  • The Wii U app — like all official YouTube apps — is free of charge. Once downloaded, users imply enter their YouTube credentials to gain access to the site’s extensive video content.
  • Currently, the app does not include functionality that might allow users to upload video content to YouTube via the Wii U. No consoles are able to upload footage via their YouTube apps, “but given the number of recent, big-name releases that boast YouTube uploading capabilities as an important feature, it only stands to reason that YouTube and the various console manufacturers would want to expand the scope of their respective YouTube applications.”

Apple to Rule Tablet Downloads for Five Years, Paid App Market to Decline

By
November 26, 2012
  • Despite its tablet market lead experiencing a dent in Q3, Apple’s iPad will continue to dominate the market for the next five years, according to Strategy Analytics.
  • “In its Mobile Apps Download Forecast: 2008–2017 report, Strategy Analytics forecasts a total of more than 350 billion smartphone and tablet app downloads between 2008 and 2017,” reports TechCrunch.
  • “The analyst predicts the Google Play store will account for more than 45 percent of phone-related downloads in 2017, while Apple’s iTunes Store will account for 56 percent of tablet downloads in five years’ time.”
  • By 2017, free apps will account for 91 percent of downloads, although paid apps will continue to be “an essential component of the app ecosystem,” according to Josh Martin of Strategy Analytics.
  • “Paid downloads will remain an important way for smaller developers to monetize their efforts,” he says. “For developers committed to paid downloads transitioning to tablets may be the smartest way to preserve the business model over the long term.”
  • “App Stores will also see a revenue crunch as more revenue is earned from advertising — revenue generated outside the bounds of the app store — and will need to prepare,” adds Martin. “Newer platforms such as Windows 8, BlackBerry 10, Tizen and Firefox are building their operating systems and storefronts with this knowledge which should go a long way to making them attractive to developers and end-users.”

Dyle Delivers Live TV to the Apple iPad: Ready for Prime Time?

By
November 26, 2012

Watching live television on an iPad currently has limited options. With a cable subscription, for example, users can stream Disney and ESPN shows. Alternatively, New York City viewers can opt for Aereo (but the networks are suing to shut it down). Enter Dyle, which just launched for Apple’s iOS devices. Dyle, with support from NBC, Fox and other top broadcast groups, has released a free TV app for iOS devices that uses broadcast signals to beam licensed programming to viewers. Continue reading Dyle Delivers Live TV to the Apple iPad: Ready for Prime Time?

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