Researchers from three international universities working on twisting radio beams for transferring data have achieved transmission speeds of 32 gigabits per second — 30 times faster than current 4G LTE wireless technology. The project, which includes scientists from University of Glasgow and Tel Aviv University, is led by Professor Alan Willner of USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering. Mobile operators should be interested in the technique to supply faster networks and address congestion created by too many users. Continue reading Scientists Send Data 30 Times Faster Than 4G LTE Wireless

ABC relaunched its streaming WATCH ABC app last week with new features that allow viewers to multitask on social networks while they are watching shows. Big data showed that only a small amount of people using their mobile devices while watching TV are actually discussing the shows online or interacting with anything related to the shows. Facebook and Twitter integration in the update is designed to make it easier for viewers to check social media and share their favorite scenes and episodes. Continue reading ABC Reimagines Second Screen With its WATCH App Update

Amazon recently announced the expansion of its tablet line and e-reader offerings. As part of an effort to strengthen ties between its tablets and other new hardware, Amazon has dropped the name “Kindle” from its tablets. Formerly called Kindle Fire tablets, the simply named Fire HD and Fire HDX will be more closely aligned with the company’s Fire TV and Fire Phone. The rebranding highlights the distinction Amazon hopes to make between the Kindle e-readers and more advanced Fire tablets. Continue reading Amazon Draws Distinction Between its Tablets and E-Readers

Many consumers have found that the fastest way to get a response from a company is to send a tweet, but the 140-character length and the public nature of the social network limit the conversation. Hootsuite Media, the maker of the popular social media management app, is rolling out a solution: a feature that allows businesses to initiate calls with their customers via Twitter. Consumers who send the company tweets will get a reply with a phone number so that they can talk offline. Continue reading Hootsuite Takes Customer Service from Twitter to Phone Calls

The Guggenheim Museum, a premier art museum in New York City, is making its exhibits more interactive by integrating beacon technology. The beacons are small, box-like sensors that use Bluetooth technology to detect when a smartphone is in proximity. The museum will use its 20 to 30 beacons to track traffic flow through the building. In the future, the beacons may transmit informational alerts to visitors’ phones as they approach a painting or sculpture. Continue reading Guggenheim Museum Testing Beacon Technology for Exhibits

Online quiz startup Qzzr allows users to create as many quizzes as they want for free. The service helps websites drive social traffic by uploading quizzes to their webpages. The pro version also helps companies capture leads and present special offers. Sites such as BuzzFeed and Zimbio have seen a burst in views due to these quizzes. Qzzr officially launched last week with $2 million in seed money and partnerships with ESPN, Yahoo, Mashable, Reddit, College Humor, and others.  Continue reading Qzzr: New Quiz Creation Tool Helps Sites Drive Social Traffic

In 1987, programmer Brian J. Fox wrote one of the Internet’s most widely used tools. The software is named “Bash” (short for Bourne-Again Shell) and now appears in more than 70 percent of devices connected to the Internet, including computers, routers, servers and some mobile phones. Yesterday, security experts warned that Bash contains a software bug called “Shellshock” that could potentially be used to take over hundreds of millions of machines, including Mac computers and smartphones that run Android. Continue reading Security Experts Warn of Potentially Dangerous Shellshock Bug

According to a KPMG study, Hollywood is now offering more content through legal digital venues than ever before. As of the end of 2013, 94 percent of the 808 top films analyzed by KPMG were available legally for U.S. consumers through online VOD services, while 85 percent of the 724 most popular and critically acclaimed TV shows were also available. In related news, the amount of Netflix streaming video has grown 350 percent in the last 10 quarters, and now averages 93.2 minutes per subscriber daily. Continue reading Study: More Top Movies and TV Shows Available Legally Online

Pixar vets Oren Jacob and Martin Reddy launched San Francisco-based ToyTalk, a startup that develops mobile games that enable children to have extended conversations with animated characters. The concept was inspired by a Skype call when Jacob’s then 7-year-old daughter asked if she could speak with one of her dolls. While kids can hear characters speak through movies, games and toys, Jacob began thinking about how to help children better engage with the characters. Continue reading Speech Recognition Tech: Kids Speak with Animated Characters

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, less than $3.2 billion in music sales was recorded for the first half of 2014, a 4.9 percent drop from the same period last year. While the growth of online streaming services continues to generate revenue for artists and record companies, it may not be enough to offset the reduction in sales of CDs and downloads. While downloads and streaming together totaled $2.2 billion (a similar total to last year), downloads dropped by 9 percent. Continue reading CD and Download Sales Drop as Music Fans Turn to Streaming

“Sports Jeopardy!” is a new 30-minute weekly game show that streams via Sony’s online service Crackle. The show made its premiere on Wednesday, featuring well-known sportscaster Dan Patrick as host. More than 30,000 potential contestants registered online and qualified by successfully competing a 30-question trivia test. The show takes a new approach in the digital era, streaming online via Crackle and featuring a mobile app that allows viewers to play along. Continue reading Crackle’s “Sports Jeopardy!” Adapts Quiz Show to Digital Age

Higher dynamic range in both the cinema and CE viewing experience was a recurring message yesterday at Con-Tech: The 2015 Preview Seminar. The NAB Show and the International 3D and Advanced Imaging Society held a seminar on content and technology trends including 4K production, color gamut, HDR and new workflows. The event, hosted by Paramount Pictures, featured panelists from companies such as Barco, CableLabs, Disney, DreamWorks Animation, Film Magic, Lionsgate, RealD and Technicolor. Continue reading Con-Tech: 4K Production, Color Gamut and High Dynamic Range

Vizio has announced the availability of its P-Series 4K LED HDTV line we first saw during January’s CES. The company is dramatically undercutting most current UHD offerings from competing manufacturers. The 50-inch model is priced at $999, which could help push 4K into the mainstream — while the top-of-the-line 70-inch model is priced at a reasonable $2,499. Despite the cost of the P-Series line, Vizio has not skimped on the specs, including features such as Full-Array LED backlighting and local dimming. Continue reading Vizio Undercuts Price with Launch of P-Series 4K LED TV Line

Hulu has ordered a nine-hour miniseries adaptation of Stephen King’s novel “11/22/63” with J.J. Abrams as executive producer. No formal release date has been announced and Hulu has yet to decide whether only Hulu Plus subscribers will get access to the series. This gamble on a miniseries about JFK’s assassination may make Hulu a serious competitor in subscription video on demand. Netflix and Amazon currently have a head start in critically acclaimed original programming. Continue reading Hulu Bets Big on Original Series from J.J. Abrams, Stephen King

A recent study from Twitter shows that live-tweeting from an actor’s account can boost the volume of conversation on the social network. Series premieres with live-tweeting cast-members had 64 percent more tweets that day than TV shows that did not. The difference for live-tweeting from the show’s official handle was only a seven percent increase. Twitter says actors also generate a significant following when they live-tweet. Their lift in follow rate increases by 228 percent. Continue reading Study: Live-Tweeting Actors Drive Engagement, Good for Shows