Microsoft has been paying $250 million per quarter since 2011 in platform support payments to Nokia for using the Windows Phone brand. While this amount has exceeded what Nokia pays Microsoft to use its software, this is about to change. Nokia recently announced that it plans to pay Microsoft $1 billion in royalties for Windows Phone mobile software usage. Continue reading Windows Phone Usage: Nokia to Pay Microsoft $1B in Royalties

According to reports coming from Japan’s Asahi newspaper, “the Japanese government is set to launch the world’s first 4K TV broadcast in July 2014, roughly two years ahead of schedule, to help stir demand for ultra high-definition televisions,” reports Reuters. The service will begin from communications satellites and then from satellite broadcasts and ground digital broadcasts to follow. Continue reading Japan To Launch 4K TV Service Two Years Ahead of Schedule

Sony demonstrated some impressive new technology at this year’s CES in Las Vegas. The company is using “nanoscale particles called quantum dots to significantly improve the color of some of its high-end Bravia televisions,” writes Technology Review. The particles increase the range of colors that an LCD TV can display by 50 percent. Continue reading CES: Sony Intros Modified LCDs with Quantum Dot Technology

The era of smartphones and tablets has not killed the personal computer, but has significantly impacted the PC industry. Desktops and notebooks no longer serve as the only devices on which people work, and expectations have shifted with advances in technology. Consumers no longer demand the highest power out of computers (since they are powerful enough to do most tasks already), but rather stress the importance of factors such as battery life. Continue reading PCs Are Not Dead Yet, But Could Soon See Significant Change

Automotive technology was a major theme at the 2013 International CES earlier this month as companies embraced cars as the ultimate mobile devices. “CES is a hardware show stuck in a software world, a point driven home in the automotive booths filling the North Hall,” notes Wired. “There were apps, apps and more apps.” The article highlights eight top products that largely focus on in-car entertainment and navigation. Continue reading CES: Connected Cars Serve as the Ultimate Mobile Devices

The Sony Entertainment Network debuted on Friday in North America. Available to European territories since December, the new content hub has expanded to Canada, Mexico, Brazil and the U.S. The network collates all of Sony’s media offerings into a single online storefront, featuring full PS3 games, downloadable games, music, movies, TV shows, avatars, add-ons, season passes, special deals and more. Continue reading Sony Entertainment Network Now Available in North America

Netflix and YouTube have combined efforts to launch DIAL, “a protocol that helps developers of second-screen apps to discover and launch applications on smart TVs and connected devices.” DIAL is already seeing support from Samsung, Sony, Hulu and BBC and “could become a key piece in efforts to establish an open alternative to Apple’s AirPlay,” according to GigaOM. Continue reading Netflix, YouTube Take On AirPlay with Second Screen Protocol

Amazon has acquired IVONA Software for an undisclosed sum. Amazon already uses IVONA voice recognition software on the Kindle Fire, which helps users navigate the touchscreen and enables other voice commands. Amazon may now integrate the software into other Kindle products, and could also use the technology to create a competitor to Siri as rumors persist that Amazon could be working on a smartphone. Continue reading Mobile: Amazon Acquires Voice Recognition Company IVONA

Samsung will officially release its 8-inch Galaxy Note tablet at Mobile World Congress, according to reports from Korea’s iNews24. The tablet will look similar to previous Galaxy Tab designs and will “come in 3G and Wi-Fi models with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a 1280 x 800 display, 5-megapixel back camera, and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera,” according to previous leaks, reports The Verge. Continue reading 8-inch Galaxy Note Tablet to Headline Mobile World Congress

Viki is “the Hulu for the rest of the world,” according to the company’s CEO Razmig Hovaghimian. It takes content from all over the globe, licenses it for cheap and brings it to the U.S. and other countries. The company announced a partnership with Amazon that will add more than 1,000 hours of entertainment from Japan and Korea to Amazon’s Prime Instant service. Continue reading Viki to Expand Reach with Amazon Prime Instant Partnership

Mark Ury came up with the concept for the storytelling site Storybird in 2010 after working on a storybook with his young son. The website, for “art-inspired storytelling,” now has more than two million members. It “works with artists from around the world, who upload their portfolios onto Storybird’s platform. Users choose their art, sequence the images any way they like and add text to turn them into a story,” explains paidContent. Continue reading Storybird: Art-Inspired Storytelling Finds New Audiences

Even though Apple experienced a successful fourth quarter with its popular iPhone, “underneath the big numbers at the largest U.S. carriers are signs Apple Inc. faces a rapidly changing marketplace that could erode its dominance,” suggests the Wall Street Journal. It seems that customers are purchasing iPhones at a rapid rate, but aren’t buying newer, more expensive models with the same frequency. Continue reading Apple iPhone Sales Strong, but Fewer Buying Newest Models

Twitter recently acquired Vine, an easy-to-use new app that allows users to share six-second looping video creations with friends on social networks. “Instead of the standard video-sharing experience, you record videos by holding your finger on the screen. By lifting your finger, you can momentarily pause the recording, making it possible to create a miniature narrative out of multiple scenes,” explains Wired. Continue reading Twitter Acquires Vine, Hopes To Spark More Video Sharing

Facebook’s new Graph Search feature may benefit from upcoming upgrades. When Graph Search was first released, the feature relied primarily on “likes” and check-ins to provide results, but these are ineffective tools since most people do not check-in when they go to places they like, and others like pages ironically rather than honestly. But bringing in further analysis of comments of posts could help improve the accuracy of Graph Search. Continue reading Facebook: Struggling Graph Search Feature May Be Improved

Will DNA one day replace the hard drive? Researchers at the European Bioinformatics Institute continue to make strides in the field of DNA storage, using the biomolecule to successfully encode common computer files such as MP3s, text files and JPEGs on DNA. Recent successes suggest DNA may become a primary storage medium within the next few decades. Continue reading Researchers: DNA Could Serve as Long-Term Storage Option