As the result of a two-pronged campaign coming out of China against Western media and the technology companies that create devices from which the Chinese access news and entertainment, it may become increasingly difficult for outside companies to operate within the country. As part of the ongoing campaign, Chinese state-fun broadcaster CCTV aired a critical documentary last week regarding Apple’s customer service. Continue reading China Campaigns Against Western Media and Tech Firms

Apple, much like Google and Amazon, delivers Web services to hundreds of millions of people, from servers based in enormous data centers. Apple’s iCloud currently serves more than 250 million people, which is beginning to require new hardware and software that are more efficient than what is available in those data centers. Apple and Facebook, among others, have turned to flash-based options from Fusion-io. Continue reading Modern Data Centers Turn to Flash Solutions from Fusion-io

According to Wired, a new chip war is on the way. For years, most of the massive data centers that power the Internet have been driven by Intel microprocessors. But in the coming months, a group of chip makers hopes to challenge the company with a new breed of processors based on ARM architecture, which is the same basic chip design found in most of the world’s smartphones. Continue reading New Chip War is Looming: Intel Versus ARM Architecture

Live broadcasting site YouNow, which uses social media in order to control live streaming content, has combined with a similar counterpart. The company recently acquired blogTV to increase views on its real-time platform. Will the combined effort increase traffic to the site, or will it continue to operate in the shadows of more established video sites like YouTube? Continue reading YouNow and blogTV Combine for Live Social Broadcasting

President Obama met with a group of 13 corporate executives at the White House on Wednesday to discuss growing cybersecurity concerns and to enlist support for his proposed legislation to combat the threat of computer warfare and corporate espionage. Among the chief execs were Rex W. Tillerson of Exxon Mobil, Randall L. Stephenson of AT&T, Brian T. Moynihan of Bank of America and Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase. Continue reading Obama Seeks Corporate Support for Cybersecurity Initiative

Twitter is leveraging last year’s acquisition of music discovery service We Are Hunted to build a standalone music app. Twitter Music could be released on iOS as early as the end of this month, suggest insiders. The service will reportedly recommend artists and songs based on the accounts a user follows on Twitter. The music will be streamed to the app via SoundCloud. Continue reading Twitter Expected to Soon Launch Standalone Music App

Addressing the convergence of technology and Hollywood, two panel discussions at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas examined how filmmakers can market themselves to fans in the digital era and how tech companies can effectively pitch projects to Hollywood. The discussions addressed shifts in social media and its effects on making movies — in addition to a new focus on digital marketing. Continue reading SXSW Panels Address Technologies and Movie Marketing

Some cybersecurity experts say that Chinese hackers have invaded Hollywood’s computers, much like they did to the systems of Facebook, Apple, The New York Times and many others. The root of the problem, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is China’s contempt for intellectual property. In a country where most video and software is pirated, the culture of copying runs deep. Continue reading China Hacking Hollywood Computers, Say Security Experts

According to a study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, which followed the privacy practices of 5,076 Facebook users over the course of six years, Facebook succeeded in reversing users’ inclination to avoid public disclosure over time. And even as some sought to keep personal data private from strangers by limiting what was available on their profiles, they increased what they shared with friends throughout the years. Continue reading Study Finds Increase in Willingness to Share on Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s co-founder and chief exec, unveiled a significant redesign of the social network’s homepage yesterday. During the news conference, Zuckerberg explained that he wants Facebook to be “the best personalized newspaper in the world,” with a more engaging “front page,” especially on mobile devices. The makeover is intended to fend off growing competition and attract advertisers. Continue reading Facebook Launches Redesign with More Engaging Front Page

Blake Ross, Facebook’s director of product, recently announced he’d be leaving the company. He posted a goodbye letter on his profile page saying, in essence, that he was leaving the company because youngsters no longer think the social network is cool. While there was an air of humor to his post, it also had some truth to it. He’s since taken down the letter, claiming it was posted publicly by accident. Continue reading Facebook No Longer the Social Network Du Jour for Teens?

Slowly but surely Facebook is developing and understanding its own strengths regarding its ability to compete within the online advertising world. And the social networking giant is actively looking for ways to gain more ground on the online ad powerhouse that Google has become. But the problem remains, how does Facebook prove its value to online advertisers? Continue reading Facebook Bolsters Ad Efforts, Looks to Compete with Google

According to Nielsen’s Vice Chair Susan Whiting, who was a part of a panel discussion analyzing disruption in traditional media usage at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Wednesday, consumers are not abandoning one platform for another. Instead, they’re spending more time than ever viewing and reading news and entertainment content, using mobile devices as an access point. Continue reading Mobile Activity on Upswing, Opens Doors for Mobile Ad Biz

Los Angeles and Israel-based startup Social Studios has teamed with actress Noa Tishby to produce an “Entertainment Tonight”-like show featuring videos, status updates and photos from users’ Facebook timelines. “Your Show,” which launched Monday night, gets information from a Facebook app that collects data from news feeds, mixes it with pre-produced segments with Tishby and creates seven-minute episodes. Continue reading Startup Launches TV Show Based on Your Facebook Timeline

Electronic Arts has created a new system that allows players to follow a single entity across multiple platforms including Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iPhone, Facebook, and EA’s online gaming service, Origin. CEO John Riccitiello hopes the move will help the traditional retail game company transition to a multiplatform digital games entity. The move will also help EA track user habits and better shape future business models and strategies. Continue reading Electronic Arts: New Single Entity Gaming Across Platforms