By
emeadowsFebruary 8, 2013
MIT has launched the new “Initiative for the Digital Economy” to address the impact of existing and emerging digital technologies. The initiative’s three primary objectives are to analyze the potential of digital technologies to change businesses, the economy, and society; to engage students and faculty in programs related to the digital revolution; and to make practical recommendations to industry leaders and policymakers regarding the digital economy. Continue reading MIT Initiative Explores Impact of Emerging Digital Economy
By
Rob ScottFebruary 7, 2013
Cisco predicts smartphones and tablets will account for three times more data consumption than desktops by 2017. The U.S. currently consumes significantly more data than any other nation — a trend Cisco expects to continue. However, consumers in Asia are expected to collectively pass North America. Cisco also predicts the average mobile user will consume 10 hours of video, 15 hours of audio, download 15 apps and take part in five video calls per month. Continue reading Cisco Forecast: Mobile Devices to Outnumber Humans by 2017
By
David TobiaFebruary 7, 2013
Google is changing AdWords to eliminate mobile-only campaigns after Wall Street critics began questioning poor mobile cost-per-click numbers. All campaigns will now include desktop as well as mobile, while advertisers will not be able to target specific devices (like tablet-only campaigns, for example). Advertisers can adjust their preferences to prioritize mobile much more than desktop or desktop much more than mobile, but cannot choose only one. Continue reading Google Updates AdWords for Desktop and Mobile Advertising
By
David TobiaFebruary 7, 2013
Entrepreneur Yoarv Lorch’s newest enterprise hopes to disrupt what he views as an antiquated system of book sales. Total Boox offers book payments by the page, rather than paying for the entire book up front. Lorch argues people often purchase a book on a whim and then realize they do not like it after a few pages. When books had to deal with publishing and distribution costs the advanced payment method made sense, but may not in the world of e-books. Continue reading Total Boox Offers New Pay-As-You-Go E-Book Reading Service
By
David TobiaFebruary 6, 2013
Facebook acquired Instagram in part because Instagram’s success on mobile challenged Facebook’s subpar mobile application. The purchase helped improve Facebook’s mobile presence, and now the social network has helped redesign Instagram to serve desktop audiences with the launch of a full newsfeed for browsers. Now Instagram joins Facebook as a complete Web entity. Continue reading Instagram Launches Full Image Feed for Desktop Browsers
By
emeadowsFebruary 1, 2013
The holiday season didn’t go as well as Nintendo had hoped. “Nintendo Co. slashed its sales outlook in the wake of disappointing holiday demand for its new Wii U videogame console, which it had been banking on to rekindle consumer excitement,” reports the Wall Street Journal. Wii U was launched last November and was Nintendo’s first new videogame console in six years. Continue reading Nintendo Struggles with Wii U, Lowers Sales Projections
By
emeadowsFebruary 1, 2013
Instead of using the term “mobile commerce,” analytics provider Flurry describes “App & Mortar” trends in its new report about the rise in smartphone shopping. “This report confirms what we already knew about mobile commerce, but takes it a step further by figuring out who is benefiting the most right now from the trend. Surprisingly, it’s physical retailers,” according to AllThingsD. Continue reading App & Mortar Economy: New Battle for Consumer Relationships
By
emeadowsFebruary 1, 2013
It is now illegal for U.S. customers to unlock phones to enable them to work on different networks. “The U.S. Copyright Office is no longer granting unlocking an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA makes it illegal to ‘circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access’ to copyrighted material, in this case software embedded in phones that controls carrier access,” explains Wired. Continue reading U.S. Copyright Office Says it is Illegal to Unlock Phones
By
Rob ScottJanuary 31, 2013
In his review of the new BlackBerry Z10, personal-tech columnist David Pogue reverses his earlier suggestion that Research In Motion’s smartphone was doomed. While the once dominant BlackBerry has dropped to a single-digit percentage of the market and the company’s stock has plummeted, Pogue surprisingly notes that the new phone is “lovely, fast and efficient, bristling with fresh, useful ideas.” Continue reading RIM Changes its Name, Unveils Surprising BlackBerry Z10
By
emeadowsJanuary 31, 2013
Microsoft released its newest version of Office this week with radical changes including a new subscription-based pricing model, automatic year-round updates and close tie-ins to the cloud. Documents can be saved to Microsoft’s SkyDrive, an effort to compete with products like Google Drive, giving users the chance to store and share with remote access. Continue reading Positive Review for Radically Changed Microsoft Office 365
By
David TobiaJanuary 31, 2013
Amazon’s new Elastic Transcoder service allows people to upload and convert digital video to h264, AAC and MP4 formats for smartphone and tablet playback. The service offers 20 free minutes of transcoding per month, after which Amazon offers tiered plans starting at $0.015 for SD or $0.030 for HD per minute. The prices undercut existing cloud services like Zencoder, and the service is more convenient than purchasing external transcoding equipment. Continue reading Amazon Elastic Transcoder for Converting Video in the Cloud
By
Rob ScottJanuary 29, 2013
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
By
David TobiaJanuary 29, 2013
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
By
David TobiaJanuary 28, 2013
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
By
David TobiaJanuary 28, 2013
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