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Networks Develop New Strategies for Second Screen Content

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May 31, 2013

TV networks are producing second screen content related to their original programming in an effort to attract viewers who are increasingly turning to their smartphones, tablets and laptops. The content — which typically includes videos, photos, games and trivia — is intended for viewers who multitask with their mobile devices. According to Nielsen, more than 40 percent of American consumers use their phones or tablets each day as they watch TV. Continue reading Networks Develop New Strategies for Second Screen Content

Cisco Says Online Video to Outpace Social Networks by 2017

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May 30, 2013

According to Cisco’s new Visual Networking Index (VNI) forecast, online video is growing faster than any other type of consumer service, and within four years online video services will be more popular than social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The report predicts that by 2017 there will be 3.6 billion global Internet users and 19 billion global networked devices. Additionally, the average broadband speed will increase by a factor of 3.5 to 39 Mbps. Continue reading Cisco Says Online Video to Outpace Social Networks by 2017

Google Plans to Develop and Fund Global Wireless Networks

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May 27, 2013

As part of its initiative to connect a billion or more new people to the Internet, Google is planning to build and help run wireless networks in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa where connections are not currently available. According to people familiar with the strategy, the planned networks could also be used to improve the speeds of Internet connections in urban areas. Continue reading Google Plans to Develop and Fund Global Wireless Networks

TV Networks Face Unprecedented Challenges in Digital Era

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May 13, 2013

As the upfronts roll out this week in New York City, television networks are facing new challenges: prime time ratings for major broadcasters have been dropping, ad spending is increasingly turning to cable, original programming from the likes of Amazon and Netflix are creating more competition, government regulators are seeking changes to spectrum allocation, and startups like Aereo may impact the subscription revenue of stations. Continue reading TV Networks Face Unprecedented Challenges in Digital Era

Network Interconnectivity Could Lead to Massive Failures

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March 21, 2013

Gene Stanley, a professor of physics at Boston University, and his colleagues discovered the mathematics behind what he calls “the extreme fragility of interdependency.” In systems of interconnected networks like the economy, city infrastructure or the human body, Stanley’s model indicates that a small outage in just one network can make waves through the entire system, resulting in a sudden, catastrophic failure. Continue reading Network Interconnectivity Could Lead to Massive Failures

Cisco Forecast: Mobile Devices to Outnumber Humans by 2017

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February 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

Viber Media: Prototypical Case Study for NoSQL and Cloud Computing

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November 2, 2011
  • Viber Media is a provider of iPhone and Android apps that enable free text and talk capabilities over 3G and Wi-Fi networks. GigaOM points out that the apps are “built upon a foundation of the MongoDB NoSQL database running atop the Amazon Web Services cloud.”
  • According to a MongoDB press release issued this week: “Viber enables users to talk and text for free with other Viber users without having to sign up, create a separate account, or log in. Once the app is launched, the user simply enters his or her cell number and is automatically part of the community.”
  • “MongoDB manages the intercommunity data exchange that enables users to call and text one another,” adds the press release. “Each time a Viber user connects a cell phone to the network, MongoDB receives call-related information.”
  • Viber’s 130 nodes handle a reported “11 million minutes of calls daily by Viber’s 18 million active users.” GigaOM suggests Viber can be viewed as the “prototypical case study for both NoSQL and cloud computing.”

Facebook and Twitter Dominate Social Scene: Google+ Losing Momentum

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October 14, 2011
  • The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Google+ may be losing momentum in its foray into social networking, citing data analytics from Chitika recently published in The Next Web. Facebook and Twitter are currently maintaining dominance in the social space.
  • “Our monthly referrals from there are down 38 percent since their peak, while Facebook referrals are up 67 percent and Twitter referrals up 51 percent over the same period,” reports TNW.
  • After Google+ attracted 10 million users in less than a month, expectations rose. But according to Chitika, Google+’s initial spike in traffic was short lived, leveling off just four days after its launch.
  • As one Google engineer stated on his Google+ page, the social network is “a prime example of our complete failure to understand platforms” and “a knee-jerk reaction” to Facebook.
  • “Bottom line: Facebook is still the king of social networks and will be for the foreseeable future,” adds THR. “Plan your marketing campaigns accordingly.”
  • In a related post from Gizmodo, Google+ claims 40 million “users” — but the question remains regarding how many are actually using it: “‘Users’ here, being loosely defined, since Google+ is a relative ghost town of privately shared links about how Google+ is a ghost town.”

Colleges Band Together to Build Faster Computer Networks

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August 1, 2011
  • A group of 29 American universities have teamed together in an effort to build ultra-high-speed computer networks.
  • The Gig.U project hopes to provide Internet service speeds of up to 1Gbps (several hundred times faster than what is now commercially available).
  • The plan is intended to draw high-tech start-ups from the energy, telecommunications and health care sectors to these university regions.
  • According to The New York Times: “By offering one-gigabit network connections — fast enough to download high-definition movies in less than a minute — not just to scientific researchers and engineers but to the homes and businesses that surround universities, the group aims to create a digital ecosystem that will attract new companies, ideas and educational models.”
  • Additionally, the project includes members from the heartland (such as Missouri, Montana and West Virginia), with midsize communities that would greatly benefit by the ultra high-speed broadband.

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