According to an annual study by the Entertainment Software Association, video games are beginning to have a larger impact on other media. The study found that active gamers are more inclined to give up time spent with television and movies while pursuing interactive entertainment. However, the ESA also notes that 42 percent of the console owners they surveyed indicate that their game systems are used to watch movies and play games. Continue reading E3 2013: Gamers Spending Less Time with TV and Movies

As part of yesterday’s Google I/O keynote, the company’s CEO Larry Page made a surprise visit on stage to discuss his take on technological progress and answer questions from software developers in attendance. During his remarks, Page suggested that computer science has a marketing problem today, we should be doing more to encourage children’s pursuit of science, and technological progress has been hampered by needless competition among tech companies. Continue reading Google I/O: Chief Exec Calls for Technology Cooperation

Microsoft announced last week that it has sold 100 million licenses for Windows 8 since the software’s release six months ago, approximately the same number it sold for Windows 7 in the same time range at its release. The company made bold changes to its software, which included replacing the traditional interface with a screen of tiles. However, there has a been a negative reaction from some customers and the company admits the moves may have been too aggressive. A soon-to-come update may help those who are disappointed. Continue reading Will Windows Blue Help Customers with Learning Curve?

Adobe’s flagship Creative Suite has evolved into Adobe Creative Cloud, with new features and a switch to a subscription-only model. Instead of individual Adobe apps being available for a flat rate, users will pay a monthly subscription to access all the products. Last year, the company introduced its Creative Cloud subscription service, through which users could access one product each month for $29.99 or all the products within Creative Suite 6 for $49.99. More than 500,000 premium members signed up in the first nine months, on top of 2 million free members. Continue reading Adobe Intros Subscription-Only Model with Creative Cloud

Greenheart Games pulled a switch on gamers this week by providing a crippled version of a game on BitTorrent. The illegal version of “Game Dev Tycoon” will stop at a certain point, indicating that the product has been pirated. While this strategy was initiated as an experiment to draw attention to software piracy, and not to seek out and prosecute offenders, it has raised some interesting and complex legal issues. Continue reading Developer Conducts P2P Experiment: Piracy or Entrapment?

Mobile carrier Telefónica is testing technology from Expect Labs that listens in on phone calls. The new type of artificial intelligence provides suggestions based on key terms in a phone conversation, by converting the conversation to text and offering instant relevant information. New investments in the San Francisco startup have been made by Telefónica, Samsung and Intel. Google Ventures invested in Expect Labs back in October. Continue reading Expect Labs Software Understands Phone Conversations

Last week, Cinedigm announced it was partnering with BitTorrent to help promote the release of Dante Ariola’s “Arthur Newman,” starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, which debuted in limited release over the weekend. In less than five days, users of the file-sharing app downloaded one million copies of the film’s 10-minute preview. By comparison, the studio’s official trailer had less than 20,000 views on YouTube over the past three weeks. Continue reading Will BitTorrent Prove a Viable Marketing Tool for Hollywood?

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 was once again the best-selling game console in March, marking its 27th consecutive month topping the sales charts, according to The NPD Group. Microsoft reports that 261,000 Xbox 360s were sold last month in the U.S., while spending on related hardware, software and accessories totaled $402 million. While the Xbox beat Nintendo’s Wii U and Sony’s PlayStation 3, hardware sales were down from the previous year. Continue reading Xbox 360 Tops Sales Charts for 27th Consecutive Month

Google is following Apple’s example as it is looking to develop more apps for Google Glass. The company released guidelines for developers on Monday, but with limitations, as the company wants more control over what apps are created for the cloud-based “Glassware.” With these limitations, developers cannot sells ads or use third parties to collect and sell data, in addition to other restrictions. Continue reading Developers Face Initial Restrictions for Google Glass Apps

What will the smartphone of the future look like? According to Mark Rolston, creative director for Frog Design, the smartphone may be reaching the end of its evolution. This doesn’t mean small steps forward won’t be taken with hardware, software and design, but it is unlikely we’ll see any more innovative leaps, he suggests. And this doesn’t mean the smartphone will die, but we should expect it to become part of a world of connected devices. Continue reading The Smartphone of the Near Future Will Focus on Sensors

Dell announced at NAB “Dell Create,” a professional consulting service and IT solution provider designed to help content creators — including large broadcast companies and entertainment studios — improve their content workflows with a centralized IT environment. With comprehensive management, implementation and support, Dell is positioning Dell Create as a multi-vendor cloud for content creators that allows customers to worry less about IT and spend more time being creative. Continue reading NAB 2013: Dell Announces Solution for Media Workflows

According to Raymie Stata, former chief technology officer at Yahoo, deciding to change the way a network operates can lead to cases where you have to physically rearrange hardware. But here’s the problem: networking gear is often old and outdated. While developers are constantly creating and updating software for computers and smartphones, hardware development remains relatively stagnant. Continue reading Tech Giants Developing Open Source Networking Project

The upcoming Leap Motion Controller allows users to control their computers with gestures. But this goes beyond the basics like hand motions or jumping around and enters the realm of “painting” on the screen via fingertips with incredible control. Autodesk and other drawing-focused software makers are among those working with Leap Motion to make apps compatible with the new Controller. Game makers are also developing for the device. Continue reading New Leap Motion Controller Draws Interest from Developers

In advance of next week’s NAB show, Dell announced its Dell Precision Performance Optimizer (DPPO), a free download solution that simplifies, automates and optimizes Dell Precision workstation settings to maximize application performance. DPPO addresses the variations in processing requirements between different software and configures optimal settings for professional systems, manages system resources and tracks performance for future analysis. Continue reading NAB 2013: Dell Launches Automated Workstation Software

In an effort to shield cloud software and big data developers from certain types of litigation currently affecting the mobile phone industry, Google introduced a “patent pledge” last week. The pledge, which is similar to a non-aggression pact, involves 10 patents related to Google’s MapReduce technology. The company says developers are free to use or sell the technology without concern regarding future lawsuits. Continue reading Patent Pledge by Google to Shield Software from Lawsuits