By
Rob ScottMarch 20, 2013
Electronic Arts chief exec John Riccitiello is set to resign in the wake of the videogame company’s disappointing earnings and stock figures. EA announced that Larry Probst, current EA chairman and former CEO, would serve as executive chairman while the board searches for a replacement for Riccitiello. In a letter to his employees, Riccitiello took responsibility for the “shortcomings” in EA’s recent results. Continue reading Game News: Electronic Arts CEO Riccitiello to Step Down
By
Rob ScottMarch 14, 2013
With the launch of Vevo TV — a 24-hour live stream of curated programming — Vevo has taken an additional step toward becoming a full-fledged music television network. The new channel uses MTV-like VJs and is available on the Web and mobile devices, as well as via Roku boxes and Xbox 360 gaming consoles. Looking ahead, the company hopes to take Vevo TV to cable distributors and have it compete with the likes of MTV and VH1. Continue reading Vevo TV Streaming Music Platform is All About Devices
By
emeadowsMarch 12, 2013
According to Microsoft’s vision of the future, our lives will soon be impacted by large, wall-sized touchscreens, on which we will perform daily tasks, communicate with loved ones and much more. Additionally, all of our gadgets will respond to our voice commands and we’ll be able to seamlessly transfer information between devices with just a few swipes and/or taps. Continue reading Wall-Sized Touchscreens in Our Near Future, Says Microsoft
Based on numbers from mobile ad network Jumptap, which covers 134 million mobile users in the U.S. and 206 million mobile users worldwide, tablets accounted for 18 percent of all traffic on its network — compared to 78 percent for smartphones and 4 percent for feature phones. With the data from Jumptap’s most recent monthly report and its latest projections, tablets are set to continue this upward trend at a rapid pace. Continue reading Consumers Increasingly Turn to Tablets for Mobile Content
Apple kicked off the mobile apps craze five years ago and the industry continues to gain momentum. App stores run by Apple and Google offer more than 700,000 apps each. Because of the growing range of choices, it is estimated that consumers spend an average of two hours per day with their apps. And they’re spending money on them, too. However, this may only be the beginning. Continue reading App Industry Continues to Boom, Five Years After it Began
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
Samsung’s Galaxy S IV smartphone will be introduced this month and has an exciting new software element to showcase: eye scrolling. The phone tracks a user’s eyes to determine where to scroll, according to one Samsung employee. For example, when users read articles and their eyes reach the bottom of a page, the software will scroll down to reveal any additional paragraphs. Continue reading New Samsung Galaxy Smartphone to Feature Eye Tracking
By
Rob ScottMarch 4, 2013
At last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, CNET was impressed with the Asus Padfone Infinity, Asus FonePad, Nokia Lumia 720 and Sony Xperia Z tablet. In selecting its Best of Show award, however, a panel of CNET judges focused on the potentially disruptive category of new mobile operating systems. Mozilla’s Firefox OS and Canonical’s Ubuntu Touch generated the most buzz at MWC. Continue reading CNET Gives MWC Best of Show Award to Ubuntu Touch OS
Engadget writes about its favorite devices and trends to come out of last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. While there weren’t many debuts of flagship products compared to previous years, some devices still stood out, including the new LG handsets, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, and HTC’s recently launched One smartphone. Regarding wireless products, Engadget calls this year’s MWC one big “NFC love fest.” Continue reading Engadget Review: Best of the Best at Mobile World Congress
By
emeadowsFebruary 26, 2013
Sony unveiled its new Android device, the Xperia Tablet Z, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday. The company claims it is the world’s thinnest 10.1-inch tablet at just 6.9 millimeters and that it is waterproof in up to three feet of water for 30 minutes. On the inside, it has a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 1920 x 1200 display running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Continue reading Mobile World Congress: Sony Intros Thinnest 10.1-Inch Tablet
By
emeadowsFebruary 26, 2013
HP announced its return to the tablet game with its new Slate 7 tablet, a 7-inch device running Android 4.1. The company’s first Android device will go on sale in April for $169. The company hopes printing will be one of the key features that sets it apart from other tablets — the Slate 7 will be able to print from most apps by using either native drivers or HP’s ePrint technology. Continue reading HP Unveils $169 Android Tablet, Reportedly First of Many
By
emeadowsFebruary 26, 2013
Technology Review interviews Microsoft’s chief executive Steve Ballmer about Windows 8, which the article refers to as the most ambitious and strangest major product ever released by the software mainstay. Windows 8 was designed to run on smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers and even on supercomputers and provides users with the same interface on any device, with minor variations from one to the next. Continue reading Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Talks Windows 8 and Surface
By
Rob ScottFebruary 25, 2013
Film editor Dan Lebental, motivated by the desire to interact more directly with media, has designed an editing app called TouchEdit that he describes as a “21st century version of the Moviola.” Lebental was intrigued by the similarity of using the iPad’s touchscreen with how editors would formerly “touch film.” His app intends to bring back that simplicity while integrating the latest in mobile technology and cloud-based services. Continue reading Movie Editor Develops Frame-Based Editing App for iPad
By
Rob ScottFebruary 22, 2013
Ratings company Nielsen announced this week it will expand its definition of television with a new comprehensive plan to measure video viewing across multiple platforms including broadband, Xbox and iPads. The decision to reach beyond traditional television viewing comes from the What Nielsen Measures Committee, a group comprised of members representing TV and cable networks, local TV stations, ad agencies and several big brand advertisers. Continue reading Nielsen to Redefine TV Ratings by Measuring New Platforms
By
emeadowsFebruary 22, 2013
With new technologies, a growing number of connected devices and the evolution of media distribution, it’s more common than ever for people to consume media across different screens, whether at home, at work or out and about. Nielsen conducted a Global Survey of Multi-Screen Media Usage to find out how consumers are dealing with the fragmented media environment — and learned that 80 percent watch online video at home. Continue reading Nielsen Global Media Report: Mobile Tablet Use on the Rise