Nebula One: Former NASA CTO Develops Cloud Computer

Chris Kemp, once the chief technology officer of NASA, spearheaded the creation of a software platform that completely changed NASA’s approach to computing power. Called Nebula, his platform helped steer the agency into the age of Google and Amazon. Now Kemp is touting hardware that makes the most of open source project OpenStack, which is perhaps best described as a Linux for cloud computing. Continue reading Nebula One: Former NASA CTO Develops Cloud Computer

Twitter Cards Enable Developers to Display Media Content

Twitter hosted an invite-only, closed-to-press developer event this week. According to angel investor Dave McClure, founder of business incubator 500 Startups, Twitter is expanding its Card options for developers to help build features for its site and apps. The Cards will allow developers to display photo galleries, media players and deep-links to apps within an individual tweet. Flickr, Path and Foursquare expressed their support at the event. Continue reading Twitter Cards Enable Developers to Display Media Content

Will Next Gen Mobile Chips Out-Power Gaming Consoles?

According to Tony Tamasi, senior VP of content and technology for NVIDIA, PS3 and Xbox 360 game consoles hardly contain more power than today’s mobile devices. Tamasi suggests that the next generation of mobile phones will likely out-power such consoles. With that in mind, NVIDIA’s next generation of mobile chips to follow the Tegra 4 model plan to push more polygons than current high-end gaming consoles. Continue reading Will Next Gen Mobile Chips Out-Power Gaming Consoles?

Why Buy Albums When You Can Get the Songs for Free?

Sites like Pandora and Spotify have made a significant impact on the music industry with their free streaming music services. Now, these sites may be influencing how well artists do in regards to their album sales. Justin Timberlake, for example, released his new album “The 20/20 Experience” to Spotify, which resulted in 980,000 copies being sold within the first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Continue reading Why Buy Albums When You Can Get the Songs for Free?

MLB Hits a Home Run with Mobile App on Opening Day

While fans celebrated opening day, marking the start of another baseball season, MLB executives were having a celebration of their own as the official Major League Baseball app “At Bat” was accessed 6 million times on opening day alone. This number is more than twice the amount of users that accessed the same app on opening day last year, and significantly higher than other apps that the league has launched for baseball fans. Continue reading MLB Hits a Home Run with Mobile App on Opening Day

ReDigi: Judge Rules Reselling of Digital Goods not Legal

ReDigi, the online platform that allows consumers to buy and sell used MP3 files that were initially purchased legally through retailers such as iTunes, has been deemed unlawful by U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan. The case considered the first sale copyright doctrine, which gives people in possession of copyrighted materials the right to resell them. But the judge ruled that this first sale theory does not apply to the reselling of digital goods. Continue reading ReDigi: Judge Rules Reselling of Digital Goods not Legal

Nuance Bets that Mobile Ads Will Soon Be Talking to You

Voice technology continues to take on more tasks including search, text entry and device control, and now Nuance thinks voice technology could play a significant role in mobile advertising via talking ads. On Monday, the company announced a venture with advertising agencies, ad networks and publishers, in an effort to test if mobile ads featuring voice interaction provide more engagement than traditional banner ads. Continue reading Nuance Bets that Mobile Ads Will Soon Be Talking to You

Review: Streaming Roku 3 Features Notable Improvements

In its review of the Roku 3 set-top box, Ars Technica remarks that the company has had success thus far due to its content partnerships and overall high standards for what should be offered in a streaming box, providing customers with a variety of choices. With the $99.99 Roku 3, the company offers an affordable, feature-filled streaming device, which Roku describes as the “most powerful, responsive streaming box” it has built so far. Continue reading Review: Streaming Roku 3 Features Notable Improvements

Forget Next Day Delivery, Retailers Test Next Hour Service

Just as next-day delivery becomes the norm for online shopping, next-hour delivery is rearing its head in the marketplace. Retail giants like Walmart, Amazon and eBay are testing such services now, providing customers with whatever they want nearly immediately. In order for this to work, supply chains are operating full speed, relying on highly complex algorithms and workers in distribution centers 24/7. Continue reading Forget Next Day Delivery, Retailers Test Next Hour Service

Will Mobile Messaging Apps Replace Our Social Networks?

In addition to using the major social networks to create personal profiles, build networks of friends and other connections, share photos, videos and music, many tech-savvy young people are turning to smartphone-based messaging apps for these functions. Popular apps such as Kik, Whatsapp, KakaoTalk, LINE and WeChat are growing in popularity throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia. Continue reading Will Mobile Messaging Apps Replace Our Social Networks?

Google Nose May Have Been a Joke, But the Tech is Not

As an April Fool’s Day joke, Google posted information about a new service called Google Nose, which supposedly provides consumers with olfactory experiences through their computers. While it may have been a joke, it’s not that far from potential reality. In fact, last December IBM revealed that technologies in development related to human senses were on the cusp of reality and could one day soon reach widespread adoption. Continue reading Google Nose May Have Been a Joke, But the Tech is Not

Intelligent Content: Will Your Media Soon Know You Best?

Intelligent Content is developing along with the evolution of digital technology and in relation to how humans interact with it. As the analytics and visual design of written content both take on an increasingly large role in how people consume information, we are about to experience an era in which information design and delivery changes in real-time in direct response to how readers are consuming the content. Continue reading Intelligent Content: Will Your Media Soon Know You Best?

Akamai Hopes to Put Your Wireless Data in The Fast Lane

Links on mobile devices take an average of 5-6 seconds longer to load than those opened on desktops. Massachusetts-based company Akamai is out to help solve that problem, at least for companies willing to pay. Because the truth is, some consumers abandon slow-moving mobile transactions if they take too long. Akamai aims to create a “fast lane” on the radio waves on which wireless services are offered. Continue reading Akamai Hopes to Put Your Wireless Data in The Fast Lane

Game of Thrones Fans Recreate Detailed Virtual Continent

On WesterosCraft, a “Minecraft” server on which “Game of Thrones” fans have recreated the continent that author George R. R. Martin’s novels describe, there is enough scope and detail to fill almost the entire landscape of Los Angeles. Fans have created a virtual land that is 59,000 blocks by 22,000 blocks, or over 500 square miles relative to the characters. But size isn’t the goal, according to the project’s co-creator. Continue reading Game of Thrones Fans Recreate Detailed Virtual Continent

Game of Thrones: Most Pirated Show Remains Lucrative

HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is the most pirated show on television. How does the cable network feel about that? Not bad, actually. The show’s second season recently experienced record-setting DVD sales for the network, even as it was 2012’s most illegally downloaded show. According to HBO programming president Michael Lombardo, this is viewed as a positive, especially since it doesn’t seem to adversely affect sales. Continue reading Game of Thrones: Most Pirated Show Remains Lucrative