Researchers from MIT, Harvard, Caltech, Technical University of Munich and Portugal’s University of Porto collaborated on a technology that uses algebra to alleviate clogged wireless networks responding to dropped packets of data.
“By providing new ways for mobile devices to solve for missing data,” Technology Review explains, “the technology not only eliminates this wasteful process but also can seamlessly weave data streams from Wi-Fi and LTE — a leap forward from other approaches that toggle back and forth.”
“The technology transforms the way packets of data are sent,” the article continues. “Instead of sending packets, it sends algebraic equations that describe series of packets. So if a packet goes missing, instead of asking the network to resend it, the receiving device can solve for the missing one itself. Since the equations involved are simple and linear, the processing load on a phone, router, or base station is negligible.”
The issue of dropped packets is growing due to wireless interference or congestion. Dropped packets further intensify network traffic, compounding the original problem.
“If the technology works in large-scale deployments as expected, it could help forestall a spectrum crunch,” the article explains. “Cisco Systems says that by 2016, mobile data traffic will grow 18-fold — and Bell Labs goes farther, predicting growth by a factor of 25. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has said the spectrum of available wireless frequencies could run out within a couple of years.”
Although relatively inexpensive and increasingly popular, Facebook advertisements are “quite unlikely to play a meaningful role in determining the fate of a political campaign or retailer,” a new report concludes.
After being exposed to political Facebook ads, voters were no more likely to vote for the candidate; while they did recognize the candidate’s name, Facebook users didn’t have any more of a favorable impression of the candidate, according to the study.
Conducted by Donald Green, a Columbia political science professor, and David Brookman, a graduate student at UC Berkeley, the study observed the effects of a week’s worth of Facebook ads for a state legislative candidate. Following the campaign, the researchers surveyed 2,984 district voters and found that many who were exposed to the ads didn’t even remember seeing them.
“Indeed, the results allow us to confidently rule out the proposition that this veritable bombardment of online ads increased the candidate’s name recognition in his district by more than 1.8 percentage points,” the authors state.
But Keegan Goudiss at Revolution Messaging says the study didn’t look at the right online tools. Instead, it should have focused on larger races — congressional or statewide — and Facebook’s “premium” ads.
Brookman rebuts, saying increasing “likes” does not equate to influencing the outcome of elections; he also notes the restrictive auction system the observed candidate had to use to acquire the ad space.
“This still could be the most cost-effective campaign tactic out there. We can’t rule that out,” he says, adding that you do pay for what you get. “There’s a reason TV ads are so expensive.”
A new Xbox update leverages the upcoming Windows 8 operating system to provide a cohesive second screen experience between Microsoft’s popular gaming console and various mobile devices.
With new content partnerships, the addition of an Internet Explorer browser and an app called SmartGlass, Microsoft is looking to provide a more enriched experience with its devices, which could in turn fuel sales.
“It’s a good reason to buy a Windows tablet,” says Yusuf Mehdi, senior VP in charge of marketing and strategy for Xbox’s services. “Conversely, if you have a Windows tablet, it’s why you will want to buy an Xbox.”
While the connectivity is only available within the Windows ecosystem, Microsoft expressed intentions to eventually connect devices that aren’t powered by Microsoft software — something that could give the company an edge over Apple, which only offers AirPlay on its mobile devices.
SmartGlass is a “free app that users can install on devices running Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8 software and the new Windows 8 operating system that becomes available Friday. Microsoft says it allows users of such devices to remotely control the Xbox 360, surf to websites, launch videos and other content, and send them to their TVs,” notes the Wall Street Journal.
Microsoft is also working with NBA Game Time, ESPN and UFC to offer supplementary information to mobile devices when watching sports programs.
For those interested in the second screen experience, Microsoft has made it easier to buy an Xbox with the extension of its Xbox subscription program, which lowers upfront costs and will be available at Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us and GameStop.
As it gears up to release the new Wii U, Japanese gaming company Nintendo has significantly lowered its annual profit forecast in light of a strong yen and lagging console sales.
Following the Wii’s success of 100 million sales, the successor Wii U will go on sale in the U.S. on November 18. Nintendo expects to sell 5.5 million Wii U devices by March 31.
“The first hardware offering from Nintendo in six years boasts a tablet-like touch screen controller and a social network, and lets users record TV shows through TiVo and other digital recording services,” Reuters explains.
“Yet, growing competition from tablet PCs and smartphones that are increasingly eating into the $78 billion gaming market mean the Japanese company, which began making playing cards more than a century ago, may struggle to repeat the hit it had with the Wii.”
The Wii U’s success will indicate to Nintendo’s competitors — like Microsoft and Sony — whether advanced gaming devices can hold their own against mobile devices.
Nintendo also cut expectations for sales of its 3DS handheld gaming device, after weak demand forced the company to dramatically lower the price tag. Nintendo has, however, held its 2.5 million estimation for DS sales in the next 12 months.
“[The company’s] operating loss for the three months to September 30 edged down to 18.8 billion yen from a loss of 19.6 billion yen a year ago, and compared with an average loss forecast of 16 billion yen from four analysts,” Reuters adds. “Since the start of the business year, Nintendo’s shares have fallen 17 percent, compared with an 11 percent drop in Japan’s benchmark Nikkei average.”
BuzzFeed posted nine celebrity photos taken by Mavrix Photo without properly compensating the photo company. Now Mavrix is seeking $1.3 million from the viral news site for copyright infringement, representing a popular trend in online media.
“Mavrix appears to be in the business of copyright trolling — scouring the Internet for unauthorized use of its images and threatening anyone who uses them with million dollar lawsuits,” reports GigaOM. “This practice has recently degenerated into lawyers recruiting other lawyers to hunt down a hit list of alleged infringers with a promise to share the bounty.”
“Instead of a simple request to take the image down (which most people would comply with), we get a legal train wreck,” adds the article.
Currently, copyright owners are entitled to seek damages of up to $150,000 for each infringement, a “nuclear option” to deter infringers, the article comments. But the popularity of trolling raises the question of whether copyright law is still functional.
“In an age when images are everywhere… the $150,000 nuclear option seems impractical and unfair except in the most egregious cases,” suggests GigaOM. “A better option would be for Congress to consider crafting some type of small claims court for copyright with graduated penalties for repeat offenders.”
Government auditors have criticized the FBI for promoting cyber security awareness, but never showing any tangible success in educating Internet users. The FBI is looking to change that with its new cyber security education program for elementary students.
“‘Cyber Surf Island’ is a playable, Web-based game world for school children from grades 3 to 8,” explains Naked Security. “By playing simple games, the children learn about online threats ranging from malware to Internet predators to cyber bullies. Schools can compete against each other for points and winning schools get a visit from a real FBI agent.”
The FBI’s revamped Safe Online Surfing program intends to help teachers educate students regarding topics such as sexting, copyright violations, secure passwords and more. Teachers wanting to participate must create an account with the FBI to receive online IDs for each student.
The program separates content by grade level and includes tests to evaluate what students have learned — a good measurement for auditors.
However, occasionally “substance wins out over style on ‘Cyber Surf Island,’ with games that are heavy on the message but light on the entertainment,” the article notes. Also, a Facebook post about the initiative showed many users having problems like account takeovers.
CBS CEO Les Moonves, who recently renewed his contract until 2017, recognizes the need for the TV industry to evolve in light of new digital offerings.
“Moonves has an answer for cable and satellite operators who complain their profits are getting squeezed by continually rising content costs: eliminate low-rated channels from their lineup,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
He says having hit shows helps networks avoid high-level fee disputes that can result in channel blackouts.
Moonves said he would be interested in expanding CBS’s content portfolio by buying Sony Corp.’s film and TV studios businesses. There are, however, no specific plans in the works right now.
“With online video options growing, overall viewership of traditional TV has slipped lately, according to Nielsen. At the same time, the push by broadcasters such as CBS for a share of pay TV subscription fees has intensified tensions between entertainment companies and pay TV distributors,” explains WSJ.
“Moonves also said CBS was prepared to distribute its content directly to viewers, via apps or Web portals, in the event that a la carte pricing and cord-cutting eventually threaten the company’s business model,” the article continues.
“We like the system now and we are being adequately paid for it,” Moonves says. “But if the universe changes and they [viewers] want us to bring the content directly to them, then we can.”
The TV industry could be on the brink of collapse, Business Insider writes. Viewing habits are changing drastically, which spells trouble for TV’s traditional advertising revenue and pay subscription model.
“The explosion of options for digital entertainment — some of which, importantly, are viewed or otherwise consumed on TV screens — will gradually bleed away the attention that was once devoted exclusively to traditional TV,” suggests the article. “At some point, just as it has with newspapers, this dwindling attention will be noticed by the folks who pay all those massive TV industry bills — advertisers and consumers.”
The widespread adoption of HDTVs looks promising for the TV industry, but other devices — like smartphones, tablets, and wireless laptops — have been pulling eyes from TVs. Consumers devote less attention to their TV sets as they delve into the second screen experience.
Additionally, the television isn’t being used for the same purposes as in years past. “Specifically, they spend less time watching traditional ‘TV’ and more time watching streaming video, watching time-shifted video (DVR), and playing video games,” the article states.
Gen Y is especially representative of these changes, showing the largest deviation from traditional viewing and having the highest percentage of streaming video.
“Traditional TV viewership is changing. None of the changes are good for the traditional TV industry,” comments BI. “Someday, if attention keeps shifting, the money will follow.”
In an interview with Metro, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos suggests that government intervention may be necessary to create new patent legislation.
Patent wars have become prevalent in the smartphone and tablet industries. A patent lawsuit culture could be a significant threat to innovation and society, notes Bezos.
“Patents are supposed to encourage innovation and we’re starting to be in a world where they might start to stifle innovation,” he said. “Governments may need to look at the patent system and see if those laws need to be modified because I don’t think some of these battles are healthy for society.”
The article notes the iconic lawsuit of the patent war culture: Apple v. Samsung. “The tech giants have had mixed results in the courtroom, however, as Apple secured a significant legal victory in the U.S. but Samsung won comparative cases in South Korea and Japan, with many more lawsuits not yet heard.”
Bezos remains positive about the current consumer technology market. “I love technology, I love invention, I like rapid change, and really it’s the golden age of wireless devices and mobile devices,” he said.
Following the landmark patent suit with Samsung, Apple has lessened its reliance on its rival for iPhone parts — and now Samsung is pushing back.
“We are unable to supply our flat-screens to Apple with huge price discounts. Samsung has already cut our portion of shipments to Apple and next year we will stop shipping displays,” a senior Samsung source told The Korea Times Monday on the condition of anonymity.
“Samsung has been the top supplier of liquid crystal displays to Apple, selling more than 15 million displays in the first half of 2012 to Apple,” GigaOM explains. “But according to the same unnamed source, Samsung has sold only 3 million to Apple since then. Apple has been cutting its reliance on Samsung Display and buying similar products from other sources, such as LG and Sharp.”
“Samsung has also seen its chip orders from Apple cut,” notes the article. “Reuters reported earlier that Apple planned to rely less on Samsung for the iPhone 5′s memory chips. Then perhaps to add a little insult to injury, Apple also recently snaked a top chip designer away from Samsung. In this context, the severed panel business relationship seems like an inevitable next step.”
Samsung is likely to simply substitute Apple’s business with its own, producing displays for its own line of tablets. Amazon could also be a potential new customer for the company with its expansion of tablet offerings.
Facebook and Twitter users today are simply out to get followers, no longer focused on sharing good content. There is just too much noise created by high volume of poor-quality content.
At least that’s what the new social network Pheed is arguing as it places emphasis on providing high-quality content.
“It’s pretty simple, if you allow influencers to charge for content, high quality content will be produced,” Forbes writes. “Pheed enables users to share all forms of digital content, including text, photo, audio, video, and live broadcasts. ‘Pheeders’ then have the option to share for free or at a premium, either by applying a monthly subscription fee to their channel or setting up a pay-per-view live broadcast event.”
Just days after launching the site, Pheed has already seen 350,000 unique visitors. The company says 200 celebs and “taste-makers” have signed up for the service.
“Users can charge anywhere from $1.99 to $34.99 per view, or $1.99 to $34.99 per month. In both cases, the user selects their own pricing and owns all of the content,” explains the article. “Pheed makes money by taking half of the revenue, which covers bandwidth and storage, payment processing, and of course, Pheed’s profits.”
Pheed faces one, potentially large, obstacle: Will people actually pay to view content or subscribe to celeb content?
“Time will tell,” Forbes concludes. “Pheed has a good opportunity to succeed if it stays focused and doesn’t try to become a jack-of-all-trades. For now, it’s safe to say Pheed is a site we should all keep an eye on — its Twitter-with-a-business-model approach stands to seriously impact the social media game.”
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has announced a 3D printing competition called “New York’s Next Top Makers,” intended to strengthen the city’s tradition of innovation.
“The competition will act as a business accelerator for New York City-based entrepreneurs, inventors and makers, who will be judged by a panel of experts as well as the public and will receive assistance on the path to commercialization, including studio space, business support and mentorship from industry experts including Shapeways, Adafruit Industries, and Honeybee Robotics,” the mayor’s website explains.
“This contest will make sure New York City stays on the cutting edge of 3D printing, an exciting new industry with virtually unlimited potential, and which could completely revolutionize manufacturing,” says Bloomberg. “New York City — the center of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship — is a natural home for Shapeways, and we look forward to seeing what kinds of exciting products — and quality jobs — they can create.”
The competition will progress in four phases: Entrepreneurs will upload pitches of the their proposed products from November 2012 to February 2013. Expert judges will then select five pitches from qualifying entries. There will also be a sixth “people’s choice” entry.
“Over five months, from approximately April 2013 to August 2013, the six selected finalists will participate in a five-month design studio, to further develop their product ideas,” explains the post about the third phase. “During this process they will receive studio space provided by competition sponsor NYDesigns, as well as technical support, materials, access to equipment and mentorship.”
And finally, during the second annual Maker Week in September 2013, judges will award additional cash prizes to the most promising business.
AOL has launched a beta version of its new Alto email service that works with existing email platforms and promises to “revolutionize how we interact with email,” reports Fast Company.
Bill Wetherell, senior director of UX design at AOL, talks about today’s “inbox fatigue,” which has resulted from a continued lack of innovation.
“Yes, there have been improvements — in search, contacts, storage size — but they’ve been incremental at best, and based on an outmoded architecture of lists, folders, and more lists,” notes the article. “Alto is a radical rethinking of inbox design, and features a stripped-down interface that’s spruced up by visual cues and intuitive navigation tools.”
“In Alto, many messages and files are automatically and neatly aggregated into tiles of common categories: for photos, attachments, social, daily deals, and retail. So, for example, say you get an email offer from Amazon or iTunes — Alto will automatically pull those messages into the retailers stack, seamlessly and without hassle,” Fast Company explains.
“In the social stack, notifications are culled from Twitter, LinkedIn, Path, Facebook, and more. But Alto goes the extra mile to display infographics to help users navigate through fragmented social network updates.”
Users can easily create new stacks and a “skip inbox” function that sends certain emails straight into a stack. The left hand message column has a “people” tab, which shows contact information and a social profile of email correspondents.
“The colors are softer on the eyes than Gmail’s scheme; there is less junk mail; and the myriad icons that normally overwhelm inbox screens (stars, trashcans, checkboxes, numbers) are gone, save a select few that appear upon mousing over a particular message,” suggests the article. “It’s a clean experience reminiscent of your simple, thin iPhone email message list.”
Last week, Yelp introduced a new consumer alert label in an effort to to crack down on fake reviews.
“Whenever Yelp catches a business paying a customer or individual for a review, the site will flag that company’s page with a notice that reads, ‘We caught someone red-handed trying to buy reviews,'” Mashable reports.
The label will remain on the page of an infringing business for 90 days. If the business continues to buy reviews, the notice will stay longer. Additionally, interested users can click on the label to see the fake reviews.
Yelp hopes the initiative will cut down the number of fake reviews by creating a strong disincentive for businesses, but Mashable notes, “It remains to be seen how successful this new effort from Yelp will be.”
“Yelp’s automated review filter is working around the clock to flag these types of biased reviews, and we believe that you deserve the right to know when this type of activity is taking place behind the scenes,” explained the company in a blog post.
The issue of fake reviews is expected to continue in the coming years. According to a report by Gartner, fake responses will rise to 10-15 percent of all social media reviews in 2014.
At its Social Media ROI conference, Business Insider addressed the convergence of social and mobile — which it calls “smobile.”
The presentation noted statistics that look at “the continued shift of social networking to mobile, how smartphones compound the difficulties of advertising on social networks, the potential of social commerce and social discovery applications, and the players who have the early lead in monetizing social-mobile media.”
In March 2012, the number of minutes per month spent on apps rose above 120 billion, while mobile Web usage stayed pretty stagnant around 20 billion minutes per month. That said, mobile Internet is increasing as desktop Internet traffic drops off.
Social networking is one of the fastest-rising activities on mobile devices. In 2011, users spent an average of 15 minutes per day on social networking apps. In the same quarter of 2012, that number had increased to 24 minutes, the same amount spent playing games.
Business Insider reports that “37 percent of U.S. smartphone owners check social networks daily; 64 percent monthly.” Facebook has accumulated around 500 million mobile users, and 55 percent of Twitter’s usage is mobile.
Unfortunately, click-through rates on mobile ads sits at only 32 percent and only about a third of smartphone users believe advertising is acceptable. Also, mobile remains a small fraction of digital ad spending.
Despite efforts to advance social commerce, there hasn’t been much traction. It’s not enough to provide discounts based on proximity; consumers have to first be interested in the product or service. Similarly, checkins and social references to commerce sites are “tiny.”
The presentation recommended “native” mobile ads like Facebook’s “Sponsored Stories” that appear along with regular content. Ads also need to have contextual relevance.