In the wake of the abrupt dismissal of Reddit employee Victoria Taylor, CEO Ellen Pao apologized to the site’s disgruntled users, acknowledging a history that goes back several years of broken promises and poor communication. But apologies by Pao and co-founder/executive chairman Alexis Ohanian haven’t yet mollified users, who are circulating an online petition demanding Pao’s termination. The 10-year old San Francisco-based company has 70 to 80 employees but relies on its power users to govern the site. Continue reading Reddit Chief Promises Better Communication with Community

Facebook-owned photo-sharing service Instagram is quietly rolling out support for 1080×1080 pixel resolution for its images, which up until now had remained at 640×640 resolution. “An Instagram spokesperson tells us that the company started ‘gradually rolling out 1080 across iOS and Android’ last week, meaning that most people should already be seeing the higher-resolution images in the mobile app,” The Verge explains. However, the desktop version of Instagram does not include the upgrade. According to the spokesperson, “right now we are focused on mobile, with no plans to share on Web.”

Anyone who has ever read a story to a child knows the drill: children want to hear their favorite stories over and over again. That’s the major ingredient in Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu’s success in courting young audiences (and their parents). On-demand video makes it easy for a child to replay, over and over again, his or her favorite TV episodes or movies. Acutely aware of the phenomenon, these companies are actively working to provide video content for the young set, turning toddlers into life-long viewers. Continue reading Netflix and Amazon Aim to Shape Children’s Viewing Habits

Periscope both was and was not at Wimbledon this year. The tournament’s digital content team used Twitter’s live video broadcasting app to take fans on a Roger Federer-led walking tour of the facility. Federer also anchored Wimbledon’s Periscope feed of the matches at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. But Wimbledon simultaneously banned attendees from using the live-streaming app in the stands. Periscope CEO Kayvon Beykpour wasn’t fazed by the seemingly contradictory move. “Their motivation is preserving the sanctity of play,” he said. Continue reading Periscope Streams Wimbledon But Is Banned at Tournament

Silicon Beach has become home to a number of tech startups, publicly traded companies and business incubators. Recent years have seen a wave of talent, innovation and investors that have fostered compelling new companies and, in some cases, acquisitions by larger Silicon Valley tech leaders. However, a number of startups have opted to stay in Los Angeles, while larger companies such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are building a presence. While still early in its development, the LA tech scene now has the core ingredients that helped launch Silicon Valley. Continue reading Silicon Beach Now the Main Tech Hub of Southern California

Italian surveillance firm Hacking Team, a company that provides technology for state intelligence agencies to infiltrate computer networks, was itself hacked in a breach that exposed more than 400 gigabytes of data. “The breached trove includes executive emails, customer invoices and even source code; the company’s Twitter feed was hacked, controlled by the intruders for nearly 12 hours, and used to distribute samples of the company’s hacked files,” explains Wired. “These are the equivalents of the Edward Snowden leaks for the surveillance industry,” said Eric King, deputy director of Privacy International. “There are few countries [Hacking Team] aren’t willing to sell to. There are few lines they aren’t willing to cross.”

Recently, Amazon has been offering discounts on sneakers and video games to its Prime members, prompting some industry watchers to predict an impending price war with discount shopping site Jet.com. Operating in private beta, the members-only Jet offers cheaper prices by lowering order fulfillment and shipping costs. The belief in the possibility of a price war is rooted in recent history: Jet was founded by former Amazon employee Marc Lore, whose previous company Diapers.com was the focus of a heated price war that ended with Amazon’s 2010 acquisition. Continue reading Is a Price War Brewing Between Amazon.com and Jet.com?

Amazon announced that it plans to conduct a special one-day sale for Prime members on July 15. The “Prime Day” sale, commemorating the e-commerce giant’s 20th anniversary, promises “more deals than Black Friday.” Special deals will start to appear at midnight and new offers will be introduced as frequently as every 10 minutes. The event is designed to bring more shoppers to its subscription service. “You can simply sign up for a 30-day free trial and cancel before the end, though of course Amazon is hoping that plenty of those that do join to take advantage of its one-day sale end up staying on and paying the $99-a-year membership fee,” reports Digital Trends.

Japan broadcaster NHK has chosen the Wimbledon tennis tournament in London to test its Super Hi-Vision 8K system. NHK is using Sony’s high-end F65 4K camera for production and upconverting content to 8K through a Sony processor. The production also includes a a FOR-A FT-ONE camera and two Ikegami SHV8000 Super Hi-Vision cameras. “Japan’s government and NHK are leading an effort to bring Super Hi-Vision — which combines 8K with a 22.2 surround sound system and a high frame rate of 60 frames per second — to Japan,” notes The Hollywood Reporter. “Plans are to start some satellite 8K broadcasting, beginning next June with the Rio Olympics.”

Sphericam 2 is a 4K spherical camera launched recently as a Kickstarter project with the intent of providing photographers, cinematographers and consumers with a means of easily capturing high-quality 360-degree video. The developers behind Sphericam see the camera is an ideal solution for producing content for VR hardware including Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR and Google Cardboard. The camera features six built-in 4K lenses and records 360-degree video at 60fps. With 23 days to go in the campaign, the project has already exceeded its $150,000 goal. Continue reading New 4K 360-Degree Camera is Designed for Virtual Reality

Speaking before the Internet Innovation Alliance about the appropriate role of regulators in a growing broadband economy, FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly suggested that the Internet is not a necessity or human right, as many tech leaders have suggested. “It is important to note that Internet access is not a necessity in the day-to-day lives of Americans and doesn’t even come close to the threshold to be considered a basic human right,” he said. “I am not in any way trying to diminish the significance of the Internet in our daily lives.” Continue reading FCC Commissioner Says the Internet is Not a Human Right

Google Glass may have failed to gain mainstream traction its first time around, but the device managed to generate some significant interest from a range of businesses and organizations. As a result, a new version of Glass is likely going to focus on the enterprise market. According to 9to5Google, the next device is being referred to by Google as “Enterprise Edition” or “Google Glass EE.” Development transitioned from Google X to Tony Fadell’s team at Google’s Nest division earlier this year. Now that a device called “GG1” has passed through the FCC, the company may be closer to making an announcement. Sources say extensive testing is scheduled for later this year.

Researchers in Tokyo have developed a way to print electrodes directly onto material, featuring highly conductive elastic ink that could be used to measure heart rates and report vital statistics. If researchers can make the technology robust and washable, then stretchable, sensor-loaded clothing could become a future trend in commercial wearables. Sportswear, for example, is one area that could benefit. Google’s Project Jacquard, NTT DoCoMo and chemical company Toray Industries are among those developing smart fabric technology. Continue reading Next Wearables Could Use Smart Fabric with Conductive Ink

Facebook, Google, Pinterest and Twitter are among those looking to bridge mobile browsing and online purchasing with “buy” buttons that provide shoppers with one-click ordering for products offered by thousands of retailers. Despite increased mobile usage, Americans still order most of their products from desktop and laptop PCs. According to The New York Times, “This may seem like a minor inconvenience in a world where so much information is at our fingertips, but it is a big deal for tech companies whose multibillion-dollar advertising businesses are increasingly mobile yet remain highly tethered to the success of online shopping.”

New language in China’s recently enacted national security law is generating major concern across the global technology industry. The rules call for a “national security review” of networking, tech products and services, and foreign investment. In addition, the rules call for crucial tech sectors to be made “secure and controllable,” which industry groups fear may suggest that back doors for allowing third-party access to systems would be necessary, perhaps even leading to the sharing of encryption keys or source code. Continue reading New Chinese Security Law Raises Concerns by Tech Industry