DISH’s Hopper with Sling has finally arrived — and is worth the wait, according to a product review this week from Wired. This is the second generation Hopper and shows a lot of improvement over the debut from a few years ago. Most notably, it includes the Sling place-shifting service that enables users to load TV shows and DVR recordings to any compatible device like an iPad or laptop. Continue reading DISH Hopper with Sling Outperforms Genie from DirecTV

The Mobile Symphony Orchestra in Alabama introduced its “tweet seats” late last year during a performance of Beethoven’s Eroica symphony. The seats are located in the back row of the auditorium and are made available to those who wish to text or tweet during the performance. This type of move is representative of many arts organizations’ attempts to encourage audiences to engage technologically with performances. Continue reading Tweet Seats and Other Attempts at Audience Engagement

The White House demanded this week that the Chinese government put an end to data theft involving American computer networks. The U.S. has called for China to agree to “acceptable norms of behavior in cyberspace.” The demand was made during a speech by national security advisor Tom Donilon to the Asia Society in New York and represents the first public confrontation with China regarding cyberespionage. Continue reading White House Demands China Put a Stop to Cyberattacks

Bing Now, a new research project demonstrated at Microsoft’s headquarters last week, could give Web searchers a way to gauge the ongoing atmosphere of a bar or restaurant before they decide to visit or make a reservation. Researchers are looking to smartphone owners who are already at the location to provide updated information when checking in. The crowdsourcing tool measures sound with the smartphone’s microphone. Continue reading Bing Now Turns to Live Crowdsourcing for Advanced Search

After the the $99 Android-powered TV game console Ouya attracted more than 63,000 Kickstarter backers last year, many independent game developers are creating games for the device, including mobile developers who want to make the jump to televisions. The system will ship to initial backers on March 28, ahead of the public launch in June, and many developers are preparing to see their games on TVs for the first time. Continue reading New Ouya Game Console Attracts Independent Developers

Among the most talked-about things at this year’s South by Southwest conference are a camera that automatically takes photos every 30 seconds, a new gaming console and a gadget that allows people to control their computers and other devices by waving their hands. It is estimated that at least two-dozen panels, talks and presentations at this year’s SXSW involve a new device or gadget. Continue reading Hardware, Gadgets Outpacing Software at SXSW this Year

Google is getting closer to becoming a jack-of-all-trades as the company takes on another role: car-shopping service. With its new approach (being tested in Northern California), search pages related to vehicles will include a Google link that offers details on local car dealerships by vehicle I.D. and sticker prices. However, by current law, Google is not allowed to make any profit on the car dealership transactions. Continue reading Google Quietly Tests Car-Shopping Service in California

Clay Christensen, the Harvard Business School professor who has helped shape the thinking around technological disruption, has been analyzing the media industry of late — a market he believes is undergoing a fundamental disruption. During a recent panel discussion at the Nieman Foundation, he warned that many existing media entities are still thinking of their business in the wrong way and are not changing quickly enough. Continue reading Clay Christensen Talks of Fundamental Disruption in Media

According to a study from researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, which followed the privacy practices of 5,076 Facebook users over the course of six years, Facebook succeeded in reversing users’ inclination to avoid public disclosure over time. And even as some sought to keep personal data private from strangers by limiting what was available on their profiles, they increased what they shared with friends throughout the years. Continue reading Study Finds Increase in Willingness to Share on Facebook

Chipmaker Freescale Semiconductor has created the world’s smallest ARM-powered chip (called the Kinetis KL02), which touts 32KB flash with 64 byte flash cache, up to 4KB RAM, a 32-bit processor and multiple flexible low-power modes. Measuring only 1.9 by 2 millimeters, the chip is a full microcontroller unit that includes RAM, ROM and an I/O control unit — all the requirements of a miniature computer. Continue reading Freescale Offers Smallest ARM-Powered Chip in the World

A Chinese government research institute has accused Google of using its Android mobile OS dominance to discriminate against local companies. The report suggests that China is too reliant on the platform and Google has delayed sharing code in recent versions of Android. This serves as a reminder of the ongoing tensions between China and Google, after the tech giant said it would not comply with Chinese Internet restrictions three years ago. Continue reading Commercial Discrimination: China Critical of Android OS

Time Warner, named partly after a signature magazine, is getting out of the magazine business. On Wednesday, the company said it would spin off its entire Time Inc. magazine group, creating a separate public company. Moves like this aren’t entirely surprising considering the industry’s decline in newsstand sales and ongoing ad slump, which affects all publications but particularly weekly ones. Continue reading Time Warner Announces Spinoff of Entire Magazine Division

On Tuesday, we reported that News Corp. has plans to launch FOX Sports 1, a new national cable sports network, in the U.S. by August. ETCentric has since learned that FOX Sports Media Group also has plans to launch FOX Sports GO, a mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The “TV Everywhere” service, similar to WatchESPN, will also offer programming on the Web. Continue reading FOX Sports GO: New App to Launch with All-Sports Network

Google has begun testing its own e-commerce site called “Google Shopping Express,” with same-day delivery from stores like Target, Walgreens and Walmart. The site is expected to offer a $64 annual deal, compared to competitor Amazon Prime’s $79 service. Google’s Tom Fallows, an e-commerce product manager, is reportedly running the project, and the company is currently working with personal delivery and online services. Continue reading Will Google Shopping Express Compete with Amazon Prime?

Blake Ross, Facebook’s director of product, recently announced he’d be leaving the company. He posted a goodbye letter on his profile page saying, in essence, that he was leaving the company because youngsters no longer think the social network is cool. While there was an air of humor to his post, it also had some truth to it. He’s since taken down the letter, claiming it was posted publicly by accident. Continue reading Facebook No Longer the Social Network Du Jour for Teens?