Eye-tracking technology is on the rise. Previously found mostly in the healthcare industry as aids for those with impaired mobility, it is now being incorporated into mass market consumer electronics for gaming and everyday tasks. While touchscreens have helped curb the need for some clunky hardware extras, eye-tracking technology could be the next step in finally weaning the PC off the keyboard and mouse. Continue reading Eye-Tracking Technology Coming to Mobile Devices and PCs

T-Mobile has begun rolling out its nationwide 4G LTE, launching the new mobile broadband service in seven cities this week. The provider is expected to launch in more locations soon. While CEO John Legere calls the network “smoking fast,” it remains to be seen how T-Mobile’s offering will compete in the expanding 4G marketplace. However, since T-Mobile is relatively late to the market, it may have some advantages. Continue reading T-Mobile Starts Nationwide 4G LTE Launch in Seven Cities

Researchers are now reporting staggering data speeds, moving at 99.7 percent the speed of light through recently created fiber cables. This is an important move towards creating very low-latency data transmissions. Normally, optic fibers transmit using beams of light, but that doesn’t mean the information actually travels at light speed. In fact, it typically goes about 30 percent slower than that on average. Continue reading New Cables Offer Blazing Data Speeds, Near Speed of Light

The MPAA released its 2012 theatrical statistics report last week. Among the findings, international ticket sales increased 6 percent to $34.7 billion and China is now second to the U.S. in terms of world markets for theatrical films. California and New York had the highest number of moviegoers in the U.S. Per capita attendance may be declining among teens, but the number of moviegoers across all ages was its highest since 2009. Continue reading Encouraging Numbers: MPAA Releases 2012 Theatrical Stats

Business Insider deputy editor Nicholas Carlson admits that he did not plan on watching this year’s Academy Awards ceremony until he logged in to Twitter and read the many comments about the red carpet. He then tuned in, compelled to be a part of the ongoing conversation. Twitter believes that this type of response will allow the company “to get in on the $70+ billion that Nielsen says is spent on TV advertising in the U.S. every year.” Continue reading Social Second Screens: Twitter Wants in to TV Ad Business

As part of its new initiative to offer original content, Amazon has announced production of a comedy series based on the Columbia Pictures film “Zombieland.” The series will have the same name and will be available for free to subscribers of Amazon Instant Video and LOVEFiLM. This marks the seventh original comedy series added to the new lineup from Amazon Studios, which will also feature six pilots for children. Continue reading Zombieland: Amazon Announces Original Comedy Series

In an example of Big Data’s growing influence, New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection requested help in cracking down on restaurants illegally pouring cooking oil into sewers. It called upon the city’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, “a geek squad of civic-minded number-crunchers.” Using public data, they were able to track illegal dumping with 95 percent accuracy. Continue reading New York Geek Squad: Big Data Helps to Improve City Life

The Cleveland Museum of Art is introducing new technology to enhance the visitor experience. With a special application designed for the iPad and a 40-foot interactive touchscreen, patrons can personalize and share tours, bookmark their favorite art, and access special videos and behind-the-scenes information for different exhibits. In the process, the Cleveland Gallery One program may serve as a model for museums and other venues. Continue reading Museum Bridges Art and Tech with 40-Foot Collection Wall

Jim Donald, CEO of Extended Stay America, stepped into his position one year ago and realized employees were afraid to take risks as the company attempted to restart after emerging from bankruptcy. Many were worried about losing their jobs and so avoided decisions that might cost the company money, like making property repairs. So Donald came up with a solution: Get Out of Jail, Free cards. Continue reading Execs Find Ways to Encourage Risk-Taking and Creativity

A federal court in New York has sided with the Associated Press and The New York Times in a case involving a company that “scraped” news content from the Internet without paying for it. This case was closely watched because of its possible implications for what counts as “fair use” under copyright law in the online media world and how it may impact the future of content producers and free speech. Continue reading Fair Use Case: Court Rules in Favor of Associated Press

Julius Genachowski, a Democrat who has served as chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission since 2009, announced he will resign his post in the coming weeks. His departure will open a second vacancy on the five-member agency, and he avoids leaving behind a 2-2 partisan tie, since Republican Robert McDowell also announced that he is set to resign in the coming weeks. Continue reading FCC Chairman Genachowski Announces His Resignation

NAB announced that next month’s show in Las Vegas will feature 10 up-and-coming media and entertainment companies invited to participate in the new SPROCKIT program. Selected for their innovative video, mobile, social and analytics technologies, the market-ready startups participating in the program are expected to provide a glimpse into the future of content creation, management and delivery. Continue reading 2013 NAB Show: Startups Invited to SPROCKIT Program

At the SXSWedu conference in Austin, Texas earlier this month, Joel I. Klein of News Corporation’s Amplify education division (and former chancellor of New York City schools), took the stage to make a surprising announcement: a 10-inch Android Amplify Tablet for K-12 schoolchildren. In addition, Amplify plans to provide schools with curriculum and infrastructure to store students’ data. Continue reading Amplify: News Corp. Offers Educational Tablet to Schools

When the fourth season of NBC’s “Community” aired in February, it pulled in 4 million viewers, which is roughly a quarter of the audience that tunes in to top hit sitcoms. Until recently, Nielsen numbers in that range might be the end of a series (think “Firefly,” “Jericho,” “Freaks and Geeks”). But on the night of the “Community” premiere, the show spawned two worldwide trending topics via Twitter — perhaps a more important metric today. Continue reading Should Nielsen Change How it Measures TV Audiences?

In the latest example of the rise of sensor news networks, John Keefe, the editor of WNYC’s Data News Team, conducted a project in which WNYC members bought temperature sensor hardware and reported their findings in an effort to predict when cicadas were to start their annual ascension above ground. Vast amounts of public data were gathered through inexpensive sensor hardware — a trend that’s been gaining steam. Continue reading Cicada Tracker is Latest Example of Sensor News Networks