Sales for compact, point-and-shoot, digital cameras have declined 42 percent in the first five months of 2013, according to the Camera and Imaging Products Association. Most major manufacturers have been affected, such as Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Olympus and others. The declines are primarily due to smartphones that are replacing the need for stand-alone compact digital cameras, driving manufacturers to focus on premium digital camera lines. Continue reading Point-and-Shoot Cameras Face Decline in the Smartphone Era

In June, the International Trade Commission found that Apple infringed on a Samsung patent, and declared a ban on some older iPhone and iPad models. The trade agency oversees certain unfair trade practices and can block imports and sales of products. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have been concerned with companies using essential technology patent lawsuits to block rivals, and are troubled with the ITC ruling. The Obama administration is now faced with whether it should veto the order. Continue reading Federal Government Faces Decision Whether to Veto ITC Order

JPEGmini is a photo optimization app and service that offers advanced compression capabilities for standard JPEG images. Developed by ICVT, an Israeli media technology company, JPEGmini will decrease an image file’s size without affecting its quality. It is cross platform and fully compatible with current JPEG standards. JPEGmini is an addition to other JPEG optimizers such as JPEG2000 and Google’s WebP, which are not yet fully adopted. Continue reading JPEGmini Shrinks Image Sizes, But Maintains Their Quality

U.S. consumers are buying fewer smartphones and upgrading less often, a problem for device manufacturers and wireless carriers, such as Apple and AT&T respectively. The more advanced smartphones become, the less consumers feel the need to upgrade. Some consumers see the pace of innovation slowing, encouraging them to wait for breakthrough devices, and passing on the newest upgrades. Yet companies see a future in new services and technologies. Continue reading U.S. Consumers Upgrading Smartphones at Declining Rates

Boston-based startup Aquto launched this week with an interesting business model, one that allows wireless customers to pay for data by watching ads, taking surveys, downloading apps, or devoting time to a brand. For example, if a consumer views a 30-second ad via the Aquto app, that individual could earn 5 or 10 megabytes, about enough to download some images or check an inbox. Aquto is limited to Vodafone customers in Portugal, but plans to roll out in the U.S. next month with a “very large carrier.” Continue reading New Wireless Model: Earn Data Over Time with Aquto App

The free IMDb app, currently available as iOS and Android versions, now offers U.S. users the ability to purchase movie tickets. The update follows similar offerings from other apps such as Fandango and Apple’s Siri. Users can also tap on the “Search via Amazon Mobile” button in the iPhone or iPad app to learn more about purchasing movies and TV shows on DVD or Blu-ray (requires that the Amazon Mobile app is installed). Continue reading New IMDb App Update Includes Ability to Buy Movie Tickets

Nokia has unveiled its new Lumia 1020, confirming the rumors that the smartphone touts a 41-megapixel camera. It features six-lens Carl Zeiss optics (including wide angle), auto and manual focus, and captures 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second. Preorders for the Windows Phone 8 device begin tomorrow, available in the U.S. exclusively through AT&T for $300 with a two-year contract. The Lumia 1020 is expected to hit shelves July 26. Continue reading Nokia Launches Lumia 1020 Smartphone with 41MP Camera

Three new technologies have recently arrived that bring new features to eyeglasses designed to improve vision and eyeglass shopping, but none of the three bring the Internet to one’s eyes like a Google Glass. Two of the three are actual eyeglasses: One can help an individual’s vision with adjustable lenses, and the other gives medical professionals enhanced viewing of patients. The third is an app that provides consumers the ability to try-on eyeglasses virtually before buying. Continue reading New Eyeglass Technologies Create a Range of Possibilities

Many cars made today are embedded with new technologies, which are leading to partnerships between auto manufacturers and wireless companies. These agreements are resulting in vehicles with always-on, fast wireless connectivity, providing the groundwork for new services, such as smartphones integrating with cars, and perhaps car-to-car communication. But with new forms of connectivity come new distractions and potential dangers. Continue reading Smartphones Merging with Cars Creating Connected Vehicles

Apple’s App Store launched in 2008 for iPhone users to find and download apps. It has provided consumers with a great opportunity to personalize their mobile device experience, while launching a new economy where individual developers and larger companies can promote and sell their apps and services. The App Store has changed how software is purchased and distributed — and as a result, has led to a defining transition in personal computing. Continue reading App Store Has Revolutionized the Mobile Device Experience

Amazon has been quietly testing what it hopes will be an improved means of viewing Flash video content on mobile devices. For the past six months, some Kindle Fire users have been provided with an “experimental streaming viewer” option when they attempt to access video clips on sites including CBS.com, Fox.com and NBC.com. The Silk browser for Kindle Fire enables the streaming by splitting the workload between the mobile devices and Amazon cloud servers. Continue reading Mobile: Amazon Turns to the Cloud for Streaming Flash Video

Mozilla, the maker of the Firefox browser, recently announced the debut of the first smartphones powered by the Web-based Firefox OS. These modest smartphones are targeting first time buyers and consumers looking for less expensive alternatives to iPhones and Android phones. Firefox OS may not compete on the same level with Apple and Google, but it does present an opportunity for new Web-based devices that can offer many features. Continue reading New Firefox OS Looks to Power More Affordable Smartphones

The newly revamped social service Myspace continues to attract an audience following its debut — with 31 million visitors and 995,000 app downloads reported in its first 14 days. It has also redesigned its mobile app and is launching a major marketing campaign to target millennials, with their music tastes and interests in mind. However, the service may still need to address issues related to offering unlicensed content from independent labels. Continue reading Redesigned Myspace Continues to Build Millennial Audience

Facebook has been quietly working on a service called Reader that could essentially become a newspaper for mobile devices, according to inside sources. The service, which has reportedly been in development for more than a year, displays content from the social network’s users and publishers in a new visual format designed specifically for smartphones and tablets. Recent versions have been similar to mobile news aggregator Flipboard. Continue reading Facebook Targets News Aggregation in Latest Mobile Effort

Following its recent acquisition of Tumblr, Yahoo is in advanced talks to purchase social video app Qwiki for $50 million, according to sources familiar with the matter. The New York startup’s iPhone app allows users to create short movies from photos, music and video clips. Yahoo paid more than $1.1 billion for Tumblr several weeks ago and is reportedly close to purchasing San Francisco-based address book app creator Xobni for $30-$40 million. Continue reading Yahoo Continues Shopping Spree of Mobile App Companies