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

According to Microsoft’s vision of the future, our lives will soon be impacted by large, wall-sized touchscreens, on which we will perform daily tasks, communicate with loved ones and much more. Additionally, all of our gadgets will respond to our voice commands and we’ll be able to seamlessly transfer information between devices with just a few swipes and/or taps. Continue reading Wall-Sized Touchscreens in Our Near Future, Says Microsoft

Online streaming companies are beginning to pursue primetime programming. Amazon is producing original content now; Netflix is following its successful “House of Cards” with four more original programs; Microsoft is working on programming for the Xbox gaming console; while AOL, Sony and Twitter are all likely to follow in these footsteps. Will these companies change the way we watch TV? Continue reading Original Online Content: TV Pilots Finding New Audiences

Apple kicked off the mobile apps craze five years ago and the industry continues to gain momentum. App stores run by Apple and Google offer more than 700,000 apps each. Because of the growing range of choices, it is estimated that consumers spend an average of two hours per day with their apps. And they’re spending money on them, too. However, this may only be the beginning. Continue reading App Industry Continues to Boom, Five Years After it Began

Slowly but surely Facebook is developing and understanding its own strengths regarding its ability to compete within the online advertising world. And the social networking giant is actively looking for ways to gain more ground on the online ad powerhouse that Google has become. But the problem remains, how does Facebook prove its value to online advertisers? Continue reading Facebook Bolsters Ad Efforts, Looks to Compete with Google

Massachusetts Institute of Technology grad student Jinha Lee demonstrated a 3D computer interface that allows users to interact with Web pages and documents inside their computer. SpaceTop is a 3D desktop environment that combines a transparent LED display and two motion tracking cameras (one for the user’s hands and the other for his/her eyes) so that users experience the illusion that their hands are actually inside the computer. Continue reading MIT Grad Student Demonstrates the Future of 3D Computing

As Internet users become more aware of online privacy issues, Internet companies are working to prove that consumer data is safe and under control. Some companies are even trying to gain advantage in the market by promoting themselves as more privacy-friendly than their rivals. Mozilla recently took this approach when it announced it would allow users to disable third-party tracking software. Others have taken similar tacts. Continue reading Industry Responds to Upswing in Online Privacy Concerns

Watson — the computer running IBM’s artificial intelligence technology, famous for beating “Jeopardy” champions two years ago — will soon enter the kitchen in an attempt by the company to turn Watson into a commercially viable product. And it’s not only cooking; IBM is showcasing various uses for the technology, such as developing drugs and predicting when industrial machines need maintenance. Continue reading Watson Takes to the Kitchen: First Step Toward Big Data?

Google’s purchase this month of Channel Intelligence, a data management platform for retailer inventory, suggests that Google has plans to become the dominant player in global e-commerce. In the U.S. alone, that market is already worth $186 billion. The $125 million deal will not only impact Google’s ad business, but underscores the company’s strategy to work its way into the retail market, starting with e-commerce websites. Continue reading Google Takes Next Step to Dominate Retail with Acquisition

Technology Review interviews Microsoft’s chief executive Steve Ballmer about Windows 8, which the article refers to as the most ambitious and strangest major product ever released by the software mainstay. Windows 8 was designed to run on smartphones, tablets, laptops, servers and even on supercomputers and provides users with the same interface on any device, with minor variations from one to the next. Continue reading Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer Talks Windows 8 and Surface

More than 10 years ago, Sony executive Ken Kutaragi predicted that one day videogame consoles would become one with a network that linked players together, thus eliminating the physical console and allowing gaming to require only a display and controller. Now, Sony is preparing to reveal its newest PlayStation, on which gamers will be able to stream games via the Internet — one step closer to Kutaragi’s vision. Continue reading New Sony PlayStation to Allow for Streaming Games Online

In its latest version of the Android mobile operating system, Google installed a voice recognition system based on a neural network, or a computerized learning system that behaves like the human brain. The voice error rate on Android’s latest Jelly Bean is about 25 percent lower than previous versions of the software, making it far more comfortable for people to use voice commands on their devices. Continue reading Google Improves Voice Recognition with Neural Algorithms

Sony will offer technology that streams games to its next console, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. The new technology is expected to be introduced in New York on Wednesday when the new console is unveiled. Insiders also suggest Sony will announce higher-end cameras for its motion-sensing technology as well as touch-sensing pads on new controllers. Continue reading Sony to Unveil Next-Gen Streaming Game Console this Week

Peter Kafka questioned Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, to kick off this year’s D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California. Alongside Mehdi was Nancy Tellem, corporate vice president at Microsoft LA Studios, and both were questioned about the company’s Xbox and how it is transforming from a gaming console into an entertainment hub. Continue reading Microsoft Talks Transition of Xbox into Entertainment Hub

“It’s a compelling proposition: all the power and application compatibility of a laptop running a proper desktop operating system, all the portability and convenience of a tablet, all mixed together in one package,” writes Engadget in its in-depth review of the Microsoft Surface Pro. But there were some drawbacks with the previous Surface for Windows RT. Chief among them: app selection. Will the Surface Pro be different? Continue reading Microsoft Hopes to Merge Laptop and Tablet with Surface Pro