Taylor Alexander, a robotics engineer, has developed a work-in-progress project called Flutter as a Wi-Fi alternative. This “second network” can cover 100 times as great an area, with a range of 3,200 feet, with little power used. The project came about after Alexander attempted to connect sensors to one another during an app redesign on a project and found that Flutter could expand the potential of the Internet of Things, where all devices despite their size are connected to the Internet. Continue reading Wi-Fi Alternative Could Help Build The Internet of Things

This year’s Silicon Beach @ USC event is scheduled for September 17-18 at the Tutor Campus Center. The event is organized by The Institute for Communication Technology Management and the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at USC’s Marshall School of Business, and the Entertainment Technology Center at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. Silicon Beach @ USC will feature game-changers and thought leaders from Hollywood studios, technology startups and academia. Continue reading Industry Leaders to Gather at USC for Silicon Beach Event

Many entrepreneurs are attempting to recreate the shopping mall experience online in what is generally known as “social shopping.” Internet retailers such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy have made shopping online easy for large and small sellers. However, retailers are looking to make their sites more social, and create new opportunities. Startups are receiving venture funding, and established companies are adopting their own social features. Continue reading Social Shopping Is the New Mall for Electronic Commerce

Los Angeles-based startup Hive Lighting has developed energy-saving plasma lights intended to make film and television production more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Although Hollywood has launched initiatives in recent years to make the industry more green, it has been a challenge transitioning to productions that use less energy and minimize pollution. Hive’s plasma solution can potentially lower on set energy usage by 50 percent and power costs by 40 percent. Continue reading Hollywood Going Green with New Energy Saving Plasma Lights

Two San Diego startups, Verance Corporation and PirateEye, have developed technologies to prevent and reduce media piracy. PirateEye uses cameras in theaters to scan for illegal recording, while Verance uses an audio watermark to determine if a video on a Blu-ray player is legitimate, and gives purchase options if the disc being played is a pirated version. Both Verance and PirateEye have received funding from film studios for their projects. Continue reading Startups Use Spy Cameras and Audio Tech to Stop Film Piracy

Google Glass has the potential to change the way video entertainment is created, distributed and viewed. But there are concerns about the potential violation of personal privacy. To some, the benefits outweigh the concerns in that Glass can deliver exciting new ways to create and consume films, documentaries, TV programming and video games. However, many businesses are ready to ban the device, such as movie theaters, bars and hospitals.  Continue reading Google Glass to Impact Video Entertainment, Privacy Issues

The third annual Hollywood Hack Day took place last weekend, bringing a hackathon — a timed collaborative event during which software developers create new apps or Web services — to Los Angeles. United Talent Agency hosted the event and provided increased bandwidth for the 135 developers and designers involved in the 2-day competition. Because the event was in LA, several teams chose to create apps about the art and business of entertainment. Continue reading UTA Draws Developers for Third Annual Hollywood Hack Day

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

The British music identification app, Shazam, recently received a $40 million investment from the world’s second richest man, Carlos Slim. Not known for seeding startups, Slim first made his fortune in the Mexican mobile phone industry, so funding a mobile app company is not farfetched. With Slim’s investment, Shazam is positioned to expand its current services in advertising and looks to grow in new international markets. Continue reading Carlos Slim Invests in Shazam to Expand its Advertising Biz

Microsoft plans to aid entrepreneurship with a new global effort that combines several of its programs to mentor and help fund technology startups. Microsoft Ventures aims to help startups build, innovate and grow. It combines and strengthens existing programs, such as BizSpark and Bing Fund, with plans for new programs involving the Microsoft Ventures Community. The initiative is also looking to provide guidance and market relationships for young B2B startups. Continue reading Microsoft Ventures Program Plans to Steer Tech Startups

Silicon Valley startup Concept.io has launched the Swell smartphone app, which automatically collects Internet radio and podcast content based on user interest. Swell tracks what content is played, how often, and what is skipped, using an algorithm to build a user profile. The app also tracks a user’s Twitter stream to identify areas of interest in order to add relevant audio programs. Swell is currently available for iOS, with Android on the way. Continue reading New Audio App is the Pandora for Podcasts and News Radio

This week, game console startup Ouya and interactive graphics company Nvidia are introducing Android-based gaming systems that can be connected to big screen TVs, and looking to take advantage in the growth of mobile device gaming. Ouya is looking to challenge Microsoft and Sony with its own low cost gaming console. Nvidia has developed Shield, a mobile device with a built-in display, which can also be connected to TVs and computers.  Continue reading Ouya and Nvidia Releasing Android-Based Gaming Consoles

Video discovery startup Fanhattan unveiled Fan TV yesterday at the D: All Things Digital conference in California. The OTT set-top box will enable access to live TV and VOD, in addition to a cloud-based DVR and streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Viewers will be able to search and discover TV shows and movies based on genre, actors, social recommendations, etc. Fanhattan plans to partner with pay TV companies to sell the box, which is expected to be available later this year. Continue reading D11 Conference: Fanhattan Unveils All-in-One Set-Top Box

Kickstarter announced yesterday that the crowdfunding service has reached a new milestone by launching more than 100,000 projects. Nearly 44 percent of the projects have been successfully funded by a total of $535 million. The top categories for launched projects include Film & Video, Music, Publishing, Art and Games. If its current funding rate continues, the service could raise its first billion as early as sometime this year. Continue reading New Milestone: 100,000 Projects Crowdfunded via Kickstarter

Elevatr is a new mobile app from 23-year old CEO David Spiro and New York-based app development agency Fueled. The free iOS app is designed to help entrepreneurs keep track of their concepts and develop effective models, in hopes of turning innovative ideas into practical business plans. Elevatr is basically a note-taking app that makes a traditional business plan accessible for concept development on mobile devices. Continue reading Map Out Your Startup Business Plan with Elevatr Mobile App