Techno-News Blog

By Dian Schaffhauser, Campus Technology

Online tutoring company Tutor.com has a new owner. IAC, the Barry Diller organization that owns About.com, Ask.com, Match.com, Newsweek and The Daily Beast, and Vimeo, among other well-known online brands, acquired Tutor.com for an undisclosed amount of money. The tutoring company was founded in 1998 and currently claims 2,500 “screened and qualified tutors” to deliver one-to-one sessions to students. Its focus on K-12 has expanded into college and career topics.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/14/about.com-owner-acquires-online-tutoring-service-tutor.com.aspx

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

The worldwide PC market saw a worse-than-expected decline in the fourth quarter, leading to the first holiday season drop in five years–6.4 percent–and a 12-month decline of 3.2 percent. The United States in particular experienced a more mild decline, but saw an even deeper drop of 7 percent for the year as a whole, according to preliminary data released by market research firm IDC. According to IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, PC shipments worldwide dropped 6.4 percent to 89.8 million units (compared to 99.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2011). IDC’s previous forecast called for a more modest decline of 4.4 percent. The steeper drop was owing in part to the failure of Windows 8 to help bolster the market as PC’s (desktops, laptops, sub-laptops, and workstations) “continued to take a back seat to competing devices,” in particular tablets and smart phones.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/14/pcs-see-further-decline-as-windows-8-fails-to-drive-demand.aspx

By David Nagel, Campus Technology

Oregon State University has started using smart parking technology to provide automated, real-time data on the availability of accessible parking campuswide through mobile devices. The Corvallis, OR-based institution is using Streetline’s free Parker app (available for Android and iOS) to make real-time parking data available to students, employees, and visitors. According to OSU, over the winter break, the university installed sensors specifically in accessible parking spaces for two purposes: first, to help motorists find accessible spaces more easily; second, to help campus staff monitor accessible parking to ensure such parking is available whenever it’s needed.

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2013/01/14/oregon-state-brings-smart-sensors-to-accessible-parking.aspx

By Jason D. O’Grady, ZDNet

Most people use their smartphone as their camera these days simply because it’s inconvenient to carry two devices all the time. The best camera is the one you have with you, the old saying goes. Several companies (Olloclip comes to mind) have sought to solve this problem with camera and lens attachments for the iPhone. Artist and entrepreneur will.i.am (of Black Eyed Peas fame) has released a series of camera attachments for the iPhone called foto.sosho with varying degrees of functionality. The foto.sosho C.4 and V.4 (pictured) turn the iPhone 4/S into a legitimate point-and-shoot camera with a cool Leica-like vintage camera aesthetic. They feature a built-in flash, interchangeable lenses and the V.4 adds a slide-out keyboard for entering snappy photo captions even faster. The foto.sosho V.5 adds iPhone 5 compatibility, a 14 megapixel camera and a 5x optical zoom and is due later this year.

http://www.zdnet.com/turn-your-iphone-into-a-legitimate-camera-with-foto-sosho-7000009802/

By Kevin Kwang, ZDNet

South Korean scientists have published a paper stating the development of the “world’s first” imprintable and bendable lithium-ion battery that is more stable. This could pave the way for flexible mobile handsets in the near future. According to Yonhap News Agency’s report Tuesday, the scientists from the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology and nine other collaborators from foreign institutes worked together to develop the new battery technology. The new rechargeable battery uses nanomaterials that are applied to any surface to create fluid-like polymer electrolytes, unlike conventional batteries that use liquefied electrolytes. “Conventional lithium-ion batteries that use liquefied electrolytes had problems with safety as the film that separates electrolytes may melt under heat, in which case the positive and negative [charge] may come in contact,” said the country’s Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, which co-funded the research.

http://www.zdnet.com/s-korean-scientists-develop-bendable-battery-7000009810/

By Zack Whittaker, ZDNet

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has reiterated its warning to Java users that the widely used Web plug-in still poses risks for Internet users, even after Oracle patched the software to prevent hackers from exploiting a zero-day vulnerability. Amid a serious security flaw in the latest version of Java 7, where even the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has warned users to disable the plug-in, here’s how you do it. It comes as some security experts are warning that the new software — Java 7 (Update 11), which was released on Sunday — may not actually protect against hackers attempting to remotely execute code on user machines. This code, security experts warn, could be used to acquire personal information and steal identities, or subscribe machines to ‘botnets,’ which can then be used to hit networks and Web sites with denial-of-service attacks.

http://www.zdnet.com/homeland-security-warns-java-still-poses-risks-after-security-fix-7000009785/

by the BBC

Viruses have been written to attack oil treatment plants and other critical control systems. The US government has told thousands of companies to beef up protection of computers which oversee power plants and other utilities. The action comes after a survey revealed that thousands of these systems can be found online. The survey was carried out via a publicly available search engine that pinpointed computers controlling critical infrastructure. In total, the survey uncovered more than 500,000 potential targets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20984827#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

by the BBC

Microsoft is switching off its Windows Live Messenger service on 15 March. On that date Messenger log-ins will no longer work and users must turn to Skype, said Microsoft in an email sent to all Messenger users. The email also encouraged users to update to Skype and familiarise themselves with the service before the switch-off. The service switch is a consequence of Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype in October 2011 for $8.5bn (£5.3bn). In November 2012, Microsoft announced that it was switching off Live Messenger in early 2013 but gave no firm date. At the same time, Microsoft made it possible for Messenger users to talk to and swap messages with contacts via Skype.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20984820#

By Zoe Kleinman, BBC News

Asha, the budget smartphone line from Nokia, is outselling its premium handset offering, the Windows-run Lumia, by over two to one. The firm’s quarterly results, published on Thursday, revealed the total number of both Asha and Lumia devices sold in the last three months of 2012 was 14 million. Only 4.4 million were Lumias. There have also been rumours that Apple may offer a lower-priced iPhone model. Reports that a senior Apple executive denied this have been withdrawn. “We forecast that by 2016, 31% of the global overall handset market will be low-end smartphone,” Ian Fogg, principal analyst at IHS, told the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20986550#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

By JOHN MARKOFFand SOMINI SENGUPTA The New York Times

Driving around a college campus can be treacherous. Bikes and scooters zip out of nowhere, distracted students wander into traffic, and stopped cars and speed bumps suddenly appear. It takes a vigilant driver to avoid catastrophe. Jesse Levinson does not much worry about this when he drives his prototype Volkswagen Touareg around the Stanford University campus here. A computer vision system he helped design keeps an unblinking eye out for pedestrians and cyclists, and automatically slows and stops the car when they enter his path. Someday soon, few drivers will have to worry about car crashes and collisions, whether on congested roads or on empty highways, technology companies and car manufacturers are betting. But even now, drivers are benefiting from a suite of safety systems, and many more are in development to transform driving from a manual task to something more akin to that of a conductor overseeing an orchestra.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/12/science/drivers-with-hands-full-get-a-backup-the-car.html

By Zach Honig, Engadget

CES is far from a top-tier trade show for the digital imaging industry, but that didn’t stop manufacturers from introducing new models. Android returned to Polaroid’s booth with the underwhelming iM1836 ILC, Canon opted for a square form factor with its PowerShot N and Fujifilm introduced a more powerful version of the X100. Nearly all of the cameras we saw at the show were created for consumers, with many options coming in under the $200 mark. Nikon and Samsung offered a few exceptions, but with Photokina wrapping up this past September and CP+ kicking off in just over two weeks, there are plenty of other venues for camera makers to introduce their higher-profile models. For now, though, it’s all about CES, so join us past the break for a closer look at some of this week’s biggest announcements.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/13/digital-cameras-round-up/

by John Paul Titlow, READWRITE

I first noticed something was off when I went to pay my rent one month. The window for a timely online transfer of funds was closing, so to get the money to my landlord in time, I’d have to do something unusual. I took out my checkbook, grabbed a pen and started writing the date. It felt weird. My hand cramped a little, churning out numbers and letters with the slightest – but still noticeable – discomfort. My handwriting sucked. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn’t actually written anything by hand in a long, long time. Just a few years earlier, I kept a paper journal by my bed and would buy three-packs of Moleskin notebooks for brainstorming, sketching and jotting things down. What happened?

Why Writing With Our Hands Is Still Important

By Darryl K. Taft, eWeek

IBM announced that it topped the patent race once again in 2012, marking the 20th year in a row that Big Blue has captured the top spot. IBM announced that it received a record 6,478 patents in 2012, the most patents awarded to any company for the year, according to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. This marks the 20th consecutive year that Big Blue has topped the annual list of U.S. patent recipients. IBM’s 2012 patents come in areas such as analytics, big data, cyber-security, cloud, mobile, social networking, and software-defined environments, as well as industry solutions for retail, banking, health care and transportation, the company said. These patented inventions also will advance a major shift in computing, known as the era of cognitive systems.

http://www.eweek.com/database/ibm-clinches-patent-title-for-20th-consecutive-year/

By Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Walmart and Straight Talk Wireless have begun selling an unsubsidized Apple iPhone 5 with unlimited data and no contract for $45 a month. The Apple iPhone 5 is now available at Walmart, through its exclusive contract-free carrier partner Straight Talk Wireless. On Jan. 11, the retailer began selling the newest iPhone with unlimited talk, text and data for $45 a month. An unsubsidized 16GB Apple iPhone 5 is available in black and white for $649, while an 8GB iPhone 4 in black and white is selling for $449. For those who prefer not to pay for the phone outright, and who buy it in-store, Walmart is offering the option of a $25 per month payment plan with an interest-free Walmart credit card.

http://www.eweek.com/mobile/iphone-5-now-at-walmart-for-45-a-month-unlimited-without-contract/

By Pedro Hernandez, eWeek

Microsoft ushers in new capabilities and online resources aimed at making Azure the mobile app cloud backend of choice. Will developers flock or flee? Microsoft is hoping to lure mobile app developers to its Azure cloud platform with a fresh batch of service offerings and resources. Nick Harris, technical evangelist for Windows Azure, pointed out in a recent blog post the strides his company has made since it first launched the Windows Azure Mobile Services public preview last year. Azure Mobile Services got a big push in November 2012 with the release of new Windows Azure Store during the Build 2012 developer conference when Microsoft announced support for Windows Phone 8, in addition to Windows 8 and Apple iOS.

http://www.eweek.com/cloud/microsoft-beefs-up-azure-cloud-mobile-services/

By Tom Simonite, Technology Review

Products that could make it common to control a computer, TV, or something else using eye gaze, gesture, voice, and even facial expression were launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. The technology promises to make computers and other devices easier to use, let devices do new things, and perhaps boost the prospects of companies reliant on PC sales. Industry figures suggest that interest in laptop and desktop computers is waning as consumers’ heads are turned by smartphones and tablets. Intel led the charge, using its press briefing Monday to announce a new webcam-like device and supporting software intended to bring gesture, voice control, and facial expression recognition to PCs.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/509751/pc-makers-bet-on-gaze-gesture-voice-and-touch/

By Tom Simonite, Technology Review

One of the most striking ideas on show was PaperTab, an early prototype of a tablet computer flexible enough to roll up like a newspaper. PaperTab was created by the Human Media Lab at Queen’s University, Canada, with the assistance of Plastic Logic, a U.K. company that makes flexible display technology. In Las Vegas, Aneesh Tarun and Roel Vertegaal from Queen’s showed off the prototypes, which still require tethering to a power source.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/509761/touch-screens-that-curve-bend-and-even-touch-back/

By Tom Simonite, Technology Review

Standing on the floor of the Consumer Electronics Show yesterday, I saw a mass of lanyard-yoked electronics industry workers struggling to make sense of an event boasting 150,000 attendees and 200,000 new products. But when I shifted my attention to the gadget clipped to my right ear, I saw a neat line of app shortcuts on a tiny digital display in front of my right eye. I flipped my attention between the two sights a few times—something I found surprisingly easy—and wondered whether this would soon be normal.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/509701/hands-on-with-the-vuzix-m100-a-google-glass-competitor/

by Erica Ogg, GIGAOM

Though the U.S. is still Apple’s largest market, CEO Tim Cook is sure that won’t last. During his much-discussed trip to China, he said that he sees China eventually becoming the largest market for its products. “China is currently our second largest market. I believe it will become our first. I believe strongly that it will,” he said, according to state-run Xinhua News. ”We are growing very fast. We are continuing to invest in retail stores here and will open many more over the next several years. We have some great sites selected, our manufacturing base is here, and we have incredible partners here. So it’s a very, very important country to us.”

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/11/apple-ceo-says-china-will-be-its-biggest-market/

by Kevin Fitchard, GIGAOM

Mobile broadband networks account for nearly one quarter of the world’s mobile cellular connections, according to numbers released this week by Wireless Intelligence, the research arm of the GSM Association. That winds up being 1.6 billion 3G and 4G subscriptions. Wireless Intelligence defines mobile broadband as any CDMA EV-DO, HSPA, WiMAX or LTE technology, as well as the TD-SCDMA systems used in China – basically anything that can stream a video to a smartphone with a decent connection. In total 580 operators in 186 countries are running those networks.

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/11/report-there-are-now-1-6-billion-3g4g-connections-in-the-world/

by Katie Fehrenbacher, GIGAOM

If you’re an avid Kickstarter backer, or even have seen Kickstarter’s latest 2012 stats, then you’re well-versed in the power of crowd-funding. Kickstarter recently said that 10 percent of the films at Sundance are Kickstarter-funded, and in 2012 over 2 million people pledged close to $320 million to successfully fund over 18,000 Kickstarter projects on the site. Can clean power projects — like solar panel rooftop installations and even wind farms — tap into this crowd-funding trend using a twist that actually makes money for its backers? The folks at startup Solar Mosaic hope so, and their very early success is a good indication that it can.

http://gigaom.com/2013/01/11/why-crowd-funding-could-disrupt-how-solar-power-is-created/