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| 301 | Can video games help to train professionals? The U.S. government seems to think so.
On Tuesday, Epic Games announced it has entered into a long-term agreement for licensing its Unreal Engine 3 technology to the governments of the U.S. and its allies.
The deal is actually with the Virtual Heroes division of Applied Research Associates, an international research and engineering company. Virtual Heroes will create UGN, the Unreal Government Network, for governmental training on iOS, Android, Flash, PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and Wii U platforms, as well as for browser-based content.
Practice Before Live Training
The Unreal Engine technology is behind such commercial video-game titles as Batman: Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, and Infinity Blade. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Earlier this week, Col. Robert "Pat" White, deputy commander of the Combined Arms Center-Training, told an Army conference that "gaming has a significant role" in the military's future. Every leader knows that "it's better to practice something first before you do it for real in live training," White said.
White noted that gaming has shown that the Army can rapidly adopt new technology, that situational and decision-making training can be brought to an individual soldier, and that soldiers and leaders can learn by completing scenaria multiple times.
UGN current and future projects include a multiyear contract with the U.S. government's Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity program, in excess of $10 million, to develop "serious games that result in better decision-making" by showing participants how to adjust for their biases when analyzing decision-making information.
In collaboration with the Duke University Human Simulation and Patient Safety Center, the Virtual Heroes division is creating an anesthesiology training application for Army physicians. Also under development is a HumanSim platform for medical education and training, and a multiplayer crime scene training simulation for the FBI... newsfactor.com » | | 302 | Ah, Sunday was that time of the year again -- when tech companies put down their latest passions and conspire to become the cleverest trickster of all. April Fools' Day is becoming the Christmas of inspired ideas for tech companies, when imaginations let go of business plans.
With real life veering so close to fiction these days, it's often hard to tell immediately what's a joke on that day. For instance, some may have thought that reports on Sunday of a bus-size meteor that veered close to Earth was one of the more frightening jokes, but that one was true.
NASCAR, Ambinavigation
However, there were undoubtedly immediate suspicions about a new video posted Sunday on Nascar.com. Calling the report "a news update," NASCAR announced it was working with Google to bring the search-engine giant's genuine autonomous vehicle technology to NASCAR racing by the middle of next season. Fortunately for the livelihood of race car drivers, that future is not yet upon us.
One wonders if the geniuses at Google have way too much time on their hands, since jokes were blossoming from the technology leader like mushrooms after a spring rain. Chrome launched its Multitask Mode, so users can "browse the web with multiple cursors at the same time, so you can get more done, faster." This "ambinavigation revolution," where you can use as many mice as your computer can handle, will, the company said, allow you to "purchase land while you meet the love of your life."
But, you say, what I really need is a full keyboard on a smartphone. Apparently, Google's April Fools department was listening. It "announced" Gmail Tap, which, instead of a cumbersome conventional keyboard, has two keys for Morse Code's dots and dashes. And, if you love Morse Code but want to join the ambinavigation revolution, a multitasking... newsfactor.com » | | 303 | If you are hesitating about subscriptions to digital versions of popular magazines, there is an all-you-can-read subscription option. A joint effort of five major publishers, Next Issue Media is now open for business.
The new approach, originally demonstrated in a beta version last May, is an attempt to spur greater readership of digitally-based magazines, since, according to Ad Age magazine, digital magazines currently account for only about 1 percent of the total paid and verified circulation for such publications. And that's including a doubling of digital circulation in the last half of 2011.
Android, then iPad
Next Issue's single newsstand approach is a joint effort of five major publishers -- Hearst, Conde Nast, Time, Meredith and News Corp. Next Issue is available for tablets with Android 3.0 or later, and a version for Apple's iPad is expected to be released soon.
Currently, Next Issue offers 32 titles, including Car and Driver, The New Yorker, Real Simple, Esquire, InStyle, Money, Popular Mechanics, This Old House, Vanity Fair, Essence, Fortune, Glamour, Better Homes and Gardens, Conde Nast Traveler, and People. The basic idea is that digital magazines can increase their readership by using a subscription model with a single distribution point, not unlike Netflix.
The super-newsstand sells magazine titles individually, as well as offering them together through a subscription. All monthly and bi-weekly magazines are available for $9.99 per month in the Unlimited Basic plan, and, for an additional $5, the Unlimited Premium package will add all weeklies.
The company said it currently has a subscriber base of tens of thousands of customers, with each customer reading an average of two magazines. Customers can also read digital versions of magazines if they are already print subscribers to that title, and a 30-day free trial is available.
'Model-Changing Product'
A newsstand approach for digital versions of magazines is also being... newsfactor.com » | | 304 | Unlocking an iPhone used to be a major sin against Apple and AT&T, at least in the U.S. But, late last week, AT&T announced that it would now help owners of older, out-of-contract iPhones to unlock them, starting on Easter Sunday.
AT&T said in a statement that the only requirements are that the user's account must be in good standing, the device cannot be associated with an active AT&T account, and the customer "needs to have fulfilled their contract term, upgraded under one of our upgrade policies or paid an early termination fee."
IMEI Number
Given those conditions, AT&T's offer applies to the earlier iPhone models -- the original one, the 3G, 3GS, and 4.
To unlock such a model, the user provides the IMEI, or International Mobile Equipment Identity, number at an AT&T store or over the phone, receives an e-mail from Apple with the instructions and reference codes, and follows the steps. The IMEI is found in Settings>General>About.
A specific account can only receive up to five unlock codes in a year. To unlock a phone currently on an iPhone contract, an early termination fee is required.
Unlocked iPhones will work on T-Mobile's network, but at slower-than-3G data speeds. When traveling abroad, users can get onto a local GSM wireless carrier via a new SIM card. Older, unlocked iPhones will not work on CDMA-based Sprint or Verizon networks.
Verizon and Sprint both allow their iPhones, even under contract, to be unlocked for use when traveling in other countries, which could be one reason why AT&T has given in. Apple sells unlocked iPhones, which it has done for some time in Europe and other markets, and has been doing in the U.S. since last summer.
A Pricey iPod Touch
Locked phones are bound to a given carrier's network, while unlocked phones can be adapted to work on another... newsfactor.com » | | 305 | Netflix executives John Ciancutti and Todd Yellin are trying to create a video-recommendation system that knows you better than an old friend. It's a critical mission as Netflix faces pressure from its Internet video rivals and subscribers still smarting from recent price hikes.
A big part of Netflix's future rides on how much Ciancutti, Yellin and about 150 engineers can improve the software that draws up lists of TV shows and movies that might appeal to each of the video-subscription service's 26 million customers.
Netflix has spent 13 years learning viewers' disparate tastes so it can point out movies they might enjoy. It has become good enough to figure out which romantic comedies might still appeal to subscribers who favor action flicks.
Netflix says three-quarters of what people watch now come from such recommendations. But as subscribers shift from getting DVDs through the mail to the instant gratification of Internet viewing, Netflix needs to make those suggestions even better.
The goal now is to learn individual viewing preferences so well that every recommendation is a hit with that subscriber, says Ciancutti, Netflix's vice president of product engineering.
If Ciancutti can get the system right, Netflix can direct people to movies and TV shows it already has. That will keep customers happy and help limit how much Netflix has to spend to obtain rights to additional online video.
If he gets it wrong, customers will be more inclined to search for something and become frustrated when they can't find it. That's a real concern because Netflix's online library doesn't offer as comprehensive a video selection as the DVD service the company wants to phase out.
"We are using all of our best ideas right now, but I know a year from now, I am going to be looking back and saying, `Oh wow, we didn't have this feature... newsfactor.com » | | 306 | Why can't your phone live on your wrist, like comic book detective Dick Tracy? A new Android-based wristwatch from Sony features e-mail, texting, Facebook and Twitter updates, and even a vibrating alert with notification when there's an incoming call.
Called, appropriately, the SmartWatch, the device connects to Android smartphones via Bluetooth, and is essentially a wearable remote control and display for your phone -- or, as Sony calls it, "a remote information center."
There's an App
The SmartWatch's touchscreen is a 1.3-inch OLED display, and the device works with most Android 2.1 and above smartphones.
Like an Android smartphone, a user can interact with the watch through a tap, touch, or finger swipe on the display. You can check your vibrating wrist to see who's calling, instead of having to take the phone out of a pocket or bag to check. A user can also access and control the music on a smartphone from the wrist device.
Apps for the watch are available through the Google Play online store, offering such functionalities as social updates, workouts and music.
There are apps for displaying scheduled events in chronological order, and for messaging, Gmail, Calendar notifications, finding your smartphone, and battery strength. For Sony and Sony Ericsson Android phones, there's an app to connect into corporate e-mail, and, of course, one with a variety of call handling functions.
Sony has plans to extend the reach of the smartphones beyond the SmartWatch. Paul Hamnett, head of the customer unit for Sony Mobile Communications in North America, said in a statement that SmartWatch is only the first of many Smart Extras from Sony that will "seamlessly connect and expand the smartphone's reach and user experience."
At the moment, though, other Smart Extras from Sony currently include only such modest add-ons as functional buttons on smartphone headsets or... newsfactor.com » | | 307 |  TORONTO (Reuters) - Whether it is a stroll on the beach, sitting in a tranquil garden or a trip in the space shuttle researchers are testing a new iPhone app in a mass experiment to see if it is possible to craft the perfect dream.
Reuters: Internet News » | | 308 | No matter where you live, you can go to church, so to speak, with Christ Fellowship. The McKinney, Texas, congregation is on board with almost every high-tech gambit under heaven.
Find the church by going online -- the 21st-century version of sighting a steeple on the horizon. Beyond their Web site, Christ Fellowship has a Facebook page to give it a friendly presence in social media.
You can download the worship program by scanning their customized-with-a-cross QR code. The worship services are streamed online from their Internet campus -- with live chat running so you can share spiritual insights in real time.
Afterward, says senior Pastor Bruce Miller, "someone will ask you, 'How did it go? Did God help you, today? How can we help you?' Just like we do when people come to our building in McKinney. We are here to help people find and follow Christ, wherever they are starting out from."
And wherever they are in the digital world.
Christ Fellowship exemplifies most of the latest ways churches dramatically extend their reach of church beyond any one time or local address. Such congregations signal "a willingness to meet new challenges," says Scott Thumma, of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research. He's the author of a study by Faith Communities Today (FACT) of how churches, synagogues and mosques use the Internet and other technology.
FACT's national survey of 11,077 of the nation's 335,000 congregations, released in March, found seven in 10 U.S. congregations had Web sites, and four in 10 had Facebook pages by 2010, Thumma says.
The use of QR codes is too new to be measured yet, Thumma says. He recently began tracking churches that stream their worship -- about 1% of congregations, Thumma estimates.
Future surveys may also measure the explosion of digital applications. Christ Fellowship has an app for donating online and... newsfactor.com » | | 309 | Back in 2004, Microsoft asked: "Pardon me, do you have the weather?" It was a clever ad campaign for MSN Direct wristwatches based on Microsoft's "Smart Personal Objects Technology," or SPOT for short. The watches could indeed deliver the local forecast to your wrist, along with such things as news headlines, stock quotes and, oh, yeah, the time.
Only the timepieces never struck gold, despite being produced by watchmakers Fossil, Suunto, Tissot, Citizen and Swatch. Microsoft eventually let the clock run out on SPOT.
Fast-forward to the present, and "smart watches" are back in play, if not yet in vogue. The promising, but ultimately flawed $149.99 SmartWatch arrives from Sony as a Bluetooth wireless companion for an Android smartphone.
I tested SmartWatch with a Sony Ericsson Xperia Play 4G handset from AT&T. But theoretically, the watch is compatible with any number of smartphones running Android version 2.1 or later.
How does a smart watch complement a smartphone? One way is by letting you wirelessly control the music playing on the phone by tapping the watch face. You can adjust the volume and swipe to advance or repeat tracks.
You can glance at timely information on the watch face, too -- tweets, texts, e-mails or Facebook updates -- sent from the phone to the watch. With Facebook, you can tap the watch face to indicate you "like" what you read, but you can't view links that accompany posts.
A tap on the watch face can open apps. One gives you the current temperature and forecast for the next few days; another sounds a ringtone to help you find a missing phone that may have fallen under the couch or got caught between cushions. Coming soon: an app that lets you remotely control the camera, Sony says.
The apps themselves are actually managed in software on the phone, where... newsfactor.com » | | 310 | If you think smartphones have virtually reached the end of their evolutionary ladder, get ready. Researchers are working on a chip that would allow cell phones to see through walls, paper and, yes, clothing.
The new device, if and when it comes to market, could give any owner one of Superman's signature powers. A team of scientists at the University of Texas at Dallas has presented research at a recent International Solid-States Circuit Conference about new microchip technology that uses terahertz (THz) band wavelengths, which can travel through solid objects, to create images.
'Major Concern' Is Privacy
The team is working on building a functioning imaging system.
The terahertz band is located between the microwave and infrared wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum, and it can penetrate through objects, not unlike x-rays. Previous devices to read those wavelengths have been large, bulky and relatively expensive.
The team envisions using Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, or CMOS, chips that are designed to receive and image THz waves. Lest you imagine that everyone would then be as revealed as in the Garden of Eden, the researchers have decided to limit the viewing capability to 4 inches.
Dr. Kenneth O, director of the Texas Analog Center of Excellence at UT Dallas and the leader of the research team, told news media that "the major concern for this technology is privacy, so we've made it that you need to place the imaging device very close to the object you are looking at."
"We are talking about a distance of 10 centimeters," he said, which would make it difficult to look through someone's clothing -- unless he or she wanted you to do so.
Useful Applications
Such a seeing-through device could have countless useful applications. These can include detecting cancer tumors, diagnosing disease through breath analysis, monitoring air toxicity, detection of counterfeit money, finding studs in... newsfactor.com » | | 311 | This time it wasn't Anonymous or some other hacking group trying to make a name for itself. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services can blame one of its own for the security black eye it just took.
The agency last week discovered that a Medicaid employee inappropriately transferred personal information for 228,435 Medicaid beneficiaries to his personal e-mail account. Not only was it a blatant violation of agency policy, it also put the personal identities of nearly a quarter million Americans at risk.
Christopher Lykes Jr., 36, was arrested Thursday for allegedly committing the crime. Lykes, a project manager for the agency, was immediately terminated while law enforcement officials conducted their investigation. It is yet unclear what he planned to do with the information.
Blame the Browser
We asked Bill Morrow, executive chairman and CEO of Quarri Technologies, for his thoughts on the breach and what other organizations can learn from the internal theft. His first thought: Blame it on the browser.
"The risk of this type of transfer of confidential information by an employee is all too common at many organizations because they are increasingly using browsers as the primary platform for the delivery of information and making them the primary point of theft or data leakage," Morrow said.
As he has said before, standard Web browsers contain critical security gaps that create significant risks to organizations' confidential data, and online resources like Web mail and social networking sites can be open windows for data leakage. That sets the stage for a careless or malicious employee to easily steal company trade secrets, intellectual property or leak sensitive customer information.
"The end user is often the weakest link on any corporate network, since one malicious or unintentional click can lead to identity theft for hundreds of thousands of customers and patients," Morrow said.... newsfactor.com » | | 312 | Look out, Dropbox. On Monday, Microsoft announced new options for personal cloud storage on the newest version of its SkyDrive service.
SkyDrive's position in the emerging Windows 8 ecosystem was outlined by the company in February. The new announcement highlights new storage applications, applications to connect devices, and the ability to grab any file from a Windows PC via the cloud. A preview of a new Windows desktop app is now available, and it enables management of a user's personal SkyDrive directly from Windows Explorer on Windows 7, 8, or Vista.
7 GB of Storage
With the new app, any files placed into the SkyDrive folder is automatically synced to other devices. Files and folders can be organized in SkyDrive as one might organize a regular folder or files.
A remote PC with this preview app will enable a user to access, browse, or stream files on that computer, from SkyDrive. SkyDrive apps have also been updated for Windows Phone and iOS devices, and there's a new preview client for Mac OS X Lion, allowing SkyDrive management from that platform.
All new SkyDrive users can get 7 GB of storage free, which Microsoft said in a statement "provides enough space for over 99 percent of people to store their entire Office document library and share photos for several years," with room to grow. This is the equivalent, the company said, of over 20,000 Office documents or 7,000 photos.
Previous users of SkyDrive could use up to 25 GB, and Microsoft said previous users can opt to keep the 25 GB allocation. Anyone already using more than 4 GB as of April 1 is automatically opted into the 25 GB free storage offer.
Files or folders up to 2 GB can be uploaded, and there is a pricing structure for additional storage, starting at 20 GB... newsfactor.com » | | 313 | The Google Drive rumors are a reality. Google just rolled out its cloud-based service that lets you create, share, collaborate and otherwise store all your digital stuff.
Google Drive is a direct competitor to Dropbox. You can upload and access all your files, including videos, photos, Google Docs, PDFs and beyond. With Google Docs built into Google Drive, you can work on documents in real-time.
Google Drive is also pushing search features. You can search by keyword and filter by file type, owner and other designations. There's even Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, technology.
"Let's say you upload a scanned image of an old newspaper clipping. You can search for a word from the text of the actual article," explained Sundar Pichai, senior vice president of Chrome & Apps, in a blog post. "We also use image recognition so that if you drag and drop photos from your Grand Canyon trip into Drive, you can later search for [grand canyon] and photos of its gorges should pop up."
Is Cloud Backup Secure?
We caught up with Tom Gelson, a cloud strategist at Imation Scalable Storage, to get his thoughts on the potential impact of Google Drive. He told us interest in Google Drive reinforces growing demand for online or cloud backup.
"While Drive is primarily targeted at consumers, some companies will consider the solution for backup, and IT departments will have to contend with employees using Drive on their own for corporate data storage," Gelson said. "Cloud backup is certainly a practical and cost-effective storage tier, but security of data stored in Google Drive -- or any other cloud -- is essential.
To address cloud backup security, Gelson said IT departments should carefully evaluate vendors' data encryption strategy. As he sees it, an ideal security policy would dictate that data is encrypted on-premise at... newsfactor.com » | | 314 | There's always an element within any role-playing game that fans of the genre will gripe about. While last year's "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" was lauded for a beautiful and expansive open world, it was slammed by others for its somewhat bland combat. On the other hand, "Dark Souls" was hailed for a brutally difficult combat system yet dismissed by those seeking colorful characters and a tangled web of folklore.
"The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings" (Warner Bros., for the Xbox 360, $59.99), with a nearly flawless combination of deep, nonlinear storytelling and challenging combat, satisfies all around. One of 2011's most popular and critically acclaimed PC games, it comes to the Xbox in a robust "Enhanced Edition" full of bonus content.
Playing as the witcher Geralt of Rivia -- a mutant who "slays monsters for coin" -- you are quickly immersed in a complicated world of political intrigue where loyalties are tested and back stabbing is frequent. With only fragments of his memory intact, Geralt is accused of assassinating the king and seeks the true killer to clear his name.
Beyond the main storyline are plenty of colorful characters who need help, so you can pick up monster-hunting jobs here and there -- or you can just sit around drinking and arm-wrestling for money.
The enjoyable quest log is written from an outsider's perspective, and the pieces are slowly put together based on the decisions you make. These choices have significant weight, and even those that seem small could have a huge effect on the story as you battle your way toward one of 16 possible endings.
Combat is fast-paced, and the Xbox translation has very responsive controls. The magic spells, called "signs," work well in tandem with the swordplay. You can cast a sign to protect yourself or throw a ball of flame,... newsfactor.com » | | 315 | I'm one of the millions of smartphone owners addicted to Instagram, the free camera app that makes tweaking and sharing photos miraculously easy. While it's wildly popular and the target of Facebook's $1 billion takeover deal, Instagram isn't the only camera app worth having.
I've been hooked on taking photos on my iPhone and sharing them using Instagram since I bought my first iPhone last fall.
With Instagram, I can make my photos look better by using one of the app's 17 pre-set filters to adjust lighting, color and other things. I can then share my enhanced photos on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram's own social network.
But Instagram has a limited range of filters and camera effects, and it isn't always easy to edit pictures with it.
I've had a chance to test a wide range of Instagram alternatives during choice picture-taking opportunities over the past few months, including my sister's wedding in Hawaii in December and a trip to Lebanon this month. I also had my phone for shots along the streets of New York, where I live.
Of the dozen or so I tested, here are four I find myself using over and over again:
_ Photosynth by Microsoft Corp. Free. For iOS only (Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch).
My favorite among the ones I tried, Photosynth lets you take 360-degree panoramic photos that become interactive on a smartphone or computer screen.
The app guides you as you stand in one place and capture photos in all directions. Then it stitches those images together to create a sphere-like panorama that viewers can scroll around in and zoom in and out.
You can share the panorama on Facebook, Twitter or Photosynth.net.
It takes a bit of practice, and it's not an app I would use every day. But I found that in the right setting -- such as... newsfactor.com » | | 316 | A British psychologist is conducting a mass-participation experiment to see if a smartphone application known as Dream:ON can positively influence people's dreams.
Developed by a team led by Richard Wiseman, a professor at the University of Hertfordshire, the app is said to monitor sleep patterns and play a special "soundscape" when the sleeper is likely to be dreaming.
"A good night's sleep and having pleasant dreams boosts productivity and is essential for psychological and physical well-being," Wiseman was quoted as saying. "Despite this, we know very little about how to influence dreams. This experiment aims to change that."
A phone using the Dream:ON app is placed next to the bed before the person goes to sleep. It registers the sleeper's movements, and when they indicate REM sleep (the sleep phase of vivid dreams) the phone plays a pre-selected soundscape such as Ocean View, Space Shuttle or Relaxing Rainforest. The recordings are supposed to unconsciously evoke pleasant situations such as lying on a beach, being able to fly or walking through a forest.
When the app senses the sleeper leaving REM sleep, it sounds a gentle alarm signal to wake the person up so that he or she can describe the dream in a "dream catcher database." The dreams can be shared on social networking Web sites like Twitter and Facebook, where people who appeared in the dreams can be tagged.
Wiseman and his team are hoping for thousands of participants. So far the app can be downloaded for Apple's iPhone and iPad. A version for other smartphone systems is to follow later this year. newsfactor.com » | | 317 | Let there be light. Barnes & Noble took that reader command to heart recently with the introduction of the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. The company's latest E Ink-based electronic reader is the first such dedicated reader to supply a built-in reading light. Folks who preordered the $139 paperback-size device can expect to receive it any day now. Models with GlowLight should start hitting Barnes & Noble stores in limited quantities this week, with other retailers to follow.
Prior Nooks, as well as rival E Ink devices such as Amazon's Kindle or Sony Reader, do a superb job of making you forget that you're not reading on paper. As with a physical book, you have to read by a lamp or provide some other external light when in the dark.
By incorporating GlowLight technology into this latest model, Barnes & Noble beats competitors to the punch with a solution that works as promised. (Amazon won't say but is rumored to be working on similar technology.)
As I discovered reading in an otherwise pitch-black bedroom, the light is softer than the illumination from the kind of backlit LCD screen found on tablet computers. The Nook lights the screen uniformly without blinding you or disturbing your partner. I had no trouble making out text.
Like its predecessor, you can go to the next or previous page by swiping your finger on the 6-inch monochrome touch-screen.
Another benefit inherent in E Ink displays compared with the screen tech found on tablet computers is that you can read outdoors on a bright day, without fretting about glare or barely visible text. With or without light the text on the Nook was crisp and easy on the eyes. The latest Nook also has a built-in anti-glare screen protector. Suffice to say, direct sun is challenging for tablets.
Of course, tablets such... newsfactor.com » | | 318 | Downloading and uploading documents from cloud-based services to view and use them in local apps may have taken another step into oblivion. A new startup is offering an expanded version of its technology for businesses, so that Microsoft Office documents and PDFs can be viewed and used in a browser or directly on a mobile device.
The startup, called Crocodoc, launched Tuesday an enterprise version of its HTML5 document embedding service, which is currently used whenever someone views a Microsoft Office document or PDF in Dropbox, Yammer, LinkedIn, or SAP. The company said that its technology is enabling companies such as Dropbox, to compete with Google Drive, which currently allows users to work with documents online.
First Service Flash-Based
Crocodoc CEO and founder Ryan Damico has told news media that, while Google Docs offers a similar functionality, the results there are not as true to the original as what his company offers. This lower quality, he said, is fine with the consumers who are the primary market for Docs, but not for businesses.
Aside from the purported clarity, the Crocodoc service, which can be embedded into Web apps, also allows the user to highlight or write comments, and share those annotations with others. The new service from Crocodoc can be embedded into Web apps and used without plugins or additional software, so that it is transparent to the user.
The first service by Crocodoc, released in 2010, was Flash-based, consumer-oriented, and intended to provide a way for users to upload a PDF and then view it in a browser, along with such functions as highlighting and commenting.
In 2011, Crocodoc released an HTML5 version of the same technology, for use with mobile devices. The new service that it is releasing Tuesday is an update of the HTML5 approach, and can be embedded through JavaScript or... newsfactor.com » | | 319 | IBM has agreed to acquire Tealeaf Technology, which markets customer experience analytics software to large corporations and organizations. The deal's financial terms were not disclosed.
Tealeaf's patented technology can be deployed into any business's current environment with no additional modifications required, said Tealeaf Technology CEO Rebecca Ward. "So they can begin capturing customer data and delivering optimal experiences immediately."
IBM's acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is intended to bolster Big Blue's smarter commerce initiative, which promises to give companies greater visibility into their supplier relationships. The goal is to provide clients with new insights into customer demand that enable companies to respond faster to opportunities as well as potential problems.
"With these new capabilities from Tealeaf, we can not only provide chief marketing officers and other marketing leaders the qualitative insights into how customers actually experience their brands, but show them how to react in real time across marketing, sales and service," said Craig Hayman, general manager of industry solutions at IBM.
Getting the Customer Experience Right
To truly manage customers' experiences, large enterprises and organizations must understand their customers' needs, how they intend to meet those needs, and how they are performing currently, said Forrester Research analysts. They must also "have people, processes, and tools in place to use that insight in order to design and deliver the right experiences and continuously improve them over time," the firm's analysts wrote last August in a blog.
Tealeaf and other analytics software providers such as Adobe, Medallia and RightNow help clients with various aspects of the management process such as experience insight and delivery. "But they can't replace the overall discipline and activities required for a company to get customer experience right," Forrester's analysts said.
By adding Tealeaf to its smart commerce initiative, Big Blue intends to improve the extent to which... newsfactor.com » | | 320 | IBM is acquiring Vivisimo in its latest Big Data move. What does that mean for your enterprise? Perhaps plenty.
Vivisimo is a federated discovery and navigation software that helps organizations access and analyze Big Data across the enterprise. Vivisimo software automates the discovery of data and helps employees navigate it with a single view across the enterprise, no matter what format it is or where it resides.
The goal is to provide valuable insights that drive better decision-making for solving operational challenges. We caught up with David Corrigan, director of strategy for IBM's Infosphere portfolio, to discuss the promise of Vivisimo, how it fits into IBM's portfolio and how it can help enterprise customers.
Q. How does the Vivisimo acquisition fit into IBM's portfolio?
A. It fits really well into our Big Data platform. Vivisimo is going to be incorporated into the Information Management brand and will be part of the Big Data portfolio. We see it as a critical capability because it enables federated discovery and navigation of Big Data sources -- unstructured and structured content.
Vivisimo adds a unique capability to the market. We can say: "We can understand your Big Data sources. We'll leave them exactly where they are and we'll figure out the value. You decide what you need to bring into the Big Data platform itself for deeper analysis. In other words, you can get an idea of the value and you can navigate through it before you bring it all into the Big Data platform. Of course, there's a separate set of use cases around navigation and search and visualization that enable end-user applications.
Q. So what does that mean practically speaking for clients? Can you offer us a couple of scenarios?
A. Big Data is emerging in a lot of organizations and they have to figure it... newsfactor.com » | | 321 | Moving digital files between your work and home computers can be a pain. Add smartphones and tablet computers to the mix, and you've got yourself a giant headache.
Google Inc. unveiled its solution to the problem last week, while two other companies, Dropbox Inc. and Microsoft Corp., improved their existing offerings. The idea is to leave your files on their computers, so that you can access them from any Internet-connected device, wherever you are.
That means you can stop emailing big files to yourself, and you can stop carrying those USB thumb drives that fill up quickly, especially when transferring photos and video. These services also make it easier to share documents with others.
The three services I tried are free, though you'll have to pay if you need more than your allotted storage.
Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft's SkyDrive share many core features.
You can store just about any type of file -- photos, videos, songs, spreadsheets and more -- on distant servers operated by those companies. All you need is a Web browser and an Internet connection. To upload a file to the online storage service, you simply move the file's icon to the browser window. The original file remains on your computer.
To access a file from another computer, you simply go to the service's Web site and log in. You can make changes on that computer and move the file back online. You can create Web links to entire folders or specific files for sharing.
You can install free software to simplify these transfers. The software creates a special folder on your computer for that particular service. Anything you add to it will automatically get transferred to your online storage. If you or colleagues make changes from another computer, the original version gets automatically updated.
A subset of features is also available through apps... newsfactor.com » | | 322 | Cash, coins and credit cards are so Twentieth Century. At least, that's the opinion of the electronics manufacturers, phone companies, banks and credit card issuers that expect cellphones to be the main way consumers pay for purchases in the not-so-distant future.
The trouble is, that vision-of-tomorrow is somewhat blurry, as evidenced at the U.S. cellphone industry trade show held this week in New Orleans. There are a lot of ideas, but little agreement.
The stakes, however, are high.
"Eighty-five percent of the world's transactions are still made with cash and checks. We have a wonderful opportunity to convert those," said Gary Flood, MasterCard's president of global products and solutions, in a keynote speech at the show.
One concept that gets a lot of attention is the "digital wallet" -- a virtual repository for our credit card numbers, receipts, coupons. It's not much different from a PayPal account, which can be linked to different cards. A lot of companies see the wallet as the key to influence in the world of mobile payments, especially if it sits on a cellphone, not just on a PC. Google introduced its Wallet last year. It's available on a few phones that can be tapped against certain payment terminals to complete a payment.
Andrew Lorentz, a lawyer at Davis Wright Tremaine LLP who works with the payments industry, said at the show that if he had a dime for every digital wallet that's been announced, he'd be rich.
"I can have more wallets than cards," he said.
At the show, MasterCard announced a service that could speed up wallet proliferation even more. The company's idea is to let any company that wants to set up its own wallet.
"The idea behind this is: How do we get more wallets and more innovation?" said Ed Olebe, MasterCard's senior vice president of e-commerce development.
Consumers trust... newsfactor.com » | | 323 | Most computer users live in fear of a crashed computer and lost data, or are frustrated by a computer that seems to take hours to perform the simplest task. The trick is to learn from these problems and either fix the computer before the worst happens, or at least make sure it never happens again.
This is not work that can only be performed by experts. Even a blue screen can be helpful, since Windows uses it to deliver a Bug Check Code, which gives some hint about the cause of the problem.
Thus, the message KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED indicates a problem with a driver. Microsoft provides a complete list of all check codes -- and possible solutions -- online. Such tips are necessary; otherwise any effort to fix a computer can quickly turn into a waste of time.
"Unfortunately, the diagnosis is anything but easy," says Hans Ludwig Stahl, director of the Institute for Computer Science at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences. Problems can stem from issues with either hardware or software. Or the PC could be having resource issues related to working memory or hard drive space.
Viruses and other forms of malware can also make the computer unusable, which is why everyone should have up-to-date anti-virus software.
Stahl recommends seeking the source of the problem in the recent past. "Maybe the problem cropped up right after putting in a new piece of hardware or installation of some new software." If that's the case, remove the potential source of the problem as a test. Maybe the computer will work fine without it.
Sometimes combinations of hardware, software and operating system simply don't work, says Stahl. "That can always happen with open systems like Windows."
In a worst case scenario, that can mean living without the problem hardware or software. Sometimes a patch or a new driver... newsfactor.com » | | 324 | If you're feeling nostalgic about the days when you drank Pabst Blue Ribbon beer because it was cheap, not trendy, a new online tool from the Social Security Administration will take you on a walk down memory lane.
On May 1, Social Security launched a feature on its Web site, www.socialsecurity.gov, that allows workers to view an online version of their Social Security earnings and benefits statements. The program also allows you to estimate your retirement, disability and survivors benefits.
You can use this tool to show your kids how little you made when you started working (after you've reminded them that you walked 5 miles to get to school, without an iPod or cellphone). But more important, it can help you receive all of the benefits you're due, and make smart decisions about when to claim them.
Social Security used to mail workers an annual earnings statement, but suspended those mailings last year to save money. Starting in February, Social Security resumed mailing paper statements to workers 60 and older who aren't already receiving benefits. Later this year, it will mail paper statements to workers in the year they turn 25.
Before you can review your online earnings statement, you must go to www.ssa.gov/mystatement and create an account. The program will ask you a bunch of personal questions for security reasons, so be prepared to give up the name of your first pet and answer some multiple-choice questions about your finances. Social Security contracted with credit bureau Experian to provide information for verification purposes.
Once you've established your identity, you can create an account with a user name and password. Social Security recommends reviewing it annually.
Here's what you can learn from the online earnings statement:
Whether your earnings have been reported correctly. It's a lot of fun to reminisce about the year you earned a... newsfactor.com » | | 325 | In January, Oracle acquired RightNow, a leading cloud-based customer service solution, adding it to the Oracle Public Cloud suite of integrated services. On Thursday, the company announced that the RightNow CX Cloud Service customer experience suite will be integrated with its Fusion CRM Sales.
Fusion Customer Relationship Management is part of Oracle Fusion Applications, which also includes Fusion Middleware and Oracle Database. Among other features, Fusion CRM provides a single view of customers across the enterprise, optimizes sales territories and sales incentives, and centralizes order and fulfillment systems.
Customer Interaction = Opportunity
The combination of RightNow with Fusion, the company said, combines service interactions from RightNow with sales predictions and segmentation capabilities from Fusion Sales. This will help businesses generate cross-channel customer interactions and increase opportunities for revenue and efficiencies.
Among other things, the company noted that the integration will allow sales personnel to review service histories as preparation for sales calls, and can provide information about buying habits of customers. Through the integration, products and services can be better matched to customers' service history, customer interactions can be better targeted, and new purchasing opportunities for customers can be more readily identified, the company said.
David Vap, Oracle group vice president, said in a statement that every customer interaction is an opportunity to grow the business. He added that "customer trust provides an opportunity to increase customer product adoption and to reduce the cost of customer acquisition," which can increase profitability.
Web, Social, Contact Center CX
According to an annual survey conducted by RightNow, 86 percent of customers choose not to do business with a company because of a bad experience. A cloud-based solution such as RightNow, according to Oracle, can result in a reduction of up to 30 percent in labor costs, as well as increased customer retention and acquisition.
RightNow combines Web, social, and... newsfactor.com » | | 326 | Facebook shares are officially trading. The social media giant set its initial share price at $38 and offered 421 million shares. That means Facebook could make IPO history with an $18.5 billion offering on a $104 billion valuation.
Facebook boasts about 900 million monthly active users. Facebook officially became the top-ranked Web site in the U.S. in March 2010, according to Experian Hitwise. Twenty percent of all Web page views stateside are on Facebook.
The stage is set. The shares are trading. But what happens when the dust settles? If Facebook's IPO meets expectations, social media startups could become the investment du jour. But if Facebook doesn't hit on all IPO cylinders -- or if it can't sustain its success in coming quarters, the story could look much different for social networking upstarts.
A Profound Impact?
We asked Scott Sellers, co-founder and CEO of Azul Systems, which develops runtime platforms for executing Java-based apps, his take on the Facebook IPO. He told us the day you see your company stock symbol moving across the ticker is one you never forget.
"Facebook going public will have a profound impact on Silicon Valley and sprout an entire new crop of startups as a result of this newfound capital," Sellers said. "I believe this IPO will create a domino effect of new money flooding into the mobile realm as well as international markets as Facebook's technology becomes more widely accepted and utilized."
Can Facebook Remain Authentic?
We also looked to Rob Vandenberg, president and CEO of Lingotek, which provides Web-based automated language translation tools, what he thinks about the Facebook IPO phenomenon. He told us Zuckerberg has literally created a 'universal human network' via Facebook.
"How can you not like what Zuckerberg has done to revolutionize the way we communicate? Essentially, he invented a platform that brings us... newsfactor.com » | | 327 | Coming a few days after Facebook's Wall Street debut to mixed reaction by investors, Microsoft's new social network had been widely seen as a possible rival to Mark Zuckerberg's juggernaut.
"Is this the next Facebook?" asked Fox News as the network, So.cl (pronounced Social), was opened to general users after a long beta-testing period.
A Bing Bulletin Board
But the fledgling network, geared toward students, as was Facebook initially when it was conceived in Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room, seems to be more akin to a hybrid of search engine Bing and Pinterest, the upstart topic-based content-sharing network.
"Express Yourself," So.cl implores potential users on its homepage. "With So.cl you can share your search and express your ideas through beautiful collages of content." When a user enters search topics, a field is instantly populated with images related to the topic to be shared with the user's contacts. They can also connect through chat and video parties.
"Video parties let you search, and quickly assemble a list of movies to view together with friends," reads the site's FAQ. "You can view any existing party collection created by any other So.cl user, or create your own, and easily chat with other So.cl users."
All posts are visible to other users by default unless they are marked private.
"We expect students to continue using products such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other existing social networks, as well as Bing, Google and other search tools," Microsoft tells visitors on the FAQ page. "We hope to encourage students to reimagine how our everyday communication and learning tools can be improved, by researching, learning and sharing in their everyday lives."
For now, users can only sign in through their Facebook or Windows Live accounts. Facebook's phenomenal success has launched a slew of new sharing initiatives from the successful Twitter to the failed Google Buzz... newsfactor.com » |
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