Read original story on: Daily News
Soon you will able to touch, feel, and even manipulate holograms and other 3D virtual objects with your bare hands, thanks to the breakthrough research of The Department of Computer Science at Bristol University. The research team created a method that uses sound waves to project “haptic holograms” in mid-air, adding a sense of touch as well as sight and sound that will make it easier to bring virtual reality into the physical world.
Read original story on: LA Times
According to a new report from Nielsen, people aged 55+ are spending 55% more time watching video on computers and smartphones daily in the most recent quarter, compared with the same quarter last year. Meanwhile, traditional TV viewing among that demographic didn’t change, so don’t be surprised to see your grandma watching NCIS on her iPhone 5 when you visit her this holiday season.
Read original story on: TechCrunch
In the past few months, Amazon has expanded its grocery delivery to more cities, launched its point-of-sale service Amazon Local Register, and even opened three pop-up stores in NYC and California. Now it looks like the ecommerce giant will be diving deeper into the local services market with new features quietly added in Amazon Local app for food delivery and take out. Right now the new service seems to be limited to Seattle only, but it marks another step in Amazon’s ambitious plans to branch into the physical world.
Read original story on: The Verge
With the surprise hit of Serial, a serialized journalistic inquiry into old real-life murder cases, podcasts are finally entering mainstream spotlight after spending nearly a decade in the overlooked corners of digital media landscape. With Apple introducing a standalone app in iOS 8, listening to podcasts is finally as easy as it should be, aiding its recent rise in popularity.
Given its unique format and distribution model, Podcast is opening up new ways for brands to connect with a highly focused audience through sponsorship and native ads. But a lot of uncertainty remains for those episodic Internet radio shows: is its audience size big enough to validate these branding opportunities? Would Apple want a cut from those profits for being the biggest distribution platform? Should podcasts remain free? We’ll continue to follow the story, so tune in next time…
Update 12/05: In a surprising development, Serial will be broadcast on British radio starting Dec. 7, therefore making it the first ever internationally syndicated podcast series.
Read original story on: Hollywood Reporter
Hulu has picked up the unaired episodes of ABC’s canceled and critically panned comedy Manhattan Love Story. The news comes a week after the streaming service picked up unaired episodes of another canceled ABC comedy Selfie. Both freshman shows were pulled off schedule early in the season due to consistently abysmal ratings. If this trend continues, Hulu could quickly become the home for broadcast TV’s second-chance shows.
Read original story on: Ars Technica
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has approved a new version of the Bluetooth standard. Besides improved speed and support for IPv6 and 6LoWPAN, Bluetooth 4.2 also adds new security features preventing unauthorized users from hacking your Bluetooth signal and using it to track your phone and devices as you move about, a clear attempt to address privacy concerns.
Read original story on: WSJ Online
New York public libraries will soon start lending WiFi hotspots to people who need it most; namely, the low-income residents who don’t have broadband and are enrolled in library programs. Around ten thousand Sprint WiFi hotspots will be funded partly by a $1 million donation from Google.
This expansion of free NYC Wifi hotspot program marks yet another effort in the city’s initiative to bring Internet access to all New Yorkers. Earlier this year, the city announced a linkNYC plan that will start converting outdated payphone booth into Wifi hotspots.
Read original story on: The Verge
The Pandora app on both Android and iOS are getting a revamped update that focuses on personalization. Besides a thumbs-up icon on the app’s now-playing screen, a listen history complete with a new “thumbs-down” capability are also added for refining music preference.
Such personalization gives Pandora an interactive edge over its competitors, as Pandora could use feedback data to better understand and serve its users. Right now the update is only available in beta to 3% of users, but will be rolled out to all listeners over the coming months.
Read original story on: TechCrunch
Yesterday we covered the stellar performance of online sales this past Black Friday weekend, and now various sources are reporting the staggering growth of mobile shopping as well.
Walmart’s online store reported that mobile traffic constituted 70% of its pageviews over the Thanksgiving weekend. Its designated mobile app also reported over 4 times up in usage from the same time last year.
Similarly, PayPal also saw a 43% increase in PayPal mobile shoppers on Thanksgiving, and a 51% increase on Black Friday. Other firms saw mobile accounting for somewhere between 27-30% of sales. So if you haven’t paid much attention to mobile commerce, you might want to start now.
Read original story on: Engadget
Earlier this year, we witnessed eSports’ transition back into the physical space at the ESL One Championship held at Madison Square Garden Theater. Now the UK is reportedly getting its first-ever dedicated venue for hosting competitive gaming matches in London next year. Gfinity, a league organiser for multiplayer games says the new arena will accommodate up to 500 spectators once completed.
