Week 14 (#3): Indoor Navigation

We're all familiar with the GPS units we have in our cars to get us from point A to point B; but these GPS systems are limited to navigating outdoors. Now there is a new system for in-store (or in-mall) navigation being developed. The new system, called MST-Smartsense Sensor, uses simple sensors to assess where a person is in a building at any time and works when a QR code is scanned at a location. Scanning the QR code identifies the person's current position (using a downloaded 3D map of the building); from there, a built-in pedometer and compass assess the speed and direction the person is going, and rather than relying on GPS signals the system can tell where that person is going simply based on stride length.

In addition to identifying an individual's precise location, the module can recommend an ideal walk route if desired. The amazing part is that the module does not need to be calibrated by the user, but rather the device is able to gauge stride length on its own. The module uses a series of sensors including an acceleration sensor that tracks the motion of the body, and a magnetic field sensor that measures the alignment of the body through its position relative to the earth's magnetic field. These two sensors work together to map a precise pattern of movement. MST has its own processor built-in, and is the size of a fingernail, and thus could work with nearly any mobile device including tablets and smartphones.

Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/04/lost-in-the-supermarket-a-new-sensor-will-navigate-for-you-indoors/

http://sciencebusiness.technewslit.com/?p=9314&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=navigation-module-for-inside-buildings-in-development

Week 14 (#2): Free Online Classes from Harvard??

We have been talking a lot in class about the rise in online education in recent years. Although these classes require a lot fewer resources than an on-campus class, the tuition is basically the same. Wouldn't it be nice if this online education was a reduced price, or even better...FREE?!

Harvard and MIT announced a partnership this week to offer online courses to students around the world, in an initiative known as edX. The initiative will be run by a non-profit organization controlled by the two schools. The first courses will begin this fall, and there is no admission process but there are exams and other assessments. Although students won't receive university credit for the classes, certificates are available for a fee to students who demonstrate mastery of the material.

Princeton, Stanford, Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania announced that they will be offering free web-based courses too. MIT and Harvard said that they hope to eventually partner with other universities to expand the offerings on the edX platform.

Source:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/02/technology/harvard-mit-online/index.htm

Week 14 (#1): EcoATM: An Easy Way to Sell Your Old Electronics!

We all know what kiosks are...Coinstar and Redbox are two well-known kiosks. One gives you cash for your loose change, and the other rents out DVDs for $1 per night. Well now there is a new type of kiosk making a presence in the market. EcoATM is a company that creates kiosks that automate the buy-back of used mobile phones and other used portable electronics directly from consumers. 


How EcoATM Works:
The seller places their phone (or MP3 player or other gadget) into the kiosk (the company says it will not damage the phone nor read/copy any personal data from the device). The kiosk then visually identifies the phone as best it can from a database of around 4,000 devices and uses visual recognition technology to determine if the device has been damaged. The kiosk also analyzes whether or not the device boots up. Based on the type of phone and the shape it's in, EcoATM makes an offer. Users can cash out (or cancel the transaction and get their phone back at any time), with the option to donate any percentage of the sale to a charity. Every week, the company picks up the phones sold and sells these to middle market electronics refurbishers, who fix the devices up and resell them or sell the parts to other electronics companies.


There are about 50 EcoATM kiosks operating in the US  currently, mostly in California for now. They are located primarily in malls, grocery stores and big-box retailers. The company expects to expand nationally.


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/01/ecoatm-raises-17m-from-coinstar-and-others-for-electronics-recycling-and-resale-kiosk-system/

Week 13 (#3): 69% of Tablet Owners Watch TV and Surf the Web Simultaneously

According to Nielsen, a market research company, 45% of tablet owners watch TV and use their tablet together at least once a day, and 69% say they do it at least several times a week! Only 12% of tablet owners said they never use their tablet while watching TV.


Nielsen found that women are more likely to look up information related to an ad they see on TV, whereas men are more likely to look up general information related to a TV program they are watching. Men were also found to be far more likely to check sport scores on their tablets than women (44% vs 24%). Younger tablet users are more likely to use their tablet in front of the TV than older users; with the only activity older users tending to use their tablets for more is checking email. 


Overall, checking email is the most popular activity for tablet owners while watching TV (61%), followed by visiting social networking sites (47%) and looking up information about TV programs.Checking sport scores isn't far behind at 34%.


Nielsen's report also found that females spend 61.2% of their tablet using/TV watching time during prime time while watching Dramas. (See below for more statistics).


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/27/report-69-of-tablet-owners-watch-tv-and-surf-the-web-simultaneously/

Week 13 (#2): Can Google Help you get your Ex Back?

Many companies use emotional advertising to tug at the heart-strings of consumers as a method of building rapport and being relatable. That is exactly what Google is doing with its new TV commercial (see link below). In my opinion, this advertisement is perfect! In this ad, a guy Mark is trying hard to get his ex Jen to go out to coffee with him by using a collage of Google Docs spreadsheets, photos and videos to give Jen reasons why she should agree to meet up with him. Google has also released similar ads for Chrome, Google+ and its other products over the last year or so. Although these ads don't focus on technology so much, they focus on what technology can do for users and are very relatable. If I were Jen, I would say 'YES!' to Mark's offer!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pTjHCCU2E4c

Source:

http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/25/googles-latest-tv-ad-how-chrome-can-help-you-get-your-ex-back/

Week 13 (#1): Could the iPhone get Thinner?

Apple is always looking for new ways to innovate and make their products even better; including its plans for the next iPhone. Instead of using a number of separate layers for the phone, Apple is considering "in-cell" touch display technology. Not only would in-cell display make the phone thinner and lighter (which would be nice considering it is speculated that the new iPhone will have a larger 4 to 4.3 inch display), but it would also allow for streamlining in the manufacturing process which would drive efficiencies and reduce cost. 


The current "on-cell" display is layered like a sandwich, with the bottom layer containing the back light, then a layer containing the LCD section (with the red, green, and blue-colored pixels of the display), then a top layer of glass, followed by the touch layer then finally topped off with a layer of tough glass. In-cell display technology eliminates the middle layer of glass, combining the LCD and touch sections into a single layer.This can be accomplished by using the same electrodes to handle the signals for both touch control and pixels of the LCD. We'll have to wait and see if Apple is able to have this technology perfected before the next iPhone launch...something tells me they will!

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/23/tech/mobile/in-cell-technology-iphone/index.html

Week 12 (#3): "Draw Something" Updates

As mentioned in the previous post, 'Draw Something' is an awesomely successful app! However, when Zynga purchased the app from OMGPop a few weeks ago, the two companies agreed that the acquisition would bring new features to the game.  As promised, the app has been updated to add commenting, the ability to save drawings to your photo library, and the ability to share drawings on Facebook and Twitter directly through the app. The app was also updated to include easy undo for correcting mistakes, a pull down to refresh for updating your gaming queue quickly, and an increase in the cap of drawings from 99 to 999. Zynga is considering adding photo sharing, saving and chat abilities in the future. 


My concern with these updates is based on the theory of "if it's not broke, don't fix it." 'Draw Something' was hugely successful based on its original version and I hope adding too many new updates doesn't distract users from the app, or cause a loss of interest. I know every time Facebook undergoes an update there are many unhappy users as a result; I hope for the sake of 'Draw Something' that this isn't the same case. 


Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/19/tech/mobile/draw-something-app-updated/index.html?iref=allsearch