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

Week 12 (#2): The Draw to 'Draw Something'

Every day new apps are launched and some are huge successes (like 'Angry Birds' and 'Words with Friends') and others are complete failures. One of these blockbuster apps is 'Draw Something,' which is a digital variation on Pictionary with a Hangman aspect to it. The app, created and released by gaming developer OMGPop, has attracted more than 35 million users in two months since its release and spent weeks as the number 1 free app on the iPad and iPhone. The draw to 'Draw Something' is that people like to doodle; it's fun, easy, and takes minimal thinking. Also, this app is targeted to everyone and not too competitive.


How it Works:
Users can scan their social-network contacts for someone to play with or opt for a random playmate. The app then gives the user three choices of things to draw; ranging in difficulty. Once the user has selected an option, the user draws it with his/her finger on the touchscreen, using the basic colors provided in the app. Your friend has to guess what you've drawn, then he/she draws a picture for you in return. If pictures are guessed correctly, players win virtual coins which can be cashed in for features or hints within the game.


I am not a technology-buff and do not even own a smartphone, however, I would 100% recommend this app to others! I noticed my roommate playing this app a few weeks ago and asked about it. She let me try it out and instantly I was hooked! I give this app 5 stars; so easy to use and fun!


Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/13/tech/gaming-gadgets/draw-something-app-appeal/index.html

Week 12 (#1): Why 1 in 5 US Adults Doesn't use the Internet

It seems like everyone uses the internet today; whether it's to check Facebook, go on Twitter, email friends and family, or to check the news and weather. I was shocked when I came across an article that stated that 1 in 5 adults actually doesn't use the internet...that's 20%! Although the internet has become way more accessible in recent years, and is a staple tool in most people's daily lives, the article stated that the primary reason 1 in 5 adults don't use the internet is simply because they're just not interested.


Among current non-internet users, almost half (48%) feel that the internet is irrelevant to them; that they don't want to use the internet and don't need to use it to get the information they want or as a means of communication. The next-most common reason for lack of internet use was due to not having a computer or that using the internet is too expensive, difficult or a waste of time. Only 20% of non-users say they know enough about technology to start using the internet if they wanted to, and only 10% said they have an interest in using the internet or e-mail in the future.


Not surprising, though, are the demographics that make up these non-users. Mostly they're older; 59% of US seniors don't go online. Also, 60% of US adults who never completed high school don't use the internet. Additionally, 40% of people with an annual household income lower than $30,000 don't use the internet. People with disabilities are also less likely to use the internet; one-fourth of US adults live with a disability that interferes with activities of daily life and only 54% of these adults are internet users.


Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/13/tech/web/pew-not-using-internet/index.html

Week 11 (#3): FarFaria: Kid's Stories for the iPad!

There truly is an app for everything; including children's books! FarFaria, a new subscription-based children's storybook app for the iPad, offers a collection of nearly 100 stories with more being added all the time. The stories are both independently sourced and illustrated as well as sourced from the public domain, like Peter Rabbit. The app is free to download, but requires a $3.99 per month subscription to access the content; with a free one-month trial. This is a great alternative to buying individual books in the iTunes App store or other kids' books apps that rely on in-app purchases. FarFaria does not bog up the app with pop-up ads, prompts to purchases, or anything else that would get in the way of a child viewing a story. The app was soft-launched in February and a public launch is expected next week. 

The platform of FarFaria is based on a map of make-believe lands where stories are grouped by genre.The lands are aptly named: "Picture Point Island," "Fairytale Forest," "Fable Hills," "Loony Lagoon," "Classics Grove," "GoodLand" and "Bedtime Bluffs," for example. The stories are appropriate for a broad range of ages; from toddlers to about eight years old.

Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/12/farfaria-brings-a-hulu-for-kids-stories-to-the-ipad/

Week 11 (#2): PayDragon - The Easiest Way to Order Food on Your Phone

A new app has been released for iPhone and Android called PayDragon which offers an easy way to order food via a smartphone. The app particularly targets those who are busy yet are hungry and in need of a meal quickly. Each participating restaurant has only four to six items on its PayDragon menu; the stripped-down menus and lack of customization make the process streamlined and allow restaurants to service more customers more quickly. The app works by users tapping on the item they wish to order, hitting 'pay,' and then the order is complete. From here the user waits for an alert saying that their order is ready for pickup. This app may not be best suited for picky eaters, but most restaurants are trying to include at least one vegetarian option on their limited menus. There is a 'Discover' tab that allows users to see nearby participating restaurants.The app has launched in Los Angeles area restaurants and food trucks.


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/12/paydragon-launch/

Week 11 (#1): Bye Bye Yellow Pages

 

The Yellow Pages are yet another casualty of the digital age, with AT&T announcing its plans to sell its Yellow Pages business to Cerberus Capital Management. The business has been struggling for years since up-to-date listings became just a click away and easily accessible on the internet. Although the Yellow Pages directories go out to about 150 million homes and businesses in 22 states, they are more likely viewed as junk mail and being thrown away than as a valuable aid. AT&T attempted to stay on top of the digital age by launching YP.com but had limited success, taking a $2.9 billion write-down in 2011. Cerberus plans to put a fresh and modern spin on the business with AT&T maintaining a significant stake in the new venture.

I believe it was just a matter of time before the hard-copy Yellow Pages became extinct; after all, even novels and textbooks are being converted into digital copies viewable on tablets and e-readers. Why would any household want to maintain the burden of enormous, cumbersome phonebooks when there are more convenient alternatives to obtain phone numbers and addresses?

Source:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/04/09/technology/ATT-sells-yellow-pages/index.htm

Week 10 (#3): Pinterest is Third Most-Visited Social Site

Experian Marketing Services, a digital marketing firm, released a report stating Pinterest as the third most-visited social-networking site in the U.S.; behind Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest lets users "pin" photos and info from the Internet onto virtual boards along with comments. Last month Facebook had more than 7 billion total visitors; Twitter had 182 million; and Pinterest had 104 million U.S. visits (not including mobile traffic); putting it ahead of LinkedIn, Google+, MySpace and Tumblr.

Pinterest launched in March 2010, but has grown rapidly only in the past six months; traffic jumped 50% between January and February. Pinterest skews female with about 60% of users being women, and to the middle of the country; being most popular in Missouri, Utah, Alabama, Oklahoma and Kansas. An iPad app is expected soon.

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/06/tech/social-media/pinterest-third-social-network/index.html

Week 10 (#2): StearClear...the App for Drunks

Many people age 21 and over can relate to the stress and hassle associated with being too drunk to drive home after a night out at a bar, and having to figure out a way to pick up their car the next morning. Well, thanks to a new service called StearClear, the agony of retrieving your car could be eliminated. StearClear has been up and running for only a month in parts of New Jersey and is a way to get you and your car home safely. Although several communities have some sort of designated-driver program, this is the first franchise of its kind. StearClear works off three mobile applications: an iOS/Android app for end users (the drunk people), one for the drive teams, and a third for franchise owners which lets them view a map of their drivers' cars in action along with customer requests. The drive teams consist of two people: one who drives the customer's car and the other who follows in their own car, carrying the customer.

Drivers are assigned shifts but can make themselves available at any other time as well. When customer requests come in, drivers "bid" for the pickup via their own app by saying when they can get there; obviously customers typically choose the driver closest to their location. The cost per customer is $20/per pickup plus $2.50/mile with a special rate for premium members. This pricing is around the same as local cab rides, depending on your area, but is much cheaper than a black car service.

Franchise owners pay $30,000 to buy a block of 70,000 people (around 6 to 12 zip codes) and keep 80% of the revenue. StearClear is currently undergoing its first public test, which will last for about 3 months.

Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/06/too-drunk-to-drive-but-still-wanna-get-your-car-home-theres-an-app-for-that/


 

Week 10 (#1): Half of all US Households Own at Least One Apple Product

According to CNBC's All-American Economic Survey, 51% of US households own at least one Apple product. That means that just over half of all US households are Apple owners! This seems like a paradox considering that just over a decade ago Apple was almost bankrupt with a market share of about 2% worldwide. Then with the advent of the iPod and iPhone and then the iPad Apple was able to gobble up market share and even create new markets! Apple truly is an AMAZING company!


The survey revealed that of the households that own Apple products, they own an average of 3, making the overall ownership rate of the American public 1.6 Apple products per household. The survey showed that Apple buyers tend to skew male, young, with higher education and incomes (77% of households making $75k+ have an Apple product). Households with children also increase the likelihood of owning an Apple product; 61% compared to 48% with no children. The survey further showed that both Republicans and Democrats are equally likely to own Apple products. 


CNBC's survey polled 836 Americans via both land-line phones and cellphones over 3 days in March.


Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/29/tech/gaming-gadgets/household-apple-products/index.html

Week 9 (#3): SpotlessCity

SpotlessCity is a new website that allows users to find a dry cleaner or laundromat in their area that will pickup and return their laundry, without the user ever needing to leave his house. Although pickup and delivery services previously existed, this is the first online-based service of its kind.


How It Works:
1) Enter in your address to find all of your local dry cleaners and laundromats
2) Select a dry cleaner and schedule a FREE pickup and delivery
3) Sit back and relax! Your dry cleaner will pickup, clean and deliver your clothes back to your home


The service puts the responsibility on the dry cleaner to follow through with the order, and SpotlessCity doesn't take a cut from the customer but instead gets a payment from the dry cleaner for streamlining their business. Dry cleaners in SpotlessCity's network operate in the Village, SoHo, the Upper East Side in Manhattan, in and around Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn, and are expanding to all of NYC shortly.

SpotlessCity's mission is: "To make city life more livable, one load at a time."


Source:

http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/28/spotlesscity-will-pick-up-your-soiled-dirty-laundry/
http://www.spotlesscity.com/Home/About

Week 9 (#2): Have Fear of Missing Out?

timeRAZOR has developed a new events-finder app for smartphones that uses the phone's geolocation features combined with a built-in recommendation engine to help suggest nearby events and experiences to users; the company's slogan is "We bring you cool events close to where you live, work & are scheduled to be." The app also integrates the phone's built-in calendar to suggest events taking place near the user's out-of-office meetings and social appointments. For example, if a user is going to be in Chicago away on business next Friday, perhaps the app will recommend the user see a Chicago Cubs game that night.


The app currently pulls in over 300,000 event listings per day from over 100 different sources, making it one of the larger events databases available.The events are organized within the app in various sections: “planned," events the user has on his calendar; “possible,” available events; “for me," recommended events; and “by me,” special events the user has chosen to attend. Users can add events to their phone’s calendar, view event details, share them with friends and even get “travel time” alerts that tell the user when she needs to leave to make the event.


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/28/fear-of-missing-out-timerazor-connects-you-with-nearby-events/

Week 9 (#1): Will College Become More Affordable?

It is no secret that college tuition is expensive and getting more expensive year after year. Overall, tuition at private colleges has been increasing more than 4% each year for the past three years with average tuition at a four-year private college costing $28,500 a year. According to an article from money.cnn.com titled “Colleges slashing tuition, offering 3-year degrees,” a growing number of colleges are taking extreme measures to attract more students by cutting tuition costs or speeding up the rate at which they graduate. Some private colleges are introducing substantial double-digit percentage cuts in tuition, freezing prices, or offering pilot programs, three-year degree programs or four-year graduation guarantees. These measures are in response to consumers’ concerns about the rising cost of college, and although have been used to some degree in the past, have become more prevalent since the economic downturn. In addition to making college more affordable for students, colleges want to offer more competitive prices to attract more students and increase their bottom lines as well.


With tuition cuts or reducing the time it takes to graduate there is a tradeoff, however. Temporary tuition cuts and freezes are typically accompanied by financial aid cuts, so the money isn’t all going back to the students. For example, the University of Charleston is slashing tuition but it is also reducing the amount of financial assistance that is available to students from $15 million to $10 million. Although the quality of the education will most likely not be affected by tuition cuts or freezes (unless an increase in enrollment results in a higher student-to-teacher ratio), some fast-tracked degrees might suffer. Eliminating core requirements to graduate sooner may leave out some very basic skills like writing and reading that have an important impact on job performance. 


These measures, with their cost-savings implications, are definitely good news to students like me! Lowered tuition costs allow students to pay less money out of pocket or have less loan debt due to college expenses. Since tuition is based on credit requirements, if these requirements are decreased, students will be able to get a degree that is just as good as one that would have cost thousands of dollars more a few years prior. Not to mention we would be able to obtain the degree in a shorter amount of time!

Source:

http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/22/pf/college/cost-cutting/index.htm?iid=SF_PF_LN

Week 8 (#3): Shoptiques.com

 

Small fashion boutiques target a select group of shoppers who are searching for original items from designers that are not found in big-name department stores. Boutique shoppers are limited in that these smaller boutiques are exclusive and can not be shopped without traveling to visit the retail locations. A solution to this is a start-up website called Shoptiques which aggregates inventory from local fashion boutiques across the country and puts it online. Shoptiques works with a network of local boutiques across the U.S. to integrate their inventory on the Shoptiques.com website, which shoppers can visit, browse, and make purchases. Shoptiques, which has a network of freelance photographers, takes high quality photos of the boutique items and uploads them to the website with descriptions and prices. Users can browse collections from boutiques across the country that they would never otherwise have seen or known about. In order to qualify, a boutique needs to offer products that can not be found in department stores; not even Bloomingdale's or Neiman Marcus.


The site launched with inventory from over 25 boutiques, from Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Chicago. The site finds these local boutiques by partnering with magazines like Elle to find interesting stores and also receives many leads via word of mouth recommendations. Currently, boutiques are organized by location, and neighborhood on the site, and the price point on items ranges from $50 to $300. You can also shop by category (bags, shoes, tops etc.).


If a customer chooses to purchase an item on the site, Shoptiques will immediately send the boutique an email with the order and a printable FedEx label with the customer’s address. Shoptiques handles all of the payment processing and takes an undisclosed fee from each transaction.
Eventually, Shoptiques wants to expand internationally and add many more boutiques. Although I wouldn't use this website, I did find the concept quite innovative and appealing to a certain segment of shoppers.


 


Source:
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/21/andreessen-horowitz-greylock-back-marketplace-for-local-fashion-boutiques-shoptiques/ 

Week 8 (#2): Apple's $2.65 per Share Dividend!

It's no secret that Apple is an insanely prosperous company with oodles of cash on hand; nearly $100 billion in fact. Apple announced exciting news for current shareholders and potential shareholders alike: initiating a quarterly dividend of $2.65 per share in Q4 2012, along with a $10 billion share repurchase program starting September 2012 and extending over the next 3 years. This payout will set Apple as one of the largest dividend payers of all companies. The last time Apple paid dividends was in 1995, at about $0.12 per share.


Apple's decision to initiate a dividend and repurchase stock is sure to make shareholders (and employees) elated, as well as appeal to new potential investors...as if the stock wasn't already attractive! It's nice to see that the company has investor interest in mind when deciding what to do with all of its money. With pleased shareholders, Apple's stock is likely to soar even higher!

Source: 
http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/19/apple-cash/