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  • LG Launches 4K HDTV in Korea

    LG has long been an industry leader in the high-end HDTV market, leading the way with well-reviewed releases and cutting edge technology. While here in the U.S. we may have to wait a while longer for their next big release, it seems that customers in Korea are finally going to be able to purchase a long anticipated offering from the international company.

    LG had previewed their 84-inch ultra definition HDTV at CES, and will now ship a limited quantity of the devices for sale solely in the Asian country.

    Their ‘Ultra Definition’ HDTV sports a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, with a stunning 1080p image in standard or 3D viewing. It has all of LG’s stock Smart TV features, and will ship with the company’s Cinema 3D passive glasses tech. The timing of the announcement may be a direct response to Samsung’s unveiling of their massive, 75-inch ES9000 HDTV.

    The companies both hail from Korea, and chances are LG simply couldn’t let Samsung beat them to the punch in their native land. The ES9000 has yet to be reviewed, so there’s no telling which device will gain the most traction, but LG is probably betting that the extra nine inches of screen size in their device could sway potential customers choosing between the two.

    According to Samsung, the 4K HDTV will retail in Korea for just under $22,000 US, with a mere 84 units available during the first month. The sound system is truly 3D, with a 2.2 channel set up. American consumers will surely be eager to check out the device here at home, but since hardly any American cable networks are broadcasting in 4K, the lack of content means much of the HDTV’s strengths would go untested.

  • European Officials Press for Better Cloud Computing Contract

    The European Commission met in Brussels this week to discuss the contracts offered to clients by cloud computing firms, concerned over future legal and privacy issues. Cloud storage has emerged as a viable data storage option for large and small businesses as well as individuals, saving time and money across the board. But according to a policy paper the EC recently released, security and privacy remain complex issues.

    The European Commission declared they are working to help the cloud storage industry, not add additional roadblocks. But they feel that the complicated privacy situation and possibility for expensive legal disputes will keep many European citizens from adopting the new technology. Their focus is the contracts these providers offer, which they feel are unnecessarily complex, and packed with confusing and contradictory disclaimers. The EC found that many of these contracts do not hold the provider responsible for confidentiality, the integrity of the data, or any reliable continuity of service.

    Since data stored in the cloud is often divided among several data centers which could be managed by more than one company, a dissatisfied client will find legal action next to impossible. The policymakers want to insure that this same workflow that makes cloud computing so attractive for consumers and providers doesn’t simultaneously give the providers a way to avoid accountability.

    When pressed, the EC regulators have found that cloud storage companies aren’t clear with their clients what they would do if data is lost or stolen, or even if they would do anything at all. The EC will work alongside the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to come up with a fair and balanced legal solution for these issues, but there is no timetable for when those findings will be announced.

  • Vonage Granted New VoIP Patent

    Vonage has long been an industry leader in cloud-connected communications, with more than 2.4 million current subscribers. This week, the company announced it had been granted a new patent, U.S. Pat. No. 8,223,720. This latest patent, called “Systems and Methods for Handoff of Mobile Telephone Call in a VoIP Environment”, gives users who make VoIP calls on a mobile device the ability to continue the call while moving from one wireless data connection hub to another, without ever dropping the call.

    The patent was approved more than half a year after Vonage filed it, and the new technology should make a huge difference for customers who require more dependable VoIP service.

    Vonage has zeroed in on the mobile market, as have many technology giants in computing and software. The company recently released a mobile app for both Android and iOS-powered devices, giving users the ability to text and call other Vonage app users around the world completely for free, and in full high definition. International calls can also be made, even if the receiving party doesn’t have the Vonage app, after the payment of a small fee.

    Vonage is best known for connecting VoIP users around the world with consistent service, all while offering the same number and quality of features customers have come to expect from traditional phone service. They currently offer a World calling plan, giving users unlimited calls to over sixty countries for a small monthly fee. Vonage also offers call forwarding and call waiting, as well as visual voicemail, all included in the package. The mobile app works on all wireless data networks, and the service can be purchased either online or through a wide range of retail stores.

  • Dell to Invest in Storage Start-Ups

    Dell has often put money into their own hardware and infrastructure, but after a recent announcement, it seems they are looking to invest outside the company as well. They’ve create a $60 million fund earmarked for Fluid Data Storage, with the goal of supporting developing start-ups that are focused on data storage. In exchange they’ll take an ownership stock in the products, but not the companies themselves, allowing these fledgling computer companies to continue charting their own course.

    It’s a unique mix of building and buying, with the goal of finding the next gamechanger in this evolving industry. Jim Lussier, Dell’s managing director of VC, is hoping to find new products in cloud or memory-based storage, as well as innovative architectures, and it’s clear they are willing to pay other savvy tech entrepreneurs to do the heavy lifting.

    Dell will give five to ten start-ups between $3 million and $5 million during this first round of funding. In return, they’ll take a percentage of future equity, as well as unlimited access to any new IPs the start-ups develop. It’s a great deal for businesses struggling to get off the ground, as long as they’re willing to work off of Dell hardware. Considering the significant market share Dell still enjoys, that shouldn’t be much of a sticking point.

    The start-ups chosen for funding will be selected by a wide range of Dell experts in software, corporate development, acquisitions and storage. On top of the fluid funding, Dell also promises to invest their own sweat equity, hunting down other venture capital groups to keep the money flowing.

  • Photos and check-ins more popular than ever on trips

    Mobile phones are part of our daily routine, since we are using it wherever we go. Travelling could not be an exception.

    Nowadays, checking in on Foursquare for the new places we visit and uploading photos on Facebook is considered part of the trip for many of us. Technology has changed our lifestyle and it is not surprising that 39% of the total check-ins  are done while travelling. According to Tripl's recent inforgraphic, 79,971 photos were taken in total during trips, with the 28% of the trips having at least one photo uploaded. What's more, there were 20,401 check-ins in hotels, and the most popular destinations were New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

    Tripl is an application that notifies you about your friends' trips, according to their check-ins trough Facebook and Foursquare. It is a way to be updated on their trips and also check whether they are visiting your town to give them a call. Tripl's stats were gathered by their customers, with 137,151 trips in total, and their check-ins through Facebook Places and Foursquare. 

    However, we don't need any stats to realise that checking-in with pictures is a trend, since a look at our Facebook wall is enough. How many friends do you have on Facebook that have uploaded pictures from their vacation? It's mid-summer, so the stats must be rising day by day. Gone are the days when going on vacation meant losing contact with the others. Now going on vacation means letting others know what it's like chilling in the sun and enjoying cocktails. Invasion of technology has also brought to the surface our narcissistic self and this is not expected to change in the following year.

    For the time being, let's compete with others about our recent trips and find out who has taken the best picture.

  • Mirror Your iPad on a HDTV

    Love all that your iPad has to offer and want to share it with a group in a home theater setting? All of those apps, movies and games look great on the iPad if it’s just you, but if you want everyone at home to enjoy it, you’ve now got options. Mirroring your iPad’s display onto a HDTV is as simple as running it through an adapter. Here’s a quick look at how to get it done.

    The most seamless connection will work in conjunction with Apple TV and it’s cutting edge AirPlay technology. If you expect to often connect your iPad to your HDTV, spending the $100 on Apple TV is the best, most seamless method. As long as your iPad 2 or 3 is running iOS 5 or a later version, and your Apple TV is running version 5.0 or later, you’re basically good to go. You’ll link the iPad to the Apple TV through a Wi-Fi network. Then just hop on your iPad, access the AirPlay icon, and connect to the Apple TV with Mirroring turned on.

    Although it won’t be quite as elegant, you can link the two through a digital adapter set-up. Pick up a HDMI adapter for around $40, and then drop another $40 for the Apple Digital AV Adapter, which you’ll find in most technology retailers. The adapter plugs into the iPad, and then links to the HDTV with the HDMI cable. If your HDTV doesn’t have that port, you could use a VGA adapter or composite plug-in as an alternative. Just remember that you’ll need the latest iPad and upgraded adapters to make it all work. And you’ll only see video up to 720p with this set-up. But for a cheaper fix, and one you can take with you wherever you go, it’s quite solid.

  • Twist: an iPhone app that estimates your arrival time

    Twist is here and can become your favourite iPhone app, if you are usually running late.

    Are you among those that are never on time at their meetings with partners and friends? If you lose track of time without even realizing it, there is an iPhone app just for you. Twist is a new iPhone app that was released exactly for this kind of people. By the time you leave home, its algorithms calculate your estimated arrival time, in order to notify your friends. The most interesting part is that the algorithms take into account all the factors that might make you turn up late, such as traffic, transportation, but also your own habits. This means that before calculating your arrival time, it measures all the variables that might affect you, even your tendency to lose track of time.

    And just when you feel like you are running late, you can send a message to a list that you will have previously created, in order to tell the app to notify your friends about you being late, letting them know of your arrival time, too.

    As Bill Lee, the CEO of the Twist app, told to Mashable:
    "At its core, we like to think Twist is the easiest and most accurate way to let people know when you’re going to arrive"

    And he continues:  “We’ve really reduced that to a few keystrokes. It’s better than what Google Maps has today and better than what Apple Maps has today.”

    Even though there are many fans of Google Maps and Apple Maps, Twist is here to stay and we can predict that it would be useful for many of us out there!

  • Skype Working Out Instant Messaging Bug

    Skype has long set the standard for both video conferencing and VoIP communications, as their products were one of the first to cross operating systems, and is now the VoIP option integrated with social networking giant Facebook. But many consumers have run into issues in recent weeks, as instant messages sent over Skype have been accidentally sent to the incorrect contact, creating a host of awkward situations. Luckily, Skype is moving quickly to address the problem, so their millions of customers can rest easy that things should soon go back to normal.

    Skype first became aware of the glitch on a user forum. The misdirected IM’s became an issue any time Skype crashed in the midst of an instant message session. The last IM sent would accidentally go to a different contact once the user logged back into his account. Although Skype was incredibly apologetic about the bug, they announced they didn’t feel it has affected a large number of users, and shouldn’t dissuade anyone from trusting their VoIP needs to the service.

    VoIP-List.com: extensive catalog of voip providers, available software and hardware resources.

    Not only is the situation rather unique, but it also only impacted particular iterations of Skype. The versions in question seem to be Skype 5.8 for Mac, Skype 4.0 for Linux, Skype 5.10 for Windows, and Skype 1.2 running on Windows mobile devices. Customers were asked to upgrade to the latest version, which should solve the issue. Skype also took the opportunity to fix the File Sending option on their desktop software, so that users with a FAT32 hard drive can now save files consistently.

    Skype has risen swiftly in the VoIP world, further buffered by their purchase by Microsoft last year. Skype will come built-in on Microsoft’s newest Windows release, Windows 8, and will integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Office 2013 when it heads to market next year.

  • Microsoft Moves Office to the Cloud

    Computing giant Microsoft recently announced the pending release of their Office 2013 software, further cementing their status as a leader in the new world of cloud computing. The latest iteration of Office will directly tie into the Microsoft SkyDrive, their cloud storage offering, which will also come built-in on all computers that carry the latest Windows 8 operating system.

    While previewing Office 2013 for current customers, Kirk Koenigsbauer, the VP in charge of the software bundle, pushed most of the focus onto SkyDrive. Customers favorably compared it to Dropbox, a much smaller company that is still Microsoft’s primary competition in this market.

    Microsoft also recently announced that the upgrade to Windows 8 Pro will only cost $40 when purchased directly through Microsoft’s online portal. This is a huge sea change for the company, which now seems willing to significantly lower upgrade charges in favor of gaining customers for SkyDrive and earning that regular, monthly usage fee. That also means that consumers could find Office 2013 carrying a much lower pricetag than previous versions when it enters the marketplace.

    Microsoft also seems to be pushing the limits with how their products integrate, following Google’s approach to the cloud storage market. The new Office will work seamlessly on all Microsoft hardware, as well as link in effortlessly with Windows 8 and other key applications such as Bing and Skype. It may take a while to see if the strategy pays off with increased support of SkyDrive, but in the crowded world of data storage, even a company as large as Microsoft seems willing to take the risk.

  • Samsung Unveils Largest, Most Expensive HDTV

    Earlier this week, at an industry press event held on the U.S.S. Intrepid Museum in New York City, Samsung previewed their massive, 75-inch 3D HDTV. The ES9000 is the most impressive device they’ve ever released, and should get a great deal of coverage in the technology industry over the next month. It will incorporate all of the Smart Interaction features that were so popular in their previous ES8000 series, further changing how consumers interact with their home theater devices.

    The new HDTV, which will sport a $10,000 price tag, has a distinctive rose and gold bezel, very different from the traditional silver, clear and black seen in the majority of HDTVs. A retractable camera gives users control of the device through gestures, and integrates seamlessly with Skype.

    Samsung has it’s own dedicated apps for these devices as well, and demonstrated its capabilities with a preview of Angry Birds. The game will be a free download, playable on their E8000, ES8000, and ES7500 line as well, and can be controlled completely with gestures on the ES9000.

    Samsung declared that the new release will have a significantly better picture, due primarily to their Precision Black Local Dimming and Micro Dimming Ultimate features. They expect 30% improvement in the black colors, and 60% increased sharpness. The ES9000 will begin shipping out to stores in August, giving consumers the opportunity to soon decide for themselves if the difference is worth an upgrade.

    The $9,999 retail price makes it one of the most expensive HDTVs on the market. It hasn’t been reviewed yet, so it remains to be seen if the ES9000 will completely earn that price break. But the device is sure to turn heads in the high end HDTV market.