Stories for May. 24, 2013
Report: Google wants to connect the developing world with wireless
photo: Shutterstock / Anton Balazh
WSJ reports Google has ambitions of connecting a billion new people to the internet using a combination of white space, satellite and aerial technologies. Given those technologies’ limitations, though, a billion is a stretch. Read more »
VMware’s revolving door keeps on spinning
photo: Marianne O'Leary
Javier Soltero, CTO of applications and SaaS for VMware and Kevin Henrikson, who worked on Zimbra, both signed on with Redpoint Ventures. Read more »
Australian researchers get closer to scalable quantum computing
photo: Shutterstock user isoga
Researchers in Australia are making progress in executing on a vision for quantum computing involving a phosphorus atom, which means a new commercial product might not be so far off in the future. Read more »
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Steering clear of the iceberg: three ways we can fix the data-credibilty crisis in science
photo: Ri han/Shutterstock
Science has a data problem, There’s been a rash of experiments that no one can reproduce and studies that have to be retracted, But there are some nascent efforts to address this credibility crisis by changing the way the data is handled. Read more »
Report: Better Place to file for bankruptcy
If Better Place files for bankruptcy in a few days, as reported by Fortune, it would represent a sober end to a high-flying dream that raised hundreds of millions of dollars. Read more »
How Amazon’s cloud competitors are trying to find cracks in AWS’s armor
News flash: The public cloud “ain’t all that,” says every cloud provider in the universe (except for Amazon Web Services.) Read more »
AT&T’s GoPhone prepaid service can now connect to LTE
Starting Friday, if you buy an LTE or HSPA+ compatible device on GoPhone — or bring your own — you will be able to connect to AT&T’s fastest networks. Read more »
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Games for the weekend: Dude Perfect
Inspired by the real world YouTube sensation of the same name, this game uses clouds, buildings, trucks, balloons, fences and even flying saucers as obstacles to sinking the perfect shot. Read more »
Where are they now (Fisker edition)? The story gets even weirder
The long disturbing tale of electric car maker Fisker Automotive keeps on going, and keeps getting more weird. Read more »
HTC reportedly takes a cue from Samsung, will offer “Google Edition” HTC One
HTC will reportedly reverse course and offer a “Google Edition” HTC One phone, with the official announcement expected next week. That could give HTC a boost by getting more marketing help and making pure Android fans happier. Read more »
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Fight over TV streaming heats up as broadcasters file new lawsuit in Washington DC
The great game between broadcasters and upstart services that stream TV took another turn this week as Fox and others filed a new copyright lawsuit in Washington, DC. Read more at paidContent »
Network transparency: How future mobile networks could be built in glass windows
photo: Shutterstock / irabel8
As data demand grows we’ll need to stick cells in many more places. Ericsson is exploring the notion of embedding small cells into windows and other glass surfaces. Read more »
The Scanadu Scout’s big breakthrough may actually be in clinical trials
People are excited about the Scout device that tracks your vitals with a 10-second scan. But outside of the consumer promise, the company behind the Scout and others are also changing clinical trials. Read more »
Meet the cloud that will keep you warm at night
AoTerra, a German company that’s shattering records for crowdfunding in that country, is a cloud provider with a difference. Its servers heat the air and water in buildings, saving everyone money and making the OpenStack-based AoCloud very green indeed. Read more »
After finding users want more than just ed-tech content, Learnist plans for expansion
About a year after its launch, social learning site Learnist is looking to gain appeal among more non-education users and balance quality and quantity as its content grows. Read more »
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Europe warms to OpenStack
It’s hard to precisely quantify adoption of open-source software, but it looks like OpenStack is gaining serious traction in Europe, with adopters ranging from CERN and Deutsche Telekom to France’s burgeoning national clouds. Read more »
The designer behind Google+ leaves Facebook for startup Intercom
photo: Om Malik
Rockstar designer Paul Adams has ditched Facebook for startup Intercom. Before Facebook, Adam’s design work was integral with Google+ and circles. He’s not the first designer to leave Facebook after a 2 year stint. Read more »
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Before you buy a $199 Nexus 7, check the $149 Hisense Sero 7 Pro tablet
With no refresh of the $199 Nexus 7, the latest Android tablet from Hisense is worth a look. It has nearly all of the same hardware features as Google’s tablet, plus a few more, but costs $50 less. Read more »
Scanadu’s medical ‘tricorder’ sets record for fastest funding velocity on Indiegogo
Scanadu’s Scout ‘tricorder’ reached its fundraising goal in two hours and doubled it in five, making it the fastest campaign of its size to reach its goal on Indiegogo. Read more »
Behold: How Amazon wins the sales tax wars even when it loses
Amazon has maneuvered to avoid collecting state sales taxes, but that’s only part of the story: This week’s Fortune cover article reveals that even when things don’t go the retailer’s way, it’s been able to turn them to its advantage. Read more »
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If Google isn’t trying to snatch Waze away from Facebook, it really should be
photo: Flickr / Dunechaser
Reports that Google has entered a bidding war with Facebook over the social-mapping service Waze may be just a gambit by the company to force a better deal, but there are compelling reasons why Google should make a bid. Read more »
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Changes ahead: more details on how iOS 7 will look
Apple is said to be planning new looks for basic iOS apps that are mostly black and white and uniform in look. Functions like slide-to-unlock will also get a facelift. Read more »
Why you should do your own mobile app store research before buying a phone
Canalys reports the mobile app gap is still big when it comes to Windows Phone and BlackBerry offering the top titles. But a closer look at the stores shows some skewed results. Ultimately, only you can determine the best app store for your needs. Read more »
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SAP cloud chief Lars Dalgaard steps down as company consolidates development
Dalgaard is off to become an investor, although he will remain a cloud advisor to SAP. Meanwhile, the company is consolidating its cloud development processes, with a view to eventually streamlining its portfolio. Read more »
Don’t forget these apps when packing for your Disney trip
Know before you go: the best iOS apps for planning for, getting around and navigating the lines at Disney World. Read more »
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The GigaOM Show: Yahoo’s big moves, Xbox’s big One, HTC’s big problem
We break down the big Yahoo news, wonder if the new Xbox will break our furniture and discuss whether HTC is broken beyond repair. Read more »
Stories for May. 23, 2013
Dodgy data: the iceberg to science’s Titanic
photo: Ri han/Shutterstock
There’s an epidemic going on in science: experiments that no one can reproduce, studies that have to be retracted, and the emergence of a lurking data reliability iceberg. Read more »
BYOD is for amateurs. Try bring-your-own-laboratory
University of Illinois researchers have created an app and a sensor-filled cradle that turn an iPhone into a mobile spectrophotometer. The combination of that mobile lab data and metadata such as location might prove very valuable. Read more »
Adios, Dora: Netflix is starting to take Viacom shows offline
Dora, Diego, Spongebob, Blue’s Clues and a number of other kids TV shows were taken offline by Netflix this week as the company’s deal with Viacom is expiring. Read more at paidContent »
Facebook sheds some light on what it can get out of Parse
photo: Ilya Sukhar
Facebook executives on Thursday talked about how its acquisition of Parse’s Mobile Backend as a Service (MBaaS) can help developers, Facebook users and, of course, Facebook. Read more »
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Apple ebook antitrust trial set for 9-12 days in early June
photo: Rubberball / Corbis
Apple and the federal government met on Thursday for a final hearing before their trial, which is set to begin on June 3, and features several high profile witnesses. Read more at paidContent »
Superman wears Warby Parker
Movie merchandising is nothing new. What’s new is that Warby Parker, an online brand (going offline) is partnering up with the Man of Steel movie on eyewear that is inspired by Clark Kent nee Superman. Read more »
Tesla CEO: With loan repayment, U.S. taxpayers made $20M profit off us
Tesla has now paid off its loan to the U.S. government entirely, plus interest, meaning U.S. taxpayers actually made a $20 million profit. Read more »
Tippy top stars of Techstars Demo Day (Boston Edition)
Red Sox star David Ortiz stole the show at Techstars Boston Demo Day, but here are a few other highlights. Read more »
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Big data at work: 12 stories about reinvention
photo: Thinkstock Images
Big data is cool and all, but is it really changing the way companies function? Yes. Here are 10 stories that show that transformation. Read more »
Clay Christensen takes closer look at how online learning will disrupt K-12 education
A new study from disruptive economics guru Clayton Christensen’s think tank gives more clarity into how online learning could shape the future of education. Read more »
Smule users record one billion songs, generate $12.6 M in revenue in 2012
iOS app maker Smule has been autotuning and auto-rapping the music app genre all the way to a sweet $12.6 milion in revenue. Read more »
Box acquires Folders technology to enrich iOS offering
photo: Folders screen shot
Box recognizes that user experience is important, particularly on mobile devices. The company said Thursday it has acquired technology from the Folders iPhone app, which lets users open many kinds of files. Read more »
Galaxy S 4 picks up steam: 10M sold in first month, now available on Verizon
Samsung keeps selling each successive Galaxy S smartphone faster than the prior model, leaving little room for any other Android smartphone maker to grab a piece of the profit pie. Should we all just get used to TouchWiz? Read more »
Following Behance buy, Adobe acquires mobile app design firm Thumb Labs
Adobe has acquired another design tool, following its Behance buy — the Brookyln based mobile app design shop Thumb Labs. Read more »
