Apple Preparing for Battle in the Wearable Device Market
In recent months, Apple has welcomed a host of new hires who are expected to make major contributions to the company’s future forays into the world of wearables. The market for wearable devices is poised to explode, and Apple has geared up for heated competition by beefing up its fashion, fitness, biometrics and medical research […]
FAA Opens First Drone Test Site
The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has opened the first of six planned testing facilities for unmanned aircraft. The first test site is located in North Dakota, and became operational a full two months ahead of the previously announced schedule. Officially, the North Dakota site will be used to allow drones to conduct soil […]
Future of Internet Technology Created by Mesh Networks
In its early years, the Internet was a completely decentralized and unregulated virtual space — and that was its intended purpose. However, with digital communications entering the mainstream in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Internet eventually evolved away from that model, becoming centralized, monitored and controlled. What’s next? The answer, according to many […]
Fitness Wearable Tech in Flux as Nike Pulls the Plug on FuelBand
According to recent reports, Nike has dismissed between 70 and 80 percent of its FuelBand department. Tech media giant CNET surmises that the move signals a shift in strategy from Nike, away from computer hardware towards computer software. The Nike FuelBand, which the company hoped would herald a successful entry into the wearables market, has […]
Web Encryption No Match for the NSA
Late last year, Reuters reported that the National Security Agency had struck a secret deal with RSA, one of the world’s leading Internet security providers. According to the Reuters report, the National Security Agency inserted a so-called “back door” into the RSA’s encryption system. This back door compromised the privacy and security of end users, […]
Microsoft Releases Flagship “Office” Software for iPad
Microsoft and Apple, two long-standing rival heavyweights of the American tech industry, recently joined forces to launch Office for iPad. The productivity software release features three familiar programs — Word, Excel and PowerPoint — which have been thoroughly revamped for the iPad’s touchscreen interface. Ecommerce analysts believe that Microsoft’s tenuous alliance with Apple is likely […]
Attack Detection Mode: Your iPhone to the Rescue?
The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently revealed details of a patent filed by Apple for a mobile device feature capable of automatically summoning emergency assistance. Apple calls the feature a “mobile emergency attack and fail-safe detection” system, and it is comprised of software and hardware additions to smartphones. According to the patent filing, […]
Doctors Bring Google Glass to the Emergency Room
While the new Google Glass wearable is still in its infancy, it is already proving to be a hit in the medical community. Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston recently completed a test run using Google Glass in its emergency department, and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. The hospital’s chief information officer, Dr. John […]
25 Years Ago the World Wide Web Was Born
March 12, 2014 was an important milestone in the history of the Internet, as it marked what is widely being called the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web. On March 12, 1989 computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee filed a proposal for a computer information management system. Berners-Lee’s system created the foundation for the network-based exchange […]
Smartphone “Kill Switch” to Deter Cell Phone Theft?
There was a time when you could really be in for a major headache if your credit card was stolen. The thief could theoretically tally up hundreds or thousands of dollars in unauthorized purchases, leaving you on the hook for the bill. Then, credit card companies made it possible for customers to cancel stolen cards […]