Category Archives: Technology

IBM Announces Eight Universities Contributing to the Watson Computing System’s Development

ARMONK, N.Y. – 11 Feb 2011: IBM today announced that eight universities are collaborating with IBM Researchers to advance the Question Answering (QA) technology behind the “Watson” computing system, which will compete against humans on the quiz show, Jeopardy!, airing February 14-16. 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Texas at Austin, University of Southern California (USC), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), University at Albany (UAlbany), University of Trento (Italy), and University of Massachusetts Amherst join Carnegie Mellon University in working with IBM on the development of a first-of-its-kind open architecture that enables researchers to efficiently collaborate on underlying QA capabilities and then apply them to IBM’s Watson system  (more…)

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Introducing Livestand from Yahoo! – A Personalized Digital Newsstand for Tablets and Mobile Phones

Scalable Publishing Platform Will First Come to Life with Yahoo!’s Vast Digital Content Library  

SUNNYVALE, CA – February 10, 2011 – Yahoo! Inc. today announced Livestand from Yahoo!, a digital newsstand that continually offers new content to consumers, based on their interests. Launching first for tablets, Livestand from Yahoo! will enable publishers and advertisers to seamlessly distribute content across tablets and mobile phones in an experience that is elegant and personalized to the individual.  (more…)

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Microsoft Appoints Satya Nadella as President of Server and Tools Business

*Nadella brings deep engineering and online services knowledge to $15 billion business*

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 9, 2011 — Microsoft Corp. today promoted Senior Vice President Satya Nadella to president of Microsoft’s Server and Tools Business.

“We’re already making strong traction across our Server and Tools Business by embracing cloud services,” said Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer. “Satya has deep experience in both our server business and online services, which will help accelerate our momentum while setting the course to deliver the cloud computing scenarios of the future.” (more…)

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Universal Pictures Becomes First Major Studio to Use Microsoft Tag to Promote a Nationally Released Film

*Mobile tagging technology offers instant reader interaction with ads in national magazines for “Bridesmaids,” a new comedy from producer Judd Apatow and director Paul Feig*

REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 8, 2011 — Microsoft Tag and Universal Pictures today announced a new campaign to promote “Bridesmaids,” the new comedy from producer Judd Apatow (“Knocked Up,” “Superbad”) and director Paul Feig (“Freaks and Geeks”).

Further establishing the studio as a market leader in mobile marketing, Universal, through the Tag campaign, will enable smartphone users to interact with full-page ads that will run in several magazines, including Cosmopolitan, InStyle, People StyleWatch and Us Weekly. When the Tags are scanned by the free Tag Reader app, users will be able to watch the “Bridesmaids” trailer and access additional movie information and content. With this campaign, Universal becomes the first major film studio to use Tag technology to promote a first-run, nationally released movie. (more…)

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Argonne National Laboratory Selects IBM Supercomputer to Advance Research

*Based on next generation IBM Blue Gene, the 10 petaflop “Mira” supercomputer will fuel national innovation*

WASHINGTON – 08 Feb 2011: IBM today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory will use IBM’s next-generation Blue Gene supercomputer to enable significant advances in areas such as designing ultra-efficient electric car batteries, understanding global climate change and exploring the evolution of our universe.

The 10-petaflop IBM Blue Gene/Q supercomputer, named “Mira”, will be operational in 2012 and made available to scientists from industry, academia and government research facilities around the world. (more…)

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Amazon.com Announces the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America

Alexandria, Va., knows how to keep the romance alive as America’s most romantic city for the second year in a row; Miami keeps it hot as the sexiest city in the U.S

SEATTLE, Feb 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Love is in the air. Amazon.com today announced its list of the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in America. After compiling sales data of romance novels and relationship books (Kindle Books and print books), romantic comedy movies (digital movies and DVDs), Barry White albums (CDs and MP3s), along with sexual wellness products, since Jan. 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with over 100,000 residents, the Top 20 most romantic cities in the U.S. are:  (more…)

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comScore Reports December 2010 U.S. Mobile Subscriber Market Share

*Number of Smartphone Users Up 60 Percent Versus Year Ago*

RESTON, VA, February 7, 2011 – comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released data from the comScore MobiLens service, reporting key trends in the U.S. mobile phone industry during the three month average period ending December 2010. The report ranked the leading mobile original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and smartphone operating system (OS) platforms in the U.S. according to their share of current mobile subscribers ages 13 and older, and reviewed the most popular activities and content accessed via the subscriber’s primary mobile phone. The December report found Samsung to be the top handset manufacturer overall with 24.8 percent market share, while RIM led among smartphone platforms with 31.6 percent market share. (more…)

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Yahoo! to Support Safer Internet Day on February 8, 2011 With a Global Commitment to Creating Safer Online Experiences for Young People

*Yahoo! launches safety sites across more than 26 countries, providing online safety tips for educators, parents, and teens around the world* 

SUNNYVALE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Yahoo! Inc. today announced that it is launching Yahoo! Safely worldwide, demonstrating its longtime commitment to fostering safer online experiences. Through Yahoo! Safely (https://safely.yahoo.com), users across 26 countries and 14 languages can now access information and advice on making smart choices online. This global resource aims to inform parents, educators, and young people in their own languages about important topics, such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying, and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices.  (more…)

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