Category Archives: Technology

Microsoft unveils Xbox One: the ultimate all-in-one home entertainment system

Blockbuster titles, Steven Spielberg-produced Halo TV series, and exclusive agreements with the NFL transform games, TV and entertainment for the 21st century living room.

REDMOND, Wash. — May 21, 2013 — A new vision for the future comes to life today as Microsoft Corp. unveils Xbox One , the all-in-one gaming and entertainment system created for today and the next generation. At Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Wash., the company showcased how Xbox One puts you at the center of all your games, TV, movies, music, sports and Skype.

“Xbox One is designed to deliver a whole new generation of blockbuster games, television and entertainment in a powerful, all-in-one device,” said Don Mattrick, president, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Our unique, modern architecture brings simplicity to the living room and, for the first time ever, the ability to instantly switch across your games and entertainment.” (more…)

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Yahoo! to Acquire Tumblr

Promises not to screw it up  

SUNNYVALE, Calif. & NEW YORK — Yahoo! Inc. and Tumblr announced today that they have reached a definitive agreement for Yahoo! to acquire Tumblr.  

Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators.   (more…)

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Tablets: An ideal vacation companion

Sleek, light, long-lasting and with a dazzling array of apps, today’s tablets have become an indispensable tool for travelers

REDMOND, Wash. — Packing for summer vacation used to be quite a chore, but today a new travel companion is removing a lot of the guesswork and lightening the load. Travel guides? Check. Books? A whole library. Movies, music and games for the kids? Got ‘em. Map, compass, calculator, and even Office 2013 so you can get a little work done? Of course. (more…)

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Mother’s Day Online Shopping Up 15 Percent. Reports IBM

Mobile Percentage of Sales Reaches 17 percent, as On-the-Go Consumers Shop for Mom

ARMONK, N.Y. – 16 May 2013: Mother’s Day online shopping grew 15 percent in the week leading up to Mother’s Day, compared to the same time period last year. Spurred by mobile commerce, mobile percentage of sales reached 17 percent, according to IBM’s Digital Analytics Benchmark, a cloud-based analysis of the online retail market.

With the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimating Mother’s Day sales reached $20 billion this year, retailers made it easier for consumers to buy for mom through their smartphones and tablets.  (more…)

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Highly logical: Microsoft and Paramount Pictures team up to promote new ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ film

A new Star Trek app for Windows 8 and Windows Phone kicked off an unprecedented cross-company partnership to promote “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the new film from Paramount Pictures. Star Trek movie-themed content will materialize across Microsoft’s consumer products and services leading up the May 16 release of the highly anticipated new movie.

REDMOND, Wash. – May 15, 2013 – Star Trek and Microsoft — a logical pairing, Spock might say.

Paramount Pictures thought so. (more…)

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New IBM Center in Beijing to Speed Linux Applications on Power Systems

Red Hat, SUSE, IBM Collaborate to Accelerate Enterprise Big Data, Cloud, Mobile and Social Computing in China

BEIJING, China – 14 May 2013: At a press conference in Beijing today, IBM further extended its reach into China with the opening of the first Linux innovation center for Power Systems clients and business partners. The Power Systems Linux Center, located inside IBM’s China Systems Center, will make it simpler for software developers to build and deploy new applications for big data, cloud, mobile and social business computing on open technology building blocks using Linux and the latest IBM POWER 7+ processor technology.

With today’s news, IBM is announcing a new collaboration with Red Hat and SUSE to meet increasing demand from businesses in China for optimized and pre-integrated computing systems running enterprise applications on Linux. The companies will use the new center to help drive more Linux-based solutions in the marketplace and accelerate Linux adoption on Power Systems. The center is open to clients, business partners, academics, and students across the nation. Skills resources include:  (more…)

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Mobile health technologies to rapidly test and track infectious diseases

Early-warning sensor systems that can test and track serious infectious diseases – such as major flu epidemics, MRSA and HIV – using mobile phones and the internet are being developed by a major new Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (IRC) led by UCL.

The new £11 million IRC, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (total investment £16 million), will develop mobile health technologies that allow doctors to diagnose and track diseases much earlier than ever before. (more…)

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Anatomy of a Blast: Researchers Develop Sensor System to Assess the Effects of Explosions on Soldiers

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are becoming a global problem for the U.S. armed forces. To prevent injuries to soldiers and provide better care to those who are injured, the U.S. military is striving to better understand how blasts impact the human body. (more…)

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