Category Archives: Technology

comScore Releases ‘2013 Europe Digital Future in Focus’ Report

By Guest PostMarch 21, 2013Technology2013, abc news network, bbc, Comscore, dailymotion, digital investments, eu5, europe digital future, european consumers, european countries, european market, Facebook, focus, Germany, Google, hpmg news, mobile, oem, online video, online video audience, paul goode, release, report, russia, search, vce charter study, vevo, web usage, Yahoo, YouTube

Russia Has Europe’s Largest Internet Audience, Whilst Turkey Counts the Youngest Users

Highest Penetration in Europe: 2 in 3 Dutch Internet Users Visited Banking Sites

London, UK, 21st March 2013 – comScore, Inc., a global leader in digital measurement and analytics, today released the 2013 Europe Digital Future in Focus report. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the European market and identifies the prevailing trends in web usage, online video, mobile and search. There is also a special scorecard section, which shows the top sites for all 18 European countries measured by comScore as well as an overview of top news, retail and online banking sites per market.

“European consumers are more digitally-engaged than ever before and their usage of mobile, internet-enabled devices is re-defining the media landscape,” said Paul Goode, Chief Advisor Industry Relations for comScore in Europe. “Advertisers, agencies and media owners need to understand the rising number of multi-platform consumers and the more complex digital ecosystem that has developed over the past years. Insights about key trends and underlying drivers enable clients to manage their digital investments effectively.” (more…)

Windows Embedded 8 Generally Available

By Guest PostMarch 20, 2013Technologyapplication model, arc, barb edson, craig resnick, getwindowsembedded8, hmi, intelligent systems, kevin dallas, Microsoft, neil jordan, oems, original equipment manufacturers, point of service, pos, solutions

Microsoft launches online resource getwindowsembedded8.com for enterprises and OEMs.

REDMOND, Wash. — March 20, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced via its website the general availability of the Windows Embedded 8 family of operating systems. Extending Windows 8 technologies to a spectrum of edge devices, Windows Embedded 8 helps enterprises capitalize on the Internet of Things with the platform to capture, analyze and act on valuable data across IT infrastructures.

“Edge devices connected and working in unison with an enterprise’s broader IT infrastructure unleash the potential of the Internet of Things by yielding the actionable data and operational intelligence that drive businesses forward,” said Kevin Dallas, general manager of Windows Embedded at Microsoft. “From the rich, familiar experience of Windows to integrated management, analytics and cloud platforms, Windows Embedded 8 coupled with the full breadth of Microsoft technologies for intelligent systems helps enterprises gain lasting competitive advantages in retail, manufacturing, healthcare and a variety of industries.” (more…)

App Offers Flurry of Exciting Features for Skiers

By Guest PostMarch 18, 2013Technologycanada, China, colorado, heavenly mountain resort, kevin ashley, lake tahoe, Microsoft, nokia collection, randy guthrie, ride app, silicon valley startup, snowboard instructors, windows phone, windows phone 8, winter ski, youtube videos, zoomable

Winter Ski & Ride app for Windows Phone helps you plan ultimate outings, keep track of your friends on the slopes, and beat your personal best.

REDMOND, Wash. – Winter Ski & Ride, a new Windows Phone app in the Nokia Collection, is taking skiing and snowboarding to a new altitude.

Say you’re riding a ski lift to the top of a snow-covered mountain, be it in Colorado, Canada or China. You touch the screen of your Nokia device, with frosty, gloved hands, and pass the lift time by looking at your stats. How many runs have you done? What was your top speed? You look at your contacts, and note what friends are still on the mountain. You decide to ski a mogul-heavy double black diamond run next, and watch a short video by a professional instructor to brush up on your bump skills. (more…)

comScore Releases the “2013 Future in Focus – Digitales Deutschland” Report

By Guest PostMarch 14, 2013Technologyaccess, Comscore, consumer behaviour, digitales deutschland, future in focus, german mobile users, german smartphone users, Germany, internet, laptop, pc, spil games

One in Five iPhone Users Made a Purchase With Their Smartphone in December 2012

Frankfurt, Germany, March 14, 2013 – comScore, Inc., a global leader in digital measurement and analytics, today released the “2013 Future in Focus – Digitales Deutschland” report on the latest digital trends in Germany. The report is written in German and outlines prevailing trends in digital behaviour, mobile, online video, search, online advertising, including a special review of social, retail and women on the web.

To view the full press release in German and to download a complimentary copy of the “2013 Future in Focus – Digitales Deutschland” report, please visit: https://www.comscore.com/ger/Insights/Press_Releases/2013/3/Future_in_Focus_Digitales_Deutschland (more…)

Big Bang Meets Big Data: South Africa Joins ASTRON and IBM to Build the Foundation for a New Era of Computing

By Guest PostMarch 12, 2013Science, Technology13 billion years, 3d stacked chips, astron, australia, big bang, big data, big data challenge, cognitive systems, computing, dome, drenthe, dutch ministry, economic affairs, exascale computer systems, exascale technology, human capital development, ibm, institute, national research foundation, new era, nrf, radio astronomy, simon ratcliffe, ska, ska phase 2, ska project, South Africa, square kilometer array, Technology, the netherlands

South African scientists to develop rugged microservers to handle the harsh desert conditions, explore new computer architectures and develop advanced algorithms for radio astronomy imaging

Pretoria, South Africa – 11 Mar 2013: Square Kilometer Array (SKA) South Africa, a business unit of the country’s National Research Foundation is joining ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, and IBM in a four-year collaboration to research extremely fast, but low-power exascale computer systems aimed at developing advanced technologies for handling the massive amount of data that will be produced by the SKA, which is one of the most ambitious science projects ever undertaken.

The SKA is an international effort to build the world’s largest and most sensitive radio telescope, which is to be located in Southern Africa and Australia to help better understand the history of the universe. The project constitutes the ultimate Big Data challenge, and scientists must produce major advances in computing to deal with it. The impact of those advances will be felt far beyond the SKA project—helping to usher in a new era of computing, which IBM calls the era of cognitive systems. (more…)

News Websites Should Target “Reward Seekers”, MU Researcher Finds

By Guest PostMarch 11, 2013Media, Technologyadvertising, brain friendly designs, Entertainment, gratification, information, media professionals, mobile apps, news organizations, news websites, newspaper sales, paul bolls, readership, revenues, reynolds journalism institute, school of journalism, university of missouri

Website designers should strive for simplicity, invoke emotion to boost online revenue

As newspaper sales continue to decline, many news organizations are searching for ways to improve readership and revenues from their online presences. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found that news organizations should target readers with certain personality traits in order to optimize their online viewership. Paul Bolls, an associate professor of strategic communication at the MU School of Journalism and a 2011-2012 MU Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow, has found that news consumers who have “reward-seeking” personalities are more likely to read their news online and on mobile devices, and to engage with websites, by leaving comments on stories and uploading user-generated content.

In a study accepted for presentation at the 2013 International Communication Association conference in June, Bolls surveyed more than 1000 respondents and placed them into two personality groups: reward seekers and threat avoiders. He found that reward seekers tend to use the Internet liberally, searching out entertainment and gratification, while threat avoiders tend to be more conservative, looking only for information that directly affects them. Bolls found that respondents identified as reward seekers were much more likely to engage with news websites as well as more likely to use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to consume news. He says this knowledge should direct news organizations to target these reward seekers. (more…)

‘Classed In’ Brings Private Social Networks to Schools

By Guest PostMarch 7, 2013Technologyasp, ceo, classed in, cloud based, cloud computing platform, columbia university, dnevnik, educational social network, gabriel levi, k 12 schools, microsoft bizspark startup, microsoft sql server, new york, north american market, private social networks, russia, russian educational processes, schools, software platform, st. petersburg, windows azure

Microsoft BizSpark startup improves communication and provides easy access to administrative resources combined with an educational social network.

REDMOND, Wash. — March 7, 2013 — During a trip to his home town in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gabriel Levi noticed that his local school system could modernize its services for educators and students by streamlining communication and reducing manual tasks. Using his entrepreneurial instincts, he saw a need and created a solution. Now Levi is CEO and founder of Classed In, where he has turned his mission into a thriving business with a comprehensive educational social network that connects teachers, students, administrators and parents at approximately 27,000 K–12 schools in Russia — more than half the country’s schools.

Levi attended college at Columbia University in New York and studied economics and computer science, while he dreamed of starting a business. When a work assignment took him back to St. Petersburg a few years later, he was struck by how Russian schools were still relying on completely manual processes for everything from registration and grade reporting to class assignments and homework. His point of reference was personal: Levi’s mother was a university instructor, and his younger brother was in middle school at the time. (more…)

Software Piracy Costs Billions in Time, Money for Consumers and Businesses

By Guest PostMarch 6, 2013Technologyadware, billions, brazil, businesses, chief information officers, China, computer users, consumers, cost, david finn, emotional strain, Germany, idc, identity theft, India, infection, it managers, john gantz, malware induced cyberattack, Mexico, microsoft corp., microsoft cybercrime center, money, pirated software, play it safe, poland, russia, software piracy, Thailand, time, trojans, unexpected malware, united kingdom, united states, website

New Microsoft-commissioned study also highlights dangers for those that use counterfeit software.

REDMOND, Wash. — Although some computer users may actively seek pirated software in hopes of saving money, the chances of infection by unexpected malware are one in three for consumers and three in 10 for businesses, according to a new study commissioned by Microsoft Corp. and conducted by IDC. As a result of these infections, the research shows that consumers will spend 1.5 billion hours and US$22 billion identifying, repairing and recovering from the impact of malware, while global enterprises will spend US$114 billion to deal with the impact of a malware-induced cyberattack.

The global study analyzed 270 websites and peer-to-peer networks, 108 software downloads, and 155 CDs or DVDs, and it interviewed 2,077 consumers and 258 IT managers or chief information officers in Brazil, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Researchers found that of counterfeit software that does not come with the computer, 45 percent comes from the Internet, and 78 percent of this software downloaded from websites or peer-to-peer networks included some type of spyware, while 36 percent contained Trojans and adware. (more…)