The Wall Street Journal’s Amir Efrati has raised eyebrows with an article (subscription required) saying Google is working to stay ahead of its rivals in internet search by introducing more so-called “semantic search” technology, Digital Trends reports. The idea is the Google’s search box wouldn’t just be a place for users to type keywords or specifically-formed queries, but a box that had an actual understanding of many of the terms, names, verbs, and references people type in — and could apply that knowledge to users’ searches. In theory, semantic search should be able to return results that reflect a searcher’s intent, and in some cases improve Google’s ability to give an answer right away without referring users off to another site. But wait — is this anything new? Doesn’t Google already put some answers right up front? And how could semantic search potentially help Google maintain its lead in the Internet search business?
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eCampus News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Study: Cloud to replace personal computers by 2014
Cloud computing evangelists have been pronouncing the death of the PC for years; now Gartner, the world’s leading IT research firm, has weighed in on the issue with a new report that predicts personal cloud services will replace the traditional PC as the dominant form of business computing by 2014, Digital Trends reports. Although that date seems a bit hasty given how long large scale IT changes typically take in the corporate world, Gartner analysts identified five “megatrends” that they predict will come together and lead to the rapid adoption of the cloud in business. Among them: The consumerization of tech, virtualization, and a dramatic increase in user mobility.
“Major trends in client computing have shifted the market away from a focus on personal computers to a broader device perspective that includes smartphones, tablets and other consumer devices,” said Steve Kleynhans, research vice president at Gartner, according to a press release. “Emerging cloud services will become the glue that connects the web of devices that users choose to access during the different aspects of their daily life.”
Nintendo says the Wii U will be out in 2012, but can it boost the company’s falling profits?
Proving that Apple is the exception at the moment, Nintendo has published its financial results for the final quarter of 2011, which unfortunately saw a 61% drop in profits and a 40% fall in sales revenue too, Digital Trends reports. The company also re-evaluated its projected sales for the Wii and 3DS, cutting them from 12 million to 10 million, and 16 million to 14 million respectively. Bad news all round, especially when you consider the 3DS had an early price drop last year. It wasn’t all negative however, as the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, has confirmed that the Wii U console will be going on sale in the USA, Europe and Japan in time for the 2012 holiday sales period. With Black Friday often symbolizing the beginning of the Christmas rush in the US, a November date is possible…
…Read MoreNintendo could open an eBook store for the Wii U console
Following news that Nintendo will introduce an application store with their forthcoming Wii U console, a rumor has appeared that they’ll introduce an eBook download service too, Digital Trends reports. This builds on the speculation that Nintendo wants their next console to be more than just a games machine. Quoting an unnamed software developer who has been working with Nintendo, Forgetthebox.net was told of a complete eBook download service, featuring not only books, but comics, magazines and newspapers too. One of the Wii U’s unique features is its 6.2-inch touchscreen controller, and it’s here that the eBooks would be read, using the standard page turning swipes to browse through them…
…Read MoreApple and Google independently developing wearable, reality augmenting smartphones
Some of us are quite attached to our mobile devices, much to the chagrin of anything and anyone that isn’t a smartphone screen. Apple and Google are reportedly looking to change that, Digital Trends reports. They want to integrate our smartphones into daily life better by developing wearable mobile devices that act more like a window to the real world, rather than a screen. According to the New York Times Bits blog, Apple has been secretly working on a wearable computer, much like the wrist worn iPod Nano, which will integrate Siri. The NYT sources say that a small number of Apple employees have been rounded up for “conceptualizing and even prototyping some wearable devices.” One device the company is toying with was described as a wrist worn “curved-glass iPod…”
…Read MoreStudy: Facebook does not hurt college students’ GPA (much)
Right now, hundreds of thousands of college students across the US are cramming for the end-of-semester finals. Either that, or they’re procrastinating on Facebook, Digital Trends reports. Which, according to a study from Lockhaven University of Pennsylvania published last month in Computers in Human Behavior, really isn’t such a bad thing, as far as grade point average is concerned. Of the more than 1,800 students surveyed, 92 percent admitted to using Facebook, and those who do log on spend an average of 106 minutes each day on the social network. For every additional hour and a half (93 minutes) spent on the site, GPAs dropped an average of 0.12 points. That said, the study found “no strong link” between Facebook usage and a drop in GPA. Instead, the grades a student got in high school are twice as strong a predictor of how well he or she will do in college…
…Read MoreStudy: Nearly 80 percent of college students can’t figure out QR codes
According to a recent study conducted by youth marketing company Archrival, the majority of college students with smartphones have no idea how to scan a QR (Quick-Response) code, Digital Trends reports. The study was conducted with over 500 college students across 24 different college campuses. While 81 percent of students owned a smartphone and 80 percent were familiar with the concept of a QR code, only 21 percent were able to scan a provided QR code when asked. Of the 79 percent that were unable to scan the code, some tried and ultimately gave up while others attempted to take a picture of the code with the built-in camera. Others complained of the process taking too long and some students didn’t want to download an app to scan it. ..
…Read MoreAmazon launches the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library
Amazon took another step toward pulling its hardware and digital content into an increasingly tight package on Wednesday when it announced the launch of the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, Digital Trends reports. As its name suggests, the new service, which allows users to borrow one digital book per month, is open to anyone with a Kindle device, such as its popular Kindle e-reader, or its soon-to-be-released Kindle Fire tablet. Users must also be a member of the Amazon Prime service, which costs $79 a year and offers access to almost 13,000 movies and TV shows, together with free two-day shipping for goods purchased from its online store…
…Read MoreApple back to school promo hands out $100 app store credits
Apple has announced that it is switching up its back to school promotion this year. Instead of getting a free iPod Touch, this time students will be offered a $100 gift card to buy apps with, reports Digital Trends. The $100 app store credit comes with purchase of a Mac with Apple education pricing during the period of time between the months of June and September 2011. The qualifying Mac can be bought at an Apple retail or online store, as well as your campus’ store. The credit can then be spent on the Mac App Store, the iOS App Store, iTunes or the iBookstore…
…Read MoreIBM predicts five big tech innovations coming by 2015
We already know that tablets are going to take a bite out of PC sales and robots will take over social networks, but what else is happening in the next five years? Well, IBM has a few guesses, reports Digital Trends. The company recently unveiled its annual “Next Five in Five,” showcasing five innovations it thinks will hit the tech market in the next five years. This year’s list is filled with better batteries, 3D holograms, computer heat energy, better GPS, and citizen scientists.
Here’s the list:
Better batteries: Though battery capacity and power have traditionally only improved about 7 percent a year, IBM thinks we may see smaller batteries that last 10 times longer than today’s.…Read More