Richard Branson goes from the air to the sea, Facebook can make you money from their “word of mouth”, Twitter demands a tax break, the da Vinci Robot is better at “Operation” than you, Kinect is entertaining children emotionally, and so much more in today’s Tech Round-Up!
1. Richard Branson, founder of Virgin, is at it again – first it was planes, and now, submarines! [DailyTech]
2. Facebook generates social e-commerce through “word of mouth” tactics. [NYTimes]
Facebook has long promoted the value of such social ads, saying that word of mouth from friends is more valuable for users and marketers alike than generic marketing messages. The company now says that, similarly, e-commerce sites are increasingly benefiting from tying their services into the Facebook platform. In other words, Facebook says a purchase shared on Facebook generates more purchases from friends.
3. Twitter, who launched a new design yesterday, is vying for a tax break in San Fran – or else. [NYTimes]
4. Britain’s High Court has set a July date to hear an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations. [TheHindu]
5. In a mix of old school vs new school, this console mod takes things to a new extreme! [Engadget]
“a completely custom Nintendo Wii built from steel and cooled by two liquid-filled containers that would look more at home in a mad scientist’s laboratory. Not surprisingly, this mod took a long time to complete. Bit-tech forum member Angel OD began the so-called UNLimited Edition project way back in December, 2009 and, after a few diversions, finally finished it this past weekend.”
6. da Vinci Robot pwns the game “Operation” – robots can now live our childhoods for us [Engadget]
Well, not really, but Johns Hopkins students successfully removed the wish bone (for some, the source of many childhood tears of frustration) without the tear piercing buzzing noise going off.
7. There’s art in your computer chips! [Wired]
Considering the expense, precision and difficulty of manufacturing computer chips, you would think the engineers designing them are pretty serious people.
But it’s not all business inside a chip fab, as these microscope photos reveal. In fact, the designers of microchips frequently hide tiny cartoons, drawings and even messages alongside the super-tiny circuits and semiconductors they create.
8. Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster for Kinect is not your typical child entertainment of counting and colors, instead it’s all about “emotional entertainment.” [Wired]
9. The remarkable rise of the Android – and where it goes from here [PCMag]
10. A browser that speaks your language – the latest version of Google’s Chrome shows the potential of HTML5 with technology that can translate speech to text. [TechnologyReview]
Early adopters can now get a sneak peek at the future of the Web by downloading the latest prerelease, or “beta,” version of Chrome, Google’s Web browser. One of the most interesting new features is an ability to translate speech to text—entirely via the Web.
The feature is the result of work Google has been doing with the World Wide Web Consortium’s HTML Speech Incubator Group, the mission of which is “to determine the feasibility of integrating speech technology in HTML5,” the Web’s new, emerging standard language.
11. Amazon’s new music service could be a huge victory over Apple’s reign on the digital music market — or will it? [HuffPost]
Yet, despite being the first to debut a digital music locker of this sort, some experts predict Amazon’s media streaming service will actually give Apple the upper hand and provide it a more advantageous position from which to launch a rival offering.
Not only does Apple already claim 69 percent of the digital download market, but it has proven time and time again with gadgets like the iPod and iPhone that by following fast — but well — it can release a product after its competitors and still dominate the market. Online music streaming may prove to be no exception.
