Technology Archives - Page 33 of 39

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014

The iPhone 6 Plus Could Be the Worst Nightmare for Nintendo 3DS, PS Vita

Apple has boasted about the new features its iPhone 6 Plus brings to the world of cellular devices, but it seems like the latest iPhone could also revolutionize the gaming world as well.

Slowly but surely, Apple was on a clear path to disrupt the gaming industry in a major way.

Apple’s iPads were the first major steps to making the devices more gamer-friendly, but even those sleek tablets can’t hold up to the promise of the iPhone 6 Plus.

While some consumers worried about the new iPhone’s larger screen size, gamers have found that the screen is perfect for on-the-go gaming.

In addition to boasting more screen real estate than previous cellular devices by Apple, the Retina display makes a spectacle out of every image that comes across the device’s screen.

According to the New York Daily News, watching The Avengers was a particularly beautiful experience with “flawless” visuals and “little details, such as the veins in the Hawkeye’s arms” being easy to spot.

Of course, the beautiful resolution and a larger screen aren’t enough to push the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita off the market.

What does pose a larger threat, however, are the number of games that are making their way to the App Store.

Incredibly popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and certain versions of Final Fantasy are already available for iPhone users – something that Android devices don’t have the same access to.

Many of the major video game titles don’t seem to pop up on the Google Play store, which puts the latest Galaxy devices at a major disadvantage.

Even more exciting for Apple users is the fact that the iPhone 6 Plus has not even tapped into its full potential just yet.

The device will give developers the ability to push game play and graphics to the next level.

Of course, there are still some downsides to the device – none of them being incredibly major.

As a video released by TechCrunch pointed out, the placement of the speakers can be a little annoying for most gamers.

For many games, the phone will actually be held on its side by both hands, which forces the users to cover the speakers with their hands.

To make matters worse, plugging in headphones isn’t a much better solution.

TechCrunch’s Kyle Russell demonstrates in the video, the placement of the headphone jack can be inconvenient for gameplay.

Another disadvantage of the iPhone 6 Plus compared to the 3DS and Vita is the fact that it can be difficult to see the full screen once users place their hands on either side of the device.

Fortunately, this has a much simpler solution.

Developers have released wireless controllers that sync to the iPhone 6 Plus through Bluetooth.

This means that all gamers would have to do is prop up the device, connect the controller and suddenly they can take full advantage of all that gorgeous screen real estate.

It’s still too early to say that the new iPhone will become the new king of portable gaming, but it certainly boasts enough impressive features to have Nintendo and PlayStation scrambling for new ideas.

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014

Even Tech Pioneer Ken Coleman Can’t Escape Racism’s Persistent Grasp

Ken Coleman still faces racism despite impressive achievements

Technology pioneer Ken Coleman has earned an MBA, worked in the technology space since the ’70s and has held several leadership roles at Silicon Graphics.

Despite such an impressive resume, Coleman knows none of that really matters when it comes to racial profiling by police and racial bias in the industry.

There is a common misconception that if African-Americans simply “pull themselves up by their bootstraps,” they can overcome racism completely.

Coleman knows that’s not true.

If anyone has worked hard and managed to reach incredible feats despite racism in America, it’s Coleman; but that hasn’t changed how others perceive him.

During an interview with USA Today, Coleman revealed that when he gets pulled over by police officers he is very well aware that to them he is just another Black man – and that puts him in a dangerous position.

“When I’m stopped, I want to say, ‘I’m not what you think, I’ve got an MBA, I live in Los Altos Hills, I own a home in Maui,’ ” Coleman said. “I want to say that because I know through experience that person might have an image of what I might be and view me as dangerous. And to not feel that way would be foolish.”

Some people may look at all the things Coleman has managed to accomplish and believe he serves as living proof that there is no real diversity issue or racial bias in the technology space.

Once again, Coleman knows that’s not the case.

While he certainly boasts an incredibly impressive resume, Coleman asked a very important question during his interview with USA Today.

“The real question is — what might I have done or been if I had been white?” he said while still holding a smile, according to USA Today.

The 69-year-old Silicon Valley veteran explained that there were many times he was passed up for opportunities that were given to his white counterparts who were less qualified for the position.

While the same white counterparts were being added to company boards, Coleman accepted numerous requests to join nonprofit boards that sought diversity.

From there, he “worked it hard to show people how [he] could be helpful as an adviser to a company.”

The unfortunate truth is that we will never know how just much more accomplished Coleman could have been had he been white in Silicon Valley.

Recent diversity reports released from major tech companies like Google, Yahoo and Apple revealed the stunning lack of diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.

Only 2 percent of many of the companies’ employees were African-American and those employees rarely held any leadership positions within the company.

“Diversity doesn’t happen naturally,” Coleman said. “Social systems, which a company is, want to reproduce themselves. If a founder went to Harvard, they’ll want to replicate that.”

The solution to the diversity issue, in Coleman’s eyes, is to look at things a little differently.

“I don’t think diversity should be a deficit model,” he explained to USA Today. “It’s an opportunity model. If I know something you don’t know about the marketplace because of my staff, I will beat you. And that’s something every company out there should be concerned about.”

Watch Coleman’s full discussion about the lack of diversity in the tech industry below:

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014

8 Mind-Blowing Energy Innovations That Will Make Electric Bills a Thing of the Past

Transforming the way humans interact with their environment and ultimately impact it is the key to a healthy future. Here are eight innovative energy solutions, according to Tree Hugger.

Massive Wind Turbines

This might not seem like a big deal. After all, wind turbines have been getting bigger and bigger for decades. But it’s very cool that we’re able to build these massive beasts (it’s no easy feat of engineering), and since wind turbines are all about the surface area covered by the rotor blades, their size matters exponentially. Especially offshore where half the battle is just getting the equipment out there, it’d be almost as hard to install 2-megawatt turbines as 6-MW ones, so we might as well go for the big ones and get more clean energy out of the effort.

Robots That Install Solar Panels

Robots are extremely helpful and expedite repetitive tasks that require a high level of precision. So if we’re going to build massive solar power farms — either photovoltaic or thermal — we can reduce costs and do it faster with the help of our robotic friends. We can even have robots wash the panels and mirrors!

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October 24, 2014October 24, 2014

Play Station 4’s ‘Share Play’ Could Open Up New Era of Gaming

Sony could be on the brink of introducing us to a new era of gaming where people no longer have to own a copy of the game in order to join their friends in the digital fun.

In a matter of days, an update will be available for Play Station 4 that will enable a feature called Share Play.

Share Play will, somehow, allow users to play games with their friends regardless of whether the other players have their own copy of the game.

Sony hasn’t released any specifics about how the technology will work, but it has finally announced a release date for the new update.

The update will be available on Oct. 28 and will come with a variety of new features in addition to Share Play.

According to a recent tweet from the Play Station account, the update will also come with a USB music player.

Tech Crunch revealed that the USB player will be able to play MP3, MP4, M4a and 3GP while users are playing video games.

It will essentially give gamers the ability to create their own gaming soundtrack as they make their way through their favorite games.

There are some downsides to the new Share Play feature, however.

Sony recently confirmed that Share Play will come with certain limitations and guidelines.

The feature seems to serve promotional purposes as gaming will be limited to 60-minute sessions through Share Play.

In other words, the Share Play will be more of a tease for the friend who doesn’t have a hard copy of the game.

The good news is that the limitations on Share Play won’t be applied differently based on titles as some gamers expected.

This means friends can have 60-minute gaming expeditions with even the newest Play Station 4 games.

For now, Sony hasn’t released many other details, but the concept of allowing friends to join in on gaming sessions without owning a copy is something to get excited about – even if there is a timer on how long that experience may last.

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014

You Won’t Believe What This Robot Uses to Stop the Spread of Infectious Diseases Including Ebola

Source: CNN, Paul Vercammen

Could this robot be a new tool in the fight against Ebola?

October 23, 2014October 23, 2014

Net Neutrality Advocates Fight to Save Minority Voices Online, Take Aim at NAACP

There are many reasons why Internet companies and tech startups are pushing for tighter regulations on Internet service providers (ISPs), but for minorities in the U.S., the fight for net neutrality digs deep into the roots of the great technology divide.

Progressive groups have been prominent figures in the fight for net neutrality – the principle that ISPs should treat all content online equally without giving any favor to particular websites or advertisers.

The reason these groups have been up in arms over the lack of net neutrality protections is because without net neutrality, the barriers to entry for minority groups and startup companies become nearly impossible to scale.

Higher speeds will be granted to advertisers and websites who are able to pay more to ensure faster speeds for their content.

Meanwhile, other content online could be delivered at painfully slow speeds.

Now, advocates for net neutrality are taking aim at organizations like the NAACP and the National Urban League for their lack of support for net neutrality protections.

According to a 2009 study commissioned by Free Press and the Harmony Institute, a key factor in winning the fight for net neutrality protections is to “win over and mobilize liberal middle-class African-Americans and women,” Watchdog.org reports.

Now that the discussion has garnered much more attention over the past few years, people of color are coming together to demand stronger net neutrality protections in order to protect the presence of minority voices online.

“In recent years, support among people of color for strong net neutrality protections has continue to grow as the issue receives more attention and people realize what’s at stake,” said Rashad Robinson, executive director of ColorOfChange.org, during an interview with Watchdog.org.

The problem, Robinson pointed out, is that major groups like the NAACP have received major funding from telecom companies and that financial backing may be enough to stifle their voices when it comes to the net neutrality debate.

“Some civil rights organizations, which receive massive funding from telecom companies, used to openly advocate against net neutrality protections,” he said. “Now, they say they support net neutrality while doing everything they can to undermine it by attacking Title II reclassification, which courts have told the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is the only way for it to protect net neutrality.”

Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 would require the FCC to classify ISPs as common carriers, which would prohibit them from giving paid prioritization to certain content.

“Meanwhile, the civil rights organizations attacking Title II do not engage their constituents on this issue, preferring to make their case in beltway publications and filing to the FCC,” Robinson added.

Some tech entrepreneurs believe this is yet another case of major decisions being made in the technology space without considering the African-American community and other minorities.

The African-American community is currently severely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers, which means there are not enough minorities in the tech space to help continue the push for net neutrality.

Without a commitment from major civil rights groups, it’s possible that minority voices will be muffled during discussions of net neutrality, which could eventually lead to those same voices fading away in the digital space.

In other words, despite the fact that recent studies revealed that African-Americans are some of the most prominent users of technology, they could continue to have the least amount of say in what happens with the future of the Internet.

October 23, 2014December 3, 2014