ExpressHackings

A new lab in London examines our relationship with technology

Unknown

Link Author

Title: A new lab in London examines our relationship with technology
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Most of us will admit we need a digital detox, but our fast-moving lives don't always allow for that. We still need to answer calls a...

<img alt="Vinaya-lab" height="359" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA3L2NmL3ZpbmF5YWxhYi5hNmM4Zi5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/800c4037/3e8/vinaya-lab.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 24.7869319915772px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Most of us will admit we need a digital detox, but our fast-moving lives don't always allow for that. We still need to answer calls and respond to our boss' emails, so being completely unplugged can be difficult. Because of this, a research and design house in London believes we should adapt to our digital lifestyle instead of cut off our devices completely.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<a href="http://www.vinaya.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Vinaya</a>, formerly known as Kovert, builds products and tools to help us manage that. On Nov. 1, the company opened a new lab in London to research the relationship between humans and technology. The company's three-story building houses a lab and studio, which will develop products based on the lab's research.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The company sees itself as a "modern science hub that encourages cross-pollination of a range of expertise in order to better understand the human psyche." Eventually, it'll open its third-floor doors as a sort of forum for experts and intellectuals to spend time and hold activities like science lectures and experiments.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
"<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="we-wanted-to-create" style="color: #00aeef;"></a> <span class="microcontent" data-description="We wanted to create a modern-day version of the Lyceum in ancient Greece" data-fragment="we-wanted-to-create" data-micro="1">We wanted to create a modern-day version of the Lyceum in ancient Greece</span>, where Aristotle and Socrates used to hang out and learn from each other," founder and CEO Kate Unsworth told <em><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3052903/most-creative-people/this-new-lab-studies-how-tech-addiction-affects-your-body-and-brain?partner=rss&utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=webfeeds" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Fast Company</a></em>. "We want people who come here to really begin to dig into each other's area of study, because experts in different disciplines don't typically have many opportunities to interact."</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The lab's research focuses on areas such as hyperconnectivity, stress, human connection, happiness, tranquility, depression and productivity. The team currently consists of six neuroscientists, an anthropologist, a philosopher, and a psychologist, according to <em>Fast Company</em>. They'll also have access to a "Brain Board," experts from local universities who study areas such as sleep, ADHD and artificial intelligence. The lab also contains monitoring systems to track brain activity, heart rate, cortisol levels and technology-addiction loops.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Vinaya has already been in research mode, doing small studies prior to bigger ones in the lab. One looked at how people and businesses interact with email as a medium in order to find a remedy for the "<a href="http://www.vinaya.com/lab/#/insights-email-epidemic/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">email epidemic</a>." Their report explores how digital communication affects our productivity, habits and happiness, and also encourages us to think differently about our email etiquette.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The team also conducted a social experiment on eye contact in an effort to "shed light on a culture starved of presence." In the video shown below, "I See You," the team gathered 10 strangers to make eye contact and silently acknowledge each other for five minutes — though those five minutes might be nothing compared to a sitting with <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/mar/19/art-marina-abramovic-moma" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Marina Abramovic</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
</div>
<div class="popout" style="margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="422" id="managed-yt-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UitQu82bTG0?enablejsapi=1&" style="height: 422px; width: 750px;" width="750"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
While the lab will provide its research to the design studio, the company has already introduced a a new tech product. <a href="http://www.vinaya.com/studio/#/altruis/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Altrius</a> is a Bluetooth-enabled piece of jewelry, like Ringly, that pairs with an app to notify you of calls, text messages and emails. It vibrates when a specific person contacts you or when a keyword is used in a message.</div>
<figure class="image" style="margin: 0px 0px 50px; position: relative;"><div style="padding: 0px;">
<span class="lightbox-expand"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!462f" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></span></div>
<div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!462f" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2L2ZjL0FMVFJVSVNfaW5zLmVjMWM3LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/6adbb0ac/2a1/ALTRUIS_inspiration.jpg" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/07/vinaya-research-lab-london/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/07/vinaya-research-lab-london/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/07/vinaya-research-lab-london/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/07/vinaya-research-lab-london/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div>
<img alt="ALTRUIS" class="for-lightbox" data-caption="" data-credit-label="" data-credit-link="" data-credit-name="Vinaya" data-credit-provider="Custom type" data-fragment="m!462f" data-image="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2L2ZjL0FMVFJVSVNfaW5zLmVjMWM3LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/6adbb0ac/2a1/ALTRUIS_inspiration.jpg" data-micro="1" data-width="1000" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2L2ZjL0FMVFJVSVNfaW5zLmVjMWM3LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/6adbb0ac/2a1/ALTRUIS_inspiration.jpg" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; max-width: 100%; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" title="ALTRUIS" /></div>
<br />
<div class="image-credit" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; color: #777777; float: right; font-style: italic; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 18.75px; margin-top: 12px; max-width: 625px; text-transform: uppercase; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;">
<div style="padding: 0px;">
IMAGE: VINAYA</div>
</div>
</figure><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Unsworth said the design team is in the midst of developing other products, though the next one won't be a wearable but another device that will promote a healthy relationship with technology.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>
</section>

A new lab in London examines our relationship with technology

Most of us will admit we need a digital detox, but our fast-moving lives don't always allow for that. We still need to answer calls a...

Trouble using Touch ID with iOS 9.1? You're not the only one.

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Trouble using Touch ID with iOS 9.1? You're not the only one.
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Don't call it Touch ID-gate, but more than a handful of users report a similar problem. A handful of users in Apple's Support C...

<img alt="15709701215_7ac0f1bce5_k" height="359" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2LzhlLzE1NzA5NzAxMjE1LjU3Y2QxLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/684b044c/9c8/15709701215_7ac0f1bce5_k.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Don't call it Touch ID-gate, but more than a handful of users report a similar problem.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
A handful of users in Apple's Support Communities <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/search.jspa?type=discussion&showAnsweredFirst=true&q=touch+id+9.1" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">report</a> that Touch ID is buggy and unresponsive with iOS 9.1. Users say Touch ID works more slowly — and often not at all — when updating to iOS 9.1 from a previous iOS version.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
While many users on Apple's Support Communities and some on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/search?q=touch+id+ios+9.1&restrict_sr=on" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Reddit</a> are reporting similar issues, it doesn't seem to be widespread. A quick poll of the <em>Mashable</em> office revealed only three cases of this issue, including issues with my own device.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
I began noticing Touch ID performance issues on my personal iPhone 6S after installing iOS 9.1. When first using the phone with iOS 9, Touch ID unlocked the phone instantaneously. With iOS 9.1, Touch ID responded much more infrequently with manual passcode inputs often required. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="an-attempt-to-rectify" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div>
<blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 400px;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="An attempt to rectify the Touch ID issue with the iOS 9.2 Public Beta didn't produce any positive results." data-fragment="an-attempt-to-rectify" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/06/touch-id-ios-9-1-bugs/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/06/touch-id-ios-9-1-bugs/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div>
</blockquote>
<span class="microcontent" data-description="An attempt to rectify the Touch ID issue with the iOS 9.2 Public Beta didn't produce any positive results." data-fragment="an-attempt-to-rectify" data-micro="1">An attempt to rectify the Touch ID issue with the iOS 9.2 Public Beta didn't produce any positive results.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
To rule out the possibility of my fingers being the issue, I set up Touch ID on an iPhone 6S review unit at the <em>Mashable</em>offices, also running iOS 9.1. Unlike my phone, the review unit worked flawlessly.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Some users, including two <em>Mashable</em> staffers, report that Touch ID is especially problematic with specific apps as well as the App and iTunes stores. On my phone, I've had issues across the board, including Apple Wallet.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
A representative for Apple has yet to respond to a <em>Mashable</em> request for comment.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Unfortunately for users experiencing these issues, there doesn't seem to be a currently available solution as this is very likely a software issue. Even though the iOS 9.2 Public Beta didn't fix the issue on my particular phone, it doesn't mean that the final build of iOS 9.2 won't fix the problem.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
This isn't worthy of a -gate suffix yet, but this issue is common enough to be noteworthy.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

Trouble using Touch ID with iOS 9.1? You're not the only one.

Don't call it Touch ID-gate, but more than a handful of users report a similar problem. A handful of users in Apple's Support C...

Apple Watch finally launched in India at Rs 30,900

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Apple Watch finally launched in India at Rs 30,900
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Just a few weeks after the launch of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple launched its Watch range in India today. The launch comes just before t...

<img alt="Applwtch97" height="359" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA2LzVmL2FwcGx3dGNoOTcuNzA1MDAuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJOTUweDUzNCMKZQlqcGc/e7d674a6/04f/applwtch97.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 24.7869319915772px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Just a few weeks after the launch of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple launched its Watch range in India today. The launch comes just before the country's biggest festival Diwali, and the company will be hoping for brisk sales during the festive season.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The Apple Watch comes in two sizes (38 mm and 42 mm) and three collections (Apple Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition). Prices for the 38 mm version are Rs 30,900 ($ 470) for Apple Watch Sport, Rs 48,900 ($ 743) for Apple Watch and Rs 8,20,000 ($ 12,460) for Apple Watch Edition. The 42 mm version is priced at Rs 34,900 ($ 530), Rs 52,900 ($ 803) and Rs 9,90,000 ($ 15,044) respectively.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The smartwatch will be available in colours such as gold, rose gold, space gray, 18-carat rose gold, space black or polished silver stainless steel and silver anodized aluminium. The India launch comes over seven months after the Apple Watch was launched globally.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>
<div>
<em><br /></em></div>
</section>

Apple Watch finally launched in India at Rs 30,900

Just a few weeks after the launch of iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, Apple launched its Watch range in India today. The launch comes just before t...

Augmented reality device turns your arm into a keyboard

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Augmented reality device turns your arm into a keyboard
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Japanese electronics maker NEC has unveiled a unique input mechanism that allows you to type on your arm using augmented reality. The s...

<img alt="Arkey0897" height="359" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzA3Lzg5L2Fya2V5MDg5Ny43MTk4Ny5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/9dfda2fe/a54/arkey0897.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Japanese electronics maker NEC has unveiled a unique input mechanism that allows you to type on your arm using augmented reality.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The system is called the ARmKeypad and it combines a set of glasses to visualize the virtual keyboard and a smartwatch to detect how fast you type.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Designed as a means to give workers a "hands-free" way of working while maintaining the ability to input text into a database, the company describes <a href="http://jpn.nec.com/press/201511/20151105_04.html" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the ArmKeypad</a> as better than other next-gen input methods such as voice interfaces, which are difficult to operate in noisy environments.<br /></div>
<div class="popout" style="margin-left: -125px; max-width: 120%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="422" id="managed-yt-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MVDWG33YTsg?enablejsapi=1&" style="height: 422px; width: 750px;" width="750"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
In the video of the system at work (above), <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/11/06/nec-brings-augmented-reality-keyboard-to-users-forearm/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">obtained by</a> the <em>Wall Street Journal</em>, the smartwatch device is also shown displaying an augmented reality component, hovering above its real-world screen, working in tandem with the keyboard.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
NEC thinks the innovation could be used in a wide range of working environments including healthcare, manufacturing, document management and even security.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The system was shown off in the run-up to the company's <a href="http://www.nec.com/en/event/uf-iexpo/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">C&C User Forum and iExpo 2015</a>being held in Tokyo next week.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
No details regarding the software or hardware aspects of how the system works have been revealed. However, NEC claims that it will release a commercial version (price to be determined) of the system sometime in 2016.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4545450210571px; line-height: 20.4545440673828px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

Augmented reality device turns your arm into a keyboard

Japanese electronics maker NEC has unveiled a unique input mechanism that allows you to type on your arm using augmented reality. The s...

Don't even think about fixing the Microsoft Surface Book on your own

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Don't even think about fixing the Microsoft Surface Book on your own
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Microsoft Surface Book is one of the more interesting and innovative pieces of hardware to come out of the Redmond technology giant in at...

<img alt="Microsoft_meeting-9" height="359" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAzL2U5L01pY3Jvc29mdF9NLjlhMWFkLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/2d2edcc1/553/Microsoft_Meeting-9.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 28.46875px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Microsoft Surface Book is one of the more interesting and innovative pieces of hardware to come out of the Redmond technology giant in at least a decade. It's also, apparently, one of the least repairable devices you can buy.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The teardown masters at iFixit got their hands on the coveted Windows 10 portable and did what they always do, <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+Teardown/51972" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">tore it apart</a> in an effort to measure repairability. In the process, they also learned a lot about what goes inside the laptop/tablet hybrid.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Windows device lead Panos Panay shared quite a bit with me about how Microsoft developed and designed the Surface Book, but he certainly didn’t get to this level of detail.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
iFixit's most interesting discoveries include:</div>
<ul style="list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
A sprawling motherboard that spreads throughout the base.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Lots of glued-down parts.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
A large heat pipe in the display (which is also the computer) connected to the fan that shuttles heat away from the primary components.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The Surface Book uses the same memory as its cousin, the new Surface Pro 4.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
An up-close look at the muscle lock components, including the tiny rod that holds the Surface Book Clipboard screen onto the keyboard base.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The innovative dynamic fulcrum hinge is probably a replaceable part.</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
A number of Apple-esque touches, like a heat-sink mounted on the Nvidia Custom GeForce graphics card (found only in the base of the $2,099 models)</div>
</li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The glass-covered trackpad is made by capacitive wizards Synaptics.</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Overall, the iFixit team awarded the Surface Book a 1 out of a possible 10 on its repairability scale.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
It's probably not the result Microsoft would hope for. However, in this day and age, when most companies simply replace faulty devices with new or refurbished models, does a device's repairability impact your tech buying decisions?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
You can see the full Surface Book teardown <a href="https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+Teardown/51972" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>
</section><section class="branded-content" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.5px; padding-bottom: 2em;"><br /></section>

Don't even think about fixing the Microsoft Surface Book on your own

Microsoft Surface Book is one of the more interesting and innovative pieces of hardware to come out of the Redmond technology giant in at...

8 wireless ways to stay connected with faraway family

Unknown

Link Author

Title: 8 wireless ways to stay connected with faraway family
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Long gone are the days of having to go through operators and scratchy audio connections when calling faraway places. The calls to Seoul f...

<img alt="Ily" height="359" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAzLzc4L2lseS4xOTEyOS5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk5NTB4NTM0IwplCWpwZw/e6efac8c/5e9/ily.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Long gone are the days of having to go through operators and scratchy audio connections when calling faraway places. The calls to Seoul from my childhood were a mix of butchered Korean, inaudible English and raised voices to merely glean half of what the other person was saying.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
It is amazing how far technology has come. Now calls to Seoul, or anywhere else in the world, can take place with a single tap on a screen. (I am still baffled as to how you can FaceTime with someone on the other side of the world.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Of course, there are plenty of video chat services and free international apps that make this possible, but every day, a new technology comes onto the market to make those connections richer, more meaningful and more frequent.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Here are a few of the newest gadgets for keeping those family connections strong:</div>
<section class="gallery list" style="background-color: white; border-color: rgb(246, 245, 242); border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 22.5px; padding: 10px 0px;"><div class="content">
<ul class="slides" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Bloom" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzQxL2Jsb29tLjNjOGRkLnBuZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/258aec7f/652/bloom.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">1. <a href="https://bloomcloser.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">bloom</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
Designed specifically with elderly parents in mind, bloom is part screen, part band and part app for staying connected to aging parents. The bloomview screen is housed at your parent’s house and the bloomband is worn by your parent. The screen senses when the band is nearby and any photos or messages you have uploaded through your app instantly pop up on screen. There are no confusing buttons to fuss with and it’s great for parents who don’t own mobile devices. The wearable also doubles as an activity tracker and medical alert system to keep track of your elder’s health and safety. ($249, shipping soon)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="https://bloomcloser.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">BLOOM</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Logi_circle_on_table" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzM5L2xvZ2lfY2lyY2xlLmM2YmJmLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/ca478be4/405/logi_circle_on_table.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">2. <a href="http://www.logitech.com/product/circle?wt.ac_id=global_circle_102015" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Logi Circle</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
Whether you want a peek into a family member’s house or just keep track of what’s going on in your own, you can set up the new Logi Circle camera for a bird’s eye view, no matter where you are. Live HD video and two-way talk using the iOS or Android app, guarantees instant contact when necessary. Plus, you can set alerts for certain activity. As we mentioned in our previous coverage, the camera’s Day Brief feature is a cool way to see 24 hours’ worth of activity, condensed into seven seconds. ($199)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://www.logitech.com/product/circle?wt.ac_id=global_circle_102015" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">LOGI CIRCLE</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Everystory" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzU0L2V2ZXJ5c3RvcnkuNzZhMjkucG5nCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/f3a7490e/d06/everystory.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">3. <a href="http://everystory.us/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">everyStory</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
A large part of staying connected to family is knowing where your family members came from and understanding more of their life experiences. everyStory is an app that lets anyone record personal color commentary to a photo, whether it’s an old family portrait or a birthday party shot from thirty years ago. Of course, it’s up to you to digitize those old family photos, but once you do, it’s possible to have a storied narrative attached to each one. (Free, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/everystory-give-your-photos/id990148261?mt=8" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">iOS</a> and <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=us.everystory.android.everystory" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Android</a>)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://everystory.us/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">EVERYSTORY</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Skylight-photos" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzFkL3NreWxpZ2h0cGhvLjljZmU4LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTg1MHg4NTA-CmUJanBn/260937d5/177/skylight-photos.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">4. <a href="http://skylightframe.strikingly.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Skylight Frame</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
For family members who are always begging for photos, the Skylight Frame is a perfect way to keep them satisfied. Using a home Wi-Fi network, you can simply email any photos to the dedicated email for your particular frame (yourname@ourskylight.com) and the images magically appear, regardless of where you are and where the frame is. Skylight features a 7-inch display and can hold approximately 1,000 photos. There’s also touchscreen capabilities on the screen, allowing users to browse photos or freeze on a favorite. ($109)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://skylightframe.strikingly.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">SKYLIGHT FRAME</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Egg_white" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzczL2VnZ193aGl0ZS42MzRmYi5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgk4NTB4ODUwPgplCWpwZw/8fda1e38/443/egg_white.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">5. <a href="http://www.eggcyte.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">The Egg</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
The dreaded pop-up alerting us to dwindling storage is a real nuisance. This is where The Egg wants to help. Dubbed as a “personal cloud device,” Egg does everything from store data, import images from many devices (camera, phone, GoPro, etc.) and even serve as a Wi-Fi access point. The Egg offers up to 256GB of storage and works with iOS and Android apps to access and transfer content. Those long videos to Aunt Sue from your Hawaii vacation can now be stored and sent directly from The Egg when your mobile device runs out of space. (Starting at $169 for 64GB; shipping in November)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://www.eggcyte.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">THE EGG</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Bevy" src="http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzk0L2JldnkuZjNkNmUuanBnCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/16360c07/4fe/bevy.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">6. <a href="http://bevy.us/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Bevy</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
Speaking of photo sharing, <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/02/18/lineagelabs-bevy-photo-management/#0c7O0KRbFZqR" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Bevy</a> is a new device that lets family members save and preserve memories in one location, wherever they are in the world. The person who has the actual Bevy unit in the home can grant access to any family members who want to upload photos, see new photos from other family members and create albums and favorites, all from an app. It’s a great way for everyone to stay connected, plus the 1TB model holds approximately 400,000 photos. That’s a lot of memories. (1TB, $299; 2TB, $349)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://bevy.us/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">BEVY</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 30px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Ily" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzc4L2lseS44OTgxNi5wbmcKcAl0aHVtYgk4NTB4ODUwPgplCWpwZw/aab6efa2/2bc/ily.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">7. <a href="https://www.ily.co/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">ILY</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
Aiming to be the new family phone, the ILY (pronounced ill-ee) is geared towards family members of all ages who don’t want to be reliant on a smartphone to communicate. This Wi-Fi enabled video phone is an alternative to parents who don’t have mobile devices, but want the benefits of video calls. You can connect via the ILY app (or an ILY phone in your own house) and send drawings or messages to let Grandma know that the kids miss her. ($299, no monthly fees; shipping in early 2016)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="https://www.ily.co/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">ILY</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><figure style="margin: 0px;"><img alt="Far-far-away" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAyLzUxL2ZhcmZhcmF3YXkuOTU5NGUucG5nCnAJdGh1bWIJODUweDg1MD4KZQlqcGc/be7d12e7/f25/far-far-away.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle; width: 625px;" /></figure><div class="meta">
<h2 class="title" style="clear: left; color: black; line-height: 1.27; margin: 12px 0px 2px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
<strong><span style="font-size: small;">8. <a href="http://farfarawayapp.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Far Far Away</a></span></strong></h2>
<div class="caption" style="color: #8a8c8e; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px;">
For parents who frequently travel or family members who don’t live close by, Far Far Away lets them participate in one of the most treasured times of day — story time. Both parties need to have an iPad, but using the app’s technology, two parties from across the world can connect on the app, choose a story and read it together. (Free, <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/far-far-away-one-family.-connected./id910158336?mt=8" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">iOS</a>)</div>
<div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
IMAGE: <a href="http://farfarawayapp.com/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">FAR FAR AWAY</a></div>
</div>
</li>
<li class="slide" style="line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 30px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><div class="credit" style="color: #aaaaaa; font-style: italic; margin-top: 3px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<em style="color: #555555; line-height: 22.5px;">Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</section>

8 wireless ways to stay connected with faraway family

Long gone are the days of having to go through operators and scratchy audio connections when calling faraway places. The calls to Seoul f...

Jon Stewart's next gig is not TV, it's HBO

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Jon Stewart's next gig is not TV, it's HBO
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Jon Stewart and HBO are joining forces. The network announced Tuesday that it has entered into an exclusive four-year production pact w...

<img alt="Jon-stewart-democalypse-1-credit-rick-kerns" height="359" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAzLzM1L2pvbnN0ZXdhcnRkLjdiYmMyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/427091cf/cf4/jon-stewart-democalypse-1-credit-rick-kerns.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Jon Stewart and HBO are joining forces.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The network announced Tuesday that it has entered into an exclusive four-year production pact with the former <em>Daily Show</em> host, which will start with Stewart making short-form digital content — and includes a so-called "first look option" for any other film and TV ventures Stewart might have in mind down the line. (Meaning, HBO has dibs before anyone else.)</div>
<div class="see-also" style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.5px; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
“Jon Stewart led a revolution that changed the face of TV comedy on the <em>Daily Show</em>,” said HBO president Michael Lombardo. “He graced our network nearly 20 years ago, so we’re thrilled to welcome back his immense talents in this next chapter of his career.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
In his first project for the network, Stewart is said to be working with graphics company OTOY to develop a technology that will allow him to produce short-form digital content in a timely manner, "which will be refreshed on HBO NOW multiple times throughout the day."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
“I’m so excited to be working with Richard [Plepler], Michael and the entire HBO family,” says Stewart. “Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me. I’m pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again.”</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
HBO's deal with Stewart comes just a few months after the network signed Bill Simmons, the popular sportswriter who had was kicked to the curb by ESPN earlier this year. Signing Stewart and Simmons in succession highlights HBO's push to invest in individual talent that has proven successful on TV as well as online.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The move also reunites Stewart with his former Comedy Central network mate John Oliver, whose Emmy-nominated <em>Last Week Tonight</em> has carved a space for itself in the crowded late night field by focusing on investigative journalism and social justice.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Stewart stepped away from his <em>Daily Show</em> gig back in August with a star-packed farewell show.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
At the time of his departure, Stewart made it clear to viewers that his exit was far from a permanent goodbye — but insisted he had no solid future plans.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
"Rather than saying goodbye or good night, I'm just gonna say 'I'm gonna go get a drink,'" Stewart said at the time. "And I'm sure I'll see you guys before I leave."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
New host Trevor Noah stepped into the role in late September.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Jason Abbruzzese contributed to this report</em></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>

Jon Stewart's next gig is not TV, it's HBO

Jon Stewart and HBO are joining forces. The network announced Tuesday that it has entered into an exclusive four-year production pact w...

Google can make you think you're smarter than you actually are, study shows

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Google can make you think you're smarter than you actually are, study shows
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

All that Google searching might be giving you a big head. Simon Oxenham at BPS Research Digest summarized a study from the Journal o...

<img alt="Google-header" height="359" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzExLzAzLzZjL0dvb2dsZUhlYWRlLjhiMjVjLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/b19af42f/f14/Google-Header.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<section class="article-content" style="-webkit-transition: margin 0.2s; background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: 28.46875px; margin-top: 1em; max-width: 625px; transition: margin 0.2s; width: auto;"><div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
All that Google searching might be giving you a big head.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Simon Oxenham at <em><a href="http://digest.bps.org.uk/2015/10/googling-stuff-can-cause-us-to.html" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">BPS Research Digest</a></em> summarized a study from the <em><a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/?&fa=main.doiLanding&doi=10.1037/xge0000070" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Journal of Experimental Psychology</a></em> that found that after accessing information on the Internet, people might actually be overconfident about what they think they know.</div>
<div class="see-also" style="font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase;">
<div class="inline-ad-seealso" style="margin: 0px 18.75px 0px auto; max-width: 625px;">
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Yale University's Matthew Fisher led a team of researchers conducting a study with 119 men and 83 women from Amazon’s <a href="https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mechanical Turk</a>, a web service for individuals and businesses to offer work or request workers for tasks.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
They asked a group of participants to use the Internet to answer questions such as “Why are there more women than men?” and “Why are there dimples on a golf ball?” In the control group, <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="participants-were-asked-to" style="color: #00aeef;"></a><span class="microcontent" data-description="participants were asked to answer those questions without help from the Internet" data-fragment="participants-were-asked-to" data-micro="1">participants were asked to answer those questions without help from the Internet</span>. The researchers then asked all participants how confident they were in answering questions, without the Internet, about six different topics: weather, science, American history, food, health treatments and the human body.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The study found that "the participants who had used the Internet to search for answers were more likely to overestimate their own internal knowledge in unrelated areas." In other words, people think they are more knowledgeable than they actually are.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Oxenham notes that "a recurring problem with claims about the potential harms of new technologies is that the criticisms are typically indistinguishable from criticisms of earlier technologies." In other words, "the same claims that are now being made of the Internet were once made of the printing press, and of the pen before that." So the study's finding might not be unique to just the Internet.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Because of that, researchers attempted to focus solely on the Internet as its main point of study by separating it from other forms of receiving information.</div>
<blockquote style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-width: 4px; border-style: none none none solid; color: #777777; margin: 0px 0px 0px 36px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 12px;">
<div style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
For example, the same effect was not found when the participants were simply presented with information that contained the answers to the questions, even if that content was precisely the same as that found online by the internet search group. The researchers achieved this by repeating the experiment with new participants and instructing some of them to search for specific resources, for example: “Please search for the scientificamerican.com page with this information,” while the control participants were simply shown the text from the same websites.</div>
</blockquote>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
"This finding strongly suggests it was the activity of searching the web, rather than merely having access to external reference information, that led to the illusion of knowledge," Oxenham wrote. "Bizarrely, this remained true even if the search engine was rigged to turn up no useful results whatsoever."</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Despite all this, researchers think the medium of the web is an important thing to consider in the study because its accessibility, speed and expertise can cause us to forget about our dependence on it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
And that dependence is something that has been studied before. One team called it the "<a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6043/776.abstract" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Effect</a>," which explains our tendency to easily forget information when we know it's all saved in a computer and retrievable with just a few clicks.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<em>Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.</em></div>
<div>
<em><br /></em></div>
<blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 400px;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="participants were asked to answer those questions without help from the Internet" data-fragment="participants-were-asked-to" data-url="" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/11/03/google-search-study/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<em><br /></em></div>
</section>

Google can make you think you're smarter than you actually are, study shows

All that Google searching might be giving you a big head. Simon Oxenham at BPS Research Digest summarized a study from the Journal o...

Star Wars R2D2 Refrigerator is so cool it has its own trailer

Unknown

Link Author

Title: Star Wars R2D2 Refrigerator is so cool it has its own trailer
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

When the licensed offshoots of Star Wars get their own trailers, then you know that the franchise will likely be here 100 years fro...

<div class="viral-video-lead" style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin: 0px -30px; max-width: none;">
<div style="margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
</div>
<div class="popout" style="margin-left: 0px; max-width: 120%;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="534" id="managed-yt-1" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7WUIiiadIWg?enablejsapi=1&" style="height: 534px; width: 949px;" width="949"></iframe></div>
</div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
When the licensed offshoots of <em>Star Wars</em> get their own trailers, then you know that the franchise will likely be here 100 years from now. The latest is for the R2D2 Moving Refrigerator, and it's almost as exciting as one of the film's trailers.</div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
We told you about the life-sized, remote controlled droid months ago, but in this trailer we get an up close look at just how well made the device is.</div>
<div style="color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Japan's Aqua (a division of Haier) has the device online <a href="https://otakumode.com/shop/haier/aqua/R2-D2-Moving-Refrigerator?utm_source=haier&utm_medium=media_link&utm_content=haier_r2d2&utm_campaign=haier_r2d2_teaser&tom_cohort=haier_r2d2_teaser" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">for pre-order</a> for about $8,300, with deliveries beginning in December. For a mini-fridge that only holds a handful of beverages at best, this piece of <em>Star Wars</em> swag is only for the truly obsessed — and rich.</div>

Star Wars R2D2 Refrigerator is so cool it has its own trailer

When the licensed offshoots of Star Wars get their own trailers, then you know that the franchise will likely be here 100 years fro...

5 ways Facebook is going all out to win over India

Unknown

Link Author

Title: 5 ways Facebook is going all out to win over India
Author: Unknown
Rating 5 of 5 Des:

Facebook is going all out on India. That makes sense. With Mark Zuckerberg looking ahead at saturation in mature markets like Europe and ...

<img alt="Facebook-india" height="359" src="http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzQ0L2ZhY2Vib29raW5kLmY2NWRhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/50435769/da7/facebook-india.jpg" width="640" /><br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Facebook is going all out on India. That makes sense. With Mark Zuckerberg looking ahead at saturation in mature markets like Europe and North America, and with his social network locked out of China, he's pushing forward a lot of things to ensure that Facebook gains plenty of growth from India.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<a href="https://www.techinasia.com/zuck-sidesteps-tough-questions-india-visit/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">130 million</a> Indian people now use Facebook actively. But Facebook wants a lot more. It wants "the next billion people," as the company has called them, who'll use Facebook and all its sister apps, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Asia as a whole is vital to Facebook's future. The site hit 496 million monthly active users in Asia-Pacific at the last count. Soon, the region will have more active Facebook users than Europe, the US, and Canada combined.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Here are five recent ploys — including several that happened this week — which show Facebook's renewed determination to win in India:</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
1. Getting more people online in the first place</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
One challenge in the India market is that not many people are online yet. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="poor-infrastructure-and-low" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div>
<blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 400px;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="Poor infrastructure and low incomes combine to keep a lot of people off the web" data-fragment="poor-infrastructure-and-low" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div>
</blockquote>
<span class="microcontent" data-description="Poor infrastructure and low incomes combine to keep a lot of people off the web" data-fragment="poor-infrastructure-and-low" data-micro="1" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/">Poor infrastructure and low incomes combine to keep a lot of people off the web</span>, particularly in rural areas.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
India now has <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/india-move-236-million-mobile-internet-users-2016/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">350 million active Internet users</a>, which shows the population of 1.25 billion doesn't have easy or fair access.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Facebook started to tackle this problem in India in February last year with Internet.org, its scheme to offer free access to a selection of sites and apps for people who would otherwise be offline. It does this by partnering with one telco in each company where it's rolled out.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
However, this has been controversial. Since Internet.org does not offer access to the whole Internet, many observers and governments slammed the plan as akin to demolishing Net Neutrality.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The backlash is especially strong in India, forcing Zuckerberg to rethink the way Internet.org operated in the country. Last month, the program was renamed Free Basics. This week, it opened up to developers so they could <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/facebook-awards-social-startups-for-internet-org/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">create services aimed at people in India's countryside</a>, such as farmers and students.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Although Facebook has sweetened the deal for its (very limited) free Internet, the company is not yet out of hot water and a name change to Free Basics doesn't mean people will forget about the Net Neutrality issue.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
2. Changing Facebook so it works better on slower connections</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
To make sure users in India don't run into issues on Facebook caused by slow web connections, Facebook earlier this month <a href="https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2015/10/news-feed-fyi-building-for-all-connectivity/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">said it would start</a> "building for all connectivity." That means making tweaks to the News Feed so that, when the site notices a user is on a 2G or shaky line, it won't load videos, and instead the News Feed will show more status updates and links.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
If a connection is flaking out, Facebook is now ready for that too. "Sometimes we are unable to load any new News Feed stories if a connection is particularly congested or poor quality. People have told us that when they visit News Feed they'd rather see stories that may have loaded on a previous visit than not see any stories at all. So now when you leave News Feed and then come back again on a bad connection, we will display previously downloaded stories," explained Chris Marra and Alex Sourov from the emerging markets team at Facebook.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Prior to all that, Facebook <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/facebook-launches-facebook-lite-india-users/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">built a stripped-down Lite version</a> of its app.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
"Over 875 million people in the world access the Internet through 2G and we wanted to create a good user experience for these users to enable better access in emerging markets," said Vijay Shankar, product manager at Facebook, back in June.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
3. Understanding what using the web in India is like</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
In order to build those modifications, and so that Facebook's team better understand how their users sometimes struggle to get online, the company <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-2g-tuesdays-to-slow-employee-internet-speeds-down-2015-10" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">this week rolled out "2G Tuesdays."</a> <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="each-week-on-that" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div>
<blockquote class="microcontent-wrapper pullquote" style="border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-style: none none none solid; border-width: 0px !important; clear: left; color: #777777; float: left; height: auto; margin: 15px 15px 35px -125px; max-width: 45%; padding: 0px 0px 0px 40px; position: relative; width: 400px;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="Each week on that day, the web at Facebook's HQ will be slowed right down to emulate basic 2G speeds" data-fragment="each-week-on-that" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><br /></div>
</blockquote>
<span class="microcontent" data-description="Each week on that day, the web at Facebook's HQ will be slowed right down to emulate basic 2G speeds" data-fragment="each-week-on-that" data-micro="1" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/">Each week on that day, the web at Facebook's HQ will be slowed right down to emulate basic 2G speeds</span> — just like users in some parts of India and other emerging markets.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Facebook director Tom Alison says it's a way to help close the "empathy gap" between Silicon Valley and emerging markets.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The slow speeds came as a shock to the staff at HQ. "It definitely tested my patience — it felt like parts of the product were just broken," Tom told <em>Business Insider</em>.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
4. New ad format for people who can't view videos</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Facebook has a big revenue problem when it comes to Asia. Although it's the biggest region in terms of users, it pulls in the smallest chunk of cash. This chart from Facebook shows the crisis clearly:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!55eb" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div>
<div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!55eb" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzJhL2ZhY2Vib29rX3JlLmZmNzc1LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bdd50e20/5ee/facebook_revenue_problem_in_india.jpg" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div>
<img alt="5 ways Facebook is going all-out to win over India" data-fragment="m!55eb" data-image="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzJhL2ZhY2Vib29rX3JlLmZmNzc1LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bdd50e20/5ee/facebook_revenue_problem_in_india.jpg" data-micro="1" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" data-width="900" src="http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzJhL2ZhY2Vib29rX3JlLmZmNzc1LmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/bdd50e20/5ee/facebook_revenue_problem_in_india.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
In order to start fixing that, Facebook today <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/news/slideshow?__mref=message_bubble" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">lifted the lid on Slideshow</a>, a video creation tool aimed at marketers and businesses in emerging markets. The tool is now available worldwide today through Facebook's ad website.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The idea is that people in emerging markets or on very basic phones will struggle to watch videos, so marketers can still get seen by those people by creating an ad made up of a slideshow of images. It looks like this:</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m!43fe" style="color: #00aeef;"></a></div>
<div class="microcontent-wrapper" style="clear: left; margin-left: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="microcontent-shares" data-description="" data-fragment="m!43fe" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzNmL0ZhY2Vib29rU2xpLmE5MWFjLmdpZgpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fd33ad22/d53/Facebook-Slideshow-ad-format-for-emerging-markets.gif" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" style="-webkit-transition: opacity 0.25s ease; background: rgb(246, 245, 241); height: 0px; left: -47px; opacity: 0; padding: 5px; position: absolute; top: 0px; transition: opacity 0.25s ease; width: 30px;">
<a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-facebook facebook" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #3b579d; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-twitter twitter" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #2daae1; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-google_plus google_plus" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #f02f16; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px 0px 2px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a><a class="social-share microcontent-share-badge network-badge network-badge-pinterest pinterest" href="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/?utm_cid=mash-prod-nav-sub-st#" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.3s ease; color: #bf1e25; display: inline-block; font-size: 3rem; height: 30px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; padding: 0px !important; position: relative; text-decoration: none; text-indent: -9900px; transition: color 0.3s ease; white-space: nowrap; width: 30px;"></a></div>
<img alt="5 ways Facebook is going all-out to win over India" data-fragment="m!43fe" data-image="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzNmL0ZhY2Vib29rU2xpLmE5MWFjLmdpZgpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fd33ad22/d53/Facebook-Slideshow-ad-format-for-emerging-markets.gif" data-micro="1" data-url="http://mashable.com/2015/10/30/facebook-india-growth/" data-width="676" src="http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDE1LzEwLzMwLzNmL0ZhY2Vib29rU2xpLmE5MWFjLmdpZgpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4OTYwMD4/fd33ad22/d53/Facebook-Slideshow-ad-format-for-emerging-markets.gif" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" /></div>
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The images can be photos, video stills, or be plucked from a Shutterstock library that Facebook makes available. The slideshow of three to seven images will have a running time of about five to 15 seconds. Companies can add effects like transitions. Audio will not be supported at this initial stage.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Kelly MacLean, Facebook's product marketing lead for emerging markets, mentioned at the launch event that users in developing nations respond a lot more to ads than their developed market counterparts. She says they want to connect with brands and they often share ads they like, taking screenshots and sending them to friends or displaying them on their profiles.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Ads being Facebook's bread and butter, it's only natural for the company to want to harness that audience.</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; clear: left; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.27; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">
5. Zuck drops by</h3>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
The final aspect of Facebook's massive India is Zuckerberg's charm offensive.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Zuckerberg was in India for much of this week — his second trip to the country this year. He toured the Taj Mahal on Tuesday, and then <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/zuck-sidesteps-tough-questions-india-visit/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">on Wednesday he gave a speech in Delhi</a> before answering — or, rather, dodging — questions.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
He referenced the "free Internet" scheme several times, but it's still a hard sell in India. Critics of the scheme say it only helps Facebook get new users, and all people get in return is access to a limited bundle of sites. A local <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/internet/savetheinternet-in-takes-on-zuckerberg-and-internet-org-on-net-neutrality-half-truths-blames-facebook-on-creating-digital-divide-in-india/articleshow/49583323.cms" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">group called Savetheinternet.in accuses Zuckerberg</a> of creating "a new digital divide: those who access Facebook and its partner services, and those who access the open Internet."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
Perhaps Zuckerberg needs to dial up the charm a bit higher. Or, <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/talk/mark-zuckerberg-speech-chinese-strong-sense-mission/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">once he's nailed Mandarin</a>, he could try learning Hindi.</div>
<ul style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.5em; padding: 0px;">
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/MrYWAEuDAGI/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Do-gooding team from Singapore gets acquired to form online volunteer network</a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/uAgGyUVAt3g/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">China ranks dead last on global internet freedom survey</a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/qIPIJgIge-o/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">5 unique challenges all ecommerce firms will face in Indonesia</a></li>
<li style="line-height: 1.5;"><a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PennOlson/~3/laGjERcEDSo/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">Why mobile payments in Southeast Asia are about to take off</a></li>
</ul>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-top: 0.75em;">
This article originally published at Tech in Asia <a href="https://www.techinasia.com/india-targeting-india-2015/" style="color: #00aeef; text-decoration: none;">here</a></div>

5 ways Facebook is going all out to win over India

Facebook is going all out on India. That makes sense. With Mark Zuckerberg looking ahead at saturation in mature markets like Europe and ...

ExpressHackings

A new lab in London examines our relationship with technology

Trouble using Touch ID with iOS 9.1? You're not the only one.

Apple Watch finally launched in India at Rs 30,900

Augmented reality device turns your arm into a keyboard

Don't even think about fixing the Microsoft Surface Book on your own

8 wireless ways to stay connected with faraway family

Jon Stewart's next gig is not TV, it's HBO

Google can make you think you're smarter than you actually are, study shows

Star Wars R2D2 Refrigerator is so cool it has its own trailer

5 ways Facebook is going all out to win over India

Facebook

Twitter

Google +

Contact Form