Donald Melanson

    Guest Contributor

  • The next big thing in smartphones is uncertainty

    You've probably noticed something about smartphones. They haven't been exciting lately. Chances are, your current smartphone looks and works a lot like your last one. Your next will probably seem pretty familiar, too. But there are signs that smartphones, and the ways we use them, could be about to significantly change -- even if no one can quite agree on exactly how.

  • Apple pushes out iOS 7.0.4 update alongside redesigned iBooks and iTunes U apps

    Apple may not have had all of its own apps overhauled in time for iOS 7's launch, but it's slowly but surely bringing them up to speed. The latest to get a complete redesign are iBooks and iTunes U, which expectedly now look a fair bit like Apple's Newsstand app and the App Store itself. What's more, the company's also pushed out the latest minor update to iOS 7, which now stands at 7.0.4 -- it promises a fix to the FaceTime issue that has been plaguing some users, along with the usual range of other "bug fixes and improvements." Not to be left out, iPod touch users unable to upgrade to iOS 7 can also download an update to iOS 6 that promises to remedy the same FaceTime problem.

  • Newly launched Smithsonian X 3D Collection offers historical models you can print at home

    We've already seen first-hand that the Smithsonian has a keen interest in 3D printing and modelling, and it's now turned that interest into something of a public service with a new online collection that's just launched today. Dubbed Smithsonian X 3D, the collection not only includes a browser-based 3D viewer that lets you get up close with the objects it's already scanned -- everything from fossils to historical artifacts like the Wright Flyer -- but also lets users download the necessary files to print an actual model on your own 3D printer at home. That's all coinciding with a two-day conference of the same name that's started today, and is also being webcast on Ustream. You can start exploring the options available at the source link below.

  • Google crams more options in your inbox with new quick action buttons for Gmail

    An email inbox isn't quite what it used to be. For the latest case in point, look no further than Google's latest additions to Gmail, which will let you perform a variety of new tasks without ever opening a new tab. More specifically, Google is expanding the use of its so-called quick action buttons, which previously let you do things like respond to an RSVP or confirm a flight, and will now let you do things likes leave a restaurant review on Seamless, open a Dropbox folder or view a video you've just uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo (to name a few). Not surprisingly, Google also says that plenty more options like those are on the way, so you can no doubt expect to see even more buttons in your inbox in the months ahead.

  • Overhauled WatchESPN app for Android brings Monday Night Football to tablet users

    It may still not be enough to satisfy would-be cable-cutters, but the latest version of ESPN's WatchESPN app for Android does bring with it a fair number of new options for those looking to do more viewing away from their TV. That includes on-demand clips of news and highlights that no longer require you to be signed in with a login from your cable provider, which all come wrapped in a revamped interface that's said to be designed from the ground up for Android phones and tablets alike. One big new feature is exclusive to tablet users, though: they'll be able to watch live Monday Night Football games in the app (a feature that does require a cable login).

  • Facebook's latest test run puts star ratings on businesses' pages

    Facebook's known for testing new features with a limited group before a broader rollout, and it's latest one could have some real implications for both businesses and individual users of the social network alike. As TechCrunch reports, Facebook is now testing a new five star rating system that's prominently displayed on pages for places or businesses -- a move that would place it even more directly in competition with the likes of Yelp. As TechCrunch notes, Facebook has already been collecting star ratings from users through various means, but this is the most public use of those results to date. For its part, though, Facebook isn't offering any indication just yet as to when or if we'll see a broader rollout of the feature.

  • Google finally talks barges: it's an 'interactive space where people can learn about new technology'

    It's stayed mum as speculation has run rampant about just what the "mystery barges" under construction in San Francisco and Portland, Maine will actually be used for, but Google has now finally offered its first official comment on the matter. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, a Google spokesperson says that while "it's still early days and things may change," the company is "exploring using the barge as an interactive space where people can learn about new technology." That mostly lines up with a report from San Francisco TV station KPIX 5 last week that the barges would serve as a "high-end showroom," although Google seems to be downplaying the existence of a "party deck." Unfortunately, the company still isn't offering much more than that brief comment, so it remains to be seen just what those interactive spaces will look like.

  • Nokia's high-end Lumia 929 Windows Phone for Verizon gets fully detailed in latest leak

    It's not the first time we've seen a leak of what's purported to be Nokia's forthcoming Lumia 929 smartphone, but this latest one from Windows Phone Central should clear up most lingering questions that anyone's had about the device (with a couple of notable exceptions). According to the site, the Verizon-bound phone is a "very quick," high-end device with a 5-inch 1080P AMOLED display, a 20-megapixel PureView and 32GB of internal storage -- not surprisingly, it's more or less a slightly bigger and refined version of the Lumia 928, with a metal band around the edge being another distinguishing feature. Unfortunately, the two details that remain unknown are two big ones: a price and a release date, although the latter is said to be sometime between Thanksgiving and the beginning of next year. You can find the full spec list (and more photos) at the source link below.

  • Recommended Reading: AI pioneer Douglas Hofstadter profiled, the NSA files decoded and more

    Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Man Who Would Teach Machines to Think by James Somers, The Atlantic Artificial intelligence has been in the public consciousness for decades now, due in no small part to fictional incarnations like 2001's HAL 9000, but it's been getting more attention than ever due to IBM's Watson, Apple's Siri and other recent developments. One constant figure throughout much of that time is AI pioneer Douglas Hofstadter, who's profiled at length in this piece by James Somers for The Atlantic. In it, Somers talks to Hofstadter and other key figures from the likes of IBM and Google, while examining his approach to the field, which is as much about studying the human mind as replicating it. [Image credit: null0/Flickr]

  • Google says it's cracking down on third-party Google Voice apps, expanding SMS support in Hangouts early next year

    Google didn't have much to say about Google Voice integration in its Hangouts app when it announced the latest version earlier this week, but the company's Nikhyl Singhal has filled in a few more details on his Google+ page today. Singhal notes that while the update (and its SMS support) only works with Google Voice numbers if you have the service enabled on your Sprint phone, it's "working to support SMS messages for all Google Voice phone numbers by early next year." He further goes on to say that the company is also working to offer Google Voice phone numbers outside the US and support MMS, but he's not going so far as to offer a timeline there, saying "we need to work with carriers and this can take some time." Beyond that, Singhal also confirmed that Google will now be more heavily enforcing its Terms of Service and cracking down on third-party apps that offer unauthorized calling and SMS services through Google Voice. Those app makers will apparently have until May 15, 2014 to transition their users to another service. As for the new Hangouts app itself, while it's available on the new Nexus 5, other Android users will still have to wait a bit longer for the update to show up in the Play Store.

  • Coursera teams up with State Department on series of MOOC-based 'learning hubs' around the world

    Coursera is already one of the leading providers of MOOCs (or massive open online courses) in the US, and its now getting a helping hand from none other than the US government in broadening its worldwide ambitions. The company announced a new initiative today that will see it partner with the State Department and a number of other organizations on a series of "learning hubs" around the world, where students will be able to go and access the internet and participate in MOOCs as a group. Those classes won't be quite as "massive" as your usual MOOC, however. According the The New York Times, the classes will all be small ones -- some with as few as 15 students -- and they'll be supplemented by weekly in-person sessions with a local instructor for what Coursera's Lila Ibrahim describes as a "blended learning experience." For its part, the State Department says that it hopes the courses will not only help students where they are, but "help connect them to U.S. higher education institutions" as well.

  • Sony confirms its official PlayStation 4 launch titles: 22 games including five indies (updated)

    There's a good chance you're already well-acquainted with most of the launch titles for the PlayStation 4 by now, but Sony has today made things official and confirmed the complete list of titles that'll be available on day one. That list totals 17 22 retail and download-only games in all (compared to 23 for the Xbox One, ten of which overlap between the two consoles), including five first-party titles, twelve third-party games, and five from indie developers. Sony does note the list is still subject to change -- we just saw Angry Birds: Star Wars added to both the PS4 and Xbox One launch line-ups yesterday -- but time is obviously fast running out for any major additions. Also, while this is the launch day line-up, Sony has of course announced a number of other games that are set to roll out by the end of the year or early next year, some of which were pushed back from launch due to delays. You can find the complete launch line-up after the break. Update: It looks like we spoke a bit too soon. Sony has just added a few more titles to the list, boosting the total to 22. UK gamers can also look forward to two additional games not on the North American list: Escape Plan and Flow.

  • PS3 users get more streaming options with Redbox Instant and TuneIn radio apps

    There's a lot of streaming media apps out there, and there's now two more on the PlayStation 3. On the video side of things, Verizon has brought its Redbox Instant service to the console, giving you access to thousands of streaming movies for the same $8 a month that Netflix costs (which also nets you four DVD rentals from Redbox kiosks each month). Unlike Netflix, however, you can also choose to buy or rent new release movies without a subscription. The other app making its debut on the console today is the TuneIn radio service, which offers access to some 70,000 radio stations. It'll also be making its way to the PS Vita next week, but there's no word yet on Redbox making a similar transition to Sony's handheld.

  • Google will soon let Glass users upgrade their hardware and invite their friends to buy one (updated)

    Well, that was quick. Shortly after a Financial Times report to the effect, Google has confirmed that it is indeed preparing an invite system that will let current Glass owners invite up to three friends to join its Explorer program and buy a device of their own. The company isn't saying exactly when they'll be able to do so just yet, but is promising a rollout "over the next few weeks." What's more, Google's also announced a one-time hardware exchange for existing Glass users, which will let them swap out their eyewear for an upgraded version. There's no word on any potential improvements to battery life or other specs just yet, but Google says the new version will work with "future lines of shades and prescription frames," and also come equipped with a mono earbud. Glass users can expect to receive an email sometime next month with further details on the exchange process. Update: It looks like Mountain View is beginning to open up the invitation floodgates as one of our editors in the Explorer program just received an email to invite friends. Head past the break for the missive.

  • Google reportedly ramping up Glass production, prepping invite system for broader rollout

    There's still no firm word on a broader consumer launch, but it looks like Google is now gearing up for what could be the biggest expansion of its Glass Explorer program to date. According to the Financial Times, the company is planning a "substantial" increase in production ahead of the holidays, which could put the wearable computer in the hands (and on the heads) of "tens of thousands" of more users over the coming months. At least some of them will reportedly be able to buy the device through an invite system, which the FT's sources likened to Gmail back in its beta days. Those sources apparently had few other details to share, though, including any indication of a change to that $1,500 price tag.

  • Recommended Reading: the decline of Wikipedia, safecracking the brain and more

    Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. The Decline of Wikipedia by Tom Simonite, Technology Review Wikipedia is still far and away one of the world's biggest websites but, as Tom Simonite explains in this piece for MIT's Technology Review, it's not without its share of problems -- problems that have been holding it back from becoming the trusted, authoritative source it's strived to be. Simonite looks at the roots of those problems and what they've meant for the site, and also what it's doing to address them, including a new initiative that promises to bring some of the biggest changes yet to a site that has tended to steer clear of change over the years.

  • Amazon touts 'millions' of new Prime members, 1,382 new robot workers as it pulls in $17 billion in revenue

    Amazon's known for not offering many specific details about its device sales or customers in its earnings reports, and this quarter's is no exception. The company did note, however, that it added "millions" of Prime users during the quarter, a number that's no doubt only set to grow further now that it's finally raised its free shipping threshold to $35. Beyond that, the company announced that its net sales increased 24% year-over-year to 17.09 billion, but it's still not making a profit, reporting a net loss of $41 million for the quarter. In one detail you don't often see in an earnings report, Amazon also boasted that it's deployed 1,382 Kiva robots in three of its fulfillment centers during the quarter (it bought the company last year), adding another degree of automation to its shipping process. That pales in comparison to the number of new human employees its brought on, though -- Amazon says it has begun hiring and training 70,000 new employees to work in those centers in advance of the holiday season. You can find the rest of the company's numbers at the source link below.

  • Microsoft confirms Windows Phone's Twitter feature is causing excess data use, says it'll be fixed

    Noticing that your Windows Phone device is using more data than usual? You're not alone. As The Verge reports, Microsoft has confirmed that a recent backend change on Twitter's part has caused the built-in Twitter feature of Windows Phone to eat up data a far higher than expected rate; specifically, it's caused it to frequently re-download profile images. In an effort to fix the problem, Microsoft has made a change to sync Twitter accounts just once a day, but a fix will need to be implemented on Twitter's end to completely remedy the problem -- that, Microsoft says, will take a few more weeks. In the meantime, the only other alternative is to unlink your Twitter account from the device -- or accept the data charges.

  • Instagram reveals what its ads will look like

    Ads are coming to Instagram, and now we know what they'll look like. The Facebook subsidiary's offered up the example above on its blog today, and also confirmed that it will be appearing in feeds across the service in the coming week as a test run of sorts. Plans for a broader rollout remain vague beyond that, but Instagram says the Sponsored icon you see above will be tappable to give folks more information on how ads work, and it further adds that users will also be able to hide individual ads and offer feedback on why they chose to do so. It's also confirmed a number of companies that'll be taking part in the first phase of the rollout, including Ben & Jerry's, Lexus, Levi's and PayPal -- TechCrunch has some examples of what their ads will look like.

  • Vine now lets you edit and work on multiple posts over time

    Vine may have caught on in a fairly big way, but it's been a decidedly limited app even beyond the six-second constraint on videos. It's become a bit more capable today, though, with two new features giving users more room to work with. The first of those, called Sessions, will let you save and work on up to ten posts over time before sharing them, which should please those looking to cram as much into those six seconds as possible. The other new feature, Time Travel, will let you go back and edit a post and remove, shift or replace shots as you like. The update covers both iOS and Android versions of the app, and is available for download now.