100 million televisions will be connected to the internet by 2016

internet-connected tv

By 2016, the living room TV will become as hyper-connected as the people watching it.

Researcher NPD In-Stat predicts that 100 million homes in North America and Western Europe will own television sets that blend traditional programs with Internet content by 2016. These new hybrid devices, capable of displaying interactive content related to TV shows, are a bid to hold the viewer’s attention in a device-cluttered world.

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Sony’s Authentication Power Outlet can recognize devices and users

sony smart plug

Sony’s Authenticated Power Outlet system currently consists of a plug and outlet that communicate wirelessly.

A power outlet that can identify devices plugged into it, as well as individuals using the plug has been developed by Sony. The company says such technology could allow the electricity usage of individual devices to be monitored so non-essential devices could be switched off remotely in the event of limited electricity supply, or for the billing of customers charging their electric vehicles or mobile devices in public places. (Pics and video)

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Arturo’s Desert Eagle: World’s biggest paper airplane soars across Arizona desert

paper airplane 1

The giant paper plane is hoisted from the Earth in preparation for its maiden flight.

Paper planes may normally be the work of kids, but it’s fair to say you’d struggle to fly this particular model across a classroom.  A team of designers and aviators have made young boys’ dreams a reality by erecting what is thought to be the world’s biggest paper airplane. (Pics)

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Your new tv could be watching you

tv watching you

Samsung’s latest sets feature built-in HD cameras, microphone sets and face and speech recognition software.

Top-of-the-line plasmas and LED HDTVs by Samsung offer new features never before available within a television including a built-in, internally wired HD camera, twin microphones, face tracking and speech recognition. These new features give you unprecedented control over your HDTV, but the devices themselves are more similar than ever to a personal computer and may allow hackers or even Samsung to see and hear you and your family, and collect extremely personal data.

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Social media role in police investigations growing

police using facebook

88 percent of law enforcement agencies use social media to investigate crimes.

Cincinnati police investigators stumbled upon an online video last year showing an act of armed robbery, helpfully taped by the perpetrators themselves.  The city’s Real Time Crime Center analysts found the footage on a Facebook page while using the popular social-media site to investigate another crime. The suspects were eventually arrested.

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27 percent of people in the U.S. get their news using mobile devices

news on mobile devices

“News is becoming a more important and pervasive part of people’s lives.”

The guy who bumped into you on the street with his eyes glued to his smartphone may just as likely be reading a news story as sending a text message. A new report says 27 percent of Americans now get their news using mobile devices, something that’s helping to increase news consumption nationally, despite a continuing decline in subscribers to print publications.

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