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Are NFC payments dead?

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:01:13 -0400

The new generation of smartphones running the Android operating system come loaded up with special equipment, called NFC chips, that theoretically would allow for those phones to be used as payment device. Surprisingly, few pieces of software are…

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Does the web still matter?

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:02:01 -0400

This week, the World Wide Web turned 20. And the organization in charge of its future seems to have forgotten about the anniversary, which may leave many to wonder: Do we still care about the web?

In the distant world of 1993, Tim Berners-Lee and CERN…

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Fake Twitter Followers: A Dirty Marketing Secret

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 22:41:29 -0400

A few weeks ago, I alerted readers to the growing problem of Twitter spam and now news comes that this is not the domain of underground players but one where large brands and stars may also be playing, purchasing fake followers to puff up their social…

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The internet is drowning

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 18:01:38 -0400

The internet is slowly drowning.

Don’t believe me? Try the following exercise: attempt to create an application or site that will reach a majority of internet users without having to worry about one large company standing in your way.

Try doing that on…

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Aereo: Reinventing the cable TV model Watch and record live TV...

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:01:37 -0400

Aereo: Reinventing the cable TV model

Watch and record live TV over the Internet, without having any hardware installed in your house:…

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Twitter's spam problem

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:01:25 -0400

There’s been an increasing amount of reporting about the underground economy that powers the sale of retweets and followers on Twitter, leading to some questions as to how popular the service truly is. With reports of 500 million registered accounts, what…

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T-mobile: Contract KillerLeveraging off frustrations with...

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 12:04:02 -0400

T-mobile: Contract Killer

Leveraging off frustrations with complex wireless contracts, T-mobile CEO John Legere made a…

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Foursquare Shifts To Search

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 01:01:35 -0400

Foursquare, the New York based location app, had its first public showing 4 years ago this week at the New York Tech meetup. To celebrate the occasion, the company’s founder, Dennis Crowley, went back to the New York Tech Meetupto talk about what the…

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The Galaxy S4 fails the cool test

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 14:03:12 -0400

After this week’s presentation of the Galaxy S4, members of the press were allowed to spend a little time with the new device. My general impression was that this is a solid upgrade but also a missed opportunity for Samsung.

If you follow Apple’s upgrade…

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Social Networking rises in mobile appsApp Annie, a leading app...

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 08:02:16 -0400

Social Networking rises in mobile apps

App Annie, a leading app store analytics company, recently presented a report that highlighted the…

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Nintendo 2013 is Sega 1997

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:02:29 -0500

Nintendo kicked off the new generation of console hardware last fall with the introduction of the Wii U but will it be able to survive the rise of new consoles by Sony and Microsoft and how will it evolve?
The death of the console
Innovation in…

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Convergence is here

Sun, 24 Feb 2013 17:01:35 -0500

In today’s technology world, most of the coverage goes to tablets and phones as replacement for computers but a brand new battle is about to take shape, one that focuses on the last screen found in most homes and offices: the TV screen.

Next week, Samsung…

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Protecting our electronic infrastructures

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 11:01:22 -0500

In this week’s State of the Union address, President Obama acknowledged a reality that has become obvious to many in the technology world: we are now at the brink of World War III, with our technological infrastructures as the main target and an enemy…

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On Internet and the Post Office

Sat, 09 Feb 2013 23:37:56 -0500

The news that the post office will stop mail delivery on Saturday will further hobble traditional companies that are competing with internet offerings and help digital-only companies in their fight against the incumbents.
Netflix and video distribution
On…

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Old TV hits streams: Available, at a cost

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 07:32:35 -0500

Over the last few weeks, I’ve looked at availability of recent movie hits and recent TV hits on online services. A couple of weeks ago, we’ve also looked at how older movie hits were faring. But what about older TV series? This week, I turn my lens on the…

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Legal streams for 2012 TV hitsOver the last few weeks, I...

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:03:37 -0500

Legal streams for 2012 TV hits

Over the last few weeks, I looked at how blockbuster movies fared on online streaming services.…

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Streaming hits - 2012 editionAs has become customary on TNL.net,...

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:03:26 -0500

Streaming hits - 2012 edition

As has become customary on TNL.net, January is the time when I look at the streaming market through…

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Predictions for 2013 Having closed out on another year, it is...

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 18:03:20 -0500

Predictions for 2013

Having closed out on another year, it is time to pull out the old crystal ball and try to figure…

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2012: The year in review

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:02:01 -0500

Over the last 12 months, this column has seen almost a tripling in readership so I thought that, as we wrap the year, it might be fun to go over the last 12 months and do a quick retrospective of what I’ve covered. I hope you enjoyed reading it over the…

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An internet carol

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 17:55:13 -0500

This Christmas season, I present “an internet carol,” a cautionary tale loosely based on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Introduction
Tom was dead: to begin with. He was dead as a doornail and while the digital record of his death was hard to find,…

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