Carlo Orlando

Thanks to a new innovation, the reality of three-dimensional holographic communications is closer than ever before. A research team at Queens University in Ontario, Canada, recently began experimenting with a new system that brings face-to-face ... social media to life. The 'TeleHuman System,' as it is called, is said to be able to produce life-sized holograms that some observers are describing as 'Star Wars-like video conferencing.' Microsoft Kinect Powers 'Star Wars' Holographic System The 'TeleHuman System' marks the culmination of a ten year research project at the university. The system ... (view more)

Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch an Xbox-branded, cross-platform music streaming service along with its new Windows 8 operating system. Current expectations point to an unveiling of the new service at this year's E3 (Electronic ... Entertainment Expo) convention set for June, in Los Angeles. Microsoft is calling its new service 'Woodstock' and promises to offer its customers many more features than the music service's predecessor, Zune Music Pass. Rival Device Compatibility While 'Woodstock' will have an Xbox branding, it will not be limited to the video game console. Rather, the music ... (view more)

Microsoft is rumored to be working on a web version of Skype that users could access directly through their browsers without needing to download and install software. According to Liveside.net, a number of new Microsoft job postings have popped up ... in recent weeks asking for job applications from developers with experience building HTML5-based apps for a project called "Skype for Browsers". (Source: webmonkey.com ) Because of its affiliation with Facebook, Skype (which was acquired by Microsoft last year) is already accessible through a browser, technically speaking. The Facebook version of ... (view more)

Online deviants have released malware that's disguised as a legitimate version of Angry Birds Space, the popular strategy puzzle game released a few weeks ago. As you probably know, Angry Birds is a popular video game available for a number of ... platforms. Angry Birds Space is an extension of that original game that recently recorded 10 million downloads within its first three days of availability, followed by another 10 million downloads in the first week. (Source: pcmag.com ) Unfortunately, says security software company Sophos, a malicious program is already masquerading as a legitimate ... (view more)

Doctor Web, a Russian antivirus company, recently announced its discovery of covert, zero-day-exploiting Trojan Horse malware which it believes has infiltrated more than 600,000 Macintosh systems worldwide. A number of other security companies later ... confirmed that staggering figure is probably accurate. "Flashback" Trojan Largest Mac Botnet Ever Doctor Web originally estimated that more than half a million machines were infected with "Flashback." This particular instance of malware gets installed on an unsuspecting user's computer during a visit to a previously-compromised website. Once ... (view more)

The push to create smarter surveillance systems recently produced a major leap forward: A Japanese company has unveiled a new security system that can identify one particular face in a crowd in just one second flat. At the 2012 Security Show Expo in ... Tokyo, Hitachi revealed an exciting new security system that can scan a myriad of faces and compare them against 36 million records in a security database, and find all the matches in time to make use of the information. Using facial recognition to process surveillance footage is an established concept. In the United Kingdom, Scotland Yard has ... (view more)

Security experts at Kaspersky Lab, one of the leading anti-virus and computer security firms, recently announced they were able to take control of a hacker-built botnet containing more than 100,000 compromised computers. Unfortunately, less than 24 ... hours after the successful takedown, Kelihos, the cybercriminal gang behind the botnet, has already started building a new, large-scale collection of compromised computers to replace the one taken down. To stop the initial botnet, Kaspersky specialists used a method called "sinkholing." This technique involves direct infiltration of the botnet's ... (view more)

Microsoft is pursuing a new patent that could lead to television viewers paying subscription fees, based on what and how they choose to watch. Under Microsoft's new system, called "Control-Based Content Pricing", the whole TV sponsorship model could ... see a major overhaul. The technology could conceivably turn available television channel selections into an "a la carte menu". The theory behind Control-Based Content Pricing could lead to highly targeted advertising and media content (TV programs) designed specifically for the individual viewer. Watch What You Want, Pay For What You Watch To ... (view more)

Researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel have successfully created man-made, biodegradable transistors derived from proteins found in a mixture of blood, milk and mucus. Mixed together, the concoction is able to self-assemble into a ... semi-conducting film. This could revolutionize the tech industry by helping manufacturers produce devices that are both more flexible and biodegradable. According to the science behind the substances, the different proteins contain unique properties that combine to make a better transistor. The oxygen storing ability of blood, for example, helps mix chemicals ... (view more)

Recently, it was announced that Facebook users would see more advertising promotions in the weeks to come. One of the first companies to come aboard is Microsoft, which will have its Bing search engine page embedded on the logout page of Facebook's ... site. It's reported that after users log out of Facebook, they will be greeted with an interactive Bing advertisement complete with wallpaper and an active search box. Typing a query into the search box will open up a results page in a separate tab. "Logout advertisements" like these are said to be among the newest changes coming to Facebook. ... (view more)