Consumer Electronics Daily News

RealNetworks Acquires Iconic Social Game Slingo

RealNetworks, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Slingo, Inc. A unique combination of Bingo and slots, Slingo is one of the most popular social casino games on the Internet. Currently more than 4.5 million people play versions of Slingo each month on Facebook, and millions more play it on mobile handsets, on slingo.com, and in physical slot machines in casinos around the world. 

Rob Glaser, founder and interim CEO of RealNetworks, announced the acquisition during a keynote speech today at Casual Connect in San Francisco. The acquisition was completed in the second quarter of this year for $15.6 million.  

"We are thrilled to have acquired Slingo, one of the most beloved products and brands in social casino gaming," Glaser said. "We look forward to bringing Slingo-– an extremely fun combination of slots and bingo-- to even more fans around the world. Our team is hard at work creating even more compelling new versions of Slingo for Facebook, iPhone, iPad and Android."

Slingo, Inc. has leveraged the game's popularity across platforms that have engaged legions of fans:

• Facebook – Launched in February 2012. When heavily marketed, a version of Slingo had more than 50 Million monthly active users (MAUs) on Facebook, and today has over 4.5 Million MAUs 
• iOS and Android  – Slingo Supreme for iOS is consistently ranked as the No. 1 paid casino app on iTunes
• Bingo halls and casinos – Slingo-branded slot machines launched in 2001 and are featured in more than 300 casinos across the U.S.
• Lottery and pull-tab tickets – Over $1 billion in Slingo-branded tickets sold through more than 200 licensed lottery games
• AOL, Nintendo, Kindle, CD-ROM and handheld electronic games

"Slingo has been a successful, compelling product on every major games platform over the past 15 years," said Rich Roberts, CEO of Slingo. "By joining forces with RealNetworks, we look forward to taking Slingo to the next level. We're thrilled to be joining RealNetworks' GameHouse division."

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Comcast Launches X1, A Next-Generation Cloud-Based Video Platform, In Utah

Comcast, a global media and technology company, today announced the launch of its cloud-based interactive television experience, the X1 Platform from Xfinity, across Utah.

Unlike any other video service available today, X1 is a cloud-based platform that transforms TV into an interactive and integrated experience. It integrates the largest collection of video with social media features, interactive apps, web content and more in one easy-to-navigate, sleek viewing experience. The launch of X1 is part of Comcast's ongoing and evolving effort to take advantage of its powerful network and IP technology to constantly bring new innovations to market. 

"The X1 Platform is a huge leap forward for us and transforms traditional television viewing into an entirely new entertainment experience," said Comcast Regional Vice President Kyle McSlarrow. "X1 uses cloud-based technology to make the TV smarter, richer, and more personalized, and allows us to deliver new features to our customers faster than ever." 

New X1 features and capabilities available to customers in Utah today include:

• Visual, Sleek User Interface: A modern user interface that enables one-click access to programs and a highly visual guide to entertainment options and related information.
• Faster, More Personalized Search and Discovery: A personalized viewing experience with recommendations based on search input and previously watched shows and movies. They also have the ability to search simultaneously across live TV, Xfinity On Demand and DVR recordings – and see the last nine programs watched across all services with a single tap on the remote control.
• In-Home Convenience: The ability to watch DVR recordings from any room in the house and simultaneously record up to four shows while watching another.
• Social Integration and Customized Apps: An expanding selection of tailored-for-TV apps, including traffic, weather, voicemail, and a sports app to track multiple games at once and check the latest scores, standings and schedules while watching a favorite show. X1 also includes a selection of Web-based apps, including Facebook and Pandora.

In addition, the X1 Remote App lets customers use motions, gestures, and voice commands to control their TVs with their Apple handheld devices. For example, customers can use voice commands to navigate the guide and search for content; swipe their iPhones to page through the interactive TV guide and program personalized short-cuts and favorites ("Quick Links"); and shake their device to pause Xfinity On Demand content.

X1 will initially be available to new Xfinity Triple Play customers and will become available to additional customer segments in the future. The X1 Platform is currently available in more than a dozen markets, and Comcast plans to launch the service in all remaining markets by the end of the year. 

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Is Instagram Video Overtaking YouTube?

Based on an analysis of mobile data traffic from its installed customer base, Flash Networks, the leading provider of mobile Internet optimization and monetization solutions, found that Instagram video viewing exceeded YouTube on the fourth of July, America's independence day, reaching close to 28 percent of total video hits. The findings were based on mobile Internet traffic data retrieved from over 30 million smartphone users in North America during the first week of July. Surprisingly, in comparison with Instagram's sharp spike, YouTube video hits slightly decreased that day and Vine's video hits stayed relatively flat.

These findings, based on Flash Networks' Harmony Analytics data, demonstrate the success of Instagram's video launch last month and the growing popularity of subscribers using video to capture memorable holiday moments. Google's YouTube is still clearly the most popular video service, and continues to maintain its superiority in the total volume of mobile video traffic. However, Facebook's Instagram has demonstrated that it can generate usage rivaling YouTube by being the application of choice for capturing and sharing holiday celebrations.    

"It appears that subscribers are moving over to video as the preferred format for capturing holiday memories with family and friends," said Merav Bahat, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Flash Networks. "With all the growing bandwidth requirements, mobile operators are continuing to invest in network upgrades and optimization to meet subscribers' insatiable desire for rich mobile content."

Flash Networks collected this data using Harmony Analytics which provides the ability to drill down and analyze traffic based on data plan, (e.g. prepaid, postpaid), devices, bearer, (e.g. 3G, 4G), application, domain, or any combination of these factors. This analysis is helpful for identifying browsing behavior for advertisers to monetize the mobile Internet. 

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Affordable Point-and-Shoot 3D Scanner Launches on Kickstarter

Fuel3D combines high resolution 3D modeling with accurate color capture

Fuel3D Inc. today announced the start of a crowd funding campaign on Kickstarter that will bring the Fuel3D scanner to the world. Fuel3D is an affordable handheld 3D scanner that delivers high resolution shape and color capture for a range of 3D modeling applications, such as 3D printing, 3D art and 3D game development.

"The explosion of 3D printing and the continued expansion of the games market means that there is an increasing demand for 3D scanning products that capture high resolution 3D data," said Stuart Mead, CEO, Fuel3D Inc. "With Fuel3D, our goal is to bring high quality 3D scanning to a wider market by making it available at an affordable price-point."

Fuel3D is the world's first 3D scanner to combine pre-calibrated stereo cameras with photometric imaging to capture and process a 3D model in seconds. Fuel3D's ability to capture color in addition to geometric shape means that the product is also particularly well suited to on-screen 3D applications, such as game development, animation and 3D art.

In order to enhance the Fuel3D product offering, the company has teamed up with 3D design software company, Uformia, another Kickstarter success story. For Fuel3D, Kickstarter pledgers will have the opportunity to get their product bundled with Uformia's MeshUp software, the first real volume modeler for meshes, allowing any creator to make sure their models are always ready for 3D printing.

"Fuel3D's scanner promises to change the game in the 3D scanning and modeling space," said Cherie Stamm, CEO, Uformia. "For the first time, professional level handheld scanning is in the price range of the average computer user or 3D modeling and printing enthusiast, at a quality that even surpasses devices costing tens of thousands of dollars. Uformia is very excited to partner with Fuel3D on their Kickstarter campaign, as our upcoming product MeshUp is a perfect tool to use together with Fuel3D's scanner to creative an infinite number of possibilities by scanning and remixing the world around you."

Other Kickstarter alumni from the 3D printing world are also showing a keen interest in the Fuel3D technology, with companies like Formlabs and Pirate 3D following developments closely. The Form 1 3D printer from Formlabs produces high-resolution, high-quality prints that show the full detail of the Fuel3D's scans. Pirate 3D's Buccaneer produces low-cost ABS prints and allows fast and easy printing of Fuel3D scans.

"Right now, a large obstacle to 3D printing adoption is the difficulty in producing the digital 3D models required," said Roger Chang, CEO, Pirate 3D. "A high quality affordable scanner will really change the 3D printing game and Fuel3D's 3D scanner looks set to put 3D modeling capability into everyone's hands."

The technology behind Fuel3D was originally developed within Oxford University and was, at first, developed for medical imaging applications.

Pre-production Fuel3D units will be available in Spring 2014, with full production following soon thereafter.

 PRNewswire

Who Let The Dogs Out? SpotLite 2.0 Pet Tracker Can Help!

According to a recent study, almost 15 percent of pet owners reported a lost or stolen animal over a five year period. Pets slip away from home in many ways: someone may forget to close a gate, or a dog may dig under a fence or break through a screen to chase a squirrel. When a pet runs away, their guardians want to recover them as quickly as possible. Securus Inc. has created a lightweight, waterproof, real-time pet locator that can help pet lovers quickly find and recover a lost dog: the SpotLite 2.0 GPS Pet Tracker.

Using the latest GPS tracking technology, SpotLite 2.0 gives pet owners a way to locate and track lost animals 24/7 via a cellphone, smartphone or computer. The durable SpotLite 2.0 unit easily clips onto a pet's collar with the included durable pouch and transmits turn-by-turn directions when needed to help owners locate and recover pets. Pet owners can even set up designated SafeSpots (such as the home and yard) and receive an alert via text and/or email when a pet leaves the area as well as continuous location updates until the animal is found.

Each SpotLite 2.0 unit comes with lifetime membership in AKC CAR, which provides recovery support by phone anytime, anywhere. AKC CAR experts can provide directions and support to help SpotLite 2.0 users find their lost animal. The rechargeable SpotLite 2.0 unit also features a rescue button that allows anyone who finds a lost dog wearing the device on its collar to send an emergency message with the dog's location to the owner at the touch of a button.

When a pet goes missing, pet guardians need a fast, easy way to locate and recover their beloved companion animal, and SpotLite 2.0 can provide an ideal solution. To learn more about how SpotLite 2.0 gives pet lovers greater peace of mind, please visit www.securusgps.com.

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The (Augmented) Reality of the Situation: Emerging Trends and Issues

This exciting online conference, with complimentary registration, is set to run at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday, August 1, 2013, headed by Mike Jude, Ph.D. Connected Home Program Manager.

Augmented reality (AR) is here to stay, causing regulators, politicians and network operators to scramble in order to make sense of this new technology.  One thing is certain: AR is not primarily about social networking.  It is a powerful new communication and business tool that will transform such activities as a local directory search. Service providers, and those who provide their technology, must understand AR and prepare to leverage it for new revenue generation.

Why This Matters to You:

• Learn what AR really is (hint: it isn't social networking)
• Understand the public policy and regulatory issues associated with AR
• Pinpoint the opportunities in the AR market, specifically how can you make money using AR

This briefing will significantly benefit communication service providers and network operators in North America by identifying the dynamics of this new market as well as the implicit opportunities.

Supporting Quote

"Augmented reality (AR) is in the news lately, with many expressing concern that it will lead to a loss of privacy," said Stratecast | Frost & Sullivan Program Manager Mike Jude. "However, AR is a transformational technology that is much more important than simply a new form of social networking. It will transform the way we interact with information and the world around us."

Supporting Resources

For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Stratecast practice, please visit: http://stratecast.frost.com

Registration

• To attend the briefing, email [email protected] your full name, job title, company name, company telephone number, company email address and web site, city, state and country.
• Receive a recorded version of the briefing anytime by submitting the aforementioned contact details.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. 

PRNewswire

Pong.com Becomes a Pinterest for Flash Games

Pong.com has officially launched their exciting new platform that is set to revolutionize casual gaming online. Pong, which stands for "Pin Online Network Games" does exactly that. The site allows users to organize and share their favorite flash games in one convenient online location. Comparably it's like Pinterest, only with video games.

Users have the choice to register for a profile or play games anonymously. After joining, a member has access to organize their own boards to bookmark games. Pong.com provides seven key boards to help better organize games across the site. The boards include Action & Arcade, Retro, Strategy & Defense, Shooter, Puzzle & Skill, Adventure & RPG and Sports & Racing. The vast difference in game categories allows users of all tastes to find games they love on Pong.com. Because there's only so long you can play Candy Crush.

The site is already a rich database for casual games, but the 'Pong it' button feature allows users to 'Pong' their own games from across the web onto their profile's boards. Members place the 'Pong it' button on their preferred browser and when they see a flash game they like, with a click of the button it can be added to their boards on Pong.com. Additionally, members can follow other members to see what new games they Pong and add those games to their own boards.

Pong.com aims to be the premiere online resource for all flash games. The Pong difference is the ability to share, comment and bookmark games all in one place. Pong.com is creating a community that includes all types of gamers, from the casual gamer up to the hardcore gamer. Registration is free and Pong.com provides all users full site access with no fees of any kind. Play your old favorites from Donkey Kong, Galaga, to new shooter games and yes, even Candy Crush. Pong.com looks forward to enriching the online gaming world in a fun and interactive way that will change how you play flash video games forever.

Get addicted at www.pong.com

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The World's Best (and Best-Selling) MMO Gaming Mouse Just Got Better

Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced the latest iteration of the Razer Naga, the world's best-selling MMO gaming mouse.

The Razer Naga's iconic 12-button thumb grid is now outfitted with mechanical switches for increased tactility, speed and actuation assurance.  Each button on the thumb grid stands out more pronounced than previous generation models to allow for blind-finding, letting gamers more easily execute commands.

The Naga's ergonomic form factor has also been updated with a broader shape offering the best feel and comfort to a wider range of hand types.  The fourth and fifth finger rest has a gentler down-slope to promote better grip and reduce fatigue over extended play.  Razer's latest Naga also features a tilt-click scroll wheel that clicks in and out and also left and right, disposing more buttons for gamers. 

"When we launched the original Razer Naga gaming mouse several years ago, we had no idea that it would rise to become the best-selling MMO gaming mouse the world has ever seen, helping launch a slew of other MMO mice," said Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director.  "In fact, we expect the copycats to be the first in line to order the new Razer Naga. This new iteration is no different-– mechanical thumb grid buttons for better game control, improved ergonomics that were already widely accepted as the benchmark for this type of mouse within the editorial community and intuitive software that makes MMO gaming more efficient."

In-game MMO configurator software is also being introduced and is included with the Naga to allow gamers to set up their mouse's key binds, macros and other preferences, all from within any games they play. This is achieved via a non-intrusive overlay, so gamers conveniently never have to quit games to customize the mouse exactly as they need.

Also available at launch is the left-handed edition of the all-new Razer Naga.  Razer decided to produce the left-handed edition of their best-selling MMO gaming mouse at an expected fiscal loss as a result of popular community demand.

"Why? Because we like to do fiscally irresponsible acts for the betterment of gamers worldwide," said Tan.  

The Razer Naga is available now at Razerzone.com and at participating retailers worldwide.  For more information on the Razer Naga MMO gaming mouse, please visit www.razerzone.com/razernaga.

The Razer Naga MMO gaming mouse's improved form factor promotes exceptional comfort and fits snugly with a wide range of hand shapes, sizes and grip-types, while the included in-game MMO configurator software allows gamers to conveniently set up the mouse without ever leaving the game.

Price: $79.99USD/EUR

Product features:

• Total of 19 MMO optimized programmable buttons
• 12-button mechanical thumb grid
• Tilt-click scroll wheel
• 8200 dpi 4G laser sensor
• Razer Synapse 2.0 enabled
• Green LED backlighting
• 1000 Hz Ultrapolling
• Up to 200 inches per second / 50 g max acceleration
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick mouse feet
• 2.1 m / 7 ft. braided fibre cable
• Product dimensions:
  • Length: 119 mm / 4.68 inches
  • Width: 75 mm / 2.95 inches
  • Height: 43 mm / 1.69 inches
• Product weight: 135 g / 0.30 lbs

Note: In-game configurator software compatible with Windows 8 / Windows 7 / Windows Vista

PRNewswire

TopCoder's Global Community Surpasses Half a Million Members

TopCoder®, Inc., the world's largest open innovation platform and competitive community of digital creators, surpassed half a million community members yesterday. Representing the world's best algorithmists, software developers and creative artists, the members compete and collaborate to create valuable, real-world solutions on TopCoder's state-of-the-art platform.

Already welcoming over 50,000 new members this year, the TopCoder Community is on track to set record growth in 2013. The largest growth year in TopCoder history was 2012 with 68,397 new members.

"I'm extremely happy to see the TopCoder Community reach the half million point," said TopCoder Founder Jack Hughes. "But it's about so much more than the numbers. It's about the depth and breadth of what the community is able to do."

Founded in 2001, TopCoder is designed to accelerate the development of new digital products and services for Fortune 1000 enterprises, small and mid-sized businesses, and government agencies. Through crowdsourcing and open innovation, specialized competitions invite multi-disciplinary community members to effectively and efficiently solve clients' challenging problems, including application and mobile development, user experience, graphic design, and big data projects. Member expertise and capability canvasses the entire digital lifecycle, from ideation, to all phases of software development, and continued through maintenance, updates and security of created assets.

Hughes is constantly amazed by the sophisticated platform built by the TopCoder Community and the tools that enable member engagement. As the community grows, so does the talent pool and opportunity for innovation. "TopCoder attracts people who want to help each other and work together in both a competitive and collaborative fashion," added Hughes. "They are willing to support one another even when there is no commercial aspect, when it's simply a learning exercise. That's the most gratifying aspect of TopCoder."

TopCoder members reside in 239 countries, with the top three regions being Asia at 43 percent, North America at 26 percent and Europe at 13 percent. Since its founding, TopCoder has paid its members over $47.7 million in prize money.

"TopCoder is the twist in my life," said TopCoder Member and Copilot Jerrish Issac Varghese. "I started as a novice coder in the community and gradually learned how to participate in different competition formats. Those experiences took me to new heights in my career. Thanks to TopCoder's wonderful platform, I can collaborate with talented people around the globe and I'm really proud to be among the half million members."

As an accomplished software copilot, Varghese, who lives in India, works closely with TopCoder clients to ensure successful project completion. He was instrumental in the creation of NoNameSite.com, an online community of 13- to 18-year-olds that fosters computer science skills through educational gaming.

Each year TopCoder showcases its most talented members during the TopCoder Open, a worldwide programming and design tournament that offers over $300,000 in cash prizes. TopCoder Open finalists will compete in Washington, D.C., November 10 – 14, 2013.

Video: Hear more from TopCoder Founder Jack Hughes.

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'Eco Manager' App Launced For Better Service Recoveries in Hospitality

Eco Consumer Services announced today that it has launched a mobile App for its hotel and restaurant merchants to better react to customer feedback. The Eco Manager App collects real time reviews and feedback from customers staying at hotels or visiting restaurants and alerts managers when it detects need to react and recover the service based on the context of the feedback.

The Eco Manager App also collects reviews and social media postings consumers leave on the internet and allows Managers to reply directly to customers from their apps.

The App can be used in conjunction with an Eco Enterprise account, a leading SaaS customer engagement platform. Eco Manager has been in use with beta users in North America and in Singapore across properties operating under the Hilton, Radisson and Holiday Inn brands as well as a number of independent hotels for 3 months prior to its general market availability.

Says Ken Reimer, CEO of Eco Consumer Services:  'We are very excited about Eco Manager because of the changes we have seen it makes within the business: suddenly all efforts of employees when serving customers become transparent to the management and so does consumer feedback. Servicing customers becomes like a team sport through the app.'

The app is available as a native App for iPhone's iOS and as a web app for other device types. The company says it is following up with an Android native app soon. The app is available at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eco-manager/id656494353?mt=8

Eco Consumer Services empowers consumer opinion. For more information, visit www.geteco.com

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