Mar 17
iRobot’s Ava 500 smart telepresence robot has gone on sale, autonomously mapping out your office, industrial facility, or anywhere else, and then allowing you to remotely log in and wander … Continue reading
Feb 06
Google has revealed Chromebox for Meetings, it’s attempt to further push Chrome OS into the enterprise by offering a simpler way for multiple people to collaborate. Offered as a $999 … Continue reading
Aug 30
In an interview with the BBC, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Skype, Mark Gillett, confirmed that the company is working on 3D video calling functionality. Though he warns that it will still be awhile before such a feature is available – and probably longer yet until it is widely adopted – he also states that […]
Aug 27
Back in May, Google+ Hangouts was unveiled at the Internet giant’s I/O 2013 event, with the service now being available for use across iOS, Android, and on the Web. Though Google Voice still hasn’t been integrated into the service, a different change has taken place with the latest Android update that will make AT&T users […]
Aug 12
The latest Skype update has arrived in the iOS App Store and this one has a focus on video calling. Specifically, those sporting an iPhone 5 or fourth-generation iPad will now be able to make 720p HD quality video calls. While the 720p video is limited to the Retina-display devices, that is not where this […]
Jul 01
Microsoft has already been taking advantage of their buyout with Skype, merging Microsoft accounts to the newly-acquired software, as well as pushing out an all-new design today for Android devices. The redesign takes pages from Windows Phone 8 and gives the Skype for Android app a metro look that compliments the Windows variant. Microsoft says
Apr 05
Banks are great. They allow us to store our money in a safe place, that way we don’t have to deal with it ourselves, but sometimes we need to make a withdrawal or a deposit, and you’re just not in a talking mood that day. That’s where ATMs come in, but Bank of America is looking to take the social aspect of bank tellers and bring them to ATMs as well.
Bank of America is calling the new technology Teller Assist, and it will allow customers to video chat live with tellers in order to do more at ATMs than what would traditionally be offered. This includes cashing checks and receiving change, making withdrawals in denominations other than multiples of 20, and even make loan or credit card payments straight from the ATM.
Bank of America says that Teller Assist will allow customers who prefer human interaction an improved way of banking during after-hours or on the weekends. I know that I enjoy the social aspect of banking, but sometimes I can only make it there in the evenings and on the weekends. This method, however, provides a nifty compromise.
The Teller Assist program is beginning to roll out now starting in Boston, and will make its way to other markets throughout the year. It won’t be a 24/7 program, but the company notes that Teller Assist ATMs will be open from 7 AM to 10 PM, and 8 AM to 5 PM on weekends, which should give early risers and night dwellers more time to hit the bank during the week.
Image via Flickr
Bank of America bringing teller video chat to ATMs is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 03
Skype has just announced that its users have broken another milestone today. As of today, Skype says that all of its users use a total of 2 billion minutes a day to call their acquaintances, friends, and family members. That’s one day. Now we can see why France wants to tax the VoIP service. Skype has come a long way since its debut, and is now available on almost any device with a screen. You can get it on your PC, Mac, iOS devices, Androids, Windows Phones, and even your TV.
Skype gives us a general idea of what someone can do in 2 billion minutes. It says that 2 billion minutes equals “33 million hours of people singing, laughing, joking, and staying in touch.” It also equals 1,388,000 days, more than 3,805 years, spent on Skype in just a single day. You could travel to the moon and back over 225,000 times, or even walk around the Earth more than 845 times. There are many more examples Skype provides that shows us just how amazing 2 billion minutes spent on Skype means.
There is always something Skype is looking to add onto its service. Just a couple of months ago, Skype added a new video messaging feature to its service that lets users send personal video recordings to their friends. Users are only limited to 20 video messages, however, they can always upgrade to a premium Skype account to send an unlimited amount. That way, you can send as many 3-minute long videos to your friends as you want.
As of right now, Skype is focusing more on enhancing its service on the Windows Phone 8 platform. It has recently added HD Video calling to Windows Phone 8 devices and will integrate your Skype contacts into your device so that you can call or message them straight from the People Hub. You are able to send a quick instant message, or make a free VoIP call through WiFi or 3G. Skype is asking its users to tweet to it using the #2billion hashtag and telling it what they use their minutes for.
[via Skype]
Skype users talk about 2 billion minutes a day is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Mar 25
Telecommuting isn’t anything new. Many companies around the world allow employees to work from home, but a new initiative from one Congressman in particular calls for the ability for Congressmen and Congresswomen to attend hearings, debates, etc. from their home districts, without having to fly out to Washington DC every time.
House Representative Steve Pearce (R-NM) wants to create a “virtual Congress” of sorts that would allow lawmakers to check in from their home offices, and Pearce says that not only would it save money for the Congressmen and women, but he says that “keeping legislators closer to the people we represent would pull back Washington’s curtain and allow constituents to see and feel, first-hand, their government at work.”
Plus, it would allow all the representatives and Senate members to spend more time at home in their districts, which would allow them more time for their own constituents. Pearce brings up the fact that businesses and large corporations use telecommuting technologies all the time, and says that “it’s time that Congress does the same.”
However, not all companies are on board with such practices. Recently-appointed Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer got rid of the company’s policy that allowed some of its employees to work from home. Mayer’s new policy requires that all Yahoo employees work from the company’s many campuses in order to spark more creativity and boost moral.
[via The Hill]
Congressman wants to create a “virtual Congress” is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jan 29
BlackBerry 10 users will be able to hold multi-person video calls featuring up to twelve participants, thanks to a deal with ooVoo that sees the conference chat service integrated into RIM’s new platform. The ooVoo video and instant messaging service, which is free to use, will hook into BlackBerry 10′s calling system, with the companies claiming it will be straightforward to flick between a voice call and an ooVoo video call.
Since ooVoo is a cross-platform service – with clients for PC, Mac, Android, and iOS – those with BlackBerry 10 devices will be able to hold video calls with their counterparts using other devices. There’ll also be integration with the BlackBerry 10 browser.
ooVoo functionality isn’t the only streaming video option RIM is expected to include in BlackBerry 10. According to leaks last month, BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) on the new OS will also include full-screen video calls, as well as screen sharing, though it’s not expected to support multiple-user conversations.
Exactly when BlackBerry 10 devices will get the ooVoo app is unclear, with the company only saying that it will be available “later this year”; that could be a concession to RIM, however, which is yet to confirm specific release dates for the first BlackBerry 10 devices. We should know that for sure tomorrow, with RIM set to fully detail its new OS – and the smartphones that run it – at events in North America and Europe.
BlackBerry 10 adds ooVoo for 12-person video chat is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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