Tech & Startup News: Top 7 Things You Missed Today

Tech & Startup News: Top 7 Things You Missed Today

The Team at CitizenTekk curates guest blogs across the web. Here are the top 7 things you missed today, July 24th, 2013:

1. Google held a press conference in San Francisco today. Here were Google’s top announcements:

  1. Chromecast – A nifty $35 gadget that allows you to “cast” online content to your in-home big screen televisions. As of now, you can stream Netflix and Google Play apps with Pandora coming soon.
  2. The new Nexus 7 tablet will be available July 30th. The new device dons features reminiscent of the iPad Mini while improving the screen to some 323 pixels per inch.
  3.  JellyBean: An update to the Android mobile operating system  was announced with version 4.3 including Bluetooth capabilities and restricted profiles – perfect for parents.

For further reading, we recommend Google’s blog, which accurately details the announcements from today’s event:  http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

2. Apple surpassed analyst expectations in smartphone sales with 31.2 million iPhones sold last quarter – much higher than the predicted 26 million.

This was due to Apple aggressively cutting the cost of older iPhone models in emerging markets.

 

3. CleanTech may have a new angle with wooden batteries, which are currently being designed by a team at the University of Maryland.

By using natural fibrous structures present in trees and wood, creators Liangbing Hu and Nicholas Weadock, hope to excite charged particles and create an electrical current. These batteries would replace lithium with sodium, ideal for sun and wind technologies.

 

4. LeapMotion, a South By Southwest darling, is shipping units today of its hand-motion controller.

The gesture-driven technology aims to replace your mouse, keyboard and touchscreen. For now, you can draw or paint with your fingers, mold 3-D objects, or explore Google Earth through hand gestures. The unit, which was preordered for $79.99, arrives at BestBuy on July 28th, 2013.

 

5. What are the top 3 reasons startups fail, according to the man hired to save startups?

In a recent interview, Steve Hogan of Tech-RX explains:

  1. Single Founder. You need a team to run a startup
  2. Forgetting your customer. You should always be asking: “Who is going to buy this?”
  3. Running out of capital. Spend your pennies wisely!

 

6. Feds & NSA are demanding master encryption keys from web developers

In an escalating situation of the FBI and NSA conducting electronic surveillance on internet users, a previously undisclosed detail has surfaced. Web encryption, which uses a technique called SSL — or Secure Sockets Layer, was originally adopted to protect WiFi users. Now, the NSA has reportedly been requesting these “keys” in order to conduct surveillance. The consensus among large corporations and web developers alike, is that these requests go beyond what the law permits. Note: CNET was first to report.

 

7. FunFact: Jennifer DeWalt is learning to code by building 180 websites in 180 days.

Today is day 115. Four months ago, she decided she was going to code despite having no coding experience or technical background.

The best way to learn to code, according to DeWalt? Not books or boot camp courses. “I think the best way to learn is to solve problems that you actually have. This is the primary reason I decided not to follow a course or textbook. By following my own path, I can tackle new concepts and problems in the most logical order possible, which is precisely when I have them.”

You can follow her blog: http://blog.jenniferdewalt.com/post/56319597560/im-learning-to-code-by-building-180-websites-in-180

And the project on Github: https://github.com/jendewalt/jennifer_dewalt

 

Beth Kindig

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