YouTube Starts Auditing Video Views
The video-sharing website YouTube said it has started to “audit” the number of views a video has received. The move is aimed at preventing users from artificially inflating view counts which, YouTube said, mislead people about the popularity of a video. There are concerns that some viewers are using tools like “redirects” or “buying” views to boost their count. YouTube said it will now “periodically” validate the views on videos and remove the fraudulent ones from the total.
New Wearable Device Turns Your Palm Into Touch Screen
A new gesture-based wearable transmitter that turns your palm into a touch interface has been developed by an Indian IT-start up. The ring-shaped transmitter called Fin is worn on the thumb and uses Bluetooth to communicate with different devices. The portable device enables users to control up to three devices such as smartphones, car radios and smart TVs using only swipes and taps, ‘Mashable’ reported. Until now, the device has five pre-programmed gestures. However, users will be able to create customised programmes on an app that will come with the device, in its final iteration. The device can control the volume on a TV, and even lets users text or dial a number without touching their phone.
Facebook’s New App ‘Paper’ Aims to Provide Personalized News
Facebook stepped more directly onto the news media’s turf, rolling out a new iPhone app called Paper that enlists a handful of human editors to supplement its computers in recommending articles and blog posts on a dozen topics, including top news, food, parenting, the environment and gay rights. The app, which made its debut to rave reviews from tech news sites, offers users an easy way to browse their news feeds. But it also presents them with a series of minimagazines, each with a distinct tone and articles chosen by unidentified curators the company says have extensive expertise in their fields.
Samsung to Unveil Latest Galaxy S Smartphone in Late February
Samsung Electronics Co will unveil a new version of its flagship Galaxy S smartphone this month, but expectations are low that features such as a bigger screen will lead to a sharp jump in sales given intensifying competition. Samsung sent out invitations on Tuesday for “Samsung unPacked 5” event on Feb. 24 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The S5 is widely expected to feature a bigger screen, an improved rear camera and biometric functions such as iris recognition or a fingerprint scanner. It may also come with an improved Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
