ECHOES

Kyocera VP-210 VisualPhone (1999) Although there is some dispute over which mobile first featured a built-in colour camera, many credit this handset as having the honour. It featured a 0.11 megapixel (MP) sensor and could only store 20 selfies, but was able to transmit a jerky video feed in real-time at about two frames per second. Sharp J-SH04 (2000) Sharp's first photo-snapping mobile placed its sensor on the rear of its handset to encourage its use as an alternative to standard cameras. Its 0.11MP snaps could then be sent to friends via email. Sony Ericsson T68i (2002) The handset's optional CommuniCam MCA-20 accessory snapped on to the bottom of the handset, helping keep down the phone's size when not in use. It was limited to taking VGA (0.3MP) resolution shots, but the images could be texted to others via MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) if they had compatible phones. Samsung D500 (2004) This was one of the first handsets to offer more than one m...

  What makes these leaders stand out from the rest? IBM's Watson did some digging. From Bill Gates to Meg Whitman to Elon Musk, today's most renowned business people  innovate , inspire and create. However, what makes these individuals so different from the rest of us? What  traits  do they possess that make them so successful? With the help of IBM’s supercomputer Watson, online career management website  Paysa  sought to uncover the common characteristics of top business leaders. Using Watson’s Personality Insights program to analyze speeches, essays, books and interview transcripts of today’s most powerful  leaders , the company discovered what puts these people at the top.   Of eight surveyed industries, entertainment, fashion, finance, law, marketing, media, medicine and politics, Watson discovered that “intellect” was the top personality trait for leaders in a majority of these fields. With the help of IBM’s supercomputer Watson, ...

Today’s kids are growing up in a world where screens are a fixture from the moment they’re born — something no previous generation has experienced. Now a new  study  published in  Scientific Reports  shows a serious consequence of growing up in the digital age: The use of touchscreen devices is linked to sleep loss in infants as young as 6 months old Every hour infants and toddlers aged 6 to 36 months spent using touchscreen devices was associated with  15.6 minutes less total sleep. That number may seem small but considering that at these ages, “sleep is essential for cognitive development,” the study authors write, any amount of lost sleep is a big deal. There was also a significant association between tablet use and taking longer to fall asleep at night. (Data was collected from 715 UK infants and toddlers by researchers from the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at the University of London.) Given what we ...

YouTube is changing the rules about when users can start earning money through carrying adverts on their video channels. New channels will have to get 10,000 views before they can be considered for the YouTube Partner Program, the firm announced in a blog post. YouTube will then evaluate whether the channel is adhering to its guidelines before letting it carry adverts. It will help clamp down on content theft and fake channels, YouTube said. "After a creator hits 10k lifetime views on their channel, we'll review their activity against our policies," wrote Ariel Bardin, vice president of product management at YouTube. "If everything looks good, we'll bring this channel into YPP [YouTube Partner Program] and begin serving ads against their content. Together these new thresholds will help ensure revenue only flows to creators who are playing by the rules." Qingzhen Chen, senior analyst for advertising research from IHS, said it would not be diff...

Google's European boss has apologized after adverts from major firms and government agencies appeared next to extremist content on its YouTube site. It came after Marks and Spencer became the latest firm to pull its online ads over the issue, joining others such as Audi, RBS and L'Oreal. Google's European chief, Matthew Brittin, promised to review the firm's policies and strengthen enforcement. But some questioned the company's commitment to tackling the issue. A recent investigation by the Times found adverts from a range of well-known firms and organisations had appeared alongside content from supporters of extremist groups on YouTube's video site.

Early during tonight’s game, Google’s ad for the Google Home aired on millions of TVs. We’ve actually seen the ad before: loving families at home meeting, hugging, and being welcomed by the Google Assistant. Someone says “Okay, Google,” and those familiar, colorful lights pop up. But then my Google Home perked up, confused. “Sorry,” it said. “Something went wrong.” I laughed, because that wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t the only one. Jared Feldman   @jfeldman452 That  @ Google  home trailer made my google home have a meltdown. 12:48 AM - 6 Feb 2017     Retweets     4 4 likes  Follow Bill Radjewski   @BillRadjewski Google Home commercial kept setting mine off! They need to chill it with the "okay Google"-ing. 12:48 AM - 6 Feb 2017     2 2 Retweets     4 4 likes  Follow Tricia Milford   @tmilfordhoy...

Planet Labs Inc., a startup that launches small satellites into orbit and sells the imagery, is acquiring the Terra Bella satellite business of Alphabet Inc. in a bid to take on larger industry incumbents. In return, Alphabet’s Google is taking a stake in the startup. Google has also agreed to purchase satellite images captured by Planet in a multiyear deal. The companies declined to share financial terms. “It’s a big deal,” said Will Marshall, Planet’s chief executive officer. “What this enables us to do is tap into new markets, like certain aspects of the financial markets, insurance and disaster relief.” With the deal, Planet will receive seven high-resolution satellites that Terra Bella currently has in orbit. Planet plans to launch an additional six of Terra Bella’s satellites. They are larger than Planet’s existing satellites and offer up to six times better imagery resolution, Marshall said. Google acquired its satellite division, then called Skybox Imaging, for $500...