Profile of Thomas Claburn

Editor at Large, Enterprise Mobility Member Since: 11/15/2013
Author
News & Commentary Posts: 4491
Comments: 1146

Thomas Claburn has been writing about business and technology since 1996, for publications such as New Architect, PC Computing, InformationWeek, Salon, Wired, and Ziff Davis Smart Business. Before that, he worked in film and television, having earned a not particularly useful master's degree in film production. He wrote the original treatment for 3DO's Killing Time, a short story that appeared in On Spec, and the screenplay for an independent film called The Hanged Man, which he would later direct. He's the author of a science fiction novel, Reflecting Fires, and a sadly neglected blog, Lot 49. His iPhone game, Blocfall, is available through the iTunes App Store. His wife is a talented jazz singer; he does not sing, which is for the best.

SPIs Vs. APIs: Which Should IT Organizations Choose?

9/13/2016
By focusing on what needs to be done for service integration rather than how it has to be done, SPIs provide organizations with more flexibility than an API.
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Why APIs Are Worth The Time And Attention Of IT Professionals

9/9/2016
IT professionals who have yet to be convinced that API management could be useful need look no further than Google's plan to acquire Apigee, an API management platform. It's the latest in a string of similar offerings that highlight the importance of application programming interfaces in today's IT organization.
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5 Ways IT Leaders Can Lure Top Tech Talent

9/9/2016
Attracting top tech talent can be a challenge, especially at a time when competition is fierce for a limited supply of qualified applicants. Here are five tactics that can be effective.
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Twilio Courts IT Pros With Management Tools

9/8/2016
By introducing enterprise management tools, Twilio aims to make it easier for large organizations to deploy cloud-based communication software.
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9 SaaS Pitfalls To Avoid

9/5/2016
Shifting to cloud application providers requires companies to step carefully. Here are 9 potential problems that can prevent a smooth transition.
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Do IT Certifications Really Matter?

9/1/2016
Technical certifications can advance careers and lead to better pay, but they're not a golden ticket to success.
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How To Retain Top IT Talent

8/31/2016
If your organization can't move beyond traditional work hours, it may have trouble keeping valuable tech employees happy. Here's what IT leaders need to know.
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6 Reasons Hackathons Are Good For IT

8/30/2016
Inviting developers to solve technical challenges can open organizations up to new ways of doing things. Here are 6 IT benefits of hosting a hackathon.
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Dropbox Urges Users To Change Old Passwords

8/29/2016
Data from a 2012 breach has resurfaced, leading to fears that the information could be used to compromise accounts. IT managers using a new Dropbox feature don't need to worry, but they still have to guard against employees' bad password hygiene.
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Managing Gen Z: A Primer For IT Managers

8/28/2016
Having grown up amid crises and technologically accelerated change, the second-wave of Millennials -- or Gen Z -- that's entering the workforce has different expectations and needs than people who came before them. Here are some tips on how IT managers can support and direct this new generation of workers.
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Simple Networking Tools Ease IT Pains

8/25/2016
Forget the bells and whistles of powerful networking tools. When overseeing clients' networks, some IT pros insist that simpler is better.
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Stanford Study Will Inspire Any IT Pro Intrigued By Machine Learning

8/23/2016
A study by Stanford researchers finds computers can predict lung cancer patient outcomes better than pathologists. While the study is specific to the medical profession, it illustrates the promise and potential of machine learning for IT professionals in any industry.
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What IT Pros Need To Know About Hiring Cyber-Security Hunt Teams

8/22/2016
If your organization doesn't run its own threat analysis center, it may be worth hiring a hunt team to watch your back. Here's what you need to know.
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How Intelligent Data Analysis Can Transform IT Security: Podcast

8/18/2016
Welcome to the first episode of InformationWeek's Expert Voice, a new podcast series featuring interviews with top IT executives, managers, and technology experts. In this episode, we speak with Stuart Clarke, chief technical officer for cybersecurity at Nuix, about the impact intelligent data analysis can have on data security.
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IT Asset Protection: How One Colocation Provider Does It

8/18/2016
For colocation provider vXchnge, security isn't just a matter of strong defenses. It also involves planning for the worst.
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Google Cloud Databases Reach General Availability

8/16/2016
Emerging from beta, Google's cloud databases are ready for business workloads.
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9 Enterprise Mobility Management Tools For IT Pros

8/12/2016
Choosing the right EMM suite requires IT organizations to understand their needs and the capabilities of the various options. These nine options were featured in Gartner's 2016 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Mobility Management Suites. They serve as a starting point to help you find the right tools for your IT needs.
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Intel Buys Deep Learning Startup Nervana To Bolster AI Business

8/10/2016
The chipmaker says it will use Nervana Systems' expertise in accelerating deep learning algorithms to expand Intel's capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence.
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Nylas Aims To Prevent IT Pros From Giving Up On Email  

8/9/2016
Email overload and emerging alternatives have people looking at different communication channels. But maybe email can be saved -- something Nylas is working toward.
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Google Buys SaaS-Based Cloud Commerce Platform Orbitera

8/9/2016
The acquisition, which reportedly cost more than $100 million, will allow Google to help companies sell cloud software to other businesses more efficiently.
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10 IoT Security Best Practices For IT Pros

8/9/2016
IT professionals have to treat internet of things (IoT) vulnerabilities as they would vulnerabilities in databases or web applications. Any flaw can bring unwelcome attention, for those making affected products and those using them. Any flaw may prove useful to compromise other systems on the network. When everything is connected, security is only as strong as the weakest node on the network.
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IBM: AI Should Stand For 'Augmented Intelligence'

8/4/2016
Answering the White House's call for input on artificial intelligence, IBM argues the technology should be designed to assist people rather than replace them.
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Google's Cloud Lets You Bring Your Own Encryption Keys

8/3/2016
By supplying their own encryption keys, organizations can reduce the chance that an outside party will be able to gain access to their data, at least while it's at rest. Now Google's cloud platform offers the option.
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Data Theft Prevention: Companies Lack Policies, Knowledge

8/3/2016
Data theft is rampant, and companies don't seem to know what to do to stop it, according to a recent study. This infographic breaks it down for IT professionals.
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Uber Drivers Under Algorithmic Management: Study

8/2/2016
A study of Uber drivers finds that the company's algorithms amount to managerial control. However, it's not clear whether Uber's arrangement with its drivers can be applied to other organizations, including IT-oriented industries.
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Uber Lets Businesses Book, Manage Rides For Customers

8/1/2016
With UberCENTRAL, the ride-sharing service aims to provide companies with a way to pay for customers' transportation.
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9 Promising Cloud Security Startups To Watch

7/31/2016
The future belongs to cloud computing, but only with the help of strong security. Here are 9 cloud security startups IT managers may want to consider.
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How An Agricultural Data Firm Puts The Cloud To Work

7/29/2016
Integration -- connecting computing services to one another -- used to mean bringing in expensive consultants, investing in custom programming, and dealing with long timelines. But modern cloud-based options could make integration only a matter of dragging icons and filling in form fields, work that can often be done without a developer. Here's what it means to IT professionals.
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Dropbox Rolls Out Tools To Ease IT Admin Experience

7/28/2016
The cloud storage and collaboration company's business users are getting tools that aim to make managing groups and data easier.
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Using AI To Fight Cyberthreats

7/27/2016
SparkCognition, working with Carnegie Mellon and IBM's Watson, aims to provide cyber-security researchers with better threat data using predictive models powered by machine learning.
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Lawsuit Raises Questions About The Right To Tinker With Tech

7/25/2016
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed a lawsuit to overturn a provision in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act which limits the modification of technology. For anyone managing information technology, the law in question has the potential to limit access to data, to weaken security, and to impose unnecessary burdens, costs, and liabilities.
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Google Cloud Platform Adds Machine Learning APIs

7/22/2016
Developers interested in creating apps that understand text or speech can look to Google's cloud for tools -- the Cloud Natural Language API and the Cloud Speech API. The two offerings have now advanced into open beta status.
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Many Businesses Using AI Without Realizing It

7/21/2016
Businesses see AI as a future investment, even though most organizations are actually already using it, a study finds.
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Imperson Chatbot Platform For Enterprises Released

7/20/2016
Imperson.ai aspires to make it easier for enterprises to create and manage their bots designed for popular social platforms such as Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Twitter.
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Flaws Found In 'Right To Be Forgotten' Data Privacy Laws

7/20/2016
A study by privacy researchers finds that attempts to obscure online information can be defeated with a bit of effort.
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EU Data Protection Law May End The Unknowable Algorithm

7/18/2016
Slated to take effect as law across the EU in 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation could require companies to explain their algorithms to avoid unlawful discrimination.
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Google Hit With New Round Of Antitrust Charges In EU 

7/15/2016
The European Commission has elaborated on its issues with Google's shopping service, contending that Google's AdSense requirements hinder competition.
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Robotics Gone Wild: 8 Animal-Inspired Machines  

7/15/2016
If you want a glimpse of the future of robotics, start by looking at our biological past and present. Here are eight robots that borrow aspects of animal physiology, which has been honed through eons of Darwinian user testing.
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Microsoft Tests Natural Language IFTTT Alternative

7/13/2016
Conditional Action Programmer (CAP), an experimental project from Microsoft's Technology and Research group, offers a way to automate app interactions using natural language rather than code.
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Robot Stingray Moves To The Beat Of A Rat's Heart

7/12/2016
A tiny robotic stingray powered by light-activated rat heart muscle cells could help advance artificial heart research.
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Beyond BlackBerry: Outdated Tech The Feds Should Dump

7/8/2016
The US Senate is finally ditching BlackBerry devices. Now, if only the rest of the government could leave the past behind. Here's a look at outdated tech still being used by federal agencies, including the military and the IRS.
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Starship Technologies To Test Robot Delivery Service  

7/6/2016
Pedestrians in several European cities will soon see semi-autonomous robots traveling alongside them, delivering goods for local merchants.
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Tesla Autopilot Crash Under NHTSA Investigation

7/2/2016
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into the circumstances surrounding a fatal accident involving a Tesla being driven under autopilot.
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Uber App Update To Track Driver Behavior

7/1/2016
The update is designed to capture data about how Uber's drivers operate their vehicles -- measuring braking, acceleration, and speed.
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Cloud Computing Profit Requires Trust Of Technology

7/1/2016
A Google-backed survey conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit finds that profiting from cloud computing requires trust in the technology.
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10 Hot Smartphones To Consider Now

6/30/2016
Although smartphone sales have been on the decline recently, there is no shortage of options. Here are 10 hot models worth a look.
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Box Shuttle Offers Route To Cloud

6/29/2016
By offering a migration service, Box says it hopes to help enterprises with legacy baggage make a journey toward cloud computing.
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Google Project Bloks Looks To Push Code Literacy For Kids

6/28/2016
A research project being developed by Google and others strives to teach computational thinking.
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Robots, AI Won't Destroy Jobs, Yet

6/27/2016
Cognitive systems will only eliminate a small portion of jobs in the near future, according to Forrester. But the impact will still be significant.
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Microsoft Flow For iOS Aims To Help Apps Play Nice

6/23/2016
It's remarkable how poorly software-based products and services communicate. With the introduction of Flow for iOS on Wednesday, Microsoft is taking another step toward enabling applications to play nice.
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9 Tools To Help You Build A Better Bot

6/23/2016
AI-fueled automation is all the rage in customer service, but a bot gone wrong can do your business more harm than good. We spotlight the better bot platforms presently available to help keep your automation ambitions in line with what your customers really want.
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Samsung Commits $1.2 Billion To IoT Research In US

6/22/2016
Open standards, shared approaches to privacy and security, and more open wireless spectrum are needed to help the internet of things to reach its full potential of making people's lives better, according to the company.
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Plume Delivers WiFi Via Cloud

6/18/2016
Instead of a single router, Plume says it can provide better WiFi connectivity with a handful of small, cloud-coordinated radios.
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Samsung Builds Cloud Foundation With Joyent Deal

6/17/2016
The acquisition of cloud provider Joyent will support Samsung's mobile, IoT, and cloud service businesses.
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Chef Builds Habitat To House Enterprise Apps

6/16/2016
Habitat is an open source system designed to automate the building, deployment, and management of enterprise software.
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Apple File System Features Deeper Encryption, SSD Support

6/15/2016
Next year, all of Apple's devices will use the new Apple File System, which promises flash/SSD optimization and improved encryption. It will replace the aging HFS+ file system.
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Apple's Swift Playgrounds App Lays Foundation For Enterprise Future

6/14/2016
The Swift programming language is becoming more popular and, in time, may find a home on corporate servers. The Swift Playgrounds iPad app will play a major role in that.
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Google Apps Gains Springboard For Search

6/14/2016
Google for Work customers can look forward to finding content and sharing it more efficiently with Springboard and a revised version of Sites.
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Google Puts D-Wave Quantum Computer To Work

6/13/2016
Computer scientists from Google and two universities have found a way to make quantum computing more practical than previously possible using a system from Canadian company D-Wave.
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Apple, Google App Store Changes Could Pay Off For Devs

6/10/2016
Ahead of the Apple Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple has revealed plans to introduce search ads and expand subscription support for apps in its App Store, while Google is testing its own subscription changes.
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Salesforce TrailheaDX: Path Toward Redefining Developers

6/9/2016
To help businesses adapt to a world of omnipresent software, Salesforce aims to create more programmers. Here is a look at the company's first developer conference, where it explored that mission.
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Salesforce TrailheaDX: Everyone Can Develop Software

6/8/2016
At TrailheaDX, Salesforce's first developer conference, the company is encouraging people without programming experience to create apps using Lightning.
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Tony Fadell's Nest Exit: What's Next?

6/7/2016
The Nest cofounder and former CEO plans to advise Alphabet and Larry Page, while Nest looks to improve revenue.
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WWDC: Apple's Opportunity To Open Up To Keep Up

6/6/2016
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference kicks off next week. While the company will likely introduce new products, what it really needs is a new attitude.
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IBM, Cisco Take IoT Analytics To The Edge

6/3/2016
IBM's Watson IoT platform, in conjunction with Cisco's edge analytics capabilities, could allow businesses to analyze IoT data closer to its source.
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Facebook Tunes AI To Understand Text

6/3/2016
With DeepText, Facebook aims to interpret what its users want, and maybe sell something along the way.
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Security Threats Hiding In Plain Sight

6/3/2016
IT professionals would rather manage external threats than worry about insiders, a recent survey by Soha finds. But singular focus when it comes to security can end up being a costly mistake.
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Google's Magenta Project: Can Machines Be Musicians?

6/2/2016
Through a project called Magenta, Google's machine learning researchers hope to understand whether computer-generated music can qualify as art.
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Sirin Labs' 'Military-Grade' Smartphone Sports Celebrity Price

6/2/2016
The Solarin smartphone promises security, including on-device malware protection and optional encryption -- for those who have everything else.
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Mobile Ad Blocking Surged 90% In 2015

6/1/2016
Hundreds of millions of people are now blocking ads on mobile devices, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new report by PageFair.
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Cellphone-Cancer Link Revealed In Government Study

5/30/2016
Research overseen by the National Toxicology Program found a slightly elevated risk of cancer in male rats exposed to CDMA and GSM signals from cellphones.
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Google Beats Oracle In Long-Running Java Copyright Case

5/27/2016
Reversing a reversal of its initial victory, Google once again has prevailed against Oracle's claim that Android infringes its Java copyrights.
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Google's Paris Office Raided In Tax Investigation

5/26/2016
French investigators are seeking information about whether Google has been evading its tax obligations.
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Google Apps Vs. Office 365: Which Suite Reigns Supreme?

5/26/2016
The two leading cloud productivity suites -- Google Apps and Microsoft's Office 365 -- each have a lot to offer. But which one is right for your organization? Here's a look at how they stack up.
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Symbolic IO Rewrites Rules For Storage

5/24/2016
The company's IRIS system promises dramatic speed improvements over existing technologies. These storage improvements should benefit anyone running large database queries, particularly transactions that require speed.
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Google Revamps Mobile Ads As Smartphone Searches Surge

5/24/2016
Calling 2016 "the year mobile has happened," Google's SVP of ads and commerce Sridhar Ramaswamy announced improvements to advertising functionality for tablets and smartphones. More text, better bidding, responsive formats, and expanded location-based capabilities are all coming Google's mobile ad business.
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Robots: Not The Job Stealers We Feared

5/23/2016
Automation and digitalization are unlikely to wipe out as many jobs as once feared, but significant changes will arise, finds a new report.
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Google Opens Chromebooks To Android Apps

5/20/2016
The move that will eventually make the more than a million Android apps available to Chrome OS users has been long expected.
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Google I/O 2016: AI, VR Get Day In The Sun

5/19/2016
At Google I/O, it was unclear whether the company's intention was to entice programmers with its new artificial intelligence offerings, or simply fry them in the Mountain View, Calif. sunshine. Here's what we were able to see before heat stroke set in.
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Google Sheets, Slides APIs Revamped To Improve Workflow

5/18/2016
Revised APIs for Sheets and Slides aim to help developers make data in Google Apps for Work more readily accessible to third-party apps.
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IBM Storage Breakthrough May Speed Up Smartphones, Apps

5/18/2016
Advances in phase-change memory could lead to a storage technology that approaches the speed of DRAM and can retain data like NAND flash over millions of read/write cycles.
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Google's Spaces Launch: Simplify Small-Group Sharing

5/17/2016
In its latest attempt to become more relevant as a social networking provider, Google launches Spaces, an app for sharing among small groups.
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Google I/O 2016: What To Expect

5/16/2016
Updates on Project Tango, Android N, and Android Auto are among the announcements we expect at Google's annual developer conference this week. Here's what we know so far.
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AWS IoT Button Lets Devs Customize In The Cloud

5/16/2016
A programmable version of Amazon's Dash Button, the IoT Button, allows developers to trigger custom actions through Amazon Web Services.
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IBM Watson: Machine-Of-All-Trades

5/16/2016
From fashion to food to healthcare, IBM's Watson has many guises across different industries. Here's a look at some of the work IBM's AI system has been doing since its Jeopardy! heyday.
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Google Sets 'Parsey McParseface' Free

5/13/2016
Developers can now use Google's SyntaxNet natural language parsing system to create apps that understand written text.
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Nvidia Car Learns To Drive By Watching Humans

5/11/2016
With a convolutional neural network, Nvidia researchers have trained a car to drive using video captured during road trips taken by people.
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Ubiquiti AmpliFi Aims To Fix Home WiFi

5/10/2016
Enterprise networking product maker Ubiquiti unveils a line of consumer-oriented routers with the aim of making home networks more reliable.
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uHoo IoT Device Measures Indoor Air Toxins

5/10/2016
Startup uHoo begins taking orders for an IoT device that tells users via their smartphones what's in the air they breathe.
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White House Takes Deep Interest In AI

5/6/2016
The US government is seeking a more active role in shaping the direction of AI research and development.
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Mobile Apps Spark Business-Process Transformation

5/5/2016
Metal manufacturer Worthington Industries modernized shipping and inventory management using mobile apps.
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Artificial Intelligence: Don't Fear It, Embrace It

5/5/2016
Adam Coates, the director of the Baidu Research's Silicon Valley AI Lab, says don't fear artificial intelligence. Instead, look to it to save lives. He spoke at the InformationWeek Elite 100 Conference this week.
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Toyota Drives Profits With Analytics

5/4/2016
Toyota Financial Services uses analytics to keep consumers in cars and minimize payment contract risk. And it has paid off.
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Worthington Industries Moves Metal With Mobile App

5/3/2016
Worthington Industries, a global metal manufacturing company, uncovered new business processes in its effort to ease paperwork headaches for its shipping and trucking operations. See why its Bill of Lading eSignature app earned the company the Elite 100 Award for Best Use Of Mobile.
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Warp Speed: Faster Development Cycles Are The New Normal

5/3/2016
At the InformationWeek Elite 100 conference, tech leaders described how warp speed is the new normal when it comes to development cycles. But that's an opportunity as much as a challenge.
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FedEx Services Eases The Pain Of Customs Clearance

5/2/2016
Disparate internal systems and a complex customs environment were slowing down the import/export process for business customers. So FedEx Services launched the Clearance Customer Profile app to help businesses overcome customs clearance hurdles. The company's efforts earned it the No. 5 spot in the 2016 InformationWeek Elite 100.
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FBI Hacking Authority Expanded By Supreme Court

5/2/2016
With the US Supreme Court's approval, warrants to search and seize digital data will be able to authorize government hacking anywhere.
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Samsung Developer Conference: IoT Innovation On Display

4/29/2016
The Internet of Things hasn't quite caught on with consumers. But developers are working on changing that by rolling out innovative projects. Here's a look at some on display at the recent Samsung Developer Conference.
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Samsung ARTIK Cloud Aims For IoT Interoperability

4/28/2016
To help IoT devices work together and enable a new class of IoT apps and services, Samsung introduces a cloud service that aims to break down silos.
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Google Expands Free Apps For Work Offer

4/26/2016
Subsidizing Google Apps for Work will now continue through the end of the year for customers under contract with other vendors. Google also expanded the program to provide assistance to smaller companies.
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