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Dropbox acquires reading platform Readmill, will close it on 1 July

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

(To go with AFP story by Isabelle Wessel
Readmill has been acquired by Dropbox and is now in the process of closing its reading platform. In a blog post, the Berlin-based startup said it was joining Dropbox to work on “new ways to read together”, suggesting that its original vision would still be the focus of its work. Readmill as we know it is closing though. Users can no longer create a new account and the Readmill apps will no longer be available from July 1, 2014. The company said it had “failed” to create a sustainable solution for reading and apologized for being unable to solve the many…

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Think like a designer: How non-creatives can find artistic inspiration

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Design & Dev, How-To's

creative thinking
This post originally appeared on the Coworks blog and has been republished with permission. You don’t have to be a designer to utilize creative thinking. Separate from analytical reasoning, learning to think outside the box can be a huge asset to your canon of skills. Whether you’re a creator in another discipline like interiors or writing, or you’re part of a marketing or business team, you can take cues from designers to open up your own mind to new ideas. Here’s how they plan, plot and execute. 1. Live in the moment Learning to think like a designer is all…

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Microsoft says it won’t scan email accounts over stolen property anymore, will refer cases to law enforcement

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Microsoft today announced a change to its email privacy policies that states the company will no longer scan email accounts over stolen property. Instead, Microsoft will refer all such cases to law enforcement so they can handle it. Here’s the company’s statement: Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required. News blew up last week over a case some two years ago…

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Oculus VR hires Valve’s virtual reality expert Michael Abrash as chief scientist

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:03 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

US-IT-CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW-CES
Just days after its acquisition by Facebook, Oculus VR has hired former Valve developer Michael Abrash as its chief scientist. Abrash was involved in Valve’s own virtual reality projects, but is also known for his work on the game Quake and Microsoft’s Natural Language Group. In a blog post, Abrash supported Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus VR. He said virtual reality was a catch-22, in that it required a large level of investment to prove its potential – but to attract that sort of funding, someone needed to show what was possible. Facebook is solving that problem by giving Oculus VR…

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Pay-by-bundle: Curing subscription fatigue

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 5:32 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, FTMedia2014, Insider, Profiles and Interviews

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It’s the perennial problem faced by companies across the media spectrum, from music-streaming platforms to eons-old newspapers. How do you make money in an age where so many people have become accustomed to consuming content for free? Advertising is the obvious conduit to monetizing digital content, but a more ideal situation is to have people willing to put their hands in their own pockets to pay for services. Yes, we’re talking about subscriptions, folks. At the FT’s Digital Media 2014 event in London this week, this dilemma made it to the top of the agenda for a panel that included…

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