articles 11 to 25 of 296
'Makers': Chris Anderson on DIY Manufacturing
Just as the Internet enabled anyone with a computer to become an entrepreneur, today's newest technologies have spawned a DIY (do it yourself) micro-manufacturing movement, so anyone can be both inventor and manufacturer. Wired editor Chris Anderson, author of the new book, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, recently spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about how technology is changing the limits of what inventors can do, what the Maker Movement is, why he started DIY Drones and how the new technologies will drive the global economy. (Audio with transcript)
From: December 17, 2012
Disconnected? The Perils of Digital Interdependence
The damage inflicted by Hurricane Sandy revealed the vulnerabilities of the nation's telecommunications networks. Services that used to operate as independent networks are now controlled by the same underlying infrastructure, making them more efficient and cheaper to manage -- but also more exposed to an attack or natural disaster. Sandy has prompted the federal government, telecom firms and the public to address this issue -- but there are no easy answers, experts say.
From: December 05, 2012
Six Strikes -- Who's Out? The Latest Plan to Curb Online Piracy
Internet service providers and trade groups for movies and music are partnering in the latest effort to curb online copyright infringement. Under the "six strikes" plan, users who share copyrighted material online will face an escalating series of warnings that could eventually result in the slowing of their Internet speeds. Creators of the policy are hoping to succeed where attempts to punish online piracy through the courts and the federal government have failed, but the plan also raises a number of legal and logistical challenges, Wharton experts say.
From: November 20, 2012
As Companies Focus on Services, Will Hardware Become Irrelevant?
Even as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and a number of other companies unveil their latest devices, the market is becoming less about the gadgets themselves, and more about how firms can make money off additional services and purchases. But such a strategy does not come with an assured payoff, Wharton experts say.
From: November 07, 2012
WSJ's Raju Narisetti: 'Journalism Has to Be Hand in Glove with Technology'
After a six-year hiatus from The Wall Street Journal, Raju Narisetti returned to the paper earlier this year to head its online news efforts. Narisetti took on the new role after a stint as a managing editor at The Washington Post, developing the digital content strategy for the paper's website and overseeing its mobile and tablet initiatives. In this interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Narisetti discussed why the interplay of technology and content is becoming more critical than ever before.
From: October 24, 2012
Apple's Maps Fiasco and the Mobile Arms Race
Apple's decision to replace Google Maps on its devices with a mapping program of its own has sparked widespread outcry -- much of it from users frustrated with the company's error-prone new service. But the move was about more than maps, Wharton experts say. Although the apps are often some of the most popular features on smartphones, Apple was just as interested in gaining increased control over its ecosystem.
From: October 10, 2012
Can Twitter Monetize the Cultural Zeitgeist?
Since launching in 2006, Twitter's platform has tapped into the collective consciousness around events ranging from the Arab Spring to the Super Bowl -- 140 characters at a time. Recently, Twitter retooled the design of its profile pages and moved to take greater control of its developer ecosystem -- both signs that the company is trying to focus on a more sustainable business model than its current advertising-based approach, experts say. They note that Twitter has created a unique application, but needs to figure out exactly how to leverage it into a service that businesses and consumers would be willing to pay for.
From: September 26, 2012
Money from Friends: Finding the Right Revenue Model for Social Media
Recent downturns in the stock price of several social media companies -- several of which debuted to much fanfare -- may be due, in part, to investor worry over whether these firms are successfully monetizing their services. Social media is a relatively new concept, and business models are still being fleshed out, experts note, adding that Facebook, Groupon, LinkedIn, Zynga and others must find ways to make money without alienating their most valuable assets -- users.
From: August 29, 2012
The Apple-Samsung Case: What It Means for Patents -- and Innovation
A California jury awarded Apple what could be a decisive victory in the smartphone wars last week by ruling that Samsung infringed on a number of patents relating to the functionality and design of the iPhone. Samsung plans to appeal, but Apple is now calling for a ban on U.S. sales of some of the devices at issue in the case. Some observers believe the verdict might open the door for additional Apple lawsuits against other smartphone makers -- including Google. Wharton professors David Hsu and Andrea Matwyshyn discuss the key players, the future of smartphone design and the U.S. patent system. (Podcast with transcript)
From: August 29, 2012
The Smartphone Shakeout: Time Is Running Out for a Viable No. 3
Once buoyed by surging sales and expanding interest in smartphones, a number of device manufacturers are now faltering as powerhouses Apple and Samsung dominate the market. Hardware makers are among those taking the biggest hits because the main differentiator in the sector is software -- the operating platform and application ecosystem. Wharton experts say companies, including Nokia, Research in Motion and HTC, still have a few chances left to emerge as a competitive No. 3 in the smartphone wars. But time, they warn, is running out.
From: August 01, 2012
Barry Libert's Four Steps for Harnessing the Power of Social Media
Social networks of digitally-connected customers and employees are growing in power and influence each day, but companies are often still blindsided by this phenomenon. Barry Libert, CEO of Open Matters and author of Social Nation, says the reason is that corporate leaders tend to focus on internal issues like operational excellence, but are confounded by external forces such as social networks that they cannot control. In this interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Libert shares a four-step process that companies can use to harness the power of social media and networks. (Video with transcript)
From: July 18, 2012
Protecting Your Data from a New Generation of Hackers
Cyberattacks are becoming more common, and hackers are rapidly growing bolder -- but many companies and individuals still do not have strong safeguards in place to protect personal and financial information, and even a firm's trade secrets. In some cases, guarding against threats is extremely difficult, and many of the related legal questions have yet to be answered. But businesses ignore the issue at their own peril, observers from Wharton and elsewhere say.
From: July 03, 2012
Social Media Before the Internet: Tales of Victorians, Comic Book Fans, Phone Phreaks and CBers
Although the current spate of social media platforms burst onto the scene within the last several years, these tools have antecedents in earlier, traditional media. Before Facebook and Twitter, before MySpace and Friendster, before Usenet newsgroups and AOL chat rooms, we can see the drive to use media platforms to make interpersonal connections. Kendall Whitehouse, Wharton's director of new media, takes a look at how our desire to virtually connect with others has long been evident in media -- from the telegraph and newspapers to comic books and radio.
From: June 20, 2012
How Forces That Drive the Mobile Industry's Growth Also Threaten Its Future
Thanks to the burgeoning popularity of smartphones, demand for mobile bandwidth is guaranteed to outstrip supply for many years to come. Considering the industry's growth in the world's poorest regions, everyone, everywhere will soon be a mobile customer. But Terry Kramer, former president of Vodafone Americas, told an audience at Wharton San Francisco this month that the same forces that are driving mobile's success are also threatening the industry's foundation.
From: June 20, 2012
After Broadband: Imagining a Future When Connected Networks Are All-pervasive
What will the future be like a decade from now when fast networking and connected devices are almost ubiquitous? How will social, family and community life change? What will be the impact on fields such as manufacturing and health? A group of entrepreneurs, executives, policy makers and other experts brainstormed about these questions and more at a conference held last month in Wharton San Francisco.
From: May 23, 2012
