Emerging Tech

Thunderbolt Successor to Come Out in 2015 Tags:   intel, thunderbolt Intel may have just released the first generation Thunderbolt this spring, but Intel is already planning it for long term. Intel is already working on the Thunderbolt's successor, even before the original really takes off. Here is what the director of Intel Research labs had to say: We see them as complementary. It's the evolution of these connectors and protocols as they move forward. [Besides], Thunderbolt is more than a cable. It's a router chip that aggregates DisplayPort and PCI-Express. No reason was given for the upgrades being developed so early on. Somecompanies outside of Apple have shown interest, but by no means have we seen anything big for it yet. Intel appears to be living more in a dream than a reality. Via TG Daily Pepsi Unveils Social Vending Machines Tags:   Pepsi, PepsiCo, social media You're out at a concert and you're about to buy a drink from a vending machine. You think about your friend who couldn't make it, and want to send them a quick text to let them know you're thinking of them and wish they were there.  With Pepsi's new social vending machines, you can not only send them a message, but you can buy them a drink at the same time.  Pepsi's new machines come with a fancy touch-screen UI that makes selecting a frosty beverage a more technical experience than perhaps it needs to be, but also include a social component that will take your friend's name and cell phone number and send them a text message with a code they can redeem for a free drink.  The code has to be redeemed at one of the new social machines. If you want, you can also give a random customer a gift at the vending machine through what Pepsi calls a "random act of refreshment," meaning someone will walk up, select their drink, try to pay, and be told that they're getting their drink for free. You can even record a quick video message to include with your free drink so the recipient knows who just made their day.  Pepsi has no plans for a rollout of the new machines; the current model is just a prototype. Still, it'll be on display at the National Automatic Merchandising Association Show in Chicago at the end of the month for everyone to see. Check out a video of the machine behind the jump. Coming Soon: Glasses-Free 3D TVs in Airplanes Tags:   3d Perhaps one day watching movies on an airline won't be a completely disappointing experience. A company called MasterImage 3D is leading the charge to bring 3D displays to airlines around the world. MasterImage also wants glasses-free 3D technology to come to in-car entertainment systems. In other words, it will become a ubiquitous medium for when you don't really want to watch TV but have nothing better to do because you're stuck in a vehicle of some sort. "We weren't looking at (airlines and car makers) initially. We were focusing on smartphones and tablets, but there turned out to be strong interest," said company VP Roy Taylor. Potentially Landmark Ruling Bans Debt Collector From Facebook Tags:   facebook A Florida judge has ruled in favor of plaintiff Melanie Beacham in a harassment lawsuit against debt collector MarkOne Financial. In it, Beacham says she received 23 phone calls per day about a debt she owed, and then at one point MarkOne was able to track her down on Facebook. Representatives then not only sent online messages to her but also to everyone on her friend list. In a preliminary ruling, the judge declared MarkOne is barred from contacting Beacham or any of her friends on any social networking site. The legal order is the first of its kind, and a big victory for Beacham's lawyer Bill Howard. Howard, who focuses on consumer protection cases at firm Morgan & Morgan, said a ruling against using social networking to harass debt owners is "something we've been fighting for, and we finally got a court ruling on that." Beacham's case remains ongoing, but some could say she already scored a victory