Facebook loses 6M U.S. users in May
Facebook may continue to gain users, but the world's biggest social network isn't gaining them as quickly as it has been and is actually losing users in the U.S.
Facebook gained 11.8 million more users last month alone, according to a study by Inside Facebook. While that's a lot of new users, it's less than the 13.9 million new users who joined the site in April, or the 20 million gain during some months in the past year.
And while Inside Facebook reports that the social network is approaching 700 million users worldwide, the number of U.S. users has dropped. The study found that Facebook lost 6 million U.S. users in May. Read more...
New medical coding system taxes hospital IT resources
A new federally mandated medical coding system designed to better track diagnoses and treatments is affecting dozens of core applications for healthcare providers and insurance payers, and is requiring a massive overhaul of IT systems that some say is nearly impossible to complete on time.
Medical providers and insurance payers are required to move from the current ICD-9 coding system to ICD-10 by Oct. 1, 2013. While two years away, the effort has already been underway since 2008, yet most hospitals have yet to begin the change out, says the American Hospital Association, an industry group with more than 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other care organizations. Read more...
Oracle Exadata gains certification for SAP applications
Oracle's Exadata X2 machines are now certified to run applications from rival SAP, following recent steps by SAP to move its customers off Oracle database platforms.
Exadata X2 is the second generation of Oracle's data-processing machines for both transactional and analytic workloads. The systems, which include specialized hardware and software and use Oracle's database, have been a major focus for the company in recent years.
The SAP certification was valid as of Friday and applies to products that are based on NetWeaver 7.x and certified for Oracle database 11g Release 2, according to SAP's website. Read more...
iOS 5 can export video in 1080p, suggests high-res camera for iPhone 5
A peek into the code of the upcoming iOS 5 software update due this fall from Apple (AAPL) shows that the operating system will allow lots of iOS devices to export video in 1080p resolution.
The story, from 9to5Mac, suggests that code found in the beta version of iOS 5 currently available to developers will let users watch video in the kind of resolution previously reserved for HDTV, Blu-ray discs and some Internet video (YouTube carries a fair amount of high-def video in 1080p). If you’re not a TV buff, just know that 1080p is good, and that having iOS devices that are capable of that resolution is going to make for some pretty video. Read more...
IT worker demand remains strong despite slow economy
U.S. tech hiring for the second half of 2011 will increase as the gradually improving economy results in companies updating their IT systems after scaling back during the recession, according to a hiring survey from technology job website Dice.com.
"Several years ago companies cut back pretty far, particularly in infrastructure and technology development," said Tom Silver, senior vice president of North America for Dice Holdings, who spoke about results from Dice.com's recent biannual hiring survey. "They're in a little bit of a state of catch-up ... in terms of their infrastructure and therefore the people they need in order to replace aging hardware and software and deal with security challenges." Read more...
Elgan: Your health isn’t a game, but it should be
Everybody knows video games are unhealthy, right? Instead of exercising and eating right, gamers sit motionless in a dark room eating junk food. The most hard-core gamers get really good at shooting bad guys and playing fake guitars, but the more they win at games, it seems, the more they fail at life.
But what happens when eating right and exercising is the game?
A new category of online service, mobile app and desktop application combines fitness tracking and goals with gaming. The idea is to apply the principles and practices of video games to the goals and behavior of diet and exercise.
The idea is brilliant and, for anyone who struggles to stay healthy, definitely worth a try. Read more...
Game rental service will allow T-Mobile customers to try Android apps before buying
If there’s a bummer to this whole mobile app thing, it’s that sometimes picking up a new app is a leap of faith. If something sounds interesting, often you’ll have to purchase it from whatever store in which it’s available to see if it’s any good. If it isn’t, in a lot of cases, you could just be wasting money. If you’re really unlucky, an app will create some sort of software glitch on your device, which is what’s happening with my iPhone right now. Not being able to quit apps has made the last few days tiresome, to say the least. Read more...
IMF cyber attack aimed to steal insider information: expert
A major cyber attack on the IMF aimed to steal sensitive insider information, a cyber security expert said on Sunday, as the race to lead the body which oversees global financial system heated up.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation is helping to investigate the attack on the International Monetary Fund, the latest in a rash of cyber break-ins that have targeted high-profile companies and institutions.
"The IMF attack was clearly designed to infiltrate the IMF with the intention of gaining sensitive 'insider privileged information'," cyber security specialist Mohan Koo, who is also Managing Director, Dtex Systems (UK), told Reuters in London. Read more...
Android faces more scrutiny as new devices from Samsung and Toshiba appear
Android devices may have taken over the mobile market, but the software running on these Android-powered smartphones and tablets is getting several industry CEOs worked up. It’s the apps developed for Android devices that have become a major topic of discussion for Motorola (MMI) CEO Sanjay Jha, who recently attributed phone performance issues to apps and Android’s open installation process, though the comment was later “cleaned up.” Meanwhile, the lack of apps on Windows Phone 7 has been called out in a Business Insider article as something Nokia (NOK) CEO Stephen Elop should pay more attention to, after Elop’s promise to deliver a superior OS seemingly disregards the influence of mobile apps on consumers’ device preferences. Read more...