Showing results by narrator "Todd Mundt" in All Categories

In this issue, you'll hear about how the Microsoft Kinect is fun but its natural user interfaces still have a long way to go. You'll learn about what Google TV has to offer – despite tepid early reviews. You'll learn about a new messaging system that could steal advertising dollars from Facebook's rivals. You'll hear about an app that goes through the clutter of texts, calls, and e-mails on a device to make sense out of a chaotic social network.

In this issue, you’ll hear why Facebook has tightened its security. You’ll learn about an interest network that lets users create pages and plans to give them a cut of the resulting ad revenue. You'll hear why taking control of computers with our hands and bodies is set to become commonplace. You’ll learn how a full-color screen for mobile devices may be available sooner than you’d think.

In this issue, you'll hear how Google and the geeks from Silicon Valley aim to revolutionize the 70-year-old TV industry. You'll learn why your DNA sequence does not determine your entire genetic fate. You'll hear how scientists can now track the precise genetic changes behind an individual case of cancer – and how this could change the way we treat the disease. And you’ll learn what a new wave of plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles have to overcome in order to succeed.

In this issue, you’ll hear how venture capital has failed to be the financial engine of American innovation. You’ll learn why a research agency’s shift in focus to alternative energy has put them in the political crosshairs. You’ll hear how a blood test could herald in a new wave of noninvasive prenatal screenings. You’ll learn how market leaders can quickly turn into market has-beens.

In this issue, you’ll learn why Silicon Valley has never been successfully reproduced. You’ll hear the secret to becoming the next tech hot spot. You’ll learn how Beijing is being turned into a technology powerhouse….

In this issue, you'll hear how Japan's spiraling reactor accident could threaten the future of nuclear power - how residents in Tokyo were alerted by a new early warning system – how newer nuclear plant designs are more resilient to natural disaster – and how people around the globe were quickly able to mobilize online to provide relief for Japan.

In this issue, you’ll learn how Amazon’s massive investments in technology are shaping the future for retailers everywhere. You’ll hear why major Internet companies are spending millions in order to deliver just about anything within a few hours. You’ll learn why Twitter may be making major interface changes. You’ll hear how a startup is offering a real-time way to track how economies are doing. You’ll learn how a new technology can read people’s feelings and predict the statistical likelihood of their later behavior.

For our 13th annual celebration of people who are driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs, we’re presenting the stories in a new way. We’ve grouped them by categories that reflect the variety of approaches that people can take to big problems. First we introduce you to Inventors, who are creating new technologies. Next come Entrepreneurs, who are turning technologies into viable businesses. Then meet the Visionaries, who are anticipating how technologies can make life better, while Humanitarians are concentrating on expanding opportunities. Finally, the Pioneers are exploring new frontiers, setting the stage for future innovations.

You’ll learn how local programmers and homegrown business models are helping to realize the vast promise of using phones to improve health care and save lives. You’ll hear how an Internet pioneer’s quest to quantify everything about his health led him to a startling discovery. You’ll learn how personalized cancer treatment may have finally arrived. You’ll hear how a startup is trying to reinvent computer networking in an effort to make Internet services smarter, faster, and cheaper.

In this issue, you'll learn about a new feature that will enable shuttle astronauts to get out alive in case of a launch emergency. You'll get a few hints as to how Google's new operating system will actually function. You'll learn how a company is trying to bolster online password security by studying the people who are typing in the characters. You'll hear about the alarming security weaknesses in ATMs and what is being done to improve it.

In this issue, you’ll hear how the social media giants’ scientists are hunting for insights about human behavior. You’ll hear how Facebook could collapse – without a new earth-changing idea. You’ll hear how Germany is pursuing ambitious greenhouse-gas reductions while closing down its nuclear plants. You’ll learn how scientists are turning back to nature in order to revolutionize the way we produce fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. And you’ll find out why the future of media on mobile devices isn't with apps but with the Web.

In this issue, you’ll learn how the lead architect of Sony Computer Entertainment will define the next blockbuster game console. You’ll hear how Samsung’s new smart watch may be the most polished effort yet. You’ll learn how startups are using sound waves to let mobile gadgets transfer data quickly and efficiently. You’ll learn why it could take years for 3-D gesture-control to catch on with consumers and app developers. You’ll hear how Silicon chips with optical technology are allowing a new form of superfast data connection. And you’ll hear news from the worlds of Biomedicine, Technology and Communications.

In this issue, you'll learn what heart cells generated from your blood can tell you about your risk for disease. You’ll hear how Egyptian and Tunisian youths hacked the Arab Spring. You’ll learn how artist David Hockney is trying to capture the experience of seeing. You’ll hear how a virtual medium of exchange could be a real alternative to government-issued money.

In this issue, you'll hear how WikiLeaks wants to undermine states and corporations by interfering with their ability to "think." You'll learn how a new company is marrying credit cards with mobile phones. You'll hear about one company that reflects the ambition of a whole generation of energy startups. You'll learn why the Internet is no longer fast enough for Google. You'll hear about the price you pay for using free Web services.

In this issue, you’ll learn how developing nations are putting nuclear on fast-forward. You’ll hear about a new kind of molten-salt reactor that is designed to overcome the major barriers to nuclear power. You’ll learn why securing critical infrastructure needs to go far beyond the measures in President Obama’s executive order. You’ll hear how the sequencing of a complete human genome may soon cost less than an iPhone. You’ll learn about Facebook’s database that describes as many things as possible.