echo

Many mobile apps and desktop programs have offered intriguing note-taking capabilities, but the truth is: nothing beats handwritten notes. Typing might be more efficient, but even experts will tell you that writing by hand allows you to learn better, retain more information, and stimulates your brain.

For these reasons, subconsciously or not, many students and professionals still choose analog notes over the speed of a keyboard and searchable, typed words.

But if you're a handwriting romantic who embraces technology, you don't have to choose between the conveniences of technology and the comfort of the pen. Meet the Echo Smartpen … Read more

Back at the start of the Space Age, satellites weren't always the high-tech wonders that they are today.

Behold the 135-foot Echo II, NASA's "rigidized balloon," which served as a passive communications satellite. Here, it's seen undergoing a tensile stress test in a dirigible hanger at Weekesville, N.C. Microwave signals sent from Earth bounced off the orbiting metallic balloon to another point back on Earth.

NASA sent Echo II into orbit on January 25, 1964, and it was in service until June 1969, when it re-entered the atmosphere and burned up. Its predecessor, the … Read more

There's a new way to tap into the music tastes of your Facebook friends.

Myxer.com, a leading site for ringtones and media for phones, is shifting gears into the streaming music space. This week it launched Myxer Social Radio, a Web site and mobile app for streaming custom themed radio stations. The twist: invite friends to your station, called a room, and chat about the music.

Users also get a real-time activity feed of what their Facebook friends are listening to on Myxer, and can jump into a friend's room at any time. If a user is … Read more

The dual-screen Kyocera Echo has become the latest Android smartphone to receive Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. The update includes many of the standard Gingerbread features, along with pinch-to-zoom support, a Swype 3.0 virtual keyboard, and an improved downloads application.

Kyocera also is including a new Eco mode that's specifically designed for the Echo, which gives users the ability to better manage battery life. The application will change various power settings on the handset once it hits a preset, user-determined point. So for example, when the device reaches its chosen battery percentage, it will begin to conserve power … Read more

The day after acquiring EchoSign for its electronic signature technology, Adobe Systems and EchoSign are being sued by a company that claims EchoSign's technology infringes on five of its patents.

Los Angeles-based RPost this morning filed a lawsuit against Adobe and EchoSign in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division, claiming EchoSign is infringing on RPost's patented technology with its services.

RPost is asking the court for a permanent injunction against services from both companies, as well as damages on infringing products. Adobe yesterday said that it plans to integrate EchoSign's … Read more

Adobe Systems, creator of the Portable Document Format standard used for digital documents, has acquired EchoSign, a company specializing in electronic signature technology.

The move means Adobe will get new abilities for its document-handling software. Electronic signatures have held the promise for years of letting people sign documents without having to resort to the paper-based hassles of scanning, faxing, and mailing, but haven't made major inroads.

EchoSign and Adobe hope to change this, naturally. Adobe has been working hard to embed its products as deeply into business computing as Microsoft Office, and EchoSign is part of that effort.

"… Read more

The new EchoSystem 4 from Echo360 is looking to add another important tool to universities that want to build and utilize a virtual, paperless classroom environment. It should be a welcome tool for students everywhere (until they realize it'll make cutting class obsolete).

The new software platform records and relays the classroom experience in HD to iPads, Android tablets, laptops, and desktops. The system requires compatible hardware and simulates attending and participating in the classroom by allowing real-time collaboration through question submission, polling, and commenting while watching the recorded lecture. By taking the classroom mobile, EchoSystem 4 could enable students of any age to take classes from their dorm rooms, roofs, treehouses, or across the country. … Read more

TiVo's revenue slid considerably in the quarter that ended April 30 while its profits scored huge gains, thanks to a recent patent settlement.

According to the DVR maker, it generated revenue in its fiscal first quarter of $45.7 million, down from the $61.3 million it tallied during the same period in 2010. However, unlike the 2010 quarter when it lost $14.2 million, TiVo secured a profit during its last-reported period of more than $139 million.

TiVo's financial performance was bolstered by its recent settlement with Dish Network and EchoStar. The companies announced earlier this month … Read more

After several years of litigation, the patent-infringement case that TiVo launched against Dish Network and EchoStar has come to an end.

Dish Network and EchoStar have agreed to pay TiVo $500 million to settle the case, including an upfront payment of $290 million from Dish and $10 million from EchoStar. Between 2012 and 2017, the companies will pay TiVo the remaining $200 million in equal installments. The parties also agreed to eliminate all pending litigation between them.

The battle between the companies started in 2004 when TiVo claimed EchoStar, which was Dish Network's parent company before the satellite provider … Read more