Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/236862
Th u rsd a y, Ja n u a ry 9 , 2 0 1 4 C o n su m e r Ele c tro n ic D a ily N e ws FOOD NETWORK APPS FUEL INTERACTIVE FOOD PASSION By Lee Hall, Scripps Networks Interactive Food has long been a personal expression. Never has this been more apparent than now. Visit any social media site and chances are you will see photos of last night's meal from friends and family near and far (liking or reposting optional, of course!). In a recent Food Network survey, one in three people said they shared more pictures of food than of friends and family. The study found that food and cooking are no longer strictly functional or niche interests. This foodposting passion explosion is not likely to stop anytime soon. Technology stirs inspiration in and out of the kitchen. Food Network con- nects food lovers with cross-platform experiences and easy-to-use apps to help them cultivate their food passion, bonding viewers with tools that make eating, watching and cooking a creative and interactive experience. Mobile apps like Food Network In the Kitchen and Food Network On the Road conveniently bring Food Network content to users' fingertips. "Our mission at Food Network is to connect people to the joy and power of food," said Bob Madden, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Online Brands for Food Network and Cooking Channel. "Our digital strategies empower us to deliver that value proposition to our fans whenever or wherever FLIPSQUARE DOWNLOADS SOARING Gamers are turning in droves toward FlipSquare, which is billed as "the smart game for the smart phone." With a global debut in Eureka Park at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, new FlipSquare fans are popping up everywhere and singing the game's praises. "We've seen people try it at the booth and can't put down the iPad for hours," said John Johnson, president of FlipSquare's parent company, Petros Media. "The concept is incredibly simple and addicting. It's great to see everybody so excited about FlipSquare." FlipSquare stands apart from other games in the app store. Besides being a sui generis puzzle concept, FlipSquare's clean, simple design makes for a user experience that's second to none. Designed with iOS 7 in mind, FlipSquare takes full advantage of parallax graphics and features a natural and intuitive interface. "Beauty is found in simplicity," said Matt Sich, FlipSquare's lead developer. TRANSMEDIA HUB MIXES WRITTEN WORD WITH GAME MECHANICS AND SOCIAL MEDIA What do you get when you mix narrative and social video game mechanics with a streaming service? The future of storytelling! Transmedia Story Stream is a revolutionary new platform that allows storytellers to create story worlds that can include written word, video, audio, casual games, and live events. Within Transmedia Story Stream, fans can immerse themselves in their favorite story world and earn points, rewards, digital badges, and collectibles that can be shared with friends. Mixing the power of video games and social media into a narrative allows for a transformed reading experience. The Transmedia Story Stream platform is being built on the Pubsoft HTML5 publishing ecosystem, which allows storytellers to implement a direct sales system for their digital products. Having a direct sales system for digital products means creators can now own their audiences, which brings down the long-term cost of marketing and allows a storyteller inventive opportunities to directly engage their fans. "As a transmedia producer and author, I got tired of chasing my audience across multiple websites (Amazon, Apple, GooglePlay, YouTube, etc.)," notes Karen Snyder, Lead Visionary and UI Designer for the Transmedia Story Stream. "And the marketing dollars! Each site wants me to spend money to promote them, yet I cannot directly FORTEMEDIA OFFERS SOLUTION FOR VOICE CONTROL TV Fortemedia Inc. has announced its first audio SoC that integrates audio codec with its world-leading voice processing algorithms on-chip that enhances voice commands possible with today's new SmartTVs. Voice commands have become popular with most electronics devices in the past few years as it is the most intuitive user interface. However, using voice commands to control TV has proved to be very challenging for several reasons. The various environmental noises cause immense difficulties that earlier technologies were unable to address effectively. Distance is another challenging factor that earlier solutions failed to address and provide adequate quality of a voice signal beyond 3 meters. Key requirements for voice input applications in a SmartTV include the ability to connect to many microphones, typi- they need us - online, in their kitchen or at the grocery store." In the Kitchen, a toprated recipe and cooking app, lets users search for Food Network recipes by chef or ingredient, and allows them to discover recipes for any occasion. New recipes are added monthly from network programs and chefs. Users can save their favorites and add personal notes and tips. In the Kitchen is a part of the App Store Hall of Fame. On The Road users can browse a database of 3,000 restaurants, food trucks and hot spots featured on popular Food Network shows. The app enables users to keep track of destinations, access tips on best dishes and share recommendations with friends. Users can search locations by city, show, chef and more. Food Network brings programs 31 directly to viewers with Watch Food Network, an app that allows users to share their favorite episodes on social media, create a watch list and sync video viewing across multiple devices. The app uses improved AirPlay support and is compatible with iOS 7.0. Food Network continues to evolve interactive offerings for video viewing and sharing technology by listening to its viewers' needs and desires, and developing and delivering these highly rated apps. To learn more about Food Network's apps and shows visit, www.foodnetwork.com. For more information, visit booth CP-13 at the Consumer Electronics Show. Visit online at www.scrippsnetworks interactive.com, call 865-560-3853 or email lhall@scrippsnetworks.com. "Gamers aren't looking for more noise, more glitter and more clutter. Games should be enjoyable and should focus the mind. We think that's why the response to FlipSquare has been so positive." Another great feature of FlipSquare is that the users really are in control. "You don't just play the game; you make the game," said Sich. "ShareSquare is my favorite feature of FlipSquare. Besides the campaign that can keep you going for hours on end, users are able to design their own levels and then share them with the world. It's awesome." The overwhelming reception FlipSquare has seen at CES is a great indicator that this app is the beginning of something very big in Apple gaming. The game has a self-generating user base that's quickly propelling FlipSquare downloads sky high. FlipSquare is available for free download in the iOS app store now. For more information, visit www.petrosmedia.com or stop by booth 74208 in Eureka Park. touch my audience to reward or engage fans. And what of the convergence of media? Each site seeks to split my story into separate silos even though consumers are mixing entertainment habits as never before. As I encountered these problems, I resolved to find a solution. What about a connected book? One that was alive with people and offered ways to immediately reward a fan for engaging with the story? With Pubsoft's assistance, Transmedia Story Stream is the solution to solving distributor gaps and empowering other storytellers to extend their stories to meet the demands of today's audience." "We're excited to be a part of this project because we see the potential for growth. How many of us have played online social and casual games like Words With Friends or Candy Crush for hours without realizing it? What if games such as those were incorporated into some of our favorite story lines, like Twilight, and Harry Potter? What if par- ticipating in different activities provided different additional parts of the story that could only be unlocked by experiencing it in a different way? We don't want to diminish the traditional narrative form so much as we want authors to have the ability to add to it," said Heather Wied, Marketing Director for Pubsoft. Initially the platform will be open to the romance genre author. The romance audience, women aged 35-54 years, are the dominant casual video game players. This audience of social game players ties in perfectly with romance ebook readers. Transmedia Story Stream will provide a way for authors to merge the current entertainment habits of romance readers into one enhanced story experience. Eventually, the platform will be open to other fiction genres. The platform is now seeking storytellers who want to join in the future of storytelling. The Transmedia Story Stream team will also be launching a Kickstarter campaign in early 2014. cally four or more, supporting different microphone placement geometries and the capability to support distant talking ASR in reverberant environments. Fortemedia's new audio SoC, FM1488, has built-in capability to support voice signal processing for up to six microphones, in addition to processing different pickup patterns, providing the best noise suppression capability while extending the consumer's command voice pick range up to 5 meters. The patent-pending solution will also provide multi-channel acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and suppress room ambient reverberation; all these con- tribute to significant voice command accuracy improvement. Other features include voice tracking capability to ensure good pickup of user commands when the talker is in front of the viewing area. "FM1488 is the breakthrough for TV technology," said Dr. Paul Huang, CEO and Chairman of Fortemedia, Inc. "We have made a major step in solving one of the toughest problems in the industry." Fortemedia will demonstrate FM1488 technology with a four-microphone solution at International CES. The product is expected to start sampling in Q2 2014 and MP in Q3 2014.