IDC Financial Insights assists financial services business and IT leaders in making more effective technology decisions by providing insightful fact-based research and consulting services. Our global research analyzes and advises on business and technology issues facing the banking, insurance, and securities and investments industries.
If you ever wanted to be able to read text on a street sign or on a menu in a restaurant when abroad, your smartphone might be able to help you soon. Japanese electronics company Omron has developed a smartphone application that can instantly translate (short) foreign texts you come across - firing up the app and pointing the phone's camera at the text in question is enough. Omron says that in its current form, the app (which isn't available yet) can handle English, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Translations are superimposed over the text shown on the display (in the picture below, you can see three items on a Korean menu shown in yellow Japanese letters).
Platform holders Sony Computer Entertainment and Nintendo, along with publisher EA have pulled support for the Stop Online Piracy Act introduced by the United States House of Representatives in October last year.
Creation of the bill is intended to "promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes".
However, many have argued it is a threat to freedom of speech that could afford people the power to shut down websites at individual discretion, could be abused for cencorship purposes, and significantly impact user-generated content such as YouTube videos.
Although the three companies are no longer listed as supporters of the bill they are all still members of the Entertainment Software Association, which is still backing the bill.
Sony also has a presence through Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Music Entertainment and Sony Music Nashville.
The withdrawal comes shortly after notorious hacking group Anonymous pledged to destroy Sony's network for providing its support to SOPA.
"Your support of the act is a signed death warrant to Sony Company and Associates. Therefore, yet again, we have decided to destroy your network. We will dismantle your phantom from the internet. Prepare to be extinguished. Justice will be swift, and it will be for the people, whether some like it or not," the group said in a statement.
Reports suggest Sony's console has been opened up to piracy again via a new PS3 hack.
AUSTIN, Texas ? Angel Goodrich scored 22 points and Kansas beat No. 23 Texas 72-67 on Wednesday night to win its Big 12 opener for the first time in six years.
Monica Engelman added 19 points and Carolyn Davis scored 14 of her 16 after halftime for the Jayhawks (12-1, 1-0), who hadn't opened their conference schedule with a win since beating the Longhorns 70-61 in 2006.
Ashleigh Fontenette scored 19 points as Texas (10-3, 0-1) lost for the first time since falling to No. 6 Tennessee on Dec. 4.
Kansas, which came in with the nation's best shooting percentage, extended its winning streak to six games despite shooting a season-worst 39 percent from the field (26 of 66).
Kansas led 30-20 at the break, but Texas used a late 22-6 run to pull to 70-67 with 14 seconds to play. Fontenette had a 3-point attempt blocked on the next possession and Goodrich sank two free throws to seal it.
Twitter / The Post: The fire truck that caused ...The fire truck that caused some friction between Athens officials and Ohio University is arriving tomorrow: Il y a environ 4 heuresvia web
If you ever wanted to be able to read text on a street sign or on a menu in a restaurant when abroad, your smartphone might be able to help you soon. Japanese electronics company 
BardoColifato 
