Apple News: California court ruling frees drivers to use map apps on cellphones
A California state appellate court on Thursday reversed a ruling of a man who was ticketed for using a mapping app on his iPhone 4 while driving, opening the door to reform of the state’s laws regarding cellphone use while driving. In its decision, California’s 5th District Court of Appeal ruled the state’s laws are worded in such a way that does not prohibit drivers from using certain apps like mapping software while driving, reports The Associated Press.
Read full story => AppleInsider
Technology News: Digital health IPOs will leave enterprise tech in the dust in 2014
The U.S. experiences cycles in liquidity because, well, we just aren’t that creative. In 2006 to 2007 we saw waves of consumer tech IPOs, then the inevitable ebb, followed by the flow of enterprise tech IPOs from 2010 to 2013. But while high profile brands like Twitter and FireEye dominated the news, did you know that 38 healthcare firms went public, compared to 28 in technology? In 2013 we saw healthcare IT investments break records, exceeding $1.9 billion in total investments. And digital health has only scratched the surface: I believe that healthcare IT IPOs will quadruple enterprise tech IPOs this year.
Read full story => VentureBeat
Programming News: Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Hack on Open Source Projects
People admire open source contributors, just like they admire entrepreneurs and artists. That’s awesome, they’ll tell you. Improve the world, I love that. Go for it! (It’s easy for them to say.) But as with anything that becomes more prestigious, people recommending it to you will ignore your opportunity costs, and you may try to do it for the wrong reasons. You shouldn’t become an artist so you can be famous, but because there’s art inside of you that will kill you if you don’t let it out. You shouldn’t found a startup to make money, but because it’s your life’s work. And you shouldn’t hack on open source projects because someone told you that your GitHub profile is your new resume, but because you want to code socially. I won’t focus on why open source is good in this post, but rather warn you about some common, bad reasons to hack on open source projects.
Read full story => CodeCombat
Photography News: A guide to buying a point-and-shoot digital camera
By far the largest segment of the digital camera market, point-and-shoot models are compact, easy to use, and typically take great pictures with minimal effort. You simply press the shutter button, and the camera automatically adjusts shutter speed, aperture, focus, and light sensitivity to capture a clear image with optimal colour. Hence the phrase point-and-shoot, as that’s exactly what you’re doing. This is a very different photographic experience compared to Digital SLRs which offer larger image sensors, more manual control and interchangeable lenses. Another bonus is that point-and-shoot cameras can often slip easily into a pocket, and are typically less expensive. Deciding to buy a point-and-shoot camera is the simple part, but with hundreds of models with varying price points and feature sets to choose from, selecting the best one is no easy feat. That’s why we’ve laid down the rules you should follow in order to find the right compact digital camera.
Read full story => ITProPortal
