• Mobile Apps Make Parking Easier in SF, Chicago, NYC, But Disruptive Technology Is Causing Problems Too

  Smartphone technology has enabled users to make the process of finding or paying for a parking space infinitely easier, but as more app makers push the envelope for better deals, some cities are pushing back.

  

• Five Startup Companies Selected for Top Honors at DEMO Fall 2014

  Five startup companies were selected for top honors yesterday at the DEMO Fall 2014 Conference held in San Jose, California. The honors, known as “The DEMO Gods,” recognize companies who successfully communicated the power and value of their emerging technologies before a high-level panel of investor judges in a pressure-packed four minute presentation during the two-day gathering.

  

• Tech Designers See Bright Future in Wearable Computing and Facebook’s Oculus Rift

  With the explosion of wearable computing products like the Fitbit and rapid advances in virtual reality devices like the Oculus Rift, technology designers have a golden opportunity to add huge value to the next wave of innovative new products that will reshape how we experience the world.

  

• Secret Chat and Facial Recognition Among Many Technologies Profiled At Big Privacy Conference

  At the Privacy Identity Innovation (Pii) Conference, held over three days last week in Palo Alto, California, there was a great deal of discussion over the need for new tools to protect online users from government or hacker intrusion. Conference attendees were treated to appearances and demos by the makers of innovative products in this space, despite concerns that some of these new tools may violate privacy boundaries as well.

  

• Toys and Robots for Kids and Cats Take Center Stage at HAX Demo

  Ten new startup companies unveiled their hardware products at the HAXLR8R Demo Day in San Francisco last week. The latest innovations were heavy on robotics, targeting a young audience and even a household pet.