Voices

Amid Drone Talk, Amazon Has Real Robots

Amazon got a lot of ink for its sci-fi drone delivery idea this week, but a more real and immediate robot effort underway in the Seattle retailer’s warehouses could save it as much as $916 million a year, according to one analyst.

What the NSA Might Have Wanted to Learn From Tracking Your Phone

A mobile phone’s location is a rich trove of useful data, so it’s no wonder that the spy agency experimented with it.

Voices

Online Class Aims to Earn Millions

Two University of Texas at Austin professors this week launched their introductory psychology class from a makeshift studio, with a goal of eventually enrolling 10,000 students at $550 a pop and bringing home millions for the school.

Facebook’s Nonexistent Video Ads Could Be a $1 Billion Business Next Year

Morgan Stanley figures these things will be an instant hit — and real competition for TV ad dollars.

Nielsen Blesses Twitter’s Tale With a New Study: Tweets Really Can Boost Ratings

Some of the time, at least. But Dick Costolo and company will take it.

News Byte

NPD: Nintendo 3DS Was the Best-Selling Video Game System in the U.S. in June

Nintendo sold 225,000 units of its portable game console, the Nintendo 3DS, in June. That’s according to market research firm NPD, which called the 3DS the best-selling video game system in the U.S. that month. Its main competitor in gaming-specific handhelds is Sony’s PlayStation Vita, which has historically lagged behind the 3DS in sales. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sold 140,000 units in June, while Sony has not disclosed how many PS3s it moved.

You Really Might Be Boring Your Facebook Friends

A back-and-forth between Facebook and BuzzFeed obscures a more interesting point — lots of people may not be very interested in the stuff you post on Facebook.

Why Bother With Wireless? Tablet Owners Stay Tethered.

Another reason the iPad isn’t a big iPhone: It may be that only one in 20 tablets are hooked up to a wireless subscription.

Exclusive: Microsoft’s Xbox Head Don Mattrick Leaving to Take Top Role — Possibly CEO — At Zynga

A very big hire for the troubled online gaming giant.

New Pew Report Confirms What We Already Knew: More Than Half of U.S. Adults Now Have Smartphones

Not surprisingly, smartphone youth is wasted on the young. Also: Bad news for BlackBerry …

Nobody “Goes Online” Anymore

Dreamworks Animation Names New CTO