Internet & Media

Pixel's camera failure only one of many

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's expensive Chromebook giveaway here at its I/O 2013 conference can't handle connecting to digital cameras, but that's just one of many problems the laptop causes for its owners.

Chromebooks, which run Chrome OS (read review), are a perpetual work in progress. Updated every six weeks or thereabouts, just like the browser they're based on, Chromebooks rely on the promise of the modern Web.

But getting browsers to talk to commonplace hardware like USB ports, Webcams, and microphones is no easy task. Web Real-Time Communication (WebRTC), a plugin-free way to stream video, … Read more

DirecTV reportedly wants to buy Hulu, again

Satellite TV provider DirecTV is thinking about buying all or parts of streaming-video site Hulu, according to news reports Friday.

An unnamed source told The Wall Street Journal that Hulu's owners, which include Walt Disney Company and Comcast, are considering several options for the site's future, including selling it.

Other unnamed sources told Bloomberg that DirecTV is still in preliminary discussions regarding Hulu and that it's not clear if DirecTV will buy some or all of Hulu.

Hulu is an attractive platform for TV providers like DirecTV because it would let them tap into online audiences. DirecTV … Read more

Yahoo to consider $1.1B price tag for Tumblr this Sunday -- report

Yahoo's board of directors is meeting this weekend to consider buying Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash, AllThingsD reported Friday.

Unnamed sources told ATD that the deal is entirely in cash, which means Yahoo isn't offering up any stock options for the hip blogging site. The sources also said Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer -- who has been trying to turn the large, struggling company around -- thinks buying Tumblr is key to her vision of a new Yahoo.

Yahoo sent out an invitation to the press Friday for a product event in New York taking place on … Read more

Google cuts network usage by terabytes by switching to WebP

SAN FRANCISCO -- A month and a half ago, Google began using its WebP image format in its Google+ app for Android, and now it's saving tremendous amounts of network usage as a result.

"We're saving many terabytes of bandwidth a day, and because of the cost factor, we're saving our users money," said Stephen Konig, a Google product manager, in a well-attended WebP Google I/O talk Friday.

Users' cost savings come because they're less likely to run into data usage caps or incur onerous roaming fees outside their home countries.

But of … Read more

Apple removes Bang With Friends from App Store

No more knocking boots with your Facebook friends, iPhone users. Apple has removed the salaciously titled Bang With Friends iPhone application from its App Store.

Bang With Friends, which was going by "BWF Official" on Apple's App Store, arrived on mobile devices last week. The hookup service, first launched on Web in January, has around 1 million users and helps people discreetly indicate their lust for a Facebook buddy.

Co-founder Colin Hodge, now going by his real name, told Valleywag that Apple removed the application from the App Store. Indeed, the original link to the iPhone app … Read more

One issue holding up Apple iRadio: The economics of skipping songs

Apple, which has been aiming for a summer rollout of a streaming music service, has hit a negotiating snag with Sony Music over some of the features that it is building into its product.

More specifically, Apple and Sony Music, the world's second-largest music label, are still trying to hammer out details over how much Apple would pay for songs that people listen to a fraction of and then skip, according to people familiar with the negotiations. There could be other points of contention as well.

Apple's streaming music service, which most closely resembles Internet radio leader Pandora, … Read more

Yahoo schedules NYC product event for Monday

Yahoo Chief Marissa Mayer will speak at a mystery product event in New York on Monday, May 20.

The event was first reported by CNBC, but Yahoo later confirmed that it has invited members of the media to an early evening press conference.

The Monday gathering is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, and the invite reads, "Join us as we share something special." A Yahoo spokesperson said the company would also livestream the announcement, but declined to share additional information on the subject of the event.

Yahoo could use the hastily scheduled affair to announce some type … Read more

Twitter teams with NBA to offer in-tweet pro hoops replays

Twitter and NBA Digital have partnered to stream in-tweet video highlights of some of the NBA playoffs' most exciting plays.

The deal, which was first reported by Bloomberg, comes just days after a similar arrangement between Twitter and ESPN. In that arrangement, Twitter users will have access to replays from soccer, the X Games, and college football.

Twitter said that the NBA highlights will be sponsored by Sony Pictures Entertainment, Taco Bell, and Sprint Nextel.

How Google, with your help, is overhauling its maps

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google's mapping service relies on mammoth data centers, vast quantities of satellite imagery, and a fleet of Street View cars. But it also relies on you.

At the Google I/O developer show here on Friday, Google engineers described how they've overhauled Google Maps, and two areas in which information from Google users is key to that.

First, using anonymous data collected from people using Google Maps on mobile phones, it picks the best navigation routes. Second, using photos people upload to its Panoramio and Picasa photo services, it generates immersive tours that swoop around … Read more