Consumer content

Apple iTunes makes sweet music in online video market

iTunes tops the charts in online video sales, according to market research firm The NPD Group.

Apple claimed 66 percent of all TV shows sold and 65 percent of all movies sold online last year. In second place, Amazon took home 14 percent of all TV shows sold in cyberspace. Amazon and Xbox Video each grabbed a 10 percent chunk of all feature-length films sold over the Internet in 2012.

iTunes also scored the lead in the video-on-demand market, biting off a 45 percent share of all online movie rentals. Amazon Instant Video accounted for 18 percent, leaving Vudu with … Read more

Google Street View now in 50 different countries

Google Street View is now snapping panoramic pictures in 50 countries around the world.

The mapping service reached its 49th and 50th countries on Tuesday by launching in Hungary and Lesotho, according to the Google Maps blog. In addition, Street View has expanded its coverage in Poland, Romania, and other spots. In total, Google updated its Street View images for almost 350,000 miles of roads throughout 14 countries.

The images of Hungary include a view of the Hungarian Parliament building, a walk across the Chain bridge, and a peek at the Buda castle.

Lesotho, a country surrounded by South … Read more

Apple iOS users hit by online access glitches

Apple iOS users bumped into some trouble with several online services today.

Updates on Apple's status page this morning revealed that users might get an error when signing into their iCloud accounts or creating new accounts.

Users may incorrectly receive an authentication error when attempting to use iCloud. Setting up a new iCloud account from an eligible device may be temporarily unavailable.

Additionally, some people were unable to create new Apple IDs or sign into the Game Center app. Some iTunes users had been unable to access the iTunes store or make purchases, but Apple's status page indicates … Read more

Aereo to bring TV streaming service to Boston in May

Next stop for Aereo's TV streaming service: Boston.

Aereo said Tuesday that it will bring its service to the Boston metropolitan area in the coming weeks. Consumers who have registered already with Aereo will be able to tune in starting May 15, and then membership will open up to everyone starting May 30.

Boston will be the second city to get Aereo's controversial service as the company begins its expansion beyond its home base of New York. Aereo said in January that it plans to expand to 22 cities across the U.S. over the course of this … Read more

Firefox OS developer phones sold out

Firefox OS app developers hoping to snag one of the new Firefox OS phones seem to be out of luck.

The Keon and the Peak popped up for sale today courtesy of manufacturer/seller Geeksphone. But the two phones already appear on the company's Web site as "out of stock." The page for each phone simply says "this product is no longer in stock" with no further explanation.

A spokeswoman for Geeksphone told CNET at around 6:15 a.m. PT that the phones are currently out of stock due to great demand. But the … Read more

California gets first commercial white-space high-speed Internet

Believe it or not, there are still parts of the U.S. that don't have access to high-speed Internet. But that's looking to change with the onset of TV white-space broadband technology.

The first commercial application of this type of service in the U.S. is coming to a rural area of Northern California called El Dorado County, or Gold Country. Internet provider Cal.net is partnering with network equipment provider Carlson to bring this region's residents something more than dial-up.

"Over 59,000 residents in our rural service area have had little or no quality … Read more

Netflix doubling down on exclusive content

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wasn't specific in terms of numbers about the financial impact of the simultaneous, exclusive release of 13 "House of Cards" episodes last quarter, but he is doubling down on original content.

"We are focused on moving toward more and more exclusive content," Hastings said Monday during Netflix's first-quarter earnings call. "If the content is not exclusive and it's on cable and on other services, it might be pleasant to watch on Netflix, but it's not really reinforcing customers to stay with Netflix."

Competitors, including Amazon and … Read more

Amazon's pilots reign supreme on Instant Video

Amazon's pilot programs launched last week, and already they're making an impact on the e-retailer's streaming video service.

Amazon said today that over this past weekend, eight of the 10 most-streamed episodes on its Instant Video service came from the new TV pilots it launched last week.

Amazon claims that it combed through more than 4,000 submissions for its Amazon Studios division, which will produce original series for its streaming service. Out of that, it chose to make 14 pilots. The shows range in type from comedies -- including one starring John Goodman, named "Alpha … Read more

Google Glass could allow control via winks and two fingers

Google Glass users may be able to snap a photo just by winking.

Code uncovered in the MyGlass companion app by a Reddit user named fodawim lists several intriguing options for users of the high-tech specs.

One snippet of code reads "EYE_GESTURES_WINK_TAKE_PHOTO," which clearly sounds like a mere wink of your eye would be enough to take a photograph. Another line says "BROWSER_TWO_FINGER_ZOOM," which suggests the ability to zoom in and out of the browser simply by moving your thumb and index finger, just like on a touch-screen device.

Two more slices of code called HEAD_GESTURES_HEAD_WAKE_ENABLED and HEAD_GESTURES_HEAD_WAKE_DISABLED … Read more