"Maps feels like a fresh, new product that has much maturing to do before it can rival paid ($20-$40) apps from leading navigation companies, such as Garmin, Navigon, and TomTom," the organization noted in a post published on its Web site.
Maps has a simple interface that will likely appeal to Apple users, especially those in a car, ready to travel. However, we consider it to be short on options, including many that … Read more
Android device shipments are poised to pass the 1 billion unit mark in 2013, according to projections by IHS.
IHS said that global unit shipments of Android phones will be 451 million in 2013, up from 357 million in 2012. Cumulative shipments by the end of 2013 will be 1.1 billion since the first Android device shipped in 2008.
For comparison, Apple's cumulative iPhone shipments will be 527 million in 2013 and hit the 1 billion mark in 2015.
Android's growth is largely attributed to its partner network, which consists of Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG, ZTE and … Read more
Sony plans to introduce a super-sized 84-inch LCD television during IFA 2012, Europe's major consumer electronics show, a source told CNET.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNET that the upcoming 84-inch TV can display a massive 3,840x2,160 resolution (four times the number of pixels in a conventional 1080p set), also known in the industry as 4K. We learned that the 84-inch Sony TV features a side-lit LCD panel (think thin) and removable speakers. In terms of design, our source describes the aesthetics as a reimagined retro-style appearance with a modern twist. … Read more
Bleacher Report, one of the largest sports news sites on the Web, was acquired today by Turner Broadcasting System.
The San Francisco-based startup focuses on delivering targeted sports news to about 10 million unique users a month. But unlike many sites whose content is written by a limited in-house staff, Bleacher Report relies on a wide network of mainly volunteer contributing writers around the country and the world who are passionate about the teams they love and who pen opinion and reaction pieces at a heavy pace in exchange for a prestigious slot on the site.
Terms of the deal … Read more
Shares of video-rental service Netflix fell 5 percent in early trading this morning to $56.81.
The company is now trading well below its previous 52-week low, following a collapse in the stock price yesterday when shares fell 25 percent. The company warned in its second-quarter earnings report this week that it might report a loss in the fourth quarter and also might not add as many subscribers as it had expected.
A host of analysts downgraded the stock yesterday and Consumer Reports reported that Netflix's service didn't fare particularly well in a consumer-satisfaction survey.
Though Consumer Reports, … Read more
The number of U.S. mobile phone subscribers switching from feature phones to smartphones is almost at the halfway mark, according to a new report from ComScore.
Roughly 110 million Americans owned a smartphone device as of April 2012, an increase of 44 percent from the previous year. Specifically, 47.5 percent of feature phone owners switched to a smartphone when buying a new device in April -- up from 38 percent at the same time in 2011.
At the same time, the number of American consumers who upgraded from an old feature phone to a feature phone decreased from … Read more
The programming dispute between DirecTV and Viacom is starting to affect the general population, with Viacom escalating the issue by pulling some of its popular shows from the Internet.
"The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report," and "Jersey Shore" are among the popular shows no longer available online as of yesterday. Other shows, such as "South Park," remain online, and back episodes of some pulled shows can still be found on Hulu.
DirecTV and Viacom have been arguing over how much a distributor should pay an entertainment company for content. Amid that fight, … Read more
Twitter released its first ever Transparency Report detailing statistics on international requests for user data and content removal today, the same day news came out that it would have to hand over user information in a court case in New York.
The Twitter Transparency Report breaks down the countries from where such requests come and specifies how many requests it has received, what percentage it complied with, and numbers of user accounts affected, all spanning the first six months of this year.
The company has received more government requests in the first half of this year than in all of … Read more
Ever wondered what happens when unwanted activity is reported on Facebook, such as explicit photos, hate speech, or hacked accounts?
Facebook is aiming to make it easier for users to understand what it does when user reports are filed by publishing the "Reporting Guide" infographic today (see above).
"With a community of over 901 million people, Facebook maintains a robust reporting infrastructure made up of dedicated teams all over the world and innovative technology systems," the social network writes on the infographic.
Looking to help users who may be contemplating suicide or others who feel like … Read more
U.S. companies are being targeted by hackers at an alarming rate. And according to a new report, they're tired of doing nothing in retaliation.
Reuters is reporting today, citing sources, that some companies that have fallen victim to hacks are starting to target those that have initiated the battle. The hacked companies, Reuters' sources say, have done everything from slowing hackers down to hiring contractors to hack the attacker's own systems.
Over the last few years, companies and government organizations have become a hot target for hackers. From Sony to defense contractors, hackers have found a multitude … Read more
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