Consumer content

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram is not a photography company.

That message, which might shock some of the 100 million-plus people who have uploaded more than 5 billion photos to Instagram, is what co-founder Kevin Systrom made clear during a discussion tonight among him and co-founder Mike Krieger and Digg founder and Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose.

The discussion, part of the Commonwealth Club's Inforum series, was an opportunity for hundreds of Instagram fans to hear first-hand a bit of the history -- and perhaps some of the future -- of the popular photo-sharing app. Even if that's not … Read more

Tumblr may finally be catching up in the advertising game with the launch of in-stream ads on its Web dashboard.

When Tumblr users scroll through the dashboard on the Web, they'll now see sponsored posts appear alongside posts from blogs they follow, the company said Thursday.

Tumblr started including sponsored posts in users' streams on its mobile applications in April. Like the ads on mobile, users will see up to four sponsored Tumblr stories a day on the desktop that are denoted by an animated dollar sign icon.

The sponsored posts will roll out to all users by the … Read more

Microsoft has a host of changes in store for Windows 8.1, including a nod in the direction of a Start button that the company is referring to as a Start "tip." But one feature I think would prove more useful would be a simple folder option for the Start screen.

As you install more apps in Windows 8, the OS keeps populating your Start screen with more and more tiles. The more apps you install, the more cluttered and crowded your Start screen becomes. Anyone who installs several dozen or more apps can easily find themselves having … Read more

Windows Phone 8 users can now add more music to their lives, courtesy of Shazam.

Officially unveiled Thursday in the Windows Phone store, the Shazam app works its musical magic by identifying the song currently being played in proximity to your phone. You can then buy the song through Microsoft's Xbox Music service or through Nokia Music if you're using a Nokia Lumia phone.

Shazam adds a social aspect as well. You can share and comment on your musical discoveries with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. You can also tag any song so that other people can … Read more

Hulu may have lost another executive.

The company's senior vice president of international operations, Johannes Larcher, has stepped down, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing an e-mailed statement from Hulu.

Larcher reportedly stepped down earlier this month.

If Larcher has in fact left Hulu, both parties have some cleaning up to do. Hulu's own Web site says that Larcher is still with the company. Larcher's LinkedIn page says the same. There has also been no word from Larcher on Twitter that he has left Hulu. Still, that doesn't mean that he hasn't stepped down.

If Larcher … Read more

Online learning startup Coursera has formed partnerships with 10 public universities and university systems to develop courses that can be taken for credit either online or in a blended classroom-online environment.

By exploring new uses for massive open online courses (MOOCs), the partnership aims to improve the quality of the education, as well as expand access and increase graduation rates for up to 1.25 million students at the schools, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company announced Wednesday.

The hope is that the program will encourage new teaching methods, as well as enhancing existing approaches by creating a "blended … Read more

RANCHO PALOS VERDE, CA -- Barry Diller is happy that the broadcast networks have sued Aereo. It has helped the startup he funded get some high visibility.

Aereo delivers local, over-the-air TV broadcasts via the Internet to subscribers. Antenna/DVR technology has caused a flurry of lawsuits from TV broadcasters, including ABC, CBS (CNET's parent company), Fox, NBC Universal, and Telemundo. The networks allege that Aereo violates their copyrights and that Aereo must pay them retransmission fees.

The court rulings so far have ruled in Aereo's favor, and the company has filed a complaint against CBS seeking to … Read more

Twitter released new versions of its iOS and Android apps on Wednesday intended to make tweeting easier than ever, and sharing photos a far better and quicker experience.

Twitter tweaked its apps in a number of ways, the company said in a blog post. Most prominently, it said that it is now faster than ever to tweet a photo. When a user wants to add a picture to their tweet, they'll now see a full preview of that image, rather than a cropped version. At the same time, Twitter said, sharing a photo from an iOS or Android camera … Read more

Those who haven't had the opportunity to visit New York City and see the Memorial at the World Trade Center now can tour it via Google Street View.

Users can zoom in and out and "walk around" to view the memorial from different angles. Images from the north and south memorial pools feature the engraved names of the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. The zoom feature is precise enough to read each person's name.

Google also has expanded its coverage of New York's famed Central Park. … Read more