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Mobile devices overtake TVs in the bedroom

What are wired people around the world doing in the living room and bedroom? Consuming content on their mobile devices, according to Motorola Mobility's Fourth Annual Media Engagement Barometer. Consumers globally are watching 25 hours of TV and film programming per week on average, up from 15 hours in 2011.

Fifty percent of respondents said they watch programming on their TVs in the living room, while 40 percent use their smartphones or tablets instead, the study found. The Motorola Mobility (owned by Google) survey of 9,500 consumers in 17 countries found that among the 36 percent of respondents … Read more

Hulu Plus rolls out new Apple TV app

Hulu is boasting a redesigned Apple TV app made specifically with the device in mind. The video-streaming company released the new app today.

The updated app, which requires a subscription with Hulu Plus, offers faster menu navigation.

It now shows content categories -- like TV, Kids, Latino, or Search -- in the navigation bar at the top of the screen. You can click on the category names to jump to each category and see the most-recently added content. The main screen also has a "Shows You Watch" tray to keep track of your most-watched series.

Hulu added some … Read more

Intel taps Hillcrest Labs' motion control for set-top box platform

Intel has unveiled a new reference design kit for a Web-based TV set-top box that will be based on the Atom processor and tap Hillcrest Labs' motion control technology.

Controlled with a handheld remote, Hillcrest's Freespace Motion Engine software gives subscribers the ability to control their TVs with "mouse-like navigation and point-and-click simplicity," the company said in a statement. Intel is showcasing the software at the TV Connect 2013 conference in London.

"Operators are seeking better and innovative ways to help consumers find and navigate shows and applications," Ran Senderovitz, general manager of Service Provider … Read more

Now Simon Cowell wants to find great, um, talents on YouTube

How would you feel if Simon Cowell came out of the closet?

Yes, your closet. The one that is full of your truly fashionable black clothes and discarded board games.

That seems to be the remarkably exciting premise of a new venture created by Cowell, together with the nice people at YouTube.

TV talent shows have been struggling of late. Why, last week's "American Idol" managed a series low in the Thursday ratings.

Cowell's own "The X Factor" has largely been disappointing too. Can you tell me who won the last one? Or the first one, even? Or anyone who won "America's Got Talent?" … Read more

Samsung Game Pad hints at Note 3

CNET Update needs bigger pockets:

Stories featured in Monday's tech roundup:

- Samsung says its new Game Pad accessory can fit a device with a 6.3-inch screen. But Samsung doesn't make a phone screen that big -- yet. Could this detail be a hint about the upcoming Note 3?

- Verizon wants to change TV fee rules by only paying for the channels subscribers are watching. And its not the only television provider trying to change the industry.

- Google Reader will soon be shut down, and Feedly is reaping all the benefits.

- Pinterest refreshed its design … Read more

New hotel near Apple's HQ sports Apple TVs in rooms

A hotel near Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., is now using some of the iPhone and iPad maker's home entertainment technology in its rooms.

Starwood Hotels' Aloft Hotel has put an Apple TV in all 123 of its rooms, the company said today.

Of note, the hotel is located on the same block as one of Apple's external campus buildings, and just two blocks from its headquarters on Infinite Loop.

"Guests can choose among thousands of movies and TV shows from iTunes, connect to Netflix for films, Hulu for television shows, MLB.com for sports, and … Read more

Verizon looks to turn TV fee rules on their head

Verizon wants to change how it pays television providers for their shows, according to a new report.

The company, which operates Fios TV, is currently in talks with several "midtier and smaller" television companies to pay them not for the number of subscribers their channels can reach, but by the number of people who actually watch their shows, according to the Wall Street Journal, which interviewed the company's executives.

"We are paying for a customer who never goes to the channel," Verizon Fios TV chief programming negotiator Terry Denson told the Wall Street Journal.

The … Read more

Apple to get its groove back with new products, says panel

Apple could shed some of its bad publicity once it gets back on track with a round of new products. At least, that's the opinion of a couple of Apple watchers.

In a panel led by TUAW editor in chief Victor Agreda, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster and TechCrunch columnist pundit MG Siegler opined about the latest hard-luck streak for the iPhone maker, as described by AppleInsider.

Siegler blamed much of the negativity about Apple on perception, calling it a "media-driven anomaly." But he also suggested that the company is a victim of its own success, asking … Read more

How Samsung might actually get featuritis under control

Editor's note: This article was originally published January 9 during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. It was updated March 15 with information about the Galaxy S4.

Samsung has a serious case of featuritis, but it's trying to get better.

The Korean electronics giant has long been known for its push to include more and more features in its products, whether it's new capabilities like NFC in smartphones or software like smart TV apps. Samsung uses such features as a way to differentiate its new gadgets from those of rivals and from its older products, and … Read more