Internet & Media

Google's new version of Hangouts can't make outbound calls

Google latest Google Hangouts update removed the ability for users to make calls, but users are able to take inbound calls, the company said Monday.

Nikhyl Singhal, a director of product for Google, wrote on posted on Google+. that the company is working on adding outbound calls for the Web and the Chrome extension. Hangout currently only support incoming calls for users with Google Voice numbers. If users don't want to use the updated version, they can make calls from Gmail's Google Talk while they wait for Google to make the function available again.

"Hangouts is designed … Read more

Young and old: A side-by-side look at Tumblr, Yahoo audiences

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Yahoo has agreed to acquire 6-year-old blogging powerhouse Tumblr for $1.1 billion. The mammoth deal has sent the Internet into a tizzy, especially since most would have pegged the two companies as unlikely bedfellows just a week ago.

The simplest and most obvious reason for Yahoo's interest in Tumblr can be seen in the chart above, which highlights the dramatically differing demographic profiles for the media portal and the blogging network.

It's a tale of two audiences. Tumblr is a fountain of youth. Yahoo is practically a retirement … Read more

Ex-GTA producer: Don't expect 3 consoles in next, next gen

A former Grand Theft Auto producer at Rockstar Games thinks that the next, next generation in consoles won't have three hardware makers competing for your dollars.

Speaking to Games Industry in an interview published on Monday, Jeremy Pope said the economics of the console market make no sense for there to be three hardware companies competing after the next round of consoles launch.

"It's going to be very challenging for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo," said Pope, who is currently running a mobile startup he founded called Rally Games. "I wouldn't be surprised if we … Read more

Pinterest now offers more than pretty pictures

Pinterest now offers users more information behind all those pretty pictures.

The scrapbooking social network today tweaked the power of certain pins to provide more details on the showcased items, thanks to new active links to third-party Web sites. As described in the company's official blog, Pinterest is working with popular Web sites to enrich the pinning experience. For instance, some of the tasty dishes in the Delicious Eats area now have active links that point to Web sites featuring the recipes.

Product pins reveal pricing and retail outlets where the items are sold. And movie pins offer more … Read more

Social TV app NextGuide goes from mobile to the Web

While most companies are making the jump from Web to mobile, NextGuide, the app that tells you when and where your favorite shows are on, has decided to go the opposite way. The social TV guide for iOS is now available on the Web.

NextGuide Web has the same functions as the iPad app and aims to bring together live TV and streaming videos. Users can pick their favorite shows and keep track of when, and where, the shows are available online or on TV.

"There's a lot of confusion around TV," said Jeremy Toeman, the CEO … Read more

Apple testing 1.5-inch display for iWatch, claims report

Apple may be checking out displays for its much-rumored smartwatch.

The company has reportedly been examining 1.5-inch OLED screens built by Ritek subsidiary RiTdisplay, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of display panels, according to Taiwanese news source Economic Times. Apple reportedly was initially eyeing a 1.8-inch display but felt that was too large and switched to a 1.5-inch size.

CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.

RitFast, a joint venture between Ritek and Taiwan's YoungFast, would supply the touch technology for the so-called iWatch, the Economic Times added.

Another story from … Read more

Samsung to unveil 13.3-inch 3,200x1,800 LCD display

Samsung will demo a new LCD screen that would top similar displays in resolution and pixel density, the company said Monday.

Geared for notebooks, the 13.3-inch WQXGA+ LCD display will offer a resolution of 3,200x1,800 pixels and a density of 276 pixels per inch. That surpasses the screen found on Apple's 13.3-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which provides a resolution of 2,560x1,600 pixels with 227 pixels per inch.

The new screen will appear at the Society for Information Display's annual exhibition, Display Week 2013. The event, which showcases display products, is running this … Read more

Yahoo quickly gets into the Tumblr spirit

Yahoo's official blog has taken up residency at Tumblr, courtesy of this latest acquisition.

On its Yahoo Yodel page, the company spilled the news about the move not long after it confirmed the $1.1 billion deal to buy Tumblr.

Yodeled Yahoo: "Yay! We're moving! As of today, the Yahoo! official blog is moving to yahoo.tumblr.com. Come on over and check out the new digs!"

Yahoo's first blog on its new Tumblr page fittingly discusses the Tumblr acquisition, with a vow by CEO Marissa Mayer: "We promise not to screw it up.&… Read more

Wordpress: 72K blog posts exited Tumblr in 1 hour over Yahoo deal

Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg said his company saw a major uptick in Tumblr defections after news of the $1.1 billion acquisition by Yahoo came to light.

Writing on his personal blog Sunday evening, Mullenweg said that Wordpress usually imports 400 to 600 blog posts per hour from Tumblr. After news of the deal surfaced, the number of imported posts jumped to more than 72,000 blog posts in an hour.

Mullenweg updated his own blog post on Monday morning. "Some people are reading too much into the import numbers -- I don't think there will be an … Read more

LG to demo bendable, unbreakable smartphone screen

LG Display is preparing to demonstrate a new, flexible smartphone panel that promises to be unbreakable.

The new screen is set to pop up at the Society for Information Display's annual exhibition, Display Week 2013. The event, which showcases display products, is taking place this week in Vancouver, Canada.

The OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology used in the LG screen is apparently thinner, lighter, and more flexible than conventional LCD displays.… Read more