Internet

Adobe Sends Creative Suite to the Cloud for Good
June 18, 2013

After announcing last month that all of its Creative Suite apps would soon move to the cloud, Adobe on Tuesday made good on its promise and delivered the resulting subscription-based software. Now included under the umbrella name Creative Cloud, the latest versions of apps including Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Premiere Pro are now available exclusively to Creative Cloud subscribers for prices starting at $19.99 per month.

Instagram Video Could Be Facebook's Mobile Ace in the Hole
June 18, 2013

Buzz is building over Facebook's rumored plan to launch a mobile video app for Instagram at an event on Thursday. Video functionality in Instagram, the company Facebook purchased for $1 billion in April of last year, would be a direct challenge to Twitter's Vine app. Vine lets users take 6-second videos on iOS or Android devices and share them on Vine's own network, Twitter or Facebook.

Spotify Gets Pink Floyd to Break Down Wall
June 18, 2013

Honoring a previous agreement, legendary British rock group Pink Floyd has given the green light to music streaming outfit Spotify to host the band's catalog. Pink Floyd announced earlier this month that it would resist releasing its music on Spotify until the 1975 classic "Wish You Were Here" hit 1 million streams. Well, the song hit 1 million, and Pink Floyd's tunes are now unlocked.

Airmail Flies Into Sparrow's Email Space
June 18, 2013

Two schools of thought have begun to emerge about email. One says the technology has passed its prime and needs to be replaced by some kind of social networking technology along the lines of Facebook. The other maintains that email can be saved by better software, like Airmail. Airmail is being compared to Sparrow, a popular email client that became too popular for its own survival.

Weighing the Importance of Google's Waze Win
June 18, 2013

After months of courtship, social navigation app Waze ultimately chose to partner -- for $1 billion-plus -- with Google, rejecting Facebook and Apple. The price tag shows how valuable Waze has become, and that's to say nothing of the overtures it received from the world's tech giants. "I think what's really surprising is that Facebook allowed the deal to die," said tech correspondent David Shamah.

Netflix, DreamWorks Team in Huge Original Content Deal
June 17, 2013

Video streaming service Netflix on Monday announced a new, multiyear partnership with DreamWorks Animation whereby it will bring many of the studio's beloved characters to the TV market via a branded collection of shows. Marking the largest deal for original first-run content in Netflix's history, the partnership will include more than 300 hours of new programming.

Google to Pit Technology Against Child Pornographers
June 17, 2013

Google is spearheading an initiative to build a picture-sharing database aimed at ridding the Web of child pornography. The company's new database will rely on "hashing" technology; once an image has been flagged as offensive, it uses an algorithm to identify that photo elsewhere on the Web. Despite widespread efforts to combat it, child pornography online is only growing.

Up, Up and Away: Google Balloons to Beam Internet Access
June 17, 2013

Regardless of how this turns out, at least they nailed the name. Google is launching about 30 superpressure balloons that will beam Internet access back to the ground. With equal parts brevity and self-deprecation, the effort has been dubbed "Project Loon." Taking flight from New Zealand, the balloons will sail around the world on a controlled path.

Pondering Life in a PRISM World
June 17, 2013

Not a single week goes by here in the Linux blogosphere without some assortment of news and events to keep life interesting. It's not often, however, that something comes along with the magnitude of PRISM. Linux Girl was comfortably ensconced on her favorite barstool when the news broke down at the Punchy Penguin Saloon, and it's been chaos ever since.

Crowdsourcing Entertainment Marketing via Social Media
June 17, 2013

Movie studios and TV networks increasingly are turning to social media for help with generating buzz about their upcoming releases and programming. Communities are building around favorite movie franchises and TV shows. Have movie and show producers really been listening -- and if they have, has anything changed because of what they've heard? Yes -- and maybe.

It Was a Mad, Mad Gaming World at This Year's E3
June 15, 2013

Another Electronic Entertainment Expo video game show has come to a close, and more than ever, the battle lines were drawn as Microsoft and Sony both unveiled new systems. Sony may have gotten the upper hand by announcing that its PlayStation 4 will be $100 cheaper than the Xbox One and free of restrictions on the buying and selling of used games, but a lot can happen in the next few months.

Time Warner May Erect a Walled Content Garden
June 13, 2013

Time Warner Cable appears to have come up with a strategy to help stem the flow of cord-cutters: offering incentives to content providers to withhold certain properties from online entertainment platforms. Limited distribution is clearly an entrenched practice in the entertainment industry, but it seems TWC is trying to keep some content off the Internet permanently.

Facebook Pushes Public Conversations with New Clickable Hashtags
June 13, 2013

Social media websites including Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr have all adopted the "clickable hashtag" widely popularized by Twitter, and on Wednesday Facebook joined the proverbial club. "To date, there has not been a simple way to see the larger view of what's happening or what people are talking about," explained Greg Lindley, a product manager at Facebook.

Pandora Fights Fees with Terrestrial Acquisition
June 13, 2013

In an effort to manage acquisition fees, Pandora Radio has acquired a terrestrial radio station based in Rapid City, S.D. The move enables Pandora to be subject to licensing fees and royalties for broadcast radio stations rather than streaming stations. Internet radio services such as Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody and Last.fm have struggled for years to balance acquisition costs with revenues.

X2 Marks the Spot for Comcast's Cloud TV Initiative
June 13, 2013

Comcast's new set-top box software opens a window into how cable TV companies hope to retain customers tempted to move their eyeballs to online-only alternatives. Comcast X2 blends cable offerings like on-demand movies, program guides and digital video recording with online-only content and social media. It's an example of where the cable industry is going with its services.

Google's Waze Grab Is About a Lot More Than Defense
June 12, 2013

Google has finalized its acquisition of Waze, developer of a crowdsourced mapping app, with the goal of expanding its location-based and social maps offerings while providing users with a way to outsmart traffic. Waze has a worldwide user base of about 50 million people who log in to access or submit real-time navigational data. Google reportedly paid about $1.3 billion for the startup.

Opera Tantalizes With Its Next Browser
June 12, 2013

In the browser wars, Opera is hardly noticed. In can barely be seen on a battlefield dominated by the likes of Microsoft, Google, Mozilla and Apple. Yet the little browser that could keeps chugging on. It recently released a beta version of what will be the next version of the browser. A distinctive feature about this version of Opera is something you can't see because it's under the hood.

Great Little Radio Player Tunes In Simplicity
June 12, 2013

The Great Little Radio Player is a perfect example of how great things can come in small packages. This robust Internet radio station streamer does not burden system resources and packs a powerhouse of listening pleasure immediately after installing it. It's so fine-tuned that it needs no configuring to use it, but you can still tweak a few pleasantries to make it feel more at home on your PC.

Nintendo Pushes Games at E3 in Bid to Revive Wii U
June 11, 2013

Nintendo took a low-key stance at E3 this year, opting for a more intimate presentation than the competition. Still struggling with less-than-expected demand for the Wii U system it launched last fall, Nintendo stressed that this year would be about the games. To encourage fans to reconnect with the Wii U, Nintendo called in some help from its core brands.

Sony PS4 Undercuts Xbox One on Price, Fully Supports Used Games
June 11, 2013

Sony took its best shot at stealing Microsoft's thunder on Monday evening at E3 by announcing that its upcoming PlayStation 4 will arrive this holiday season for $399. That's $100 less than the price Microsoft announced earlier in the day for its competing Xbox One, and the reaction was meet by thunderous applause that shook the Los Angeles Sports Arena.