Modern Media Mom » television

Headlines for May 18th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:00:45 +0000

Facebook Slammed By Adware Attack | InformationWeek – A security researcher calls the weekend attack 'stunning in terms of scale.'
5-Year-Old YouTube Tops Networks’ Primetime With 2 Billion Views | Wired.com – YouTube’s viewership now exceeds that of all three networks combined during their “primetime” evening time slot, with more than 2 billion views per day, Google announced Sunday.
Apple’s iPhone replaces BlackBerry for some bankers | Reuters – British bank Standard Chartered is replacing the BlackBerry, currently its standard corporate communications device, with the iPhone, a move that could eventually result in thousands of bankers switching to the Apple device for business communication on the go.
Microsoft Seeks to Put Hot Back in Hotmail With New Features | Wired.com – Microsoft is unveiling a major upgrade to Hotmail this summer, in an attempt to become the top webmail provider in the U.S. by outdoing the innovations that Google’s Gmail brought to the online inbox.
New apps emerge to reset Facebook privacy settings | CNET News – Several new applications have launched this week that are designed to easily reset a Facebook member's privacy settings, following new changes from the company that make a sizable chunk of profile content public by default when it was once kept under lock and key.

Headlines for May 3rd, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:01:18 +0000

Chrome again beats Firefox in browser gain race – Computerworld – "Chrome was the only browser to gain significant usage share last month, and again trounced rival open-source Firefox. By the end of April, Chrome accounted for 6.7% of the browsers that surfed to the sites that California-based NetApplications monitors for its clients. Chrome boosted its share by 0.6 percentage points, by far the largest increase of any browser for the month, and the second-highest increase since Google launched the program in September 2008."
DailyTech – Nintendo Wii Goes Black; Gets MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort as Standard Equipment – "Nintendo has announced a new bundle for the North American market. The Wii will now pack not only the Wii itself, a remote, nunchuk, and Wii Sports, but it will also come bundled with a copy of Wii Sports Resort and a MotionPlus adapter. Despite the addition of Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus, the price still remains unchanged at $199.99."
Google TV may be on the way – "Google is planning to launch Google TV later this month according to news reports, with the Google I/O conference on 19-20 May tipped to be the most likely date for the big announcement. There is also speculation Google is seeking partnerships with big players such as Sony Corporation, Intel, and Logitech, to maximize the chances of success."
The Press Association: Apple closing Lala online service – Apple is shutting down its newly bought Lala online music service amid speculation it is creating a way for iTunes customers to listen to songs stored on distant computers.
Google Buys Bump Technologies, Maker of 3-D Desktop Software – BusinessWeek – "Google Inc., owner of the world’s most popular search engine, has acquired Bump Technologies Inc., a company whose software makes computer desktops appear to be 3-D. Google didn’t disclose the terms of the deal in an e-mailed statement today. Bump Technologies, which said it will close its service, lets users download the BumpTop software that gives desktops a 3-D look and helps group and manage files."
How social media assisted in delivery of vital news during Nashville floods | Livecage’s Blog – "Flood warnings were in effect for Middle Tennessee since Saturday, May 1st but with no place for the water to drain, Sunday became the most destructive day for Davidson County residents. More than 35,000 residents were reported to be without power, according to NES which left people to rely on their mobile devices. Fortunately, News Channel 2 and News Channel 5 effectively welcomed viewers to report the flood damages in the neighborhoods unreached by camera crews. Users showed the true devastation occurring when houses were live streamed floating down the rivers created by the powerful rains."

Headlines for April 22nd, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:00:15 +0000

Dell Lightning, Smoke, Thunder Phones Leak; Tablet, Too – It appears most of Dell's gadget roadmap leaked out Wednesday, as Engadget obtained details of many of the electronics maker's upcoming products.

The blog provided details of four products: the Looking Glass tablet, as well as the Smoke, Thunder, and Lightning phones.
Hulu rumors: $9.95 subscription, but with expanded ads – Hulu's upcoming subscription service has been rumored for so long, it's almost hard to imagine it becoming reality. That may, however, happen as soon as May 24, when the company reportedly plans to begin testing the service.
First HD Images Of The Sun Captured — InformationWeek – NASA's recently launched Solar Dynamics Observatory is returning the first, ultra-high resolution images of solar gases and other materials emanating from the sun.
How Facebook Could Organize The Internet -The Atlantic – The idea for such a reorganization has been around for a long time. Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, years ago envisioned the next stage in the web's evolution, calling it the Semantic Web. It would, he wrote, "bring structure to the meaningful content of Web pages," enabling computers to understand that content and how it relates to other sites and information across the internet. Change has been slow because standards are hard to set and enforce, but Facebook's scale could accelerate the transformation.
PlayStation 3 to Stream Pro Baseball Live – PCWorld – Mark your calendars baseball buffs, because Sony's bringing Major League Baseball to the PlayStation 3 and you'll be able to sign up for the service by the end of this week. According to the New York Times, Sony and Major League Baseball are joining hands to offer out-of-market baseball games live over the Internet courtesy the PS3. The move comes just a few months after rumors that rival Microsoft was courting ESPN to stream live sporting events on the Xbox 360.

Headlines for January 20th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:00:28 +0000

Microsoft IE Emergency Patch Due Thursday – "Microsoft said it plans on Thursday to release an emergency, or out-of-band, patch to address the zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer that was used to attack Google and some 33 other companies last month.
The vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 on Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4, and Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008 R2."
Study: Young people’s screen time exceeds 7.5 hours a day – "Young people are spending more time with nearly every form of media than ever, according to a report released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation. They spend more hours on the computer, in front of television, playing video games, texting and listening to music than an adult spends full-time at work.
The only media they aren't soaking up, the study says, are newspapers, magazines and other print publications.

Kids ages 8 to 18 spend more than 7 1/2 hours a day using electronic media, or more than 53 hours a week, the 10-year study says. "And because they spend so much of that time 'media multitasking' (using more than one medium at a time), they actually manage to pack a total of 10 hours and 45 minutes worth of media content into those 7 hours."
Bill Gates shares his notes – "Now you have a chance to compare notes with Bill Gates.
The Microsoft chairman is launching a Web site on Wednesday designed to to share his thoughts on everything from his foundation work to musings on other topics including energy and the environment."
The White House releases news, streaming app – "In a world where we have iPhone apps for just about everything, there is now an app for keeping up (officially) with the White House."
Can Amazon’s New Kindle Royalty Model Make Authors Smile? – "Amazon's decision to offer a 70 percent royalty option on digital book sold through its Kindle store is an important step and, perhaps, an acknowledgment that the powerful online bookstore may have painted itself into a corner."

Headlines for January 7th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 18:00:40 +0000

Google takes on Apple – "The once-cuddly relationship between Google Inc. and Apple Inc. is morphing into a prickly power struggle as the ambitions and ideas of the technology trendsetters increasingly collide.
The growing use of high-powered phones for Web surfing has become a flash point in the brewing battle because both Google and Apple view the mobile market as a key to their continued success in the next decade."
Microsoft shows off Windows tablets at gadget show – "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed off a new touch-screen, tablet-style computer from Hewlett-Packard Co., the first of several such devices expected to be unveiled this month.
The tablet – also known as a slate, a one-piece portable computer without a physical keyboard – was one of several new PCs Ballmer demonstrated Wednesday as he delivered Microsoft Corp.'s customary keynote presentation on the eve of the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas."
Sony touts spiffy HDTVs, cool camera, Chumby chumminess – "Sony's CES 2010 press conference started with a short serenade from off-key teeny bopper singer Taylor Swift, and winded its way through a boatload of new products from the Japanese consumer electronics giant. Sony's courtly chairman and CEO Sir Howard Stringer touted Sony's commitment to 3D from lens to screen, the "monolithic" Bravia line of HDTVS, and lots of new video and still cameras."
Tech Show Reflects Optimism – "There are conflicting signs about how good a year 2010 may be for the technology world, but attendants of this year's Consumer Electronics Show appear to be more upbeat than last year.
A bumper crop of new products, full hotel rooms and respectable crowds at the annual technology conference here are some of the most obvious differences from the CES held in January 2009, when the recession still seemed to be deepening."
3D TV Is all the Rage but Is it Really the Future? – "The buzz from today's kickoff of world's biggest electronics show is quickly building around a blast from the past.
3-D entertainment — goofy glasses and all — has taken center stage at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, as announcements of new televisions, partnerships and content channels pour in."

Headlines for January 6th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:00:37 +0000

T-Mobile Completes 3G Upgrade, Eyes 4G – "T-Mobile completed the upgrade of its nationwide 3G HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) wireless network, the company said, noting that it has boosted the speed at which users can transfer data to 7.2 Mbps on its entire 3G network."
BlackBerry Presenter lets you leave the laptop at home – "On Wednesday, Research in Motion debuted a new accessory called the BlackBerry Presenter that allows you to make PowerPoint presentations right from your smartphone."
Microsoft Tablet to Beat Apple to the Punch? – "Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is ready to introduce on Wednesday night a slate form-factor computer to rival the yet-unannounced Apple Tablet, according to reports. It's not the first time Microsoft has delved into tablets, but the Redmond company hopes it will be luckier the second time running."
As competition grows, Apple’s iPhone still has App Store advantage – "In the face of new competitors like Google's Nexus One, Apple's iPhone still has the advantage with more than 100,000 applications and 3 billion downloads from its App Store."
Hands On With Tivit: Free TV for the iPhone – Gadget tunes in digital TV for iPhones, BlackBerrys.

Headlines for January 5th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:01:38 +0000

ESPN to launch 3D network in June – ESPN is going 3D. The venerable sports network will launch ESPN 3D on June 11 with a World Cup soccer match, creating what it says will be the first all three-dimensional television network to the home.
Google May Show Its Phone Today – Google Inc., seeking to wrest consumers from Apple Inc., and Research In Motion Inc., is poised to unveil a mobile phone that uses its Android software at a press event today, analysts said.
Facebook blocks social network profile removal service – "Social network giant Facebook has blocked a website from accessing people's profiles in order to delete their online presence.
The site, Web 2.0 Suicide Machine, offers to remove users from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Myspace.

It does not delete their accounts but changes the passwords and removes "friend" connections."
Smartphones continue to surge – "Was 2009 the year of the smartphone? Or will it be 2010? Either way, a new Forrester report confirmed a surge in smartphone ownership last year and expects more growth and more competition this year."
Apple Hits 3 Billion Apps Served Milestone – Holy App Store! Apple is bragging that more than 3 billion apps for its iPhone and iPod Touch have been downloaded since the store opened on July 10, 2008. That's a lot of Super Monkey Balls, Facebook, and Google Earth Apple app downloads.

Headlines for December 31st, 2009

[modern media mom] — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:00:19 +0000

The skinny on full-body scanners – Travelers still getting used to removing their shoes in public and pouring shampoo into tiny bottles may soon have to adjust to something new in the airport security line — giant machines that that scan their bodies for anything a terrorist might use to cause harm during a flight.
YouTube Takes on TV – It seems that Google's YouTube, has only one really competitor: television. So says the New York Times. YouTube is 10 times as popular as its nearest online competitor. Hunter Walk, director of product management at YouTube, says that the average user spends about 15 minutes a day on YouTube, but five hours in front of the television.
McAfee Predicts Adobe Will Surpass Microsoft in Exploits During 2010 – "With more and more people conducting transactions and spending ever increasing amounts of time on the computer, hackers are increasingly targeting software and other computer services as a way to steal information and other nefarious tasks. The security community is working as hard as hacker groups to prevent attacks from compromising the computers of users around the globe."
Ten resolutions Microsoft should make for 2010 – "Each year, I offer a list of things Microsoft should do in the coming year, in lieu of making predictions. It's a bit arrogant to tell Microsoft what to do, but I've got a good track record of giving advice that is right. The year ahead will be challenging for Microsoft, as the company struggles against weak global economies and to successfully launch cloud services."
Apple wins appeal of iPod hearing loss case – "A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that said Apple's iPod music players do not pose an unacceptable risk to users' hearing.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth District affirmed a 2008 decision by a California district court to dismiss a long-running lawsuit that claimed iPods endangered users' hearing. iPods, said the original 2006 lawsuit — which eventually boasted three plaintiffs and sought class-action status — were defective because they could play music at unsafe volumes above 115 decibels (dB)."

Headlines for December 22nd, 2009

[modern media mom] — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 17:01:59 +0000

$1 Million A Month? Business Is Booming From Apple App Store – "Tapulous is in the iPhone applications business, and the iPhone applications business is booming. The company, which created the popular Tap Tap Revenge and other iPhone titles, is just one of the many success stories bred from the exploding popularity of the iPhone developer community and Apple's App Store."
Caption Search: Another Reason to Love Hulu – "Internet TV megaportal Hulu has added a new feature (under its Hulu Labs "this is still an experiment" label) that's simple but powerful: You can now do text searches that'll scour the captions that many shows incorporate-letting you find shows that incorporate certain terms, then fast-forward directly to the relevant spot in the program."
Wireless carriers spend big on Florida upgrades – "Commercials attacking rivals' maps and coverage areas are the trend for wireless carriers this season. As the wireless arms race continues, quality of service has become one of the hottest selling points.
Verizon and AT&T spent hundreds of millions of dollars on upgrading Florida's networks in 2009. Verizon announced Monday that it invested close to $240 million this year toward improving its Florida network speed and coverage. AT&T announced last week that it put about $134 million toward South Florida from 2007 through the third quarter of 2009."
Firefox for mobile ‘days away’ from launch – "The first mobile phone version of the popular web browser Firefox is "days away" from launch, the head of the project has told the BBC.
The browser, codenamed Fennec, will initially be available for Nokia's N900 phone, followed by other handsets."
AT&T continues to deny iPhone tiered data pricing plans – "AT&T continues to fight back against the perception that the company will implement tiered data plans for iPhone users — a rumor that started after the company's president said "incentives" to discourage heavy bandwidth consumption are likely."
Facebook’s Top Status Updates of 2009 – "Facebook is getting into the year-end spirit by releasing its list of the top words found in U.S. Facebook status updates during 2009. The social network calls its list "Memology: the study of how 'memes,' or new ideas and trends, are spreading on Facebook." To determine the list, Facebook grabbed the most popular one-to-four word phrases found in status updates this year, and then compared each phrase to 2008 trends to determine the most popular phrases of 2009."

Headlines for November 17th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:00:43 +0000

Microsoft opens Marketplace to the masses – “Microsoft’s on-device marketplace is now available for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1, allowing older phones to download the very latest in farting applications.Microsoft reckons there are more than 800 applications in the Marketplace: we assume that’s worldwide, as the UK offering seems somewhat Spartan. But everything you might want is there* along with the inevitable fart-noise apps that seem to be the killer application for smartphones these days.”
Sports Authority To Sell Nintendo Wii – “Sports Authority will begin selling Nintendo products, including videogaming consoles and the Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus games, at some of its stores later this week, the sporting-goods retailer said.”
Apple’s Black Friday discounts leaked – “Though it’s still a full 10 days away, Boy Genius Report got tipped off about what may be a major retail sale in the offing from Apple.According to the rumor, complete with flyer (pictured), Apple will be offering the following deals on the Friday after Thanksgiving:
* up to 30% off on all iPods (except iPhone and iPod shuffle)
* up to 25% off Macs
* up to 15% off all accessories as well as Apple software and hardware.”
Univision se hace amigos con YouTube – “Univision Communications and Google’s YouTube have cut a deal to put much of the Spanish broadcaster’s content on the video website. If you’re looking to catch up on the network’s popular telenovelas there, though, you’re out of luck.”
‘Unfriend’ Chosen as Oxford Dictionary’s 2009 Word of the Year – “Proving that social networking is a huge cultural force, the New Oxford American Dictionary has chosen ‘unfriend’ as its 2009 Word of the Year (WOTY). To unfriend means to remove someone from your friend list on a social network like Facebook or MySpace. The new word is an excellent choice as the 2009 WOTY because of its “currency and potential longevity,” according to Christine Lindberg, Senior Lexicographer for Oxford’s US dictionary program.”
Adobe Upgrades Air and Flash: Mobile and Multi-Touch Support Added – “Adobe Systems will offer on Tuesday beta versions of upgrades to its core Flash Player and Adobe AIR technologies, with Adobe touting mobile device accommodations for the Flash Player.”

YouTube Direct to Link Media Companies and Consumers’ Video – “YouTube has signed up NPR, Politico, The Huffington Post and The San Francisco Chronicle for YouTube Direct, a new method for managing video submissions from readers.
Politico is among the media sites that will use YouTube Direct, to be available Tuesday, to solicit and select video submissions.The new feature, to be formally introduced on Tuesday, is a tool to make it easy for YouTube users to submit clips that news media companies can choose to highlight. The site plans to sign up other media partners.”
The shifting sands of net debate – “The sand and deep blue sea of Sharm el-Sheikh are a magnet for winter sun worshippers – a place to have serious fun. This week, though, it is also somewhere to do some serious thinking about the future of the internet.”
U.S. teens report ‘frightening’ levels of texting while driving – “A quarter of U.S. teens ages 16 to 17 who have cellphones say they text while driving, and almost half of Americans ages 12 to 17 say they’ve been in cars with someone who texted while behind the wheel. Teens say their parents are texting fanatics, too.Those findings are in a report released Monday by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.”
Verizon Mocks AT&T’s Ad Lawsuit, Commenting “The Truth Hurts” – “The nation’s largest wireless provider fires back in courtAT&T and Verizon, the nation’s second largest and largest telecoms, respectively, are at open war. With Verizon’s new Droid phone looking to challenge the iPhone as the reigning media smartphone, the pair wage battle in the court room over Verizon’s commercials which depict AT&T’s poor 3G coverage.”