Category Archives: Tech News

Another one bites the dust – Zite

Tech News

Flipboard has today confirmed its acquisition of rival news reader Zite from CNN. The company plans to integrate Zite’s technology into its existing service, while Zite as we know it will be killed off.

“We’re going to integrate the technology into Flipboard in the coming months,” Flipboard CEO Mike McCue announced during a press call with CNET on Wednesday. “We do not plan to continue to evolve Zite, we think we should focus on a single product.”

This is a real shame as I personally preferred Zite over Flipboard.

BlackBerry BBM changes

RIM, Tech News

A new version of BBM is in the pipeline, and it’ll have a few new features for those that use the BBM service.

You will finally be able to share photos in multi person chats, plus you’ll get the ability to send files that are up to 16MB in size — the current limit is 6MB. In a response to customer feedback, BlackBerry also promises that the size of the emoticons will be bigger.

Small changes, but who uses BBM nowadays?

Patent Troll Says It Owns Podcasting – Surely Not!

Tech News

Techdirt have a piece of news regarding a patent troll that claims to own Podcasting. If the company succeeds the impact could be huge.

“We’ve written a few times about a patent trolling operation called Personal Audio. Like so many patent trolling companies, who’s actually behind it is something of a mystery, but it does have an empty office in East Texas that no one ever goes to. It sued Apple and others claiming that it held patents on the concept of “playlists” and actually scored some victories. Amazingly, it sued Apple multiple times over the same patent, arguing that small changes to its products were new violations.

Well, the company is back with a “new” patent, 8,112,504, called a “System for disseminating media content representing episodes in a serialized sequence” and appears to be claiming that podcasting itself violates the patent — and has sued three podcasters, including Adam Carolla’s “ACE Broadcasting,” HowStuffWorks and Togi Entertainment. Personal Audio focuses on claim 31 of the patent, which you can read here:”

More at Techdirt.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra – early views

Android, Reviews, Tech News

Thanks to Clove Technology the Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet arrived a few days ago.

Holding it you realise how large but also how thin it is.  It feels fairly light weight too, fits nicely in my suit pockets but not in my front shirt as it sticks out the top too much for my liking.

Next to my Note 3 the Z Ultra is super fast.  It makes the Note 3 appear to have constant lag.

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Size comparison above. Note 3 on left. Screens on max brightness. Note 3 is brighter.

I will have more views up later this week and will also be discussing it with Dave when record our next podcast episode.

In the meantime, below are 3 photo samples from the camera.

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If there is anything you would like to know about this huge phablet please let me know.

Sony Electronics to eliminate one third of its staff and close 20 stores

Tech News

Sony Electronics said it will eliminate one-third of its staff this year, or 1,000 employees, as part of the job cuts its parent company Sony Corp. (6758) announced this month.

The San Diego-based unit, which makes high-definition televisions, will also close 20 U.S. stores, it said today in a statement. Sony Corp., based in Tokyo, announced plans earlier this month to cut 5,000 jobs around the world.

Sony forecast a $1.1 billion loss this year as demand slows for TVs and personal computers, while competitors such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. dominate the still-growing market for smartphones. The company plans to sell its PC business to buyout firm Japan Industrial Partners Inc. and is splitting the TV manufacturing unit into a separate operating entity.

“While these moves were extremely tough, they were absolutely necessary to position us in the best possible place for future growth,” said Mike Fasulo, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, in the statement today. “I am entirely confident in our ability to turn the business around.”

Source – Bloomberg.

Dinner with Frenemies – CEO Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook did just that

Tech News

Bloomberg reported that at a Barcelona apartment on the night of Feb. 24, Facebook Inc. (FB)’s Mark Zuckerberg hosted about 20 executives, many from the top phone companies, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because the gathering was private. Adding to the ambiance was Facebook’s $19 billion agreement to buy messaging service WhatsApp Inc. — a deal that underscores the rising tension between carriers and providers of popular Internet services such as video streaming and music downloads.

Vodafone Group Plc (VOD) Chief Executive Officer Vittorio Colao and Orange SA (ORA) CEO Stephane Richard, both attendees at the dinner, have been vocal about the need to level the playing field between the two industries. As Facebook benefits from soaring mobile-advertising revenue and WhatsApp gains messaging users, wireless carriers, which have spent billions of dollars building and running the networks that enable the so-called over-the-top services, say they aren’t getting their fair share.”

A fascinating piece, and one that highlights the growing friction between these companies. No wonder net neutrality is a thorny subject!

What Phone does Ellen DeGeneres really use?

Android, Apple, Tech News

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Samsung  spent a lot of money during last night’s Academy Awards promoting everything from phones to TVs. It wasn’t even commercials because the host, Ellen DeGeneres, promoted them as well. She even took a selfie of herself and a few audience members using a Galaxy Note 3 that ended up being retweeted and on all the news channels.

Except one big thing.

She really uses an iPhone!

Apple announces CarPlay – all the info

Apple, Tech News

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CarPlay announced by Apple is a system that integrates your iPhone apps with your car’s digital systems, allowing you to control them and your device, more easily.

Simply plug your iPhone into your car via USB, which instantly handshakes with your vehicle. You can then use the functionality of your iPhone without having to fumble around with it and take your eyes off the road.

Play your iPhone’s music through your car’s audio system or use all your iPhone’s functionality without actually touching it. So that includes playing your music, navigating to the shops, taking phone calls, reading text messages and even watching YouTube videos.

Apple’s plan is to allow third parties to build CarPlay compatibility into their apps, making them usable through the system.

Confirmed apps with CarPlay features incoming are: Spotify, Podcasts, Beats Radio, iHeartRadio and Stitcher.

Manufacturers confirmed are Ferrari, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Mercedes and Volvo. In the pipeline are BMW,  Chevrolet, Ford, KIA, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot-Citroen, Subaru, Suzuki and Toyota.

Will you car dictate your phone in the future?