Archive for the ‘Zune’ Category

Windows 8 has had its share of detractors since its launch, and today Microsoft’s vice president of corporate communications responded to recent reports that paint the operating system as a failure. In a blog post Frank X. Shaw points to two pieces in particular — one by the Financial Times and the other by The Economist — that use the likely return of the Start button as evidence that the company is backtracking on its initial vision. Stating that the articles are examples of “sensationalism” and “hyperbole” intended to drive traffic rather than provide “nuanced analysis,” Shaw writes that Microsoft’s reaction to user complaints is actually a positive for the company. ” In the center, listening to feedback and improving a product…

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Microsoft responds to Windows 8 criticism, defends upcoming changes as ‘a good thing’

Additional reporting by Greg Sandoval Ten years ago this month, a music sector ravaged by Napster and largely ignorant of digital distribution found a savior of sorts in what was then called the iTunes Music Store. With its 99-cent unbundled songs, the service quickly became the only significant source for acquiring music legally online. With iTunes, Apple had drawn the blueprint for distributing music, movies, books, and apps over the web. By supplying and tying together a music player, online store, and song-mangement software, Apple drastically simplified the entire music experience, defying the odds to build a music-retailing dynasty even as file sharing skyrocketed

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iTunes Store at 10: how Apple built a digital media juggernaut

In a Wall Street Journal interview ahead of the Tribeca Film Festival, which opens April 17th, founders Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal have spoken about the effect of technology on the festival and filmmaking itself. De Niro called video-sharing app Vine an “interesting thing, and seems open to the possibility that it could be a creative tool. Continue reading…

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Robert De Niro on Vine: ‘you can tell a whole story in six seconds’

After many years of research, there’s still no effective vaccine for malaria, a parasite that kills hundreds of thousands yearly in Africa and Asia. But scientists have figured out a way to mass-produce the most effective treatment at industrial scale using a genetically engineered strain of baker’s yeast. The study was published in Nature and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation through nonprofit drug developer OneWorldHealth. Continue reading…

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Gates-backed research into baker’s yeast could end shortage of vital malaria drugs

The Wall Street Journal reports that a new lineup of Surface tablets is in the works from Microsoft, including a 7-inch version. It’s not yet clear what form the new Surface might take, but the Journal claims the 7-inch model will go into mass production later this year. The news follows Microsoft’s recent adjustment of the Windows 8 specification to allow for smaller tablets with a 1024 x 768 resolution. The Verge also understands that Redmond has begun work on a 7-inch tablet under the Xbox brand , although the Journal ‘s report doesn’t mention gaming

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Microsoft working on a 7-inch Surface tablet, says WSJ

Three venture capital funds have joined together to create an investment partnership aimed at nurturing Google Glass apps. The Glass Collective is comprised of Google Ventures, KPCB, and Andreessen Horowitz. The firms aren’t setting aside any money specifically for the cause, but have agreed to share all pitches from Glass startups to give them the best chance of investment. “The thesis of Glass is profoundly transformational,” said web pioneer Marc Andreesen, now of Andreesen Horowitz

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Glass Collective VC partnership to help startups get Google Glass apps funded

Panasonic’s latest television, the ZT60, is the best plasma the company has ever made. It will also be the last plasma panel to come out of the company’s research and development department, which means Panasonic will never make a higher-quality plasma television. Rumors that Panasonic would end plasma research and development first surfaced in December , and a report from Nikkei last month said the company had closed down R&D with plans to pull out of plasma altogether as early as 2014.

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Panasonic has developed its ‘last plasma panel,’ but television sales to continue

When Avis Budget Group announced it would be acquiring car-sharing service Zipcar earlier this year, the company said it expected key members of the Zipcar team to stay on to run the service — but Zipcar’s CEO Scott Griffith won’t be one of them. Fortune reports that the Griffith has stepped down from the company, just a day after Avis formally completed its acquisition . Taking his place will be Zipcar’s chief operating officer Mark Norman. In a letter to Zipcar employees today, Griffith writes that “Zipcar will require a fully-committed leader to unlock the power of the merger,” and that “it’s best if I step back and give someone else the opportunity to put the pedal down and take Zipcar to the next level.” The Boston Globe ‘s Scott…

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Zipcar CEO steps down in wake of acquisition by rental-car giant Avis

A group of about 30 drivers have parked their cars near Uber’s headquarters in San Francisco and are protesting outside its doors, with plans to strike. The drivers, who aren’t direct Uber employees but rather contractors that work with the company’s taxi-hailing app, told The Next Web and All Things D that they were protesting unfair practices from the company. Their complaints ranged from pay cuts to mass-firings to the lack of a commercial insurance plan for drivers. All of the issues, including also that the drivers don’t have good communication with Uber, are thorny ones to resolve given Uber’s business-model of using contractors. This isn’t the first time that Uber has been accused of poor treatment for its drivers

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Uber drivers protest for better pay and treatment at San Francisco headquarters

Earlier this morning the creators of the popular Gmail client Mailbox announced they’d been purchased by Dropbox , but the financial details were a mystery. According to recent reports, however, Dropbox may have paid in the neighborhood of $100 million for the app. GigaOm is reporting that its sources say that Dropbox paid more than $50 million for Orchestra, the company behind Mailbox, with another clarifying that the number was actually much closer to $100 million. Those figures match up with what TechCrunch is hearing as well, with that publication’s sources saying the deal was worth nearly $100 million in cash and stock. GigaOm also reports that both Yahoo and Facebook had been talking to the Mailbox team about a possible acquisition…

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Dropbox reportedly paid around $100 million for Mailbox

Formspring, one of the original social question and answer sites, has announced that it will be shutting down on March 31st . Launched in November 2009, Formspring let users post questions either anonymously or tagged with their accounts and then receive answer from other Formspring users or anonymous visitors. Users could also follow each other and post questions targeted to their followers. The service eventually expanded to offer mobile apps for both Android and iOS

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Social question and answer site Formspring to shut down on March 31st

http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/EngadgetHD_Podcast_337.mp3 We’re getting the band back together. After we welcome Ryan Block and Peter Rojas back to the fold, we dig into all the news that came out of the AllThingsD conference last week. Sony, Dish, Microsoft, Intel and others had plenty to say, but did we believe everything we heard? We’re also on the bleeding edge of a new display technology as OLED HDTVs hit the streets, so we’ll make our best guess as to whether mainstream pricing is in the near future. Finally, several connected TV platforms have updates, and the battle for content continues to heat up with customers stuck in the middle — press play to find out all the details

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Engadget HD Podcast 337 – 02.19.2013

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Microsoft declared that fairly fresh (and costly) Windows Phone 7 devices like the Nokia Lumia 900 would never taste its latest WP8 wares . To assuage hurt feelings and keep legacy phone owners within throwing distance of the latest devices like the Nokia Lumia 920 or HTC’s 8X , Redmond introduced Windows Phone 7.8 (version 7.10.8858), which started arriving via Zune on January 31st. It was likely hoping that the upgrade would tide legacy owners over until their contracts expired or boredom set in, at which point they’d get a new device packing WP8 — including not-too-costly models like the $249 (contract-free) Lumia 620 . So the question is, will the 7.8 bone thrown at WP7 handset owners prevent them from looking at the greener Android or iOS grass across the fence?

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Windows Phone 7.8 hands-on: cosmetically yours

Is Windows 8 succeeding? We still don’t know for sure , but at least part-time Microsoft chairman Bill Gates seems pleased with the progress of the new operating system. When CNBC asked him whether he’d ever return to Microsoft as CEO — not so subtly implying that the company could use more of his help — Gates said that both Windows 8 and the Surface tablet were doing “well,” and without his full-time input.

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Windows 8 and Surface tablet have done ‘well,’ says Bill Gates

http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/Engadget_Podcast_328.mp3 We swear, CES is officially behind us. Yay! Wait, it’s earnings season. In this episode, Darren joins the crew to pound through the numbers — Nokia, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Logitech and Netflix are all in the scope of Engadget’s analyzing eye. Beyond that, D explains the perils of the NYSE, Tim gets really stoked about an upcoming McLaren supercar and Brian finds similarities between the Pebble smartwatch and Bluetooth earpieces

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Engadget Podcast 328 – 01.24.13

Joshua Topolsky is back in the captain’s chair at Vox Studios for the first time in 2013, and although the weather is frigid, the topics are red hot. Joining him today are Nilay “man of the people” Patel, MMA enthusiast Ben “Jalapeño” Popper and The Verge’s most attractive editor Dieter “The Bohn Zone” Bohn — the dreamiest of dream teams. Continue reading…

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The Vergecast 062 – January 24th, 2013

http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/EngadgetMobile_Podcast_167.mp3 Myriam and Brad are back, tentacles and octacores in tow. This week we’re covering everything from Firefox phones to leaked HTC 5 Sense screenshots, but there’s also an Elephant in the vocal booths: the imminent BlackBerry 10 launch. Best of all, Brad’s officially renounced the term “phablet” much to Myriam’s delight — seriously, y’all, it’s just a big phone. (Is it really, though?) All that and more awaits you in episode 167 of the Engadget Mobile Podcast below. Hosts: Myriam Joire ( tnkgrl ), Brad Molen Producer: Joe Pollicino Music: Tycho – Coastal Brake ( Ghostly International ) Hear the podcast 00:11:57 – Sony’s Xperia Tablet Z announced 00:18:49 – Factory photo reveals 6.44-inch Sony display glass 00:21:10 – LG Optimus G Pro for Japan 00:38:41 – Pantech Discover review 00:46:39 – Verizon iPhone activation numbers 00:54:24 – Samsung Galaxy GSIII mini adds NFC for a premium 00:58:36 – Leaked HTC Sense 5 screenshots suggest a leaner, cleaner skin 01:11:01 – Mozilla reveals Firefox OS Developer Preview Phone 01:17:29 – RIM notes ‘remarkable’ number of app submissions, extends $10,000 incentive deadline Subscribe to the podcast [ iTunes ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes [ RSS MP3 ] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically [ RSS AAC ] Add the Engadget Mobile Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator [ Zune ] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Contact the podcast podcast (at) engadgetmobile (dot) com.

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 167 – 01.23.13

The craziest week of the tech year is at end, and we have to say, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Sure, it wasn’t quite as epic as it has been in years past, but CES is still the show that sets the stage for the rest of 2013. By that measure, we may well be seeing an interesting shift. With the loss of Microsoft, some smaller companies have been using the show to make names for themselves amongst the 4K TVs released by the bigwigs like Samsung, Sony and LG.

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The Engadget Show 40: The Best of CES with Kaz Hirai, 50 Cent, Ken Block and Arianna Huffington

It’s been a slow week for mobile news. Perhaps it’s the calm before the storm of Mobile World Congress. You can feel a sense of anticipation — a sense that a lot of news will soon be announced. Companies are keeping things tight, for the most part, but there is so much going on that they are bursting at the seams. And with this type of pressure, it’s impossible to avoid leaks.

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The Verge Mobile Show 033 – January 22nd, 2013

http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/EngadgetHD_Podcast_333.mp3 Here’s the good news: Ben and Richard survived the so-named CES Death Flu. Good thing, too, because we’re not finished with the onslaught of UHD display tech from Vegas in the least. Among various HD talking points, we’ve got an interview straight from the slow floor with Sharp’s Jim Sandusky about the company’s latest TVs. The only thing that might top that is Top Gun remastered in 3D

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Engadget HD Podcast 333 – 01.17.2013

Doohickeys, Detroit and a donkey dilemma — that’s about what you can expect in this week’s installment. Your hosts, Tim and Brian, talk about the cool car tech from the North American International Auto show, recap the high and lows of CES and even dig into how Google’s proved it’s not a burro killer. Of course, that’s only skimming the surface. So, join us and listen in to our roughly hour-long post-CES recovery episode, where Tim totally has to keep it quick to pick up a Telsa.

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Engadget Podcast 327 – 01.17.2013

Nilay “lost” his voice at CES. Or maybe he just found a new, deeper, some may even say sexier voice — a voice that could lead to a long and successful career as a critically acclaimed voice-over artist. Either way you look at it, we’ve got quite a Vergecast in store for you, featuring a look back at CES and an overview of the news of the week, including the latest from Facebook and Twitter’s role in the Manti Te’o debacle . Continue reading…

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The Vergecast 061 – January 17th, 2012

http://www.engadget.com/podcasts/EngadgetMobile_Podcast_166.mp3 Yeah, we had two podcasts during CES, but that doesn’t mean we’re done with it just yet. Still sleep-deprived and filled with excitement from the show floor, it’s time to catch up on the tech we didn’t get a chance to discuss — and the stuff we couldn’t get enough of. Is octa-core really CPU related or a villain from the world of Batman?

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Engadget Mobile Podcast 166 – 1.16.2013

Dieter leans on the parapet overlooking the Las Vegas Convention Center. Dieter: It’s so quiet. Chris stands behind him. Chris: It’s the deep breath before the plunge

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The Verge Mobile Show 031 – January 2nd, 2013

In 2011, Eric Schmidt predicted that Google TV would be on a ‘majority’ of new TVs by summer of this year, and while his vision didn’t play out, Google could get closer to that goal a year later than expected. LG announced today that it will extend its selection of Google TV panels, which currently includes 47- and 55-inch models, to a total of five televisions — adding 42-, 50-, and 60-inch options. LG has also refreshed the hardware design of its Smart TVs, with a thin bezel and talon-like support legs. The new televisions will ship with Google TV 3.0, as well as built-in OnLive support, which was already added to LG’s G2 series of Smart TVs with Google TV in November.

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LG reveals redesigned Google TVs for 2013, expands lineup with new sizes