Brad Reed

@bwreedbgr brad@bgr.com +Brad Reed

Prior to joining BGR as News Editor, Brad Reed spent five years covering the wireless industry for Network World. His first smartphone was a BlackBerry but he has since become a loyal Android user.

Business
July 17, 2014
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Why Is HTC Struggling

Despite making killer phones, HTC has been an ungodly mess for the past two years

By on July 17, 2014 at 10:00 PM.

Despite making killer phones, HTC has been an ungodly mess for the past two years

Is there any company that so regularly releases great products while also regularly being in the midst of turmoil as HTC? Engadget’s Brad Molen has written a comprehensive timeline of major executive departures at HTC over the past two years and they show how HTC has faced constant turnover at key positions without showing any signs of stabilizing anytime soon. More →

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Tablets
July 17, 2014
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NVIDIA Shield Talbet 2014 Leaked Photo

New leak reveals what could be the world’s greatest gaming tablet

By on July 17, 2014 at 7:30 PM.

New leak reveals what could be the world’s greatest gaming tablet

NVIDIA already makes killer smartphone and tablet chips and now it looks like it’s going to soon release a killer tablet of its own as well. @evleaks has just posted a new leaked picture of a device called the NVIDIA Shield Tablet, 2014 that looks like a very slick device that will put a lot of emphasis on mobile gaming. More →

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Internet
July 17, 2014
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When Is Google Fiber Coming

Google explains why it’s taking its sweet time bringing Google Fiber to your city

By on July 17, 2014 at 5:37 PM.

Google explains why it’s taking its sweet time bringing Google Fiber to your city

I scream, you scream, we all scream for Google to announce that it’s bringing Google Fiber to more markets. However, it seems that Google seems content to take its time for now and keep its Fiber deployments confined to the three markets it’s announced so far: Kansas City, Missouri, Austin, Texas and Provo Utah. More →

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Business
July 17, 2014
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Google Q2 2014 Earnings

Google whiffs again in Q2 2014 earnings but beats on revenue expectations

By on July 17, 2014 at 4:13 PM.

Google whiffs again in Q2 2014 earnings but beats on revenue expectations

Google on Thursday reported adjusted earnings of $6.08 per share on revenues of $15.96 billion, which missed the consensus estimate of earnings of $6.24 per share while beating the consensus estimate of revenues of $12.32 billion. The past quarter was a very busy one for the search giant, which unveiled its new Android L platform that features a completely new user interface design, as well as Android Wear, its first attempt at making a platform for wearable computers. More →

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Business
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Nokia Layoffs Ballmer

Microsoft is paying dearly for Ballmer’s final huge mistake

By on July 17, 2014 at 3:10 PM.

Microsoft is paying dearly for Ballmer’s final huge mistake

One big takeaway from Thursday’s terrible news that Microsoft is laying off 18,000 employees is that the company now sees former CEO Steve Ballmer’s decision to buy Nokia as a Gob Bluth-style huge mistake. 12,500 of the affected employees came from the Nokia devices and services division, which amounts to around half of the roughly 25,000 employees that Microsoft absorbed when it officially acquired Nokia earlier this year. More →

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Accessories
July 17, 2014
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Best Kickstarter Projects OwnPhones

Brilliant wireless earbuds can be custom-designed to fit exactly in your ears

By on July 17, 2014 at 1:17 PM.

Brilliant wireless earbuds can be custom-designed to fit exactly in your ears

Do you still use classic headphones instead of earbuds just because most earbuds tend to fall out of your ears when you’re on the move? If so then you may want to check out a new Kickstarter project called OwnPhones that will let you 3D print earbuds that will fit exactly into your ears’ shape and size. More →

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Business
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Nokia Layoffs Elop

Here’s what Elop told the 12,500 Nokia employees who just got axed

By on July 17, 2014 at 9:45 AM.

Here’s what Elop told the 12,500 Nokia employees who just got axed

It’s safe to say that Stephen Elop really isn’t very popular in Finland, especially after Microsoft announced on Thursday that it was laying 12,500 people who currently work for its Nokia devices and services division. Since Elop is both the former CEO of Nokia and the current boss of Microsoft’s devices and services division, we were very curious to get his take on this week’s massive layoffs that hit his division harder than any other. More →

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Gaming
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Xbox One Sales Double

Ditching Kinect may have saved the Xbox One from falling permanently behind the PS4

By on July 17, 2014 at 8:45 AM.

Ditching Kinect may have saved the Xbox One from falling permanently behind the PS4

So far it seems like Microsoft’s decision to unbundle Kinect from the Xbox One has been a good one. Microsoft said this week that monthly sales of the Xbox One in the United States more than doubled ever since it decided to start offering the console by itself without the Kinect sensor for $400, or $100 less than what the console cost with Kinect. More →

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Business
July 17, 2014
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Microsoft Layoffs 18,000 Employees

Microsoft announces massive round of layoffs, including 12,500 Nokia employees

By on July 17, 2014 at 8:14 AM.

Microsoft announces massive round of layoffs, including 12,500 Nokia employees

As expected, Microsoft on Thursday announced a huge round of layoffs that will see roughly 18,000 employees lose their jobs. Of these layoffs, 12,500 will come from Microsoft’s Nokia devices division, representing yet another major blow to the one-time mobile phone giant. In his announcement of the layoffs, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that they were necessary as part of “starting to evolve our organization and culture.” More →

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Internet
July 16, 2014
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Netflix FCC Net Neutrality Filing

Netflix would rather the FCC do nothing than authorize ‘fast lanes’

By on July 16, 2014 at 10:30 PM.

Netflix would rather the FCC do nothing than authorize ‘fast lanes’

It’s safe to say that Netflix is still really not a fan of the Federal Communications Commission’s proposal to possibly allow for Internet “fast lanes” where ISPs can charge content companies more to get their traffic delivered more quickly than on the “standard” Internet. The Verge has spotted Netflix’s official filing with the FCC discussing its proposed new net neutrality rules and the company basically says that it would be better if the FCC just did nothing instead of making things worse with its current proposal. More →

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Security
July 16, 2014
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Best Password Tips Microsoft

Now they tell us: Microsoft says strong passwords are overrated

By on July 16, 2014 at 6:45 PM.

Now they tell us: Microsoft says strong passwords are overrated

You know all the time and trouble you put into making and memorizing unique strong passwords for every website you visit? Well, Microsoft says a lot of that was likely misspent energy. The Guardian informs us that new research from Microsoft (PDF) shows that we probably shouldn’t use strong passwords for all our websites and that having weak passwords will suffice in many circumstances. More →

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Internet
July 16, 2014
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Chattanooga Tennessee Municipal Broadband

Congresswoman bravely stands up for ISPs’ rights to deliver inferior service with no competition

By on July 16, 2014 at 5:30 PM.

Congresswoman bravely stands up for ISPs’ rights to deliver inferior service with no competition

Chattanooga, Tennessee’s municipal broadband network offers affordable broadband service that just happens to deliver the same 1Gbps peak speeds as Google Fiber. Given this apparent success story, you would think that state government officials would be happy to see other municipalities experiment with building their own fiber networks or to at least let Chattanooga expand its fiber service to more areas. But you’d be wrong. More →

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Business
July 16, 2014
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Why Is Comcast So Bad

Comcast employees explain why their customer service is so terrible

By on July 16, 2014 at 3:34 PM.

Comcast employees explain why their customer service is so terrible

How is it possible that Comcast’s customer service is so relentlessly terrible? Hint: It’s not because it’s hired a disproportionate number of people who are psychotic. If you look at reviews of Comcast on Glassdoor, we can see that even current and former employees of the company think it does an absolutely terrible job of delivering quality customer service. What their reviews basically boil down to is that Comcast doesn’t offer enough resources or training to its staff to prepare them to deliver quality service and it puts too much emphasis on trying to upsell customers on more expensive service bundles at all costs rather than addressing needs and concerns. More →

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