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.

Legal
May 16, 2013
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Mt. Gox Bitcoin Accusations

World’s largest Bitcoin exchange accused of violating U.S. financial law

By on May 16, 2013 at 8:30 PM.

World’s largest Bitcoin exchange accused of violating U.S. financial law

Things have been very up-and-down for Bitcoin lately and the virtual currency’s road coud be getting even rockier now that the United States federal government is getting involved. IDG News reports that the U.S. District Court in Maryland this week order the seizure of Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox’s funds because it allegedly “failed to register as a ‘money transmitting business’ in accordance with 18 U.S. Code 1960.” The court-issued warrant alleges that Mt. Gox owner Mark Karpeles denied that his firm exchanged currency or “transmitted funds based on instructions to customers” in a questionnaire supplied by Wells Fargo back in 2011. Wells Fargo issues such questionnaires to determine whether clients it works with need to register as currency traders with the U.S. Treasury Department.

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Business
May 16, 2013
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Samsung Marketing India Analysis

Samsung advertising barrage said to ‘mentally enslave’ Indian consumers

By on May 16, 2013 at 4:20 PM.

Samsung advertising barrage said to ‘mentally enslave’ Indian consumers

Samsung’s marketing Death Star isn’t just hovering over the United States — it has designs on conquering the entire world. Per Barron’s, Global Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry thinks that Apple may have a tougher time in India than other markets because BlackBerry and especially Samsung have already blanketed the country with ads touting their smartphones as elite products that consumers simply see as less expensive versions of the iPhone. Because of this, he says that the companies have created ”an environment where they tend to mentally enslave the consumer to buy their products.” Chowdhry says this is particularly true of Samsung, which he says airs TV ads once every 15 minutes in India.

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mobile
May 16, 2013
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Opinions
Windows Phone Market Share Analysis

Windows Phone’s big problem: Most OEMs see it as an afterthought

By on May 16, 2013 at 1:35 PM.

Windows Phone’s big problem: Most OEMs see it as an afterthought

The latest numbers from IDC show that Windows Phone is still having a tough time gaining traction, as the operating system was found on just 3.2% of all smartphones shipped in the first quarter of 2013. And things could look even worse for Microsoft in the second quarter since Windows Phone devices will have to go toe-to-toe with heavyweight flagships being rolled out by both Samsung and HTC, as well as the low-cost BlackBerry Q5 that BlackBerry is aggressively pushing into emerging markets. In fact, the only company that’s really devoting a lot of resources toward manufacturing and publicizing Windows Phone devices is Nokia, which really has no choice since it has chosen Windows Phone as its exclusive operating system. More →

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mobile
May 16, 2013
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Samsung Galaxy S4 Storage Fix

Samsung looks to cut the bloat, free up more Galaxy S4 storage

By on May 16, 2013 at 11:50 AM.

Samsung looks to cut the bloat, free up more Galaxy S4 storage

One of the more prominent criticisms of Samsung’s Galaxy S4 is that its preloaded apps clog up a lot of the device’s internal storage, to the point where only about half of the 16GB model’s storage space is actually available for use. A Samsung spokesperson now tells The Inquirer that the company is “reviewing the possibility to secure more memory space through further software optimisation” and “is committed to listening to our customers and responding to their needs as part of our innovation process.” All the same, it’s hard to imagine Samsung freeing up significant amounts of space on the Galaxy S4 since the company sees its own unique apps and services as a key part of differentiating the device from other high-end smartphones.

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Software
May 16, 2013
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Microsoft YouTube Removal Request Response

Microsoft uses Google CEO’s own words against him in YouTube app battle

By on May 16, 2013 at 8:35 AM.

Microsoft uses Google CEO’s own words against him in YouTube app battle

Microsoft doesn’t want to hear Google CEO Larry Page get on his high horse about the need for less negativity and more cooperation in the tech world, especially since his company just sent a cease and desist letter telling Microsoft to pull its YouTube app from the Windows Phone store after Microsoft violated Google’s terms of service by removing ads from videos. Per The Verge, a Microsoft spokesperson has now thrown Page’s words back in his face by saying that it would be happy to bring ads back to the Windows Phone YouTube app if only Google would be more open and cooperative. In particular, the spokesperson said “we’d be more than happy to include advertising but need Google to provide us access to the necessary APIs” while adding that “in light of Larry Page’s comments today calling for more interoperability and less negativity, we look forward to solving this matter together for our mutual customers.”

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mobile
May 16, 2013
by
Smartphone Survey Apple Samsung

Smartphone survey shows the ‘Apple/Samsung duopoly has strengthened’

By on May 16, 2013 at 7:50 AM.

Smartphone survey shows the ‘Apple/Samsung duopoly has strengthened’

Is the mobile industry headed for a duopoly where Apple and Samsung are the only two companies that matter? Breakdowns of smartphone industry profits sure make it look that way and now Barron’s points us to a new survey conducted by MKM Partners showing that the two companies’ grip on the smartphone market has only strengthened over the past several months. The survey, which measures smartphone buying intentions for just over 1,000 American consumers, found that 30% of likely smartphone buyers planned to buy an iPhone while 28% said they planned to buy a Samsung device for their next smartphone. More →

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Legal
May 15, 2013
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Pirate Bay Cofounder Sunde European Parliament

Pirate Bay cofounder to run for European Parliament

By on May 15, 2013 at 11:00 PM.

Pirate Bay cofounder to run for European Parliament

Pirate Bay cofounder Peter Sunde is apparently tired of being accused of breaking the law, so now he wants to start making the law instead. TorrentFreak reports that Sunde is planning to run for the European Parliament next year as a candidate for Finland’s Pirate Party. Sunde is hoping to follow in the footsteps of the Swedish Pirate Party that now has two members as elected European members of Parliament. More →

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Accessories
May 15, 2013
by
Google Glass Hacking

Google subtly tells developers that it’s OK to hack Glass

By on May 15, 2013 at 6:20 PM.

Google subtly tells developers that it’s OK to hack Glass

Given the potential safety and privacy concerns surrounding Google Glass, Google has put some very tight restrictions on what kinds of applications developers can build for the headset. Or has it? Technology Review reports that Google will hold a session at its Google I/O conference this week dedicated specifically to giving developers root access to Glass and teaching them how to create experimental applications. Developers who hack into Glass will render their warranties null and void, of course, but Google still wants them to take that risk and test the limits of what Glass can do. Technology Review says that such hacks into Glass may be crucial to shaping the platform since Google still hasn’t finalized what features the headset will have when it’s released to consumers next year.

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mobile
May 15, 2013
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Google YouTube App Windows Phone

Google demands Microsoft remove YouTube from Windows Phone store

By on May 15, 2013 at 5:10 PM.

Google demands Microsoft remove YouTube from Windows Phone store

Google is not happy with Microsoft’s attempt to remove YouTube ads for Windows Phone users. The Verge reports that Google has asked Microsoft to remove YouTube from the Windows Phone app store because Microsoft has allegedly created its own version of the app “without Google’s consent” and “with features that specifically prevent ads from playing.” Since Google makes its money primarily through online advertisements, it’s not surprising that it would be upset at another company removing the ads, even if it does deliver a better user experience. In a cease and desist letter sent to Microsoft, Google says that “by blocking advertising and allowing downloads of videos, your application cuts off a valuable ongoing revenue source for creators, and causes harm to the thriving content ecosystem on YouTube.”

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Business
May 15, 2013
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Google Share Price: $900

Google shares close above $900 for first time, market cap at over $300 billion

By on May 15, 2013 at 4:00 PM.

Google shares close above $900 for first time, market cap at over $300 billion

Google’s shares continued to rise on Wednesday in the wake of the Google I/O conference, closing at over $900 for the first time and giving the company a market cap of over $300 billion for the first time in its history. The company’s stock value has been increasing at a rapid pace all year, growing from the low $700 range at the start of 2013 to the low $900 range by the end of trading on Wednesday. The continued rise in shares Wednesday was somewhat curious given that Google didn’t unveil a new Nexus tablet or a new version of Android at I/O this year as many had been expecting. Some analysts have slapped the company with a $1,000 price target in recent months and it appears that it has a legitimate shot of hitting that target now that its shares have surged past the $900 mark.

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Business
May 15, 2013
by
Google CEO Larry Page

Google CEO Page: Microsoft’s Outlook Google Talk integration is ‘milking off’ Google innovation

By on May 15, 2013 at 3:05 PM.

Google CEO Page: Microsoft’s Outlook Google Talk integration is ‘milking off’ Google innovation

Google CEO isn’t very happy that Microsoft decided to integrate its Google Talk messaging service into its Outlook webmail platform without extending a similar offer to Google for the Gmail platform. Page, speaking during the Google I/O developers conference Wednesday, said that Google always pushes to have open-source platforms that other companies can use but lamented the fact that much of the tech industry doesn’t extend the same courtesies for many of its own innovations. Page went onto say that he was “sad” that companies such as Microsoft were “milking off” Google’s innovations by not being as open with their own software.

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Software
May 15, 2013
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Google Hangouts Announcement

Google unveils Hangouts unified messaging service

By on May 15, 2013 at 1:44 PM.

Google unveils Hangouts unified messaging service

Google on Wednesday took the wraps off its new Hangouts unified messaging service aimed at pulling together all Google messaging services including Google Talk, Google+ Hangouts and Google Messenger. The new service will be available starting Wednesday on Google Chrome OS, Android and iOS, and can also be accessed through desktop versions of Google+ and Gmail. The service will also allow users to save text, images and videos from all chats conducted across all platforms and access them through Google’s cloud storage service. What’s more, Hangouts will allow users to initiate video calls with up to 10 of their friends at the same time.

More →

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Software
May 15, 2013
by
Google Play Music All Access

Google announces new music streaming service over Google Play

By on May 15, 2013 at 12:47 PM.

Google announces new music streaming service over Google Play

At Google I/O on Wednesday, Google announced a new music streaming service aimed at rivaling Spotify and Pandora that will be run over its Google Play store. The music service, called Google Play Music All Access, is described as “a uniquely Google approach to a music subscription service.” The new service will give users playlists from the Google Play library and will give users the option of quickly swiping out tracks that they don’t want to listen to. The service will work across laptops, smartphones and tablets. The service is priced at $9.99 a month in the Untied States, although Google is giving users a 30-free trial. Customers who start trials by June 30th will pay just $7.99 a month for the service. The new service is available now. More →

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