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Software
April 13, 2011
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Social Web browser Flock shutting down

By on April 13, 2011 at 5:59 AM.

Social Web browser Flock shutting down

Flock, the social web browser that was purchased by Zynga earlier this year, has announced that it is shutting down. The team will instead focus on helping Zynga build socially connected games across multiple platforms. If you’re a Flock user, the good news is that you’ll be able to continue to use the product for a few more days as you transition to a new browser. Flock says that, after April 26th, key features will no longer be available, and it also warned that security will falter without future software updates or upgrades. The team recommends that current Flock users switch to Firefox or Chrome. Hit the jump for instructions on how to migrate your favorites and other features to a new browser. More →

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Services
April 12, 2011
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T-Mobile intros two new unlimited plans

By on April 12, 2011 at 4:28 PM.

T-Mobile intros two new unlimited plans

T-Mobile on Tuesday announced the addition of two new unlimited plans to its portfolio. Dubbed “Even More” and “Even More Plus,” both plans afford subscribers with unlimited nationwide voice calling, unlimited messaging and unlimited data. Both plans also include 2GB soft caps, so customers who go over 2GB in a single billing period will have their data speeds reduced, or throttled, until the next billing period begins. T-Mobile says its 4G smartphone users average about 1GB of data each month. “Consumers today are looking for even more value and flexibility from their wireless plans,” said T-mobile SVP of Marketing, John Clelland, in a statement. “While data plans for many of our competitors continue to be very expensive, T-Mobile is lowering the price of our unlimited plans and offering more options, making it easier than ever for customers to step up to a richer mobile data experience on our 4G network.” The $79.99 Even More plan is available to contract customers while the $59.99 Even More Plus plan is available to customers on a month-to-month basis. Both plans become available for a limited time beginning Wednesday, April 13th. Hit the break for the full press release. More →

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Gaming
April 12, 2011
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iPad, tablets clearly disrupting PC market, survey finds

By on April 12, 2011 at 5:22 AM.

iPad, tablets clearly disrupting PC market, survey finds

A survey conducted recently by Google-owned AdMob found that tablets are eating into the quality time U.S. consumers spend with their desktop and laptop PCs — and the majority of tablet owners might not use their devices the way many pundits believe. A survey of 1,430 tablet owners in the U.S. conducted March of this year suggests that the most popular use for tablets at this point could be gaming. An overwhelming 84% of respondents said they use their tablets for playing games of some type, while 78% said they searched for information on their tablets and 74% said they used email. Another indication tablets could be as disruptive as many analysts believe is the fact that 43% of those surveyed said they use their tablets more than than their desktop or laptop computers, and 33% said they spent more time with their tablet than they spend watching television. 77% of respondents said their use of traditional computers has decreased since buying a tablet, and 28% said the tablet is now their primary computer. More →

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mobile
April 11, 2011
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T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to intro new unlimited plans

By on April 11, 2011 at 1:26 PM.

T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless to intro new unlimited plans

According to leaked internal documents, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless may soon offer new unlimited voice/text/web plans. One image, obtained by TmoNews, suggests that T-Mobile will quietly launch a new “Truly Unlimited Data + Talk + Text” option on April 13th that will retail for $79.99 per month. T-Mobile will supposedly not cap data for this plan, but will instead reduce data throughput speeds (throttle) after a user surpasses 2GB in a single billing cycle. Another image leaked by Droid-Life suggests that Verizon Wireless is also gearing up to release a new unlimited plan for just $50 per month. It will supposedly include unlimited mobile to mobile calling, text, and web for customers opting for service without a contract. We’re thinking this could be limited to feature phones only, given Verizon’s choice to call it “unlimited web” instead of “unlimited data” — “unlimited data” is terminology Verizon typically uses when referring to smartphones. Neither carrier has officially announced the new plans, however. Hit the jump for more images. More →

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Software
April 4, 2011
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Mozilla reveals Firefox plugins that slow down performance the most

By on April 4, 2011 at 9:33 PM.

Mozilla reveals Firefox plugins that slow down performance the most

Web browsers always look to strike a balance between speed and functionality, but not enough focus on the former can easily spoil a user’s experience. Mozilla has put a great deal of time and effort working speed improvements into the latest version of its Firefox browser but sometimes all that hard work is for naught due to slow add-ons from third-party developers. In an effort to raise awareness and to push developers to optimize their plugins, perhaps, Mozilla has published a list of the add-ons that slow down Firefox the most. Among the worst offenders are FoxLingo, AniWeather, FoxyTunes and Xmarks Sync. In a bit of irony, an add-on called “FastestFox” that is supposed to speed up browsing by simplifying repetitive tasks is No.8 on Mozilla’s list. If you’ve been experiencing some slowness in Firefox and are wondering which add-ons might be the culprit, hit the read link for Mozilla’s complete list. More →

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mobile
March 24, 2011
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Motorola brewing up its own Web-based operating system, report claims [updated]

By on March 24, 2011 at 8:50 AM.

Motorola brewing up its own Web-based operating system, report claims [updated]

Despite its success with Android, Motorola Mobility has reportedly hired a number of engineers, some from Adobe and Apple, to work on a brand new web-based operating system. “I know they’re working on it,” Jonathan Goldberg, an analyst with Deutsche Bank told Information Week. “I think the company recognizes that they need to differentiate and they need options, just in case. Nobody wants to rely on a single supplier.” Sources speaking to Goldberg and Information Week suggested that Motorola Mobility was building the OS as a possible alternative to Android, and while Motorola Mobility didn’t deny that it might be working on something, it has reaffirmed that it’s committed to the platform. It all sounds a bit strange to us, especially since Motorola helped kick off the Android craze in the United States with the DROID, DROID 2 and DROID X on Verizon Wireless, among others. It seems more likely to us that Motorola Mobility is working on a Web-based operating system to compliment Android, instead of one to compete with it, but we’ll have to see.

UPDATE: A Motorola spokesperson reached out to BGR with the following statement: “Motorola Mobility remains committed the Android operating system. We have hired employees with HTML skills to enable the best browsing experience to consumers and our strategic focus on the Android platform has not changed.”

More →

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Software
March 23, 2011
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Firefox 4 downloads top 6 million in first 24 hours [video]

By on March 23, 2011 at 8:26 AM.

Firefox 4 downloads top 6 million in first 24 hours [video]

Mozilla announced on Tuesday that the final release version of its Firefox 4 Web browser was available for download. Within its first 24 hours of availability, the browser was downloaded over 6 million times. Microsoft’s latest browser release, Internet Explorer 9, was downloaded 2.35 million times in its first 24 hours of availability. Version 4 of the popular Firefox Web browser features a variety of enhancements including a redesigned UI, improved tab management and faster performance. Mozilla’s Firefox browser is the second most popular browser in the world according to market share tracker Net Applications. Firefox held a 21.74% global browser share in February, behind Internet Explorer’s 56.77% and ahead of No. 3 browser Chrome, which has grown to 10.93% in a very short period of time. Both Internet Explorer and Firefox have seen their shares decrease over the past year, while Google’s Chrome browser and Apple’s Safari browser have gained popularity. Hit the break for a video highlighting Firefox 4′s new features. More →

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Software
March 23, 2011
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Firefox 4 now available for download [video]

By on March 23, 2011 at 2:05 AM.

Firefox 4 now available for download [video]

Mozilla on Tuesday made its latest Web browser available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux computers. Firefox 4 features a redesigned UI, a new panoramic tab manager, improved security and privacy controls, integrated Firefox Sync services, tab grouping, an optimized JavaScript engine designed to improve Web app performance, GPU-accelerated page rendering and plenty more. The new version of Firefox is available for download immediately in numerous languages. Hit the break for a video highlighting Firefox 4′s new features. More →

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mobile
March 17, 2011
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The New York Times to offer iTunes subscriptions

By on March 17, 2011 at 2:08 PM.

The New York Times to offer iTunes subscriptions

In tandem with its announcement that it will move to a paid subscription model for online content, The New York Times said Thursday that it will also begin to sell subscriptions for news content in its mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. As per Apple’s iTunes App Store terms, The New York Times will also have to fork over 30% of the revenues from each subscription sold. Users will be able to access the “Top News” content for free, but will have to subscribe for access to other stories. Eileen Murphy, spokesperson for the Times, told AllThingsD that content will also be available for Android devices, as well as BlackBerry smartphones, although it will not be selling subscriptions through those app stores. As we reported earlier, those viewing The New York Times content will be able to read 20 articles at no charge, and subscription plans will range from $15 to $35. The $35 option provides all access to digital content, although we also found that print subscriptions, which include full digital access, may save users some money each month. More →

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mobile
March 17, 2011
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45,000 tests prove Android surfs faster than the iPhone

By on March 17, 2011 at 8:00 AM.

45,000 tests prove Android surfs faster than the iPhone

A recent study performed by Ottowa-based Blaze Software reveals that Android’s mobile Web browser is significantly faster than the mobile Safari browser found on Apple’s iPhone. Blaze performed 45,000 separate tests using 1,000 different websites along with its mobile measurement service, and found that Android was 52% faster on average. The firm utilized the latest Android devices running Android 2.2 and Android 2.3 in the tests, and pitted them against iPhone 4 handsets running both iOS 4.2 and iOS 4.3. “We were very surprised by the results,” said Blaze CTO and Co-founder Guy Podjarnyin a statement. “We assumed that it would be closer race and that the latest JavaScript speed improvements would have a more material impact on performance. The fact that Android beat iPhone by such a large margin was not expected.” Hit the break for the full press release. More →

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Software
March 15, 2011
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Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 9

By on March 15, 2011 at 8:21 AM.

Microsoft launches Internet Explorer 9

Microsoft on Monday announced the availability of its next-generation desktop Web browser, Internet Explorer 9. “The best experience of the Web is on Windows with Internet Explorer 9,” said Dean Hachamovitch, Microsoft’s corporate VP of Windows Internet Explorer, in a statement. “Today, the Web can unlock the power and performance of the best PC hardware through Windows and Internet Explorer 9. Websites also can act more like applications within Windows 7, with features such as Pinned Sites.” Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser is one of the oldest still available, having launched in the dark ages of the Internet. Thanks to its inclusion on nearly all Windows computers sold, it is also still the most popular browser by a wide margin. Market share tracker Net Applications shows that IE’s browser market share sat at 56.77% in February. The next closest browser, Mozilla’s Firefox, owned 21.74% of the market. Hit the break for the full press release and download IE9 via the read link. More →

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Services
February 18, 2011
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Redbox clarifies plans for subscription-based streaming Netflix rival

By on February 18, 2011 at 2:00 AM.

Redbox clarifies plans for subscription-based streaming Netflix rival

In a meeting with analysts, Redbox President Mitch Lowe reaffirmed the Coinstar-owned company’s plans to launch a Netflix “Watch Instantly” competitor this year. Coinstar CEO Paul Davis first confirmed the forthcoming service last year during an earnings call, though he would not specify whether the company’s Internet streaming service would utilize an all-you-can-eat pricing model or and a la carte model. Lowe has now confirmed that the service will be subscription-based, but he did not indicate price points for the service. Redbox currently owns and operates a large network of unmanned DVD rental kiosks located throughout the country. These self-service kiosks, which are stocked with new releases and popular recent titles, allow customers to rent DVDs for as little as $1. Redbox still has not revealed a partner for its upcoming streaming service, though rumors suggest Amazon may be the most likely candidate. More →

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Software
February 8, 2011
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Google brings Gmail’s Priority Inbox to HTML5 mobile browsers

By on February 8, 2011 at 4:55 AM.

Google brings Gmail’s Priority Inbox to HTML5 mobile browsers

Yesterday, Google announced the expansion of Gmail’s Priority Inbox feature to its mobile website. Users accessing gmail.com from their HTML5-capable smartphone browser can now view messages categorized by Gmail as both “important” and “everything else.” Currently, users must enable Priority Inbox on the desktop version of Gmail to be able to view it on their mobile — only viewing is supported, users can not yet rank messages from the mobile web version. Priority Inbox is supported in Android 1.5+, iOS 3.0+, and most other HTML5-capable smartphones. More →

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