Amazon Fire TV misses the mark, as do other media boxes

Amazon Fire TV misses the same marks as Ouya, other media boxes | Ars Technica: "At $99, Amazon's first entry into this space is pretty disappointing, even just considering the product at hand. When we add up the missed opportunities—like the possibility for video subscription service, some kind of privileges for Prime customers, a free gaming controller to play up the gaming angle, or HDMI passthrough—it's clear Amazon's shot is pretty wide of the mark. Amazon's interest in media is clearly large and growing, and its ability to privilege its own box on its site the way it privileges Amazon content on the box itself virtually guarantees sales. But in the media device landscape, the Fire TV not only fails to achieve its goals, it falls short of its competitors." (read more at link above)

Chrome OS tablet to be launched at the Acer event on April 29? Unlike Android, a mobile and tablet platform, Chrome OS runs on all platforms — mobile, desktop, and potentially table --
Google gives strong signal a Chrome tablet is indeed on the way | ZDNet: "speculation that we'll soon see one announced has recently surfaced. This is due to a press invite to an Acer event that leads one to believe a tablet may be announced." (read more at link above)

Here’s Why the Comcast–Time Warner Merger Is Bad | MIT Technology Review: "Among the many threats to the future of Internet access in the United States, nothing tops Comcast’s proposed $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable. The combined company would be in a position to provide high-capacity data services to almost two-thirds of American households and to tightly control everything flowing over its pipe. It could extract unconstrained fees for access to its subscribers or for entry to its network. And it would have the ability to charge different fees for different services, and to protect the success of its affiliated streaming-video assets like Streampix (and other uses of its network requiring high-capacity data) at the expense of others, thereby undermining the ideals of net neutrality...."

Alibaba to acquire AutoNavi in $1.5 billion deal | ZDNet: "Alibaba likely has specific intentions on how it will use AutoNavi's mobile-map capabilities. Licenses that allow the mapping of Chinese roads are scant, and AutoNavi holds the keys to one of the few. Alibaba could fold that map muscle into its own platform, giving would-be shoppers directions to nearby stores and sending them mobile ads once they're inside. China's mushrooming online market has reached 618 million users, 80 percent of which are mobile."

Facebook Received 28,147 Government Requests in H2 2013: "Since Facebook only released its first report in August 2013, we can’t compare to see how these results compare to previous years. We can, however, compare the second half of 2013 (July to December) against the first half (January to June), as well as get a total for the full year."

Apple and Samsung spar over huge damages claim
PCWorld
Apple outlined for the first time on Friday how it came up with the $2.2 billion ... “If I was, I wouldn't be working for Microsoft, for Amazon,” Vellturo said, ...

Facebook Adds Censorship Data to Transparency Report
PC Magazine
Facebook on Friday released its second official government transparency ... Facebookand firms like Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have also been ...

Amazon Plans 3D Phone: Report
InformationWeek
Amazon is preparing to release a smartphone of its own this fall, according to a ... a June announcement, it might try doing so on June 24th, to upstage Google. Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ... will include 4 3D sensors to track gestures -- like Microsoft Kinect -- and that it ...

Microsoft, Apple Diverge on Bankrolling Big Patent Buyer
Voice of America
Microsoft, Sony, Intel and Apple also would not comment. ... Some companies likeGoogle Inc publicly supported the bill, which included a provision to ...

Amazon Adds Digital Comic Books to Its Content Super Team
Businessweek
Amazon acquired ComiXology, a leading online hub for comics. ... tech: Facebooksnapping up the virtual reality firm Oculus Rift or Google buying Nest. ... that Amazon, outspent and outgunned by companies such as Apple (AAPL), ...

Google Glass Goes Public
InformationWeek
Once a club for favored developers, Google's Glass Explorer Program will open its doors ...Apple is also said to be working on a computerized watch.

Facebook Unfriends In-App Mobile Messaging
InformationWeek
Facebook is phasing out the in-app chat feature in its iOS and Android apps and wants users to download a separate app to chat with friends.

Google quashes 31 vulnerabilities, restores Metro mode 'steppers' with Chrome 34
Computerworld
On the same day, Google also refreshed Chrome OS, its browser-based ... Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and ...

Google Translate Now Lets You Edit Entire Translations - The Next Web
By Paul Sawers
Google has introduced, or is at least trialing, a new feature that makes it easier for users to edit results in Google Translate. As the unofficial Google.
The Next Web

Are Facebook Ads a Failure? | Convince and Convert: Social Media Strategy and Content...
By Jim Tobin
More recently, they've partnered with Google to make it easier for advertisers to reach theFacebook Exchange ad inventory. All fine moves, but miles ...
Convince and Convert: Social...

Study: Brands still overwhelmingly prefer photos on Facebook - Inside Facebook
By Justin Lafferty
Though Facebook has tried to make its link share post format more visual, with bigger images, many marketers still prefer to simply post photos ...
Inside Facebook

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