Criticism grows over Google's social search transition
Google faces an increasing tide of criticism over its decision to tightly weave Google+ into its search results, with at least one legal expert saying that its behavior may be grounds for antitrust action. Twitter is the most vocal critic so far, with General Counsel Alex Macgillivray describing the Mountain View, Calif. company's move as "a bad day for the Internet".
"For years, people have relied on Google to deliver the most relevant results anytime they wanted to find something on the Internet", Twitter says in a statement to All Things Digital. "We’re concerned that as a result of Google’s changes, finding this information will be much harder for everyone. We think that’s bad for people, publishers, news organizations and Twitter users".
T-Mobile USA expands HSPA+, won't 'move very fast' on LTE
With its planned merger with AT&T now dead, T-Mobile USA must find ways forward to continue as a viable entity. The company late Tuesday announced that it had completed HSPA+ network upgrades in new markets, further expanding its "4G" footprint. That said, it appears in no rush to move to 4G.
T-Mobile now offers 42Mbps HSPA+ in 175 of its markets, covering an estimated 186 million people. Its slower 21Mbps HSPA+ service has also expanded, now covering 217 markets. This will likely widen shortly, as the carrier receives spectrum due as part of the merger breakup with AT&T -- but it first must gain regulatory approval.
Don't expect PlayStation 4 at E3, or any time soon
Well, here's a strange Consumer Electronics Show announcement. Typically participants tout what products they will release. Sony has taken a different tack, announcing what's not coming.
The consumer electronics giant is sticking to its guns, and maintains that PlayStation 3 is a product with a 10-year life cycle. If you were hoping to see the PS4 at E3 this year, don't hold your breath. Former video game chief and now Sony chairman Kazuo Hirai told reporters at a roundtable discussion at CES that the company will not unveil a new console at the yearly conference.
Google's new personalized search raises antitrust concerns
Google is diving deeper into personalized search results, debuting a feature called "Google Plus Your World". But the debut of the service, which pulls results from your own content plus social circles from Google-owned services may catch the ire of regulators.
The company is fighting off calls on Capitol Hill over antitrust claims, and in September found itself testifying in front of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights. Senators wanted to gauge the power the Mountain View, Calif. company has over the search industry, and favoring Google's own service is sure to raise questions.
Get smoked by Windows Phone, win $100
Microsoft is eager to prove itself in the mobile space, and is putting down $100 at Consumer Electronics Show 2012 betting Windows Phone can "smoke" the competition. Microsoft evangelist Ben Rudolph is roaming halls of the show this week, angling to duel with any willing participant. You win? You get $100 on the spot. You lose? Well, you have to admit defeat at the hands of Microsoft.
You got to admit, at least Microsoft isn't fading away into the CES night without a good fight or two first to prove it's still relevant.
Sony aims to shake up HDTV with Crystal LED technology
These days, innovation in HDTVs is hard to come by. However, Sony is ready to change the industry with its new crystal LED displays on display this week at Consumer Electronics Show 2012. While the technology is nowhere near ready for production, the Japanese electronics maker made it one of its key announcements during a keynote Monday night.
Sony CEO Howard Stringer saved no rhetorical flourish while describing picture quality: "Your eyes will pop, your mouths will water, you'll tell your friends 'I have seen the future, and it's a Sony'". The company claims the color reproduction is far superior to an LCD television set, the technology powering a significant portion of HDTVs.
Huawei's thin smartphone leads slate of compelling mobile devices at CES
There's always the race at the Consumer Electronics Show to be the smallest, the lightest, the thinnest, the biggest. Huawei is following that strategy, debuting the Ascend P1 S on Monday. At 6.68mm thick, it claims to be the thinnest smartphone on the market. For comparison purposes, look at iPhone 4S, which measures in at comparatively stout 9.33mm, or the Galaxy S II, also a little overweight at 8.49mm.
The Ascend runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and features a 4.3-inch screen with Corning's Gorilla Glass. You have to wonder though if Huawei waited a bit could it have slimmed down the Ascend even more with the new thinner Gorilla Glass 2. Other features include a 1670/1800mAh battery depending on the model, 8-megapixel rear-facing and 1.3-megapixel front-facing cameras, HD picture capabilities and integrated WiFi and Bluetooth.
Corning's Gorilla Glass gets even tougher and thinner
Corning has made a name for itself in short order in the tech sector, as manufacturers look to the textile maker to produce "indestructible" glass for its gadgets. The Corning, N.Y.-based company on Monday debuted the second generation of its Gorilla Glass product, allowing companies to get the same damage resistance in glass that is 20 percent thinner.
"In response to our customers' drive toward thinner form factors, we designed this new glass to enable meaningful reduction in thickness without sacrificing the outstanding glass performance for which Gorilla Glass has become highly recognized", Corning Specialty Materials head James Steiner says.
Lenovo steps outside its comfort zone with new Android TV, smartphone
Lenovo's bread and butter is the PC. Like all electronics manufacturers the company is finding that diversity is a good growth strategy, however. It embraced Android and the tablet market last summer, and at Consumer Electronics Show it's showing a readiness to enter the competitive HDTV and smartphone sectors in 2012.
Lenovo is the first company to produce an HDTV running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich". At 55 inches it's an impressive first outing, while also embracing the 3D capabilities that are the rage in televisions as of late. Of course the company is using a skinned version of ICS, but choosing Android allows for a good deal of flexibility.
Ahead of CES, health of the consumer electronics industry questioned
As the technology industry gears up for its yearly confab in Las Vegas this week, new data suggests the consumer electronics industry is primed for significant contraction. Research firm NPD says sales fell 5.9 percent in the five weeks ending on Christmas Eve. This data confirms news out of various retailers indicating weak sales in electronics last month.
Sears Holdings used poor sales of consumer electronics in both its Sears and Kmart stores as part of a reason behind closing underperforming locations. Target and Costco warned of disappointing numbers due to slower than expected sales, and Best Buy reported same-store sales down 1.2 percent year-over-year for the month of December.
Vizio aims to disrupt the crowded budget PC market, but can it?
Aiming to get out ahead of the the news crush that is the Consumer Electronics Show, Vizio on Saturday made the rounds of the major news outlets hawking its latest line of products: computers. While the company all but created the budget market when it comes to HDTVs -- building a considerable amount of positive brand equity as a result -- the PC business is much different.
Vizio will debut two desktops and three notebook computers at CES. While an official announcement has yet to appear, we do know that the desktops will come in 24- and 27-inch sizes, with the PC components tucked behind the display in an all-in-one design that looks quite similar to Apple's iMac desktops. A wireless keyboard and mouse are included with the package, along with a subwoofer and remote control.
Broadcom debuts next WiFi standard at CES 2012
Broadcom says it is using the platform of the Consumer Electronics Show next week to debut fifth generation wireless networking technology, dubbed 802.11ac. The wireless standard promises speeds of up to 1.3Gbps, which would make 802.11ac about three times as fast as 802.11n. It will also be about six times as power efficient, perfect for portable devices.
802.11ac promises greater range than its predecessors. While like previous technologies, top speeds are only attainable less than 10 meters from the transmitter. However, due to the speed bump alone 802.11n speeds are still theoretically attainable 60 meters away. This obviously makes wireless networking more viable in larger spaces.
Logitech Cube might be CES 2012's ugliest product
In a move that looks more like a clever ploy to attract bloggers and journalists to their booth at next week's Consumer Electronics Show than a product with any actual hope of success in the marketplace, Logitech on Thursday introduced the Cube. The rectangular shaped device is a mouse primarily, although it doubles as a presenter.
The square shape sure will take some getting used to, especially considering the design of the mouse has all but been unchanged in its three decades of existence. Why? Because it works. Remember Apple's circular mice that came with the original iMacs? They were derided for one reason -- ergonomics -- and the Cube seems destined for a similar fate.
Windows Phone partners will spend $100M, not $200M, launching Nokia Ace
I was right and stand by my reporting.
Following BetaNews' report of Microsoft and its partners $100 million ad bonanza surrounding the launch of the the Nokia Ace in March, additional misinformation has surfaced about the Redmond, Wash.-based company's plans to push Windows Phone to the forefront after languishing for so long at the back of the pack -- that the number is higher.
Windows Phone partners bet $100M on Nokia Ace
The importance of the Nokia Ace to Microsoft's mobile plans is apparent as sources tell BetaNews of a major marketing push for the smartphone in the second quarter of this year. The Ace will launch in late March, sources confirm, along with a marketing campaign that will run in the neighborhood of $100 million. However, sources were reluctant to say exactly how that $100 million spend might be divvied up among the principals -- AT&T, Microsoft or Nokia.
The Ace will launch first on AT&T, where Microsoft has reached an agreement with the carrier to give it "hero" status. This means that AT&T itself will promote the device in its advertising, through its retail channels and direct store associates to push the device within its stores.
Such a move is a first for a Windows Phone here in the United States, a place where the platform has languished behind larger competitors. The most recent market share data from comScore indicates that Microsoft's mobile platform has only been able to manage a 5.4 percent share. Compare this to market-leading Android whose 46.3 percent share leads all other platforms.
Ed's Bio
Ed Oswald is a freelance journalist from the Reading, PA area. Although he has written across a variety of subjects, Ed’s passion and focus has been on technology and gadgets. His work regularly appears on tech news sites BetaNews, PCWorld, and Technologizer, and has been syndicated to eWeek, Time’s Techland blog, VentureBeat and the New York Times.
Ethics Statement© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.