European Parliament Votes Against Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement

  • The European Parliament rejected the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) with a 478 to 39 vote. The overwhelming dissent effectively served a death blow to the anti-piracy and anti-copyright infringement legislation drafted five years ago by the United States and Japan.
  • Supporters of the legislation, including President Obama, had hoped to establish a global copyright standard, but the recent decision hurts the possibility of establishing such standards.
  • ACTA could still pass if six countries choose to pass the legislation, but Canadian law professor Michael Geist explains how the legislation is “badly damaged and will seemingly never achieve the goals of its supporters as a model for other countries to adopt.”
  • Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Morocco, New Zealand, and Singapore are among the nations yet to decide on the matter, but reports indicate the nations are unlikely to pass the legislation.
  • ACTA opponents celebrated the decision. Activist Mike Rispoli explained that his group Access “is ecstatic that the Parliament… by an overwhelming majority, said ‘No’ to ACTA, delivering the long-awaited fatal blow to this dangerous agreement.”
  • “The European Parliament vote is a triumph of democracy over special interests and shady back-room deals,” added UK Pirate Party leader Loz Kaye. “It is becoming increasingly politically poisonous to be ‘anti-Internet.'”

New Android-Powered Pocket TV Transforms Televisions into Smart TVs

  • The Infinitec Pocket TV allows consumers to transform their HDTVs into smart TVs for under $200. By connecting a small microcomputer (similar in size to a USB dongle), users can turn their HDTV into a giant screen computer with access to the Google Play Store.
  • The device outputs 1080p resolution through a HDMI 1.3 connection, reports Digital Trends, and runs on Android 4.0. The device also includes “a MicroSD port that will accommodate any MiscroSD card up to 32GB in size” and “comes with 4GB of internal memory.”
  • Customers can choose to purchase either a standard remote or an Air Remote. The standard remote uses directional pad navigation, while the Air Remote uses a gyroscopic sensor that allows users to control their televisions with gestures. The Air Remote controls an on screen mouse cursor and includes a QWERTY keyboard.
  • Smartphone users can control the device using the Google Remote TV app. Infinitec plans to release its own mobile application soon.
  • Infinitec confirms that Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Video, Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard, Google Maps and Pulse applications, among others, all work with the device.
  • Infinitec plans to release Pocket TV by early October for $190. Interested customers can pre-order the device on Kickstarter for $110 for the standard remote and $135 for the Air Remote.

Google Chrome for iOS Review: Strong Features, Slower than Android

  • Google has released Chrome for iOS, but without the latitude to integrate its JavaScript rendering engine, the app runs slower than its Android cousin.
  • Rather than use the JavaScript engine, Chrome for iOS uses its UIWebView in order to comply with Apple’s strict third-party developers agreement.
  • TechCrunch notes that many users enjoy Chrome on other platforms for its speed, but that the absence of the JavaScript engine makes Chrome on iOS appear sluggish. The post adds that the lack of speed “doesn’t just apply to page loads,” but that “there is often a slight but noticeable lag when you scroll, too.”
  • Chrome on iOS still provides a valuable experience, and includes fluid tab switchers. Users can also sync their iOS device to their desktop with Chrome’s bookmark and tab syncing features.
  • According to a statement from Google, the company’s “goal was to bring the same fast, secure and stable Web browsing experience you’ve come to enjoy when using Chrome on your desktop or Android device, while also adapting to platform specific technical specifications.”
  • “Google’s engineers, though, did what they could on iOS,” comments TechCrunch. “Sadly, those platform specific technical specifications dictate that the current iteration of Chrome for iOS can’t quite live up to what we’ve come to expect from Chrome on other platforms.”

Retail Stores Contend with Showrooming Trend via New Strategies

  • Retail stores have suffered from “showrooming,” a process by which customers browse products in stores, but then return to online retailers to purchase their items.
  • Some retailers have attempted to combat the problem by replacing bar codes with company-only bar codes that cannot be scanned and compared online.
  • Other retailers are transforming “their stores into extensions of their own online operations” by ” stepping up efforts to add Web return centers, pickup locations, free shipping outlets, payment booths and even drive-through customer service centers for online sales to their brick-and-mortar buildings,” reports The New York Times.
  • “We are living in the age of the customer, and you can either fight these trends that are happening — showrooming is one — or you can embrace them,” explains Joel Anderson, chief executive of Walmart.com for the United States. “We have a lot of assets, but they’re only assets if you embrace the trends of the customers.”
  • Retailers who offer pick up locations for online purchases find that it attracts different types of customers than traditional online shopping. Whereas traditional online shoppers often pay with credit cards, shoppers who order online and then pick up their order in the store often pay with cash, either to avoid identity theft or because they do not have credit cards.
  • Vice president of stores for the Container Store John Thrailkill notes that “the online orders for in-store pickup also tended to be much larger than typical in-store purchases, and that customers who picked up orders in the store visited about 50 percent more often than customers who shopped only in the stores.”

Samba Launches in UK: Can Ad-Supported Free Mobile Data Succeed?

  • The launch of Samba, an advertising-based, free British broadband service, prompts GigaOM to question if ad-based mobile data can succeed.
  • Samba targets traveling tablet and laptop users. The customers watch advertisements to gain data credit, which they can use at their convenience. Once users purchase a Samba SIM card, they can get 3G access for free.
  • “Watch two and a half minutes of adverts in a day — from brands like Volvo, Microsoft and Dell — and you’ve worked up enough credit to cover more than 500MB of data,” notes the post.
  • Co-founder Ben Atherton explains “With Samba you earn the credit watching ads at a time that is convenient to you and then have access when you need it.”
  • However, GigaOM argues that ad-supported mobile services have nearly always failed in the past, and most successful ad-supported platforms “aren’t purely ad-supported at all: advertising is just one part of a complex revenue mix.”
  • The post also notes that ad-supported businesses are most successful when they are platforms such as Facebook and Google. “These are appealing to advertisers because they are self-service, highly-segmented, and targeted. They make money because they scale easily, they don’t necessarily require huge sales teams and they aren’t broadcast mechanisms,” explains GigaOM.

Analyzing Social Media: Women Take the Lead in Use of Social Networks

  • An infographic from Digital Flash analyzes social media use by gender, finding that men dominate Google+ and Reddit while women use Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest with more frequency than males.
  • Women account for 56 percent of all social network use in the United States, and this number carries over to use of both Facebook and Twitter. Females account for 58 percent and 64 percent of use on these sites, respectively.
  • Women also account for 55 percent of the online gaming population, and 60 percent of Zynga’s users are women. Women over the age of 55 account for the most Zynga gaming, as this demographic games more than males 15-24 and 25-34 combined.
  • Men account for 84 percent, 71 percent, and 63 percent, respectively, on Reddit, Google+ and LinkedIn.
  • The infographic concludes “women are far more active users of social networking sites, racking up an astounding 99 million more visits per month than their male counterparts.”

Apple Rumors Persist: Will Sharp and Foxconn Produce the Apple iTV?

  • According to CNET: “Foxconn aims to use its investment in Sharp to land orders for Apple’s upcoming large-screen TV — so the ongoing speculation goes.”
  • The post cites Ho Chao-yang — former president of LCD maker Chimei Innolux and current chairman of Chi Mei Materials Technology — as its source.
  • DigiTimes reports in a related article: “It is a win-win strategy for Foxconn and Sharp, and the tie-up is believed to be able to create new markets, Ho stated.”
  • The Foxconn-Sharp theory was first floated earlier in the year. “We expect Apple to debut the iTV by the end of this year, and it is likely to adopt Sharp’s 10th generation TFT production line to produce TFT LCDs for iTVs,” wrote analysts from Daiwa Capital Markets at the time.
  • The analysts also noted that Foxconn’s investment in Sharp would allow Apple to utilize vertical integration in Apple iTV manufacturing.
  • Last month, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou refuted any claims that the company was working on an Apple HDTV. “But, hey, what else is he going to say?” asks CNET. “Apple’s biggest manufacturing partner would be the last company to tell the world it was working on an upcoming Apple product.”
  • “The wish-list of an Apple HDTV includes features such as a Retina Display, IGZO technology, iCloud integration, SIRI technology, and Facetime, among other goodies,” notes the post.

LevelUp: Free Social Game Helps Incentivize Photoshop Learning Experience

  • Adobe has introduced LevelUp, a new social game aimed to help customers learn Photoshop through missions, badges, and rewards.
  • Customers download LevelUp for free and then complete levels in their existing Photoshop software. Beginner levels can earn 20 to 30 points while more advanced levels can earn up to 850 points. Points can be applied to drawings for prizes such as Adobe Creative Cloud memberships.
  • “The directions are very clear: In each stage, the navigation bar tells you exactly what shortcuts to use or what buttons to click to move on the to the next stage. You can opt to use Photoshop’s sample images, or even open one of your own to learn from the ground up,” explains Digital Trends.
  • Users can also share scores on Twitter and Facebook for increased chances at prizes. Customers can track their progress on weekly leaderboards as well.
  • LevelUp is available for Photoshop Creative Suite versions 5 and above.

Sources Suggest Amazon Plans to Release Two New Kindle Fire Tablets

  • Sources tell BGR that Amazon plans to release two new Kindle Fire tablets in 7- and 10-inch models.
  • “With Google having unveiled its Nexus 7 tablet this week, it’s vitally important for Amazon that it doesn’t mess up with the launch of its second-generation Kindle Fire competitor, which could happen as early as next month,” notes Digital Trends.
  • Amazon has experienced immense success with its 7-inch Kindle Fire, and the new version will reportedly feature a more solid build than its predecessor, including “a metal casing instead of the soft-touch plastic body found on the first-generation device,” explains the post.
  • “They’ll reportedly be thinner than the original iPad, with the 10-inch model featuring a front-facing camera,” reports Digital Trends. “There’s no mention of a camera on the 7-inch device, but with Google’s recently-released Nexus 7 tablet — which is set to go head-to-head with the Kindle Fire — sporting a front-facing camera, it’s hard to believe Amazon will omit such a feature.”
  • Reports suggest the new Kindle Fire tablets are likely to be available in the coming months.

Apple to Overhaul iTunes: Improved iCloud Integration and Sharing Features

  • Apple plans to completely overhaul its iTunes music service by the end of the year, reports Bloomberg. The changes will include closer integration for iCloud file storage and better sharing features.
  • “With an increasing amount of content available on the store, the overhaul is intended to improve how people manage all their files,” notes the article. “That includes changes to how users find new material and how they access what they already own on different Apple devices.”
  • Critical to Apple’s success, iTunes — which offers more than 28 million songs, 45,000 movies, and 650,000 apps — accounted for $1.9 billion of the company’s revenue last quarter.
  • “One of the main ways Apple will attempt to improve discovery is by making it easier for people to share songs, a popular feature of Spotify Ltd.’s music-subscription service,” explains the article. “Apple has been negotiating with major record labels for rights that would let a user listen to a song sent to them from a friend for free, one person said.”
  • The company also announced tighter integration of Facebook and Twitter in iTunes, to encourage additional sharing.

Sirius XM Coming to Google TV: Joins Netflix, YouTube, Pandora and Others

  • Satellite radio provider Sirius XM has announced plans to bring all of its programming to Google TV, joining a growing list of partners including Amazon.com and Netflix.
  • The Sirius programming includes Howard Stern’s programs and live sports. Google TV will offer the programming through a new app that “will let listeners pause and play back up to five hours of content,” reports Reuters.
  • Sony, LG, and Vizio have built Google TV into some of their models. The service “allows consumers to access online videos and websites on their TVs, as well as to download and play with specialized apps such as video games,” according to the report.
  • The satellite radio provider will become Google TV’s largest contributor. In 2010 ABC, CBS, and NBC all blocked online versions of their programming from coming to Google TV. “Last fall, Disney said a handful of its movies and shows would be available to rent through YouTube on Google TV,” notes the article.
  • Sirius XM’s 22 million subscribers will have access to the app later this summer, which will include additional channels that subscribers cannot access in their cars.
  • Competitors such as Pandora Media and Slacker Radio currently have apps on Google TV.

Yahoo Ditches Rhapsody After Four Year Partnership, Turns to Spotify

  • Yahoo and Spotify have agreed to partner in a deal that will bring Spotify’s music library to Yahoo’s Media network. Spotify will also promote Yahoo’s app on the Spotify platform.
  • The deal will override a four year partnership between Yahoo and music service Rhapsody.
  • “The deal will see Spotify first rolling out to Yahoo Music. Later it will also start appearing in other verticals within the media network, including Yahoo Movies and omg!” reports TechCrunch.
  • A related post from AllThingsD explains that “Yahoo users will see Spotify links on their site, but will only be able to play music if they’ve already downloaded and opened up Spotify’s software (new Spotify users will still have to sign up for the service using their Facebook login).”
  • Yahoo will receive a commission if a Yahoo referral results in a paid subscription for Spotify. The two companies will not share any advertising revenue.
  • The deal will help Spotify gain exposure, as it looks to grow its 10 million users. Yahoo claims to reach 700 million people, so the deal will certainly get Spotify in front of more eyes.

Pew Report: Mobile Internet Browsing Surpasses PCs in Some Demographics

  • A report from the Pew Internet & American Life project notes that 17 percent of adult cell phone owners access the Internet more frequently on their phones than on desktops, laptops, or tablets.
  • “That’s the number for all cell phone owners in the U.S, including those with feature phones,” reports TechCrunch. “Just looking at those who already use their phones to go online (55 percent of all cell phone owners), a whopping 31 percent now say they mostly use their phones to go online.”
  • Notably, 45 percent of adults ages 18 to 29 who use the Internet on their phones report using the devices as their primary Web browsing tool.
  • The report also shows that African-Americans and Latinos are more likely than others to report that they mostly use their phones for Web browsing — 55 percent of African-Americans and 52 percent of Latinos reported “cell-mostly” use, while only 24 percent of whites fell into this category.
  • People in the “cell-mostly” category reported that they prefer cell phones for browsing because “they are more easily available (64 percent), fit their usage habits better (18 percent) and are simply good enough to perform basic online activities (7 percent)” explains the post.

Net Neutrality: Steve Wozniak Defends Kim Dotcom in Megaupload Case

  • Steve Wozniak this week criticized the U.S. government’s handling of the Megaupload case, suggesting many used the site for legitimate purposes and closing it was not necessary.
  • “You don’t just shut down the whole street because somebody is speeding,” said the Apple co-founder, in response to the government mandated freeze of all user accounts.
  • The Electronic Frontier Foundation has worked to defend Kim Dotcom, Megaupload’s founder and CEO. (Wozniak helped fund the formation of the EFF.)
  • While Wozniak recognizes that Dotcom may not be as legitimate as he contends, Wozniak questions the authorities’ treatment of Dotcom. “It’s just kind of ridiculous what they did to his life,” he says, labeling the piracy case as “hokey” and suggesting the actions are an impediment to Internet innovation.
  • “Wozniak believes that people should pay for content, but also says the Internet should be open and shutting down sites like Megaupload is futile,” reports The Verge.
  • “If you’ve got a huge steamroller coming, instead of trying to stop it, you should get out of the way,” says Wozniak.

Faster Data Networks: Teenagers Leading the Transition to 4G Technology

  • A Nielsen survey on 4G wireless trends suggests teenagers are leading the transition from 3G to 4G technology. The report notes that 63 percent of teenagers under 18 report interest in switching from a 3G to a 4G device by the end of the year.
  • The report adds that 4G usage has risen from 1.4 percent to 7.6 percent of American wireless consumers since 2011.
  • “Consumers under the age of 34 are the mostly likely to have switched from 3G to the faster 4G network and consumers that have adopted 4G are five times more likely to consider dumping a high-speed Internet subscription with a cable company in favor of 4G hardware as a replacement,” reports Digital Trends.
  • The report also notes that only 46 percent of respondents reported satisfaction with the 4G device’s battery life. “Many people stated that they would attempt to preserve battery life by switching between 3G and 4G service during the day,” explains the post.
  • However, while people report satisfaction with their 4G devices, less than ten percent of 4G owners cited the 4G connection as the most important factor in the purchase.