New Windows personal computers will be introduced at CES next week. One called “PC Plus” will run both Windows 8.1 and Android mobile apps according to Creative Strategies’ Tim Bajarin, who says the initiative would be backed by Intel. PC Plus will be revealed by multiple original equipment manufacturers in a move many say should “scare” Microsoft. The PC market has seen a decline in the past two years, inspiring risks like this by OEMs. Continue reading PC Plus Running Windows and Android To Be Revealed at CES

At CES, Samsung plans to demo a new wireless streaming speaker controlled by the Shape mobile app and audio system. The company also announced it will showcase two Shape-compatible soundbars, the HW-H750 (320W of sound for large TVs) and the HW-H600 (designed for 32-55 inch TVs). In addition, Samsung will unveil a new home entertainment system that features six speakers, subwoofer and amplifier, and a Blu-ray player capable of upscaling to 4K resolution. Continue reading Samsung to Unveil Wireless Streaming Speaker and More at CES

The team behind popular contact- and file-sharing app Bump and photo-aggregating app Flock announced this week they will be shutting down the apps to continue work on other projects inside Google. Bump, acquired by Google in September, will no longer be available by the end of this month. Bump and Flock users are encouraged to export all their data by following the instructions that become available when opening either of the apps. Continue reading Google Shuts Down Bump App: Users Have January to Save Data

Yesterday we published a first pass list of products and services we’re looking forward to seeing next week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Today we’re continuing the list with more that should be of interest to those who work in entertainment media technology. While yesterday’s report focused on gaming, wearable devices, connected vehicles and 3D printing — today’s list takes a look at cameras and camcorders, media players, streaming media and some very large Ultra HD televisions. Continue reading CES 2014: Compelling Products Generating Early Buzz (Part 2)

It’s been nearly a year since LG purchased HP’s webOS to power its future televisions. At a recent semiconductor event held in Seoul, Korea, LG researcher Hong Sung-pyo announced that the company has plans to debut a new TV running its version of the defunct smartphone OS at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. The webOS-powered TV will reportedly run a 2.2GHz dual-core processor with 1.5GB of RAM, enabling multitasking features. Continue reading LG Plans to Debut its New webOS TV During CES in January

MobiTV reportedly has plans to power a service in 2014 that will introduce a new HDMI streaming stick or lightweight set-top box for playing Internet content on a TV set. While the company is not revealing who is behind the prospective service, it is likely that a broadband or wireless provider would use MobiTV to turn an OTT video service into something consumers can easily enjoy in their living rooms. This would be a bold move for MobiTV, which is not a traditional service provider. Continue reading MobiTV Aims to Power Over-The-Top Video Service Next Year

According to Bob O’Donnell, founder of TECHnalysis Research, demand for phablets (larger smartphones approaching tablet dimensions) is growing so quickly in parts of Asia, Europe and Brazil that the odd-sized devices are expected to outsell traditional smaller tablets in 2014. O’Donnell forecasts that 175 million phablets will be sold worldwide next year, as compared to an estimated 165 million smaller-sized tablets (featuring screens that are 8 inches or less). Continue reading Mobile Forecast: Will Phablets Outsell Small Tablets in 2014?

Motorola Mobility has announced that animation veteran Glen Keane will work on the third installment of Motorola’s “Spotlight Stories” series, which features short, interactive projects designed specifically for smartphones. The longtime Disney animator’s credits include “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Pocahontas,” “Tarzan” and the Oscar-winning short “Paperman,” among others. The Motorola projects are being made available via the built-in Spotlight app on Moto X phones. Continue reading Motorola Plans Interactive Short Film with Disney Animator

Although eBay is commonly known as an online auction house, CEO John Donahoe has made strides in moving beyond this perception by expanding eBay’s marketplace to include fixed prices with reliable and returnable goods. In the last five years, eBay has made 34 acquisitions which will help provide retail partners with creating interactive storefronts in real locations, help with the back end of websites, monitor inventory in real time, and streamline the electronic payment process.  Continue reading EBay’s Strategy to Revolutionize Shopping and Beat Amazon

Facebook is positioned to become the number-two seller of digital ads in the U.S. and worldwide for the first time. Mobile growth has been the primary contributing factor to the social network’s rise in position — which had previously been fourth place. Now, Facebook is between Google, at number one, and Microsoft, at number three. Mobile advertising was just three percent of global digital ad revenue in 2010 and has shot up to 22 percent since. Continue reading Facebook to Become the Second Largest Seller of Mobile Ads

Through their San Jose-based startup InVisioneer, TiVo co-founders Michael Ramsay and Jim Barton are reportedly getting ready to release a new TV companion device called QPlay, designed to blend video discovery and curation with smart TV functionality. According to a recent FCC filing, QPlay connects to TVs through HDMI and, similar to Chromecast, relies on an iPad for Wi-Fi set-up and device interaction, rather than a remote control. Continue reading TiVo Co-Founders Plan Launch of QPlay TV Streaming Device

One criticism of Roku’s popular line of streaming media devices has been a lack of support for YouTube, now one of the most essential sources of video and music on the Internet. YouTube announced this week that Roku 3 users will finally have access to YouTube content on their TVs. Users can also pair their mobile devices to YouTube on the Roku with the “Send to TV” feature, which lets you send videos by simply connecting a tablet or smartphone to the same Wi-Fi as your Roku player. Continue reading YouTube Available for Roku 3, Additional Model Support Soon

Facebook has begun selling video advertisements, which will appear in users’ timelines starting on Thursday. The ads will play automatically in news feeds on both the Web and via smartphones, although Facebook says that will only happen on phones connected to Wi-Fi so as not to eat up users’ data. One of the very first ads is a short teaser for the upcoming film “Divergent,” and Facebook’s hope is that it will beat TV’s reach and YouTube’s targeting. Continue reading Facebook Rolls Out Video Ads to Compete with TV and YouTube

After a year in beta testing, the augmented-reality game “Ingress” is now available to the public for download on Android mobile devices worldwide. The game, which was created by Google through its Niantic Labs internal incubator, hosted 14 worldwide events over the weekend before launching. More than one million people have downloaded “Ingress,” and its creators are looking to expand with advertising and turning it into a platform anyone can use to build their own game. Continue reading Google Goes Public with “Ingress” Augmented Reality Game

Once an afterthought at the International CES, gaming stole the show at last year’s confab, due in part to strong offerings from NVIDIA and Valve’s hotly-anticipated foray into hardware. With the release of Microsoft’s Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 still fresh, Kickstarter supercharging virtual reality and more independent developers than ever before, we are expecting even bigger gaming news to be announced during January’s show. Continue reading CES 2014: Gaming Trends to Expect in Las Vegas Next Month