Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » mars 14, 2013

BetaNews.Com (15 non lus)

Why Apple fears Samsung Galaxy S IV

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 11:55pm CET par Joe Wilcox
Early this evening, during a New York soiree, Samsung launched the Galaxy S IV smartphone. The venue is atypical. The South Korean electronics giant usually starts from home, offering new smartphones globally before reaching the United States. Now, in a dramatic change, a flagship Galaxy phone lands on Apple's home turf first.

The companies are in a struggle for smartphone supremacy, with Samsung leading in most countries. With one glaring exception: The United States. Today's venue clearly marks the South Korean manufacturer's intentions to take the share lead from its American rival.

Apple responded to today's launch S4 by sending out marketing chief Phil Schiller to talk down Samsung, its products and Android generally. But big headlines from blogs and news sites fall far short of offering a competitive product. The fruit-logo company rarely sends anyone on such a talking-down door. Surely someone is worried in Cupertino, Calif.

Even a year ago, the electronics giant wouldn't have been so bold as to launch here, but Samsung's brand acceptance is up, in part because of the success of Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II and some aggressive and creative marketing. Samsung also benefits from high-profile conversions, like prominent Mac journalist Andy Ihnatko switching to the S3 from iPhone 4S.

Samsung Soars

To say Samsung is on a roll is an understatement. During 2012, the company captured the No. 1 spot for all handsets and also smartphones. For the full year, as measured in actual phone sales to end users, Samsung share reached 22 percent -- that's from 385 million units, according to Gartner. Share was a tad higher for fourth quarter: 22.7 percent. Meanwhile Samsung smartphone sales soared 85 percent or nearly four times that of Apple.

Samsung's sales success strongly weighs against Android, not just Apple. During fourth quarter, Android smartphone share rose to 69.7 percent from 51.3 percent a year earlier. By comparison, iOS fell to 20.9 percent from 23.6 percent. Samsung sold so many smartphones, it accounted for 42.5 percent of all Android sales in the category.

"The Android brand is being overshadowed by Samsung's brand with the Galaxy name nearly a synonym for Android phones in consumers' mind share", Anshul Gupta, Gartner principal research analyst, says. Samsung's success is mixed for Android as a platform. The South Korean company, and not Google, largely controls customers' experience via TouchWiz UI and other features.

Dollars and Sense

Mobile makes huge contributions to Samsung's bottom line. For Q4, the South Korean electronics giant reported revenue of about $52.45 billion and $6.55 billion profit. Mobile division revenue was $25.35 billion, and Samsung credits success largely to two devices -- Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II. Interestingly, Samsung mobile ASPs are rising, and analyst data shows expansion across the globe -- particularly markets once dominated by Nokia, China among them. Samsung credits sales to emerging markets as a bright point for the quarter.

They also happen to be where all the big sales growth is and where Samsung displaces, or replaces, leader Nokia. IDC predicts that emerging markets -- Brazil, China and India, particularly -- will be the biggest growth areas for smartphones, which accounted for 45 percent of all handset sales in Q, according to Gartner.

Apple struggles to get beyond the wealthiest consumers in this markets because:
- Subsidies make selling prices higher
- Contract commitments are required in countries where non traditionally are required
For example, "China is a massive growth prospect, but Apple is not making the market share impact there that it is in other markets", Nicole Peng, Canalys China research director, says. By contrast, Samsung is a top vendor there elsewhere.

Unquestionably, Samsung blindsided Apple, much the way the American company did to competitors BlackBerry and Nokia. They didn't see iPhone coming. Clearly Apple execs expected much less success from the so-called copycat.
Apple rolls out OS X 10.8.3 with support for Windows 8 in Boot Camp

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 11:36pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

On Thursday, Apple rolled out an update for OS X Mountain Lion. The latest iteration, which sports the 10.8.3 version number, delivers a significant number of improvements and bug fixes, among which is support for Windows 8 in Boot Camp as the main highlight.

OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 now comes with Safari 6.0.3, which touts improved scrolling while zoomed in and for Facebook, better performance on websites with plug-in content as well as bug fixes. Users can now redeem iTunes gift cards from the Mac App Store using the built-in camera and use Boot Camp on Mac devices with a 3TB hard-drive onboard.

Apple has also enhanced the compatibility with IMAP servers in the Notes app, the reliability for Microsoft Exchange accounts in the Mail app and for Xsan as well. Also, the Slideshow screensaver now displays subfolder photos.

OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.3 includes bug fixes related to URL files (no longer causes app crashes), Logic Pro (more responsive with plug-ins), audio stutter on 2011 iMacs, Contacts (prints cards in order and the addresses in the right location), Messages (display the correct order after resuming from sleep) and Active Directory accounts (keeps accounts locked in and fixes lag when logging on slow networks), among others.
Digg, Feedly tramp on Reader's grave, announcing new RSS tools

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 9:47pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Apparently there is some new Samsung phone being announced later today, but for the past 24 hours Google owned the news cycle for all of the wrong reasons. Yesterday the company tried to quietly announce its latest round of spring cleaning, but an app included in that list, Reader, got a bit more attention than the company likely wanted.

Now companies are stepping all over one another in a rush to fill a void that is apparently much larger than Google would have you believe. Feedly, perhaps the biggest competitor, already posted detailed instructions on how to get rid of Reader and move to its service. The company claims this move was "something we have been expecting for some time: We have been working on a project called Normandy which is a feedly clone of the Google Reader API – running on Google App Engine. When Google Reader shuts down, feedly will seamlessly transition to the Normandy back end. So if you are a Google Reader user and using feedly, you are covered: the transition will be seamless".

Now, today, Digg follows suit with its own announcement about working on an alternative for disenfranchised Google Reader customers. In an earlier announcement Andrew from Digg states: "We’ve heard people say that RSS is a thing of the past, and perhaps in its current incarnation it is, but as daily (hourly) users of Google Reader, we’re convinced that it’s a product worth saving. So we’re going to give it our best shot. We’ve been planning to build a reader in the second half of 2013, one that, like Digg, makes the Internet a more approachable and digestible place. After Google’s announcement, we’re moving the project to the top of our priority list. We’re going to build a reader, starting today".

The company is asking for help and suggestions with the project and hopes to make it the best alternative for angry Googlers, which many of us here at BetaNews seem to qualify as today.

If the petitions that have sprung up around the web today are not enough to get the search giant's attention then at least user's will have a fair amount of alternatives to choose from.

Photo Credit: metalstock/Shutterstock
Skype 6.3 for OS X and Windows are available

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 8:19pm CET par Nick Peers

Microsoft has released Skype for Windows 6.3 and Skype for Mac 6.3. Despite identical version numbers, both builds are independent of each other, and are released separately.

While the Windows version is a straight maintenance release, Mac users gain a couple of new features: an in-call DTMF dial pad and the ability to view a slideshow of other participants in a group call when the user is the current speaker.

When speaking in a group call -- a feature limited to Skype Premium users -- the user will see a slideshow of their fellow participants in one of two places: the call monitor or – if someone else is screen sharing -- in the main call view.

The new in-call DTMF dial pad -- triggered by clicking the dial pad in the call toolbar -- allows users to generate DTMF tones when calling lines that use automated systems. DTMF support is already present in the Windows version.

Notable resolved issues in Skype for Mac 6.3 include ensuring the participant list in a large group conversation shows correctly even when continually resizing the Skype window, and users will no longer be sent New Message notifications when the user returns from an offline status with “Do Not Disturb”. One known issue -- birthday notifications failing to work -- remains unresolved.

Skype for Windows 6.3 contains more than a dozen notable fixes, including the correct display of tooltips on non-32bit monitor setups, ensuring all profile edits are saved and no longer freezing the program when opening a snapshot gallery containing a large number of pictures.

Other fixes largely concern problems displaying certain screen elements, but as with Skype for Mac 6.3, an issue with birthday notifications remains unfixed.

Skype for Windows 6.3 and Skype for Mac 6.3 are both available as freeware downloads. Other versions have also recently been updated – Skype for Windows 8 1.5 now supports file-sharing, for example, while you can also download Skype for iPhone 4.6, Skype for iPad 4.6, and Skype for Android 3.2.
What's up with Google's Spring cleaning?

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 7:27pm CET par Joe Wilcox

I sometimes wonder if Larry Page is a neatness freak. After all, throwing out stuff defines his nearly two years back as chief executive. He has chucked more Google products than junk I discard from our apartment -- there's no hording around here. Nor at Google. But the last 24 hours is simply unprecedented for changes that broadly affect customers and partners. This Spring cleaning is something to behold.

Let's start with today. Jeff Huber is out as head of Google Mapping and Commerce. He explains: "Finishing up my first decade at Google, and excited to return to my startup roots and begin the next one at Google X! Let me know what you'd like to see Google X do next". The Wall Street Journal says there's more: Google Maps will split from Commerce and become part of Search and the other folds into Advertising.

Bigger shocks came yesterday, with the sudden -- and I do mean sudden -- change regarding Android leadership. Andy Rubin has "decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google", Page says. But the CEO doesn't say what that is. Huber's future is clear. Google X is the company's internal think tank/research lab run by cofounder Sergey Brin. Chrome and Apps lead Sundar Pichai is now responsible for Android.

As if that wasn't enough, later yesterday Google announced plans to retire -- or in the words of colleague Alan Buckingham "execute" -- a bunch of products or technologies. Among them: Apps Script, CalDAV API, Google Building Maker, Google Cloud Connect, Google Voice App for Blackberry, Search API for Shopping and Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows.

But one sent shockwaves across the web last night: Google Reader, which goes under the ax on July 1. I got a notice about the closure date when logging into the service this morning.

Users rally to save the service, which includes three petitions, and lots of angry social shares. In response to the outrage, colleague Mihaita Bamburic quips: "Your move, Google".

In a few weeks, Page celebrates his second year as CEO. Surely now is time to assess the past year and look ahead, which perhaps precipitates this sudden Spring cleaning. But I wonder when and where it ends. Last week, Google began a new round of Motorola layoffs -- 1,200 reportedly -- tidying up the subsidiary.

I don't believe Page is done and see this: The housekeeping is more than just clearing clutter. There is clear consolidation underway as the CEO brings trusted executives -- those with whom he resonates or who share his vision -- closer to the inner circle. Others will move on, which is one way to look at Huber and Rubin changes. They won't be the last. Not before Page's two-year anniversary on April 4.

A different Google emerges as Page's vision, and that of his lieutenants, propagates -- one that: cross-integrates more products and services, releases updates at faster pace and is much, much, much more aggressive in the market place. The Google you thought you knew is something else.

Photo Credit: meneame comunicacions, sl
BlackBerry wants to fortify Android and iOS devices with Secure Work Space

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 6:10pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

On Thursday, Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry announced plans to secure Android and iOS devices with Secure Work Space for BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10. The company cites evolving needs and "ever-growing variety of devices" that are used within the work space as the main reason for stepping up to fortify the security of the two mobile operating systems.

BlackBerry targets both smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS through data-at-rest and data-in-transit security capabilities. The company says that administrators will be able to create a "separate and secure work space" which contains corporate apps, calendar, contacts, web email and other features, and configure, interact, secure and wipe the new compatible devices.

BlackBerry claims that Secure Work Space will waive the need for an "expensive VPN infrastructure" to secure transferred data and MDM (Mobile Device Management) providers and multiple vendors, while also featuring easier deployment and worldwide and "flexible technical support".

The Canadian smartphone maker says that Secure Work Space beta testing is underway for both Android and iOS mobile devices with the general availability to happen towards the end of Q2 2013. More details will be shared at BlackBerry Live in May, according to the company.

Photo Credit: Kheng Guan Toh/Shutterstock
How pathetic Apple has become

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 5:05pm CET par Joe Wilcox
Phil Schiller's preemptive attack against Samsung's Galaxy S IV, which launches later today, says everything you need to hear about the sorry state of Apple. I'm stunned, because the marketing chief sounds too much like Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in 2007, when he dismissed iPhone. Denial is the surest sign a company has lost its way, and I don't just mean some executive denying such-and-such product or competitor is any good as distracting marketing ploy. The worst, and Schiller gives it, is corporate denial -- the proverbial ostrich with head in the sand -- about the world around.

Last night, I saw Schiller quoted in the Wall Street Journal. This morning I see posts from Bloomberg and Reuters, too, and a raff of tech blogs and news stories -- largely quoting one of the more mainstream services. The Journal calls Schiller's Android attack a "rare interview". But I see something else: Desperation. Denial. What's missing means much more: The typical leaks and rumors about Apple's next thing that steals the thunder from a competitor. Apple has nothing to show, and the InterWebs are less embracing of rumors. How pathetic is that?

Schiller, like Ballmer

Think about it. For the previous three years, Apple launched a new tablet around this time, with lots of buzz-generating rumors circling round. In 2013, there is near silence about the next iPads -- plural now there is mini -- or anything other than a watch. Oh, please! How lame! Apple's problem is two-fold then: Nothing new is imminent and bloggers, news media and social network sharers aren't as quick to jump on new rumors or counter-marketing moves.

Consider Consumer Electronics Show, where Apple rumors typically overshadow real announcements. The best the company could do this year: Announcement about 40 billion downloads, which took little attention away from CES. Meanwhile, the InterWebs are a tangle of Galaxy S4 rumors and product sightings -- the kind of stuff that just a year ago would have been about an iOS device. Suddenly Samsung is the cool kid in town.

Why the cold reception? As I've asserted for years: Apple's stock price. Lots of people had lots of reasons to spread rumors because they lifted Apple shares. And as these investors -- some, bloggers writing regularly about Apple -- made money they couldn't contain their glee. Joy is contagious, they say. So are sour grapes. Shares are down nearly 40 percent today from September's all-time high. Lots of people lost lots of money in Apple and aren't feeling good at all about their share crop. There's nothing to gain propagating rumors, either. Apple's stock is a rolling bolder.

Denial Means...

The bigger problem is leadership living in denial, which is the clear tone of Schiller's statements. In all three interviews the marketing exec rails about Android fragmentation -- to which I say: "Tell us something we don't already know". His reasoning reminds of iPod competitors in the mid-Noughties. So many of them complained that Apple's music player lacked features like FM radio and was overall too simple. But simple, particularly sync, is what people wanted -- and features like super-long battery life and smaller size. As an analyst then, I consulted with several companies certain they could beat iPod with more features. But they missed the fundamentals.

Schiller does the same thing today. He rattles off stats about how fragmented Android is compared to iOS. But his priorities are misplaced. Like consumers buying iPods a decade ago, people don't care. What matters is user experience -- what Apple once got right and made a priority -- not the underlying operating system. During fourth quarter, Samsung accounted for 42.5 percent of Android sales, according to Gartner. Buyers got a single, unified user experience from TouchWiz UI.

Schiller's statements so reminds of competitors dumbfounded by Apple. He denies market realities, like they did. The quality and tone of his statements -- that he would even grant "rare" interviews -- shows Apple in crisis:
That Apple has nothing to show at a time when it typically does, even if just a whiff of rumor, shows leadership in disarray -- and the response sounds too much like Nokia or Microsoft executives facing down iPhone in 2007 and 2008. In January, I asked: "Will 2013 be another year of Apple iteration masquerading as innovation?" Schiller already answered the question.

Photo Credit: Andrew Mager
Failed update to blame for outage of Microsoft cloud services

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 3:10pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

There are plenty of benefits of living in the cloud, but some major downsides too. Nearly five months ago an Amazon Cloud outage took down BetaNews' group chat service, alongside Heroku, Flipboard, Foursquare and Reddit among others. And, two days ago, Microsoft users went through a similar ordeal which mostly affected Hotmail, Outlook.com and SkyDrive -- three of Microsoft's more essential cloud services.

Microsoft's vice president, Arthur de Haan, has chimed in on the matter in a blog post which links the outage to the upgrade process from Hotmail to the new out-of-beta email service Outlook.com. Since 13:35 PM PDT on March 12 until 5:43 AM PDT on March 13, de Haan says that "a small part of the SkyDrive service, but primarily Hotmail.com and Outlook.com" suffered from a service interruption caused by a firmware update which failed "in an unexpected way".

The failed firmware update occurred in one of Microsoft's datacenters, in a "core part" of its physical plant, subsequently leading to a "substantial temperature spike in the datacenter". The heat was "significant enough" causing the "safeguards to come in to place for a large number of servers in this part of the datacenter". In that area of the datacenter Microsoft houses "parts of the Hotmail.com, Outlook.com, and SkyDrive infrastructure".

So what took the software giant so long to get it fixed? Even though we may assume that real people are behind cloud services and pulling strings like puppeteers to keep them working, as de Haan explains that is not the case. The man says: "there was a mix of infrastructure software and human intervention that was needed to bring the core infrastructure back online. Requiring this kind of human intervention is not the norm for our services and added significant time to the restoration".

For some users the outage may have caused irreparable damages, as Hotmail, Outlook.com and SkyDrive are essential services which house emails and cloud-stored files. In the cloud-connected era whatever we store "out there" may not also be backed up on a local drive -- not a safe and sound approach -- leaving some users without crucial emails or files in likely very important moments.

Admittedly, Microsoft has mostly fixed the issue overnight (local time) but for users outside of the United States the outage may have caught them with their guard down during work hours. What if someone had lost their job interview or even their job because of it? We want to fully embrace the cloud -- often portrayed as the future and only way -- but at what cost?

Photo Credit: Igor Zh /Shutterstock
The BlackBerry Z10 is NOW available for pre-order on Verizon

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 2:47pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Two days ago, US carrier AT&T introduced the BlackBerry Z10 into its portfolio, allowing users to pre-order the new smartphone for $199.99 on a two-year contract. And on Thursday, following AT&T's lead, rival mobile operator Verizon also made the BlackBerry Z10 available for pre-order.

The big red has chosen to offer the BlackBerry Z10 for the same price as AT&T -- $199.99 on a two-year contract. The smartphone will be available in two color options -- black and white -- and will hit the online and bricks and mortar Verizon stores starting from March 28, a mere two weeks from today.

Prospective BlackBerry Z10 users hunting the white version have only one carrier option -- the big red -- as it is a Verizon-exclusive model. On the other hand, for users looking into a one-year contract AT&T is currently the only option, with the carrier offering the BlackBerry Z10 for $449.99.

Off-contract, on Verizon, the BlackBerry Z10 runs for $599.99 while on AT&T it goes for $50 less at $549.99.
JAlbum 11 adds support for video clips alongside photos

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 2:42pm CET par Nick Peers

Web gallery creation tool JAlbum 11.0 has been released for Windows, Mac and Linux. Version 11.0 allows users to combine video with photos for the first time using the program. Features include support for over 160 video formats, tools for rotating and trimming clips, and preview image generation.

Version 11.0 also improves existing photo-editing tools, updates existing skins and includes a number of developer-friendly improvements, bug fixes and general tweaks.

The key new feature in JAlbum 11.0 is support for video clips in addition to existing support for photo. Clips can be imported from a wide variety of formats via drag-and-drop, and JAlbum is capable of automatically detecting and adjusting video orientation on import. Users can then double-click individual clips to edit them -- in addition to using the existing image tools on offer, videos can also be edited by trimming the start and end points. Users can also choose a preview image by using the slider beneath the video itself.

Video support can be enabled or disabled under Preferences, and users can configure which video formats are supported by the program via the Advanced tab. All videos are converted to MP4 format prior to uploading to the web for maximum compatibility, and all published albums containing movies are automatically tagged with "video".

Other changes to version 11.0 include the bundling of the Arty and AutoCorrection image tools with JAlbum itself. All images -- not just those imported directly from digital cameras -- can now be rotated too. There are also minor updates to the Turtle, Base, Mr.Burns and Lumen skins.

Developers gain a new API for unzipping and downloading, plus closeupPath for supported videos has been set to slide page, which enables embedded video. Also added are videoWidth and videoHeight variables, available when video support is enabled. A fileCategory variable introduces file category support, and the blur filter now accepts defined radius and strength.

Version 11.0 is rounded off by a number of bug fixes, new program icons and a new 128×128 web icon set. JAlbum 11.0 is a free-for-personal-use download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Published web albums are ad-supported -- users can purchase a license or JAlbum hosting account to remove these. Licenses start from €27 for non-commercial use -- a current saving of 30 per cent on the MSRP.
Users rally against Google's plans to shut down Reader

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 1:11pm CET par Mihaita Bamburic

Expressing his disappointment towards Google killing Reader from July 1, my colleague Alan Buckingham said in our newsroom, "I swear I am switching to Firefox, Bing and Outlook.com in protest!". Other users, however, have resorted to less extreme measures and instead chosen to show their non-acceptance through petitions.

Less than 24 hours since Google gave us the sad news, there are at least three petitions on change.org with more than 37,000 signatures combined demanding the search giant "Keep Google Reader Running" and "Do not remove Google Reader on July 1, 2013". One petitioner tried to appeal to Google's good side with "Please do not shut down Google Reader". The number of signatures may not appear to be high enough at the moment to reach the goal, but that will undoubtedly change in a matter of days, if not hours.

On change.org, users like Bob Cagle portray the cloud-based service as the foundation for how they use the InterWebs. Cagle says: "Google Reader is the backbone of my daily web experience" and Kevin Timmerman further supports him: "I use Reader more frequently than 'The Rest of the Internet'. I use it on PC, tablet and smartphone. Reader is the most important website in the world".

Others share a similar point of view as well, while some agree with my colleague's, Alan Buckingham, assertion. Ryan Lee says: "Google reader is what kept me a loyal droid and Google+ user. Without the reader, I might as well jump ship to other devices and services".

On Twitter, for instance, Google Reader is the top trending topic, with related subjects including "google reader feedly", "google reader petition", "google reader alternative" and so on. Same goes for Google+ where #reader is the top trending topic yet again.

As I am writing this article the Keep Google Reader Running petition has reached over 33,000 signatures alone, which suggests -- alongside the number of strong responses from users on various social networks -- that Google Reader still has a very loyal fan base that is not willing to let go that easily.

Your move, Google.

Photo Credit: diez artwork/shutterstock
Think your broadband is too expensive? It costs $1,753 a month in Cuba

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 12:31pm CET par Wayne Williams

Uptime monitoring firm Pingdom analyzed the latest report from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to discover how much the world is paying for its broadband, and its findings show some incredible variations in global broadband costs.

While broadband in most of the world’s countries is generally available for between $5 and $60 per month, in Cuba it’s an eye watering $1,753 (the country additionally has no mobile-broadband services available). In Swaziland, the next most expensive country in the list, it’s a lot cheaper, but still comes in at a very hefty $875 per month.

On the other side of the coin, if you’re looking for cheap broadband your best bet (albeit a rather extreme option) would be to move to Sri Lanka, where fixed broadband costs just $5.50 per month. It’s $6.10 in India, and a further ten other nations pay under $10 a month.

The low cost of broadband in countries like India and the Russian Federation is mostly down to a high level of competition among the suppliers and the wish of the governments to keep the prices down.

Pingdom is keen to point out that the prices listed by the ITU do "not necessarily reflect what a customer in the respective country would be paying for their broadband service. It’s instead a value intended to make comparisons between countries easier". ITU's figures are based on an entry-level broadband service.

In the US and the UK, the price of broadband is $20, while in Canada and Australia it's $29.50 and $39.30 respectively.
Use YouTube Ratings Preview to find the best videos on YouTube

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 11:19am CET par Mike Williams

While YouTube’s vast choice of clips means there’s always something good to watch, tracking down the best videos can take a while. Especially if you’re clicking each clip in turn, checking the ratings, then returning to your search results to try something else.

Install YouTube Ratings Preview, though, and you don’t have to worry about that any more. This smart Firefox extension (also available for Chrome) highlights the best-rated videos immediately so you can spot them at a glance.

Once installed, a Likes/ Dislikes bar under every video thumbnail provides a general idea of its popularity (more green is good, more red really isn’t).

And if you need precise figures, just hover your mouse cursor over the bar (and it needs to be the bar, not just the thumbnail) to see the percentage of likes and dislikes, the total number of votes, and the overall rating.

YouTube Ratings Preview has some useful configuration settings, too.

Enable the Highlight option and the best videos on the page will have a blue box drawn around them, so you don’t even have to bother with looking at individual bars.

And while those bars are very narrow -- only 4 pixels, by default -- you’re able to increase them up to 7 pixels, if that’s an issue on your device.
Twitter launches an official app for Windows 8 and RT

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 9:29am CET par Wayne Williams

The lack of official apps for Windows 8 led to me describing the Windows Store as being like a Bangkok night market -- full of cheap knock offs. Well today Microsoft’s new OS got at least one big official app, with Twitter arriving for Windows 8 and RT.

It’s similar in design to Twitter’s web interface, and easy to use with Home, Connect, Discover, and Me tabs down the left hand side. Photos appear nice and large, and you can swipe to view multiple pictures. As you’d expect the app has a live tile, so you can see who’s replied to you, as well as view notifications for replies and direct messages.

It integrates quite smartly with Windows, allowing you to use the Search charm to find Twitter users to follow, and hashtags of interest, and you can share photos or content from another app (such as Internet Explorer) on Twitter via the Share charm.

If you like to keep an eye on Twitter while getting on with something else, you can snap the app to either the left or right hand side of the screen.

It’s all nicely done, even if it did take nearly five months to arrive…
Google plans to execute Reader, among other apps

Publié: mars 14, 2013, 1:51am CET par Alan Buckingham

I can live with iGoogle going away -- I never use the service anymore. But this one really hurts, though perhaps more to those of us who write about technology than those who read about it. However, statistics show that many of you also use the RSS feed to easily track your favorite sites. That is why today's execution notice from Google hits below the belt.

Reader, along with several others, have been rounded up, tried and found guilty of not being productive enough to warrant continued life. Reader will die July 1. Other Google services have varying dates -- some sooner, while others get a stay.

Others included in this roundup were Apps Script, CalDAV API, Google Building Maker, Google Cloud Connect, Google Voice App for Blackberry, Search API for Shopping and Snapseed Desktop for Macintosh and Windows. I would say that none are of consequence compared to Reader, but I would hear from fans of each and, since I understand the hard feelings at this time, I will be kind.

The announcement comes from Urs Hölzle, the SVP of Technical Infrastructure at Google, who tries to console readers by telling us: "These changes are never easy. But by focusing our efforts, we can concentrate on building great products that really help in their lives".

There are still alternatives out there, at least for RSS, but it is a diminishing market. For now you have a varying amounts of time to replace the app you can't live without, but all are on their final leg. I suppose you can petition Google, but its unlikely the company will change its mind.

Photo Credit: Ryan Jorgensen - Jorgo/Shutterstock