Media

Verizon is developing a new product that would decide what TV advertisements to show particular viewers, based on their past viewing behavior. The new system could even select commercials by taking into account everything about you, right down to ... your mood. Although the company originally filed the patent application in May 2011, only recently has that application gone public. Other firms can now object if they believe the technology described isn't original. According to the application, one of the limits of television advertising is that it doesn't take into account what the viewer is doing ... (view more)

Facebook plans to allow companies to charge monthly fees for the use of applications on the popular social media website. This new policy could create a lucrative market for Facebook versions of newspapers, magazines, and more. At the moment, it's ... not possible for software developers to charge people who like and use their applications on Facebook. Instead, they can charge only for one-off purchases that people make within the application itself. The best known example of this is Zynga's Farmville. Currently, users can play the app free-of-charge. But if they want to get an extra advantage ... (view more)

According to a recent poll, tech (and tech-related) companies are considered some of the worst in America. Candidates for criticism include Electronic Arts, Comcast, Best Buy, Gamestop, Sony, and AT&T. The poll, conducted by consumer affairs ... blog The Consumerist, asked which company should be considered the worst in America. An incredible 250,000 people responded, leading to some shocking results. Sony, Google Escape Humiliation Some of the firms that 'qualified' for the 'tournament' (which The Consumerist organized into an NCAA basketball March Madness-style bracket), included Netflix, ... (view more)

With Google, Amazon and Apple all offering robust online multimedia download portals, most companies would steer clear of such a crowded and competitive market. But not big-box retailer Best Buy, which recently launched its own music service. ... Unfortunately, industry experts have not been impressed. Messy Software Just the Tip of the Iceberg Dubbed the "Best Buy Music Cloud", the platform allows users to download digital music files and playlists from servers that can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection. There's a free Lite version of the service that allows users to get 30-second ... (view more)

According to a recent report, Korean-based hardware producer Samsung appears to have drawn the most interest amongst those following the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The CES summit is one of the biggest tech-enthusiast shows of ... its kind and only happens once a year, every January. The findings in the report are a bit surprising, given that Samsung made little mention of tablet computers, which happens to be one of the most dominant topic at this year's CES. Instead, Samsung focused most of its effort at touting upcoming television technology, including 3-dimensional TVs ... (view more)

The New York Times is considering a fee for frequent visitors to its website. The plan would make it arguably the most high-profile newspaper to charge for online access. According to a source quoted in the Wall Street Journal, it's almost ... inevitable the Times will indeed introduce some form of online access fee. At this stage the only decision is between two methods of doing so. Limits, Premium Articles Amongst Options The first is to limit the number of articles people can read each day without charge. The second plan would be to have some articles free and the rest exclusive to online ... (view more)

In what many will consider the 'lamest' move in the history of the tech universe, NASA has dismissed a recent attempt by Comedy Central's Steven Colbert to have the International Space Station's new living quarters bear his name. Despite a landslide ... vote in favor of Colbert's moniker, NASA went with "Tranquility" instead. 230,539 Vote 'Colbert' The poll went something like this: NASA asked visitors to its site to select from four predetermined options, including Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity, and Venture. However, it also left users the option of filling in their own suggestion -- opening the ... (view more)

MSN (Microsoft Network) has launched a flashy celebrity gossip and news site called Wonderwall . Why, you ask? Well, as Microsoft sees it, web-based celebrity gossip is more popular than social networking, gaming or shopping. According to research ... by Microsoft's button down experts, 84% of American Internet users visit a celebrity gossip site at least once a month. So the MSN team got together with BermanBraun Interactive -- a growing powerhouse in online entertainment -- to create a new site that attempts to give users that flipping-through-a-magazine feel. (Source: microsoft.com ) To ... (view more)

Netflix recently struck a deal with LG that allows its Internet movie-rental service directly to TV sets without any extra hardware boxes required. The news comes as Roku, a firm making set-top boxes for rentals, announced Netflix will no longer be ... its exclusive provider. LG will produce 'Broadband HDTVs' which will be publicly unveiled at an entertainment trade fair this month. The sets will plug directly into an Internet connection without having to be routed via a computer or set-top box. Owners will be able to access a Netflix account directly though the TV and remote control, though this ... (view more)

A six-year-old who recently stole his parents' car and drove it into a utility pole has passed the buck onto a familiar scapegoat: the video game, Grand Theft Auto. Rockstar Games' controversial Grand Theft Auto video game series has been accused of ... many things in the past. Its violent gameplay, including car heists, bank heists, beatings, shootings, and absentee law enforcement, has been criticized by parent groups and crusaders (or in the eyes of gamers, nincompoops) like former lawyer Jack Thompson for years (Thompson once tried to link the Virginia Tech slayings to late-night ... (view more)