Google goes after ISPs with Youtube video quality report

YouTube recently released the Google Video Quality Report, which ranks Internet service providers in each area.

YouTube recently released the Google Video Quality Report, showing users how well their Internet service providers perform compared to others in different cities around the U.S.

The Video Quality Report has made its way to the U.S. after being available in Canada for a few months, and it essentially puts each ISP into one of three categories: HD Verified, Standard Definition and Lower Definition.

HD Verified ISPs are able to constantly play back video without interruption at 720p or more. Standard Definition ISPs are able to do the same for videos of at least 360p. Lastly, Lower Definition ISPs show slow loading times and consistent buffering for videos, including those at 360p.

While the Google Video Quality Report shows how well your Internet service provider performs, it also shows how many people are watching YouTube videos for each ISP in any given area, including information about how YouTube gets videos to its users.

Furthermore, suggestions on how users can improve the quality of the videos that they watch on YouTube are also given. There are seven suggestions that are given: Users can check their ISPs quality report, make sure others aren’t using too much bandwidth, keep their Internet browser updated, keep their browser’s plugins updated, clear browser cache and cookies, check if performance improves when they move closer to the Wi-Fi router, and restart the router and computer.

There are a number of other services that provide video quality reports to their users. One other service that does it is Netflix, which collects data and tracks ISPs from 20 different countries. Netflix has given the title of the fastest ISP in the U.S. to Cablevision, which has an average surfing speed of 3 Mbps. In fact, Cablevision has also gotten great ratings from the Google Video Quality Report.

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Microsoft Surface Pro 3: 10 Tablets Paved Its Way

About 40% of Americans own a tablet or e-reader, but that didn't happen overnight. These 10 devices shaped the evolution of the modern tablet.

The Tablet's All Grown Up

It seems just yesterday we were flogging Microsoft for its slowpoke tablet strategy. Yet we're already on the third generation of its Surface Pro line. Time flies when you're trying to keep up with a cutthroat, rapidly changing technology industry -- or however that saying goes.

Tablet technology isn't all that new. You can trace its roots back for decades. No, it didn't start with the iPad, even if that's the device that has more or less made the tablet an ordinary household item, like, say, a coffeemaker. Both Apple and Microsoft had tablet initiatives underway long before the iPad or Surface line, even if the term "tablet" wasn't as ubiquitous as today. They weren't the only vendors involved, either.

The tablet is indeed ubiquitous: the Pew Research Foundation's October 2013 update to its tablet and e-reader tracking found 35% of Americans age 16 or older own a tablet. That figure increases to 43% if you include e-readers like Amazon's Kindle or Barnes & Noble's Nook. Those numbers certainly grew during 2013's holiday season. That's a lot of devices.

So how did we arrive here? There have been some whopping hits -- the iPad, course -- and some whopping flops (we'll get to those) and many attempts in between. We've also seen a ton of evolution in recent years. The iPad may have quickly established itself as the gold standard in the tablet boom, but now tablets are anything but "standard" -- even the iPad has a little sibling, the Mini. Screens get smaller and smaller; screens grow larger and larger. Specs grow ever more impressive. Devices like the Kindle Fire HDX offer incredible video quality at a sub-iPad price. We've got luxury prices and low-end prices. We've got so much to choose from we need new names and categories for the darn things: convertibles, slates, transformers, phablets (something about that particular term inspires me to hit the gym), and on down the list.

If there's a common denominator across the modern tablet landscape, it's choice. Picking a tablet is no longer a matter of the iPad versus the also-rans. There's a model and a price point to suit a wide spectrum of users. You've got some thinking to do.

Enter the Surface Pro 3. Microsoft went big here. A Surface Mini may still be in the offing and diversity's a good thing, but for its flagship model Microsoft placed a clear stake in the ground: laptop replacement. This isn't your grandma's tablet. In fact, tablet might not even be the right word for the Surface.

The Surface Pro 3's success is far from guaranteed. It's a laptop replacement in more ways than one: Starting at $799, its price is more laptop than tablet, particularly as a growing number of low-cost alternatives (albeit often with much skimpier specs) hit the market. There's also the simple fact that the Surface line was late to the party; Apple and Google's Android have been having almost all the fun and continue to enjoy prime seats at the table.

Still, as InformationWeek's Michael Endler wrote, the Surface Pro 3 "represents Microsoft's best attempt yet at Apple-like harmony between software and hardware." This is no ordinary device. It's bigger yet thinner,loaded with features, practically begging for a second look from tablet and laptop shoppers. It's in many ways an emblem of the "modern" tablet, right down to the fact that "tablet" might not even be the right word for it.

The early days of tablets are behind us. Let's look back at 10 other devices that helped pave the road to this point. Which ones did you love and hate? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Kevin Casey is a writer based in North Carolina who writes about technology for small and mid-size businesses. View Full Bio

Apple reportedly readying new smart home platform

New software platform will allow iOS devices to control a home's lighting, security system, and other connected devices, the Financial Times reports.

Apple plans to launch a new smart home platform at next month's Worldwide Developer Conference that will allow iPhones and iPads to control a home's lights, security system, and other connected appliances, according to a Financial Times report.

The new "software platform," which will be unveiled at WWDC on June 2, will be built into the iOS devices, according to the report, which cited anonymous sources. As with Apple's "Made for iPhone" program, the new platform will be open to third-party device makers, allowing their gadgets to work on Apple's automation system.

One application of the new software platform cited by the newspaper was the ability to automatically turn on the lights when an iPhone paired with the system enters a building. Apple outlined its ideas for a home automation system in a patent filing last November.

The move is seen as a "big play" to challenge device giant Samsung and Google, which in February closed its $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest Labs, maker of the Learning Thermostat and the Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector.

As companies look for opportunities to expand smartphones' reach, home automation is seen as one of new markets for growth. Apple already has made inroads with the automobile sector. At WWDC 2013, Apple announced plans to better integrate iOS into car dashboard screens. Apple's iBeacon location-sensing technology, which debuted late last year on devices running iOS 7, is already in use for indoor navigation, automatic ticketing, and location-relevant promotions.

CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the report and will update this report when we learn more.

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Facebook Launches Shazam-Style 'Audio Recognition' For Music and TV

BY JULIANNE PEPITONE

Lazy typists, rejoice: Facebook is rolling out a Shazam-like feature that will identify the music or TV you're enjoying, and let you share it with no typing required.

But if you don't want to share your love of Justin Bieber or Carly Rae Jepsen, don't worry. Facebookers must actively opt to turn on the feature, which uses a smartphone's microphone to identify the audio.

Here's how it works: Users will see an audio icon moving when they start to write a status update. If Facebook finds a match, the user has the option to share the song, TV show or movie.

FACEBOOK

Facebook is introducing a new audio recognition feature.

With the music option, users can also share a 30-second song clip. Friends who click can play it through one of three music apps: Spotify, Rdio or Deezer (no money was exchanged for that partnership, Facebook told NBCNews).

TV show posts will include the specific episode the user is watching, so friends have no excuse for commenting with spoilers. Users can share some items and not others, and the sound isn't stored, Facebook said.

Facebook is starting with 160 live TV stations and "millions" of songs -- the company declined to get more specific. The feature, which is available only on U.S. Android and iOS apps, will start rolling out Thursday.

Facebook said the new feature is an expansion of the "feeling and activity" posts the company rolled out last April -- you may have seen posts with "feeling accomplished" or "drinking an iced tea" along with cutesy icons -- of which 5 billion have been posted.

"That popularity was a big impetus for us to push this forward," Facebook product manager Aryeh Selekman told NBCNews in an interview at the company's New York office this week. "We always had the idea that there were ways to make stories even more interesting, and we saw music and TV as a big opportunity."

It's part of the popular and growing "second screen" space: the idea that we're using our laptops, tablets and phones while watching shows.

Smaller startups have popped up to capitalize on that trend, as have established players like Facebook rival Twitter. One year ago this week, for example, the company launched Twitter Amplify, a real-time video partnership with broadcasters including BBC America and Fox.

eBay makes users change their passwords after hack

The compromised database contained names, passwords and other personal information

Continue reading the main story

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Online marketplace eBay is forcing users to change their passwords after a cyber-attack compromised its systems.

The US firm said a database had been hacked between late February and early March, and had contained encrypted passwords and other non-financial data.

The company added that it had no evidence of there being unauthorised activity on its members' accounts.

However, it said that changing the passwords was "best practice and will help enhance security for eBay users".

The California-based company has 128 million active users and accounted for $212bn (£126bn) worth of commerce on its various marketplaces and other services in 2013.

It said it would be contacting users to alert them of the issue via email, its website, adverts and social media.

Rory Cellan-Jones: EBay has advised customers to change passwords

Stolen credentials

A post on eBay's corporate site said that cyber-attackers accessed the information after obtaining "a small number of employee log-in credentials", allowing them to access its systems - something it only became aware of a fortnight ago.

"The database... included eBay customers' name, encrypted password, email address, physical address, phone number and date of birth," it said.

"However, the database did not contain financial information or other confidential personal information.

"Extensive forensics subsequently identified the compromised eBay database, resulting in the company's announcement today."

Although the firm also owns the PayPal money transfer service, it said that the division's data was stored separately, encrypted and that there was no evidence that it had been accessed.

It added that any members who used the same login details used on eBay for other sites should also update them.

EBay has not provided any information about the kind of encryption it used.

One expert said there was still a concern that the hackers might be able to make use of their haul.

"We all know that given enough time hackers can crack some encrypted password files," said Alan Woodward, an independent security consultant.

"The slightly worrying aspect of this is that the hackers have a nice neat list of personal information, which can be used to steal identities or even help them get around other systems though password reset scams."

Password Tips

Security expert Alan Woodward offers this advice:

• Don't choose one obviously associated with you: Hackers can find out a lot about you from social media so if they are targeting you specifically and you choose, say, your pet's name you're in trouble.
• Choose words that don't appear in a dictionary: Hackers can precalculate the encrypted forms of whole dictionaries and easily reverse engineer your password.
• Use a mixture of unusual characters: You can use a word or phrase that you can easily remember but where characters are substituted, eg, Myd0gha2B1g3ars!
• Have different passwords for different sites and systems: If hackers compromise one system you do not want them having the key to unlock all your other accounts.
• Keep them safely: With multiple passwords it is tempting to write them down and carry them around with you. Better to use some form of secure password vault on your phone.

Rory Cellan-Jones looks at ways to manage strong online passwords

Are you an eBay customer? Are you worried about your account being hacked? Email us at HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk adding 'eBay' in the heading and including your contact details.

Apple offers to replace faulty power button on your iPhone 5 for free

San Francisco: Apple has offered to replace faulty on-off buttons on the iPhone 5, a rare glitch that it said on Friday affected "a small percentage" of the previous-generation smartphones.

Apple said on its user-support page that "iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue," in which the button, also known as a sleep/wake mechanism, stops functioning or works only intermittently.

It did not say how many phones were shipped with the faulty mechanism. Owners can type in their iPhone serial numbers on Apple's website to see if their phones qualify for a fix, then either take their gadgets to a store or mail them in to be repaired.

Owners can type in their iPhone serial numbers on Apple's website to see if their phones qualify for a fix, then either take their gadgets to a store or mail them in to be repaired.

"Apple will offer the service free of charge to iPhone 5 customers with models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number," spokeswoman Teresa Brewer said in a statement on Friday.

Apple rarely initiates large-scale repair programs for its products, and iPhone glitches are rare. The company prides itself on hardware engineering and design, particularly for a flagship phone that yields more than half its revenue.

In a 2010 incident dubbed "Antennagate," the company famously admitted that its iPhone 4 may experience signal loss when handled a certain way. The company subsequently offered free phone casings to correct the issue.

Apple began selling the iPhone 5S and the cheaper 5C in late 2013. In the first quarter, it moved a better-than-expected 43.7 million phones, helped by the gadget's increasing popularity in markets like Japan and China.

With Gundotra out, changes likely for Google+

Google's social network will have to move on without its champion

Computerworld - Now that Google's Vic Gundotra, a senior vice president and the head of Google+, is leaving the company, changes are likely afoot at the social network he championed since its inception, industry analysts said.

Senior Vice President of Engineering at Google Vic Gundotra speaks about updates to Google Plus during a Google event in San Francisco, on Oct. 29, 2013. ({Photo: Beck Diefenbach/Reuters)

"Gundotra was certainly the public face of Google+," said Brian Blau, an analyst with research firm Gartner. "It was his creation, his group and he was the spokesperson for it. They often reveal what's going on at Google I/O. It's only eight weeks away so we may find out what could happen with Google+ soon enough."

Google+ usually get quite a bit of attention, along with updates about theAndroid platform and search, at Google I/O, the company's annual developer conference, which is being held June 25 and 26 in San Francisco.

Gundotra, who was a general manager at Microsoft before joining Google in 2007, led the effort to create Google+, which launched on June 28, 2011 as a social networking competitor to Facebook, as well as the social glue that the company plans to use to connect its different services.

He also was a popular public face for Google+, which had about 300 million active monthly users in October 2013. Gundotra took the stage at major conferences, speaking passionately about Google+, and garnered more than 6.5 million followers on his Google+ page.

On Thursday, Gundotra announced, fittingly, in a Google+ post that after starting the Google I/O conference, leading the company's mobile efforts and creating Google+, he is leaving the company.

He did not explain why he is leaving or what he will do next.

"But, now is the time for a new journey," he wrote. "A continuation... I am excited about what's next. But this isn't the day to talk about that. This is a day to celebrate the past eight years. To cry. And smile. And to look forward to the journey yet to come."

Blau noted that any conjecture about why Gundotra is leaving is just that -- conjecture. Whether he was asked to leave, left or personal reasons or found an offer he couldn't refuse, it still means that Google+ has been left without a champion.

"I don't think this is good news for Google," Blau said. "Vic seemed to be someone people really resonated with and liked... But Google+ is more than Vic. Google+ is a central part of the Google ecosystem strategy. I have a hard time seeing it going away. It could morph but it won't go away."

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