New YouTube Paid Channels Could Shake Up Industry
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Google’s YouTube is venturing into the world of paid subscription content with Thursday’s announcement of a pilot run of paid channels. Subscription prices start at $.99 monthly, but many offer a discount…
Google Glass Highlights Tech World’s Gender Disparity
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The marketing videos for Google’s Glass show a diverse group of people wearing the digital glasses. But a new website has popped up that points out that the first group of people wearing t…
Apple Offering $10K Prize for 50 Billionth App Download
Image Credit: Apple(NEW YORK) — Apple is celebrating its approach of the 50 billion App Store download milestone with a big contest.Be the lucky user to download the 50 billionth app and Apple will send you an App Store gift card worth $10,000. The ve…
Google Glass: What You Can and Can’t Do with Google’s Wearable Computer
ABC News(NEW YORK) — Some people whisper, “I think that’s Google Glass.” Others stop and ask, “How do you like it? How does it even work?” And then some just pull out their phones and snap a picture.
They all have something in common, though. They wan…
Study: One-Third of Facebook Users Deactivate Their Account
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(ITHACA, N.Y.) — Over a third of Facebook users take breaks from the site by deactivating their account for reasons ranging from avoiding a boss’s friend request to addiction, according to a new study from …
Microsoft to Reveal Next Gen Xbox May 21
Microsoft(NEW YORK) — The next Xbox is coming, or at least some information about it is. On May 21 at 1 p.m. ET — exactly three months to the day after the PlayStation 4 was detailed by Sony — Microsoft will hold a press event to reveal the “n…
Facebook and State Attorneys General Team Up to Educate Teens and Parents about Privacy
Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — While some reports indicate that teen Facebook use is on the decline, Facebook along with the National Association of Attorneys General are about to become laser focused on educating that younger demo…
T-Mobile Offers iPhone Trade Deal
T Mobile / Apple(NEW YORK) — After five years, wireless carrier T-Mobile will finally start selling the iPhone on Friday. But the company is also sweetening the deal for customers.From April 12 through June 16, customers will be able to bring in their…
Facebook to Increase Ad Targeting
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Facebook is hoping to increase its advertising revenue by gathering even more information about its users.The social media website rolled out a new tool on Wednesday that will assist advertisers in t…
Google Doodle Honoring Cesar Chavez is Not a Big Shift for Google
Google(NEW YORK) – Google chose to honor legendary labor leader Cesar Chavez with one of their Google Doodles – the temporary homepage logos used to commemorate certain days — because it’s his birthday on Sunday.On most days, the mo…
Sources: Google Working on Smartwatch, Too
KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The year of the smartwatch is upon us. According to rumors, Apple has a team of 100 working on a watch that works with the iPhone, and Samsung has confirmed that it is working on a watch of its own. And no…
Google to Shut Down Google Reader RSS Service
KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Google’s doing some spring cleaning, again. The company, as it has in years past, is killing some of its services, most notably its RSS Web application Google Reader.
The service, for those who never used it, allows you to view all your RSS feeds — headlines and articles from news organizations — in one central spot. Come July 1, though, you won’t be able to read anything using the application; you won’t be able to use it at all.
While the 7-year-old service is one of the most popular RSS services on the Web, Google says the number of users has declined. It also says it would prefer to focus on fewer products.
“We think that kind of focus will make for a better user experience,” Google’s Alan Green wrote on Google’s blog late Wednesday night.
When reached by ABC News, Google would not divulge the number of Google Reader users, but it does acknowledge on its blog that its users are “devoted.”
“Google Reader” trended on both Twitter and Google Wednesday night. Others took to signing a Change.org petition, which has more than 12,000 signatures.
Still, while there are those impassioned fans, many never used RSS and now get their news through social media service like Twitter or Facebook.
“RSS never caught on as mainstream consumer experience but Google Reader provided a powerful resource as a back-end aggregator that could sync content across applications and platforms,” Michael Gartenberg, Gartner research director, told ABC News.
The Next Web has reported that Google decided to pull the plug on Reader and devote those resources to Google+, the company’s social network.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Samsung Galaxy S4 to Be Announced Thursday
Samsung(NEW YORK) — The day has come, Samsung Galaxy S fans. Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m. ET, Samsung will take the stage at New York City’s Radio City Music hall to unveil its latest flagship smartphone — the Galaxy S4. The company has been t…
Majority of Shoppers Use Their Phones to Research Products
Goodshoot RF/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A smart shopper uses a smartphone before making a purchase.In a survey conducted by mobile video and media company Vuclip, 62 percent of respondents said they look up information on their phones when considering an …
Memoto Mini Camera Automatically Captures Pics Every 30 Seconds
ABC News(AUSTIN, Texas) — Thanks to smartphones, most of us have a camera with us most of the time. But what we don’t have is a camera on us to capture all those moments when we aren’t holding the phone up to take a framed shot.
And …
Forget Typing, Google Says Search Is Going to Be Like “Star Trek”
NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images(AUSTIN, Texas) — In the future, the experience of searching the web is going to be like something out of Star Trek. Or at least, that’s what Google’s vision is.“The destiny of search is to become …
At SXSW, New Sex App Focuses on that Other Type of Festival Networking
Hemera/Thinkstock(AUSTIN, Texas) — At SXSW Interactive this year one sex-related start-up knows their audience, and they are marketing to the techie and social media savvy, yet carefree and sexually amped crowd. The service doesn&rsq…
Impatient? Facebook’s Redesigned News Feed to Roll Out Slowly
Peter Foley/Bloomberg via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — As news spread Thursday that Facebook was undergoing a “facelift,” users flocked to the site, with many commenting that they couldn’t wait to see the new changes.“But mine doesn’t look lik…
Facebook to Unveil New News Feed
Facebook(MENLO PARK, Calif.) — Facebook users are sharing even more about themselves, if you believe a recent study, and on Thursday, we’re going to learn just how Facebook wants us to consume that shared information.
The company is holding a press co…
Facebook Users Unwittingly Share More Personal Information, Study Finds
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images(PITTSBURGH) — Facebook users may try to guard their privacy, but they’re unwittingly sharing more personal information online than ever, according to a seven-year study from Carnegie Mellon University.As the soc…