Google updates YouTube for Google TV

Google is releasing an update to YouTube for Google TV over the next few days, aiming to make it easier to navigate the video service on its connected sets.

On Saturday, the company promised that it would release “big announcements” about Google TV on Monday. Oddly enough, the company posted the notice on its Facebook page before publishing the post about YouTube on its blog.

The new service will also have a big focus on channels, making it easier for users to navigate between related videos and find content from the same account. Users will also be able to rate videos, add comments or add a video to their playlists.

YouTube has been growing like a weed for the past few years, quietly maturing beyondbeing the Internet’s repository of cute cat videos. According to the latest statistics from Google, an hour of video is being uploaded to the site every second, and the site loggedone trillion page views in 2011.

With channels, the company is getting more ambitious with content creation, cultivating talent that produces content that is ideal for the Web. In his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, YouTube executive Robert Kyncl predicted that, soon, 90 percent of Web traffic will be video.

The update also points to Google’s decision to double-down on Google TV, even though the product hasn’t been a great success. Google has been adding more hardware partners to its lineup, including Samsung and LG, promising new products will be pushed out to the market in the coming months.


Washingtonpost.com

Samsung announces Galaxy Tab 2 with Android 4.0 ICS

 Color us confused. Unless we're missing something, Samsung has installed Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a chubbier, slower version of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and rebranded it the Galaxy Tab 2. I hate to open a post with such an accusatory tone, but I've read (and reread) today's press release and that's precisely what I see comparing the specifications between each "generation."

The Galaxy Tab 2 shaves some bulk off the original 2010 design, measuring 10.5mm thick and weighing 344g (down from 11.98mm and 380g), but it's a tad thicker than September's Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus (9.96mm). Assuming it uses the same chip architecture, the Galaxy Tab 2 also downgrades the Tab 7.0 Plus' 1.2GHz processor to 1.0GHz (which is in line with the original Galaxy Tab 7.0).

Other innards are virtually identical to the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus. This includes a 7-inch WSVGA (1024x600) PLS TFT touchscreen, a 3-megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera (downgraded from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus' 2-megapixel front camera), 1GB of RAM, and 8GB to 32GB of storage (another 32GB via microSD). Select models have 3G support alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 3.0.

Along with Google's latest snack-themed OS, the Galaxy Tab 2 will feature Samsung's new AllShare Play service, which lets you stream multimedia content between compatible devices. Neither piece of software is enough to justify a new model and the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is expected to get ICS sometime this spring anyway -- presumably around the time the Galaxy Tab 2 hits shelves.

The only way we can make sense of this: the Galaxy Tab 2 will be priced low enough to compete with the Kindle Fire (despite lacking Amazon's library). Unfortunately, the company hasn't shared official international pricing yet, but PCWorld reports that Samsung Sweden claims the Wi-Fi model will cost €270 (roughly $350). SammyHub reports even higher figures at ~$450 with a $100 premium for 3G. Hopefully Samsung clarifies its plans for the Galaxy Tab 2 at Mobile World Congress in two weeks.

Techspot.com

Apple tops $500 for first time

How do you like them Apples?

Shares in Apple, the world’s most valuable company, reached new heights yesterday, closing above $500 a share for the first time in its more than 30 years as a publicly traded company.

With the iPad 3 likely to be unveiled next month, Wall Street analysts expect the tech titan’s stock, already up 40 percent in the last 12 months, to continue its ascent.

Some even see the stock approaching $600 — and a $1 trillion valuation.

Apple, with its $468.6 billion market cap, passed oil giant ExxonMobil and slipped into the No. 1 spot last month.

Yesterday, Apple shares closed at $502.60 — more than the price of the cheapest iPad — after the stock had flirted with the $500 milestone for much of last week.

CEO Tim Cook’s company has been surging since it reported blow-out first-quarter earnings two weeks ago, topping more than $100 billion in sales.

Some of the excitement around Apple has been fueled by analysts, who are hoping the company finally announces a first-of-its-kind dividend, since Apple is sitting on a cash pile that is close to $100 billion.

Still, two-thirds of that cash pile is overseas, said analyst Colin Gillis with BGC Partners, who surmised that if a dividend comes it would likely be on the low end, close to 1 percent.

“If there’s any disappointment there could be a pullback,” he said.

Nypost.com