iiNet could soon be in the hands of TPG. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET Australia’s competition regulator has warned that TPG’s acquisition of rival internet service provider iiNet could lead to higher prices for consumers, a reduction in customer service and a “substantial lessening of competition.” The comments come as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission …
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This tube amplifier fits in your pocket: Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Trio
Steve Guttenberg/CNET The Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Trio headphone amplifier delivers more fully developed tone, body, soul or whatever you want to call it to the sound of your headphones than what you’ve heard from your smartphone. The chassis, machined from a single block of aluminum, is impeccably finished in high gloss black — the Trio is a handsome, understated beauty. …
Read More »Get a free $5 gig from Fiverr
Keep your fiver when you book your first gig on Fiverr. Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET We live in a crowd-sourced ” sharing” economy. Once upon a time, if you needed a new logo or press release for your business, original music or sound effects for your movie, help with Web analytics or SEO, or any such service, you could expect …
Read More »Can App Store magic strike twice for Apple Watch?
This story is part of WWDC 2022, CNET’s complete coverage from and about Apple’s annual developers conference. Apple Watch takes a big step with native apps at Apple’s developer conference on Monday. James Martin/CNET Apple is hoping time repeats itself with the Watch. While the original iPhone turned heads when it first debuted in 2007, it didn’t become a world-beating …
Read More »First game for Facebook Messenger draws a familiar picture
Look familiar? Clay With its Messenger app for mobile and Messenger.com for desktops, Facebook has been trying hard to separate its instant messaging service from its social network app and website, competing with free messaging services such as WhatsApp. Now the divide has separated even further, with a new game exclusively available to play within the app on iOS and …
Read More »Helpling cleans up in Singapore with Uber
A publicity picture from Helpling showing happy cleaners. Helpling Apps are changing the way Singapore’s student population thinks about work, with online services matching them with people who need their homes cleaned. Better paid and more flexible than working in a bar or restaurant, it’s the latest example of an advanced economy becoming Uber-ised. Helpling, one such startup that provides …
Read More »Apollo XXX: A (real) campaign to film a porno in space
Porn stars Eva Lovia and Johnny Sins want you to give them $3.4 million so they can have sex in space, presumably because that’s how much it will cost to disinfect an entire spaceship. PornHub, via Indiegogo Due to the rise of private space travel, it won’t just be elite pilots able to ride in a centrifuge at high g-force …
Read More »Reddit bans ‘FatPeopleHate’ and other forums, citing antiharassment policy
Reddit has shut down five community forums, aka subreddits, it says went too far. Screenshot by CNET There will be no more fat-shaming on Reddit. The popular social-networking and news site announced Wednesday that it’s shutting down five community forums, known as subreddits, as part of an antiharassment policy adopted in May. The largest of those forums, dubbed “FATPEOPLEHATE,” had …
Read More »This is how much time you’re spending on smartphone apps
People are spending more time on their smartphones, and they’re probably spending it waging an epic battle of one sort or another. Supercell You’re devoting a whole lot of time to smartphone apps, and it’s likely more for play than work. At least that’s what recent statistics suggest. The amount of time people spend each month on smartphone apps was …
Read More »Spotify gathers users, cash as battle with Apple Music looms
Spotify, run by CEO and founder Daniel Ek, now has more cash to prepare it for a battle with Apple. Sarah Tew/CNET Streaming music provider Spotify has responded to the threat posed by Apple Music the best way it can: raising more money, growing its user base and preparing for battle. Spotify now has more than 20 million paid subscribers …
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