March, 2017

• 30 March

  Australian government joins YouTube advertising exodus

  

  Don’t expect your next viral video of a boxing kangaroo to be sponsored by the Australian Government — at least not on YouTube. The Australian Government has announced it’s suspending “all non-corporate campaign advertising” from YouTube. That includes everything from public messages from the Department of Health to Defence Force recruiting ads (though not ads …

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• 30 March

  Twitter replies don’t count usernames in 140

  

  Twitter is giving its users a little more space. The social network said Thursday that when people reply back to fellow users, usernames will no longer cut into the 140-character limit in tweets. Usernames, such as @thecleanmachine, the Twitter handle for Sasank Reddy, a product manager at the social network, will now appear above the tweet’s text, rather than within …

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• 30 March

  3 ways to pin apps to a Chromebook’s app shelf

  

  In an effort to appear like more than just a browser, Chrome OS outfits you with a desktop that features familiar items along the bottom edge. The Launcher button in the bottom-left corner will immediately remind Windows users of the Start button. Akin to the Windows taskbar, Chrome OS has an app shelf where you can dock icons for your …

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• 30 March

  Behold, the Galaxy S8… Microsoft Edition?

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Samsung Galaxy S8’s major makeover 2:14 No, hell hasn’t frozen over. But yes, Microsoft will sell you an Android phone on April 21. Microsoft informs us that, starting today, you’ll be able to pre-order a “Microsoft Edition” of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8 Plus, from the company’s US-based brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores. What makes them …

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• 30 March

  Streaming makes most of the US music industry’s money now

  

  If there were any doubts before, streaming is king now. Revenue from streaming music accounted for the majority of US major record labels’ sales for the first time ever last year, a music industry trade group said Thursday. Streaming vaulted over the one-time leader digital downloads, which declined faster than any previous year. The data underscores the meteoric popularity of …

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• 30 March

  What you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy S8 (The 3:59, Ep. 202)

  

  Following months of rumors, the Samsung Galaxy S8 has finally arrived. For this episode, we talk to Shara Tibken, CNET’s Samsung reporter, about the most interesting aspects of the new device, as well as her visit to South Korea, where Samsung showed off their battery testing operations and new voice assistant, called Bixby. The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and …

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• 30 March

  Unlocked Galaxy S8 preorders start May 9. Here’s why it’s smart to wait

  

  Today, you can preorder the gorgeous new Samsung Galaxy S8. Or you could wait until May 9, when Best Buy will begin offering unlocked versions of Samsung’s new Galaxy phones you can use with any major US carrier. It’s funny. My colleague Dan Graziano and I are basically trading phones this year — he’s angrily ditching his Google Nexus 6P …

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• 30 March

  Android Wear 2.0 rollout delayed (again) due to bug

  

  If you’re waiting to finally use the next generation of Google’s smartwatch software, you’ll have to keep waiting. Android Wear 2.0, the most significant update to the search giant’s operating system for wearables, is being delayed in its wider rollout. The culprit is a bug that Google found in its final testing of the software. 9to5Google earlier reported the news. …

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• 30 March

  Activists raise $200,000 to expose lawmakers’ web browsing

  

  Campaigns raising money to buy lawmakers’ web browsing histories to protest the repeal of broadband privacy rules have been gaining steam the past couple of days, collecting more than $200,000. At least four crowdfunding campaigns have been started since both the House of Representatives and the Senate voted to repeal rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission that would have …

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• 29 March

  Slacker Radio’s new feature goes old

  

  Slacker Radio is attempting to differentiate itself from the streaming music competition by incorporating nonmusic audio clips called Sound Bytes into its radio service. Sound Bytes can range from interviews with musicians to current news updates to artist introductions to songs (or stories about songs) to Slacker radio hosts chatting about genre-specific hot topics. They’re not, in actuality, previews of …

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