As Time Warner Cable Drops CBS on TV, CBS Drops TWC on Web and Mobile

CBS stations have evaporated for hundreds of Time Warner Cable customers as the two companies argue over retransmission fees. CBS appears to be trying to take a stand over TWC by blocking TWC customers from watching full TV episodes on CBS.com. Instead of seeing normal programming, CBS displays an ad attacking Time Warner Cable.

CBS fully admits to blocking the episodes in a statement to TechCrunch:

If Time Warner Cable is a customer’s internet service provider, then their access to CBS full episode content via online and mobile platforms has been suspended as a result of Time Warner Cable’s decision to drop CBS and Showtime from their market. As soon as CBS is restored on Time Warner Cable systems in affected markets, that content will be accessible again.

It also provided The Verge with a statement:

CBS has shown utter lack of regard for consumers by blocking Time Warner Cable’s customers, including our high-speed data only customers, from accessing their shows on their free website. CBS enjoys the privilege of using public owned airwaves to deliver their programming – they should not be allowed to abuse that privilege.

HP Closing Down Snapfish in India, Belgium, Netherlands and Spain

HP's digital photo sharing and printing company Snapfish will be closing its doors in India on September 16 to focus on "core markets." The service will also be closing in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. Snapfish is telling users to finish their projects and place orders, because after September 16, projects and other data will not be accessible. Snapfish is also recommending that users use another photo service instead of its own, Photojaanic.

Snapfish was launched in 1999 by Rajil Kapoor, Balaparthasarathy, Suneet Wadhwa and Shripati Acharya. It was acquired by HP in 2005 for $300 million. All of the co-founders have left the company.

The shutdown could possibly have something to do with the turnaround plan instituted by Meg Whitman. The PC maker is certainly not doing well, as its net income for the second quarter of 2013 fell to $1.08 bn as compared to $1.59 bn last year.



 

Yahoo Acquires Social Browser Rockmelt, Pulling Cord on Apps in Less Than a Month

Yahoo is acquiring social web browsing company Rockmelt. The move is very sucky for Rockmelt users as the company's app (on all platforms, iOS, Android, and WP8) will be closed down at the end of this month - August 31. Rockmelt will be allowing users to export their data until then. The company also shut down its registration page, allowing no new users to sign up. However, Rockmelt did thank its users for sticking with it during them any ups and downs that the company had.

Rockmelt is a startup known for creating a "social web browser" in 2010, which integrated Facebook into the web browser. But, after no gaining enough users, the company shut down the project a few months ago, and said it would be shifting its focus onto its mobile apps. AllThingsD is reporting that Yahoo purchased Rockmelt for about $60-$70 million. Rockmelt is joining the large club of startups that CEO Marissa Mayer has acquired. Between the acquisitions of Summly and Tumblr, it's obvious she is trying to give Yahoo a social spin.

Find My iPhone for Android Coming Soon

As announced on the official Android blog today, Android owners will soon have the option to track their devices. Later this month, an update will hit Google's Android Device Manager, allowing Android users to track their devices on a map in real time, activate the ringer, and wipe their information. The new service will work on all devices running Android 2.2 and up, which covers most of the Android population. All you have to do is hook it up to your Google account.

For Google, this new service has been awaited for many years. iOS and Windows Phone users have already had a similar service for years. Some Android device manufacturers have tried to create a device tracking service, but they haven't always worked out; HTC created one, but it ended up being shut down. Sony has its My Xperia, which appears to be prospering for now.

 

T-Mobile Moto X Not Available In Stores At First

The Moto X will be out on all five major US telecoms, but T-Mobile customers will have a harder time getting one. Mike Sievert from Big Magenta has told AllThingsD that the phone will be able through Motorola only at first. He says that the new phone could become available in retail stores, but announcements would be come later in the year if it was to happen. Pricing is also concealed, and I'm not sure whether the no-contract carriers will play nice with the Moto X.. Either way, if you are on T-Mobile and want a Moto X, prepare yourself for an adventure.

Meet Briggo: The Automated Coffee House

Meet Briggo, a company that created a fully automated coffee kiosk, the Coffee Haus. The machine uses robotics and computers to take orders and make drinks.

Consumers send orders to Coffee Haus through the company's mobile site and pick the time they want to pick it up. Briggs sends a text message once the coffee is ready.

The first Coffee Haus was launched at the University of Texas in Austin earlier this week, which replaced a prototype that has been living on campus since 2011. The company plans on bringing its kiosks to airports, hospitals, and corporate campuses across America.

Briggo is hard at work creating smartphone apps for Android and iOS, which will allow you to save your favorite drinks, find kiosks, ad post to social media.

FBI Exploits Known Security Holes in Consumer Tech

If PRISM, X-Keyscore, and other NSA programs weren't enough, this new revelation is definitely over the top. NSA Chief Alexander had to go to Blackhat this year to basically plead for support of his programs from the hacker community. Still, it's never enough. Even the FBI is starting to pick up bad habits. According to an ex-official, the FBI turns on embedded mica in Android devices and laptops to record conversations with no indication for the user.
Private sector companies are even beginning to advertise to the NSA that their products come with "unknown" security holes that allow for cyber surveillance. Plus, since the public doesn't know about the holes, you can't patch them up.