Video

Netflix streaming customers experiencing service outage

The Netflix streaming service is experiencing an outage that is preventing millions of subscribers in several countries from viewing movies and TV shows.

The outage, which began at 6:45 p.m. PT, affects subscribers in both North America and South America.

"We're aware that some members are having trouble streaming TV shows and movies and are working to address the problem," Netflix spokesman Joris Evers told CNET.

Netflix revealed the outage in a tweet response to user complaints of being unable to access the system.

Thanks for your reports. There's an outage affecting several regions … Read more

'Arrested Development' fan re-edits Season 4 in new order

With the release of 15 new episodes of "Arrested Development" on Netflix, one of the show's fans has taken it upon himself to re-edit the entire season in what he calls "chronological order." He has released downloadable episodes of his version of the show on Reddit via Mega.

Going by the name morphinapg, this fan took apart all the episodes and then put them back together again for a different interpretation of Season 4. He added new titles, like "Take to the Sea," "Get Away, Getaway," and "The Fantastic Four," along with different summaries for each episode.… Read more

Episode 40: Road tripping and torture-testing the HTC One

Summer's here, almost officially, which means the road trip season is upon us. We set out to try to find out which gadgets could entertain you on a long drive, or at least keep the kids out of your hair, and whether the phone that's arguably the hottest of the season could handle some road trip mishaps.

But here at Always On, we road trip in style. No cramped back seats for us ... we were rolling in The Woody, a massive high-tech RV that's the custom showcase creation of OCRV Paint and Service. Thanks for the ride, … Read more

Instagram's Systrom: We're 'not a photography company'

SAN FRANCISCO -- Instagram is not a photography company.

That message, which might shock some of the 100 million-plus people who have uploaded more than 5 billion photos to Instagram, is what co-founder Kevin Systrom made clear during a discussion tonight among him and co-founder Mike Krieger and Digg founder and Google Ventures partner Kevin Rose.

The discussion, part of the Commonwealth Club's Inforum series, was an opportunity for hundreds of Instagram fans to hear first-hand a bit of the history -- and perhaps some of the future -- of the popular photo-sharing app. Even if that's not … Read more

Episode 39: Is the Samsung Galaxy S4 the right phone for you?

The Samsung Galaxy S4 brings a lot of tech to the table. From eye-tracking and gesture control, to its built-in translator and ability to act as a TV remote, the phone is cutting-edge in a plethora of ways. That being said, in today's highly saturated smartphone market, does the S4 have what it takes to be the best? And if it does, is it enough to get people to switch or upgrade with so many good options out there? With these questions in mind, we dished the S4 out to three people, both iOS and Android users, to let … Read more

Episode 38: Google's ChromeBook Pixel gets the ultimate road test

This week's episode kicks off with our first ever unboxing performed in a motorcycle club. Yep, we went down to Piston and Chain in San Francisco to get our hands on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. The 8-inch tablet sure is pretty, but with a hefty price tag it will have a tough battle against its strongest competitor, the iPad Mini. However, the Note 8 should expect a road test from the Always On crew in the very near future.

Next up, the Google ChromeBook Pixel endures a grueling, three person road test. Molly couldn't contain herself when … Read more

Hulu International chief Larcher steps down -- report

Hulu may have lost another executive.

The company's senior vice president of international operations, Johannes Larcher, has stepped down, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing an e-mailed statement from Hulu.

Larcher reportedly stepped down earlier this month.

If Larcher has in fact left Hulu, both parties have some cleaning up to do. Hulu's own Web site says that Larcher is still with the company. Larcher's LinkedIn page says the same. There has also been no word from Larcher on Twitter that he has left Hulu. Still, that doesn't mean that he hasn't stepped down.

If Larcher … Read more

Amazon picks five original series to vie with Netflix

Amazon on Wednesday plans to produce five full series for its Prime Instant Video service, giving the online giant a foothold in the market for online original content.

The company said two comedies, "Alpha House" and Betas," along with three kids shows -- "Annebots," "Creative Galaxy," and Tumbleaf" -- will air exclusively on its site later this year and early next year. Amazon had released several TV show pilots on its site, and customers gave feedback that helped its series production arm, Amazon Studios, decide which shows should be made into its … Read more

Yahoo going after Hulu's subscription revenue

Yahoo just spent $1.1 billion of its cash horde to acquire Tumblr, a blogging site with 300 million mostly young-ish visitors and 24 billion minutes of usage per month. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's team can slap a lot of tasteful, personalized native ads into the Tumblr content streams to monetize the fast growing site. It's the same way that Facebook and Twitter hope to get into the tens of billions in revenue league, but it's a long and winding road.

Now Yahoo is taking a run at Hulu, with its 4 million subscribers paying $7.99 … Read more

Does Bible Belt love porn as much as the godless do?

That which people project is not necessarily an expression of that which remains inside.

This simple truth is one that has saved me even more often than relative sobriety in the early hours of many mornings.

It's a truth that's apparently confirmed by figures emerging from a famous hub of pornography. For they suggest that even in the most outwardly saintly parts of America, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.… Read more