Consumer content

Spammers show they give a fig about Instagram, launch fruit-based attack

Instagram went bananas Saturday.

A company representative confirmed in an e-mail today that the photo-sharing network had been hit by a spam attack -- an attack, we might add, that was perhaps a bit more colorful than usual.

It seems the photo-sharing network became flooded with photos of fruit, which were accompanied by a link to a marketing page for a fruit-based diet regimen.

Om Malik over at blog Giga Om reported on the smootie-ization of Instagram earlier, saying the link pointed to a bogus BBC News page with the headline "Tropical Fruit Burns 17 Pounds in 22 Days. … Read more

Instagram takes bite out of Vine in first week

Facebook's Instagram video announcement last week went a long way in hurting its chief competitor Vine, a new study has shown.

According to data compiled by Marketing Land using Topsy, a tool designed to analyze social media shares, the number of links shared on Twitter to Vine videos fell off a cliff after Instagram's new video-recording feature was announced on June 20. And since then, things have remained quiet for Vine.

According to Marketing Land's findings, Vine's Twitter shares hit 2.5 million on June 19. After Instagram's video service launched, that fell to 1.… Read more

Time Warner Cable to bring 300 channels to Xbox 360

Time Warner Cable and Microsoft have inked a deal to bring scads of TV channels to the Xbox 360.

Later this summer, Time Warner Cable will launch its TV application on Xbox Live, bringing up to 300 live TV channels to the Xbox 360. The service will be available only to those who are current Time Warner Cable customers and who subscribe to Xbox Live Gold.

According to Microsoft, Time Warner Cable's channel offerings will include AMC, Bravo, Comedy Central, and CNN. The app will also work with voice controls through the company's Kinect sensor.

Microsoft has been … Read more

Amazon in trouble with China over counterfeit book charges

Amazon is facing a few demands from the Chinese government following charges of counterfeit book sales.

China's National Copyright Administration said it recently discovered 36 third-party Amazon sellers hawking books found to have violated copyright laws, according to Sina Tech, as reported by The Next Web.

To remedy the problem, the group wants the retail giant to make four changes: First, Amazon must shut down the 36 sellers in question. Second, it must tighten the criteria through which third-party sellers are approved. Third, it must improve communications between itself, publishers, and the National Copyright Administration and respond to customer … Read more

Wendy Davis' filibuster shoes praised in Amazon reviews

While junior Texas state senator Wendy Davis got thrust into the national spotlight this week for her starring role in an anti-abortion-bill filibuster, her tennis shoes are enjoying their own run with fame on Amazon reviews.

"Best damn shoe for being on your feet for 13 hours. Also the best shoe to kick Governor Rick Perry's ass!" reads one of a growing number of Amazon reviews of the Mizuno's Wave Rider 16 running shoes the Democratic lawmaker made famous overnight.

Reads another: "I am so glad that I have a choice about what shoes to buy! Imagine if some legislator tried to tell me what type of shoes worked best for me or what type of shoes were available to me... that is so un-American!" … Read more

Skype refreshes its iPhone app

Skype has updated its iPhone app with a couple of new features and a few fixes in tow.

Skype for iPhone version 4.9 now offers the free and unlimited video messaging that Skype rolled out last week.

Skype users can record a video message for fellow users who are offline. Those videos then appear when your receipient logs into the service.

The updated app also has patched up a few items here and there, according to Skype.

Photo sharing is now a more reliable process. Audio and video calls should be more stable. And there are the usual unspecified … Read more

Apple supplier Foxconn cooks up its own smartwatch

One of Apple's key suppliers has beaten the company to the punch with its own smartwatch.

At its shareholders meeting on Wednesday, Foxconn, aka Hon Hai, demoed a smartwatch that can wirelessly connect to an iPhone to display incoming phone calls and Facebook posts, Want China Times has reported. The watch can also keep track of your heartbeat, respiration, and other vital signs. And if your vitals aren't tip-top, the device can even offer advice on how to get them up to snuff.… Read more

Yahoo News gets a face-lift to become 'more personal'

Yahoo News on Thursday became the company's latest site to get a facelift.

The Internet company added new features that it believes will deliver a "more personal, intuitive and modern design." That includes a news stream that's customizable to a user's interests and a redesigned iOS app. A new Android design will be hitting devices soon, Yahoo said.

"This new design is one step towards creating a more consistent feel across Yahoo," Mike Kerns, Yahoo vice president of product, said in a blog post.

Kerns noted that Yahoo News will get smarter over … Read more

Amazon opens Kindle Worlds fan fiction bookstore

Amazon now has a new bookstore for both readers and writers of fan fiction.

The Kindle Worlds Store opened its virtual doors on Thursday with more than 50 commissioned, original stories based on familiar series such as "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," and "Pretty Little Liars." Kindle Worlds stories typically cost between 99 cents and $3.99 and will be exclusive to Kindle devices and apps.

The goal of Kindle Worlds is to reward both writers and the original rights holders for new fiction based on existing stories and characters.

Kindle World's Self-Service … Read more

Mailbox iOS app now supports landscape mode, Gmail aliases

Those of you who use the Mailbox iOS app will discover two new useful features the next time you fire it up.

Designed as an alternative to the built-in iOS e-mail client, Mailbox version 1.3.2 now lets you manage and read your messages in landscape mode, a much-needed enhancement.

You can also now send an e-mail using a Gmail alias. This lets you use an alternate address in the From field if for whatever reason you don't want to use your Gmail address.

Mailbox offers a clean and simple interface and several tricks to manage, prioritize, and … Read more