demand

Blockbuster rolls out iOS app

Dish Network on Thursday launched its Blockbuster On Demand app for iOS devices with pre-purchase movie rentals from its online library.

The app had already been available since January for desktop computers, Samsung Smart TVs, and Android devices, but today the movie watching app is finally available for iOS.

Like its desktop counterpart, Blockbuster On Demand lets iPhone and iPad users browse, rent, and stream movies from its On Demand catalog, featuring almost 5,500 movies that include new releases as well as titles across several genres. The app also provides movie ratings courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes, and lets you … Read more

Google shows apps that work on Glass

CNET Update likes everything on Facebook:

The Samsung Galaxy S4 media mania continues. A video is posted of what is claimed to be the Galaxy S4, and Samsung shows a peek of the new smartphone from the shadows. But with the Galaxy S4, it's not so much about the look -- it's about the software and features. Some speculate it could have a 3D camera, based on a trademark it filed. But come back to CNET to watch the news live on Thursday at 4 p.m. Pacific, 7 p.m. Eastern.

Stories also mentioned in Tuesday's … Read more

Vimeo delves into paid, on-demand videos

New York-based video-hosting site Vimeo today added a way for its paying users to sell their works online as part of a new program.

At South by Southwest, the company announced Vimeo On Demand, which lets its paying Pro users (a $199 a year service) sell access to their videos to other users.

Video creators can set their own price for the video, and then get 90 percent of the revenue, the company says. Other features include the option for video makers to select where exactly they want their video to be available, as well as the design of the … Read more

Southwest ups in-flight viewing with on-demand TV and movies

People flying on Southwest Airlines can now watch on-demand movies and TV on their tablets, smartphones, and laptops via the planes' Wi-Fi.

The airline announced today that it's boosting its in-flight entertainment to include new movie and television packages. This feature is available on all Wi-Fi-equipped aircrafts, which is about 75 percent of the Southwest's fleet.

"Providing a comprehensive and robust in-flight connectivity system for our customers is paramount," Southwest Airlines' senior vice president of business development Dave Ridley said in a statement.

Southwest now boasts eight channels of live television, which customers can stream directly … Read more

Hot calendar app Tempo crushed by demand

Buzzy calendar and scheduling app Tempo, which made a splashy launch yesterday, is recovering after being overrun by new users.

"We are excited but overwhelmed by the demand," Raj Singh, the founder and CEO of Tempo, wrote in a blog post today.

Shortly after the app went live, Tempo was forced to close down new signups, incensing would-be users and leading to a bevy of negative reviews in the App Store.

Singh now says the company is opening up the service to users in batches, and changing how it lets users access certain features. That includes once again … Read more

M-Go offers on-demand and UltraViolet on TVs, tablets

A new on-demand streaming video service called M-Go is coming to a TV or tablet near you and promises user-friendly features and UltraViolet support.

M-Go offers movies and TV shows on a "pay per play" or download (SD/HD) basis and will be available from January 2013 on televisions from Samsung (2012/2013 models), Vizio, and LG (coming later in April), plus Samsung tablets (now) and most Web browsers.

The service boasts content from most popular movie studios -- Paramount, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros. -- with the exception of Disney, which just signed an exclusive deal with Netflix. … Read more

iPhone 5's initial ramp too big to sustain, says DisplaySearch

Market research firm DisplaySearch said the reduction in shipments of displays for the iPhone 5 -- which reflect shipments of the phone itself -- is real but that it doesn't necessarily mean the device's popularity is suffering.

"We started hearing indications of cutbacks before the new year," Paul Semenza, senior vice president, analyst services, at DisplaySearch, told CNET today.

That said, he doesn't exactly have a negative take on demand for the iPhone 5.

"It was a very quick ramp up. The Q4 [estimate] was originally about 61 million displays [for the iPhone 5]...… Read more

iPhone 5 demand got you worried? Relax, analysts say

All of that talk that Apple has reduced iPhone 5 component orders due to slumping demand for the smartphone might be wrong.

Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu today wrote in a research note to investors that Apple's reported cuts to component orders have nothing to do with weak demand. Instead, Wu said that while component orders are lower, they're due to "much improved yields meaning lower component builds and supplier shifts."

"As far as we can tell, iPhone 5 demand remains robust," Wu said.

Baird analyst William Power offered up a similar evaluation to … Read more

Computer prodigy Aaron Swartz remembered

Monday's CNET Update:

Stories from today's tech news roundup:

- Internet activist Aaron Swartz, 26, committed suicide. He faced $4 million in fines and 50 years in prison for chargest hat he stole millions of academic papers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and from JSTOR. In the wake of his death, MIT is conducting an investigation of the school's role in the events before he took his life. Researchers have paid tribute to Swartz by posting links to copyright-protected papers on Twitter, to honor his campaign for open access to documents on the Internet.

- Samsung'… Read more

Fujitsu to miss sales target due to 'weak' Windows 8 demand

Fujitsu's president cited "weak" Windows 8 demand for slumping sales, according to a Tokyo-based Bloomberg report, echoing recent comments from Acer's president.

Japan's biggest IT services company said it will miss its annual shipment target for personal computers amid sluggish demand for Windows 8, according to Bloomberg. Fujitsu President Masami Yamamoto was speaking to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.

PC shipments for the fiscal year ending in March are expected to fall short of an October estimate of 7 million units, he said.

Acer president Jim Wong, while not citing sales estimates, expressed similar sentiment … Read more