Hasta La Gadget!

Right on schedule, Google’s popular Reader site has gone offline. Visitors are now greeted with an apology message of sorts, along with a warning that data will be permanently deleted after 12PM PST on July 15th. In the meantime, you can use Google Takeout to download a copy of your subscription info, including lists you follow, starred items and notes. In fact, now might be an excellent time to snag data from other sites — you never know when Mountain View will opt to “sunset” your other beloved services, too.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google

Today we’ve just officially kicked off Google I/O, and to start things off Google’s own Sundar Pichai is on the stage talking about the past, the future, personal computing and more. And right out of the gate we’re already getting to the good stuff. Talking Android, Chrome, numbers and of course Android. Today Google is proud to announce that they’ve nearly reached the 1 billion mark.

Sundar Pichai has just confirmed that with nearly 400 million Android activations by the end of 2012, here mid-way through 2013 we’ve already more than doubled that massive number, and Android’s ecosystem has reached 900 million. Talk about a big number. Android developers and manufacturers are an important part of that, obviously, and their proud to announce they’ve paid out developers more in 4 months this year, than all of 2012 combined.

Along with the confirmation of nearly 900 million Android activations, there has also been over 48 billion (yes with a B) billion Android app installs. Not only that, but there has already been 2.5 billion in the past month. It’s safe to say Google’s Android OS is only speeding up, and showing absolutely zero signs of slowing down.

It’s also worth noting that just last month Google Android activations was sitting around 750 million. So in the past month or so that’s grown to over 900. We’re expecting this to only increase, and by the end of 2013 Android could be topping 1.5 billion. Next up we’re talking Android, Google Play, locations data and more. Stay tuned and follow our Google I/O Portal.

Google confirms over 900 million Android activations, 48bn app installs is written by Cory Gunther & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

For those of you who are currently subscribed to Comcast’s Performance Xfinity Internet speed plans, you’re in for a treat. Comcast has decided to upgrade your data speeds at no added cost. Your download speeds will be increased from 15Mbps to 25Mbps, and your upload speeds will be increased from 2Mbps to 5Mbps. Comcast is upgrading its data speeds because it knows that there is a growing trend of consumers using more than one wireless device in their homes to access the internet.

This follows the same bonus that both Blast! and Extreme 50 Xfinity Internet subscribers were given. Last month, Comcast increased the download speeds for Blast! customers from 25Mbps to 50Mbps and their upload speeds from 4Mbps to 10Mbps. Extreme 50 customers had their download speeds increased from 50Mbps to 105Mbps, and their upload speeds increased from 15Mbps to 20Mbps, all for free.

These free increases in internet speeds should do well in keeping customers subscribed to Comcast’s internet speed plans. Comcast issued the same statement it made when it increased the data speeds for Blast! and Extreme 50 subscribers. It stated that as customer demands increase, it continues to increase its data speeds to allow users the best internet experience possible, no matter what they’re doing.

It’s easy to access your newly upgraded speeds. All you need to do is power down your modem by disconnecting it from its power source. You then wait 15 seconds before plugging it back in. After that, doing a simple speed test should show you an increase in your data speeds. Unlike the data speed upgrades for Blast! and Extreme 50 customers, you shouldn’t be required to upgrade to a DOCSIS 3.0 modem to access your speeds.

[via Business Wire]

Comcast upgrades speeds for Xfinity Internet Performance users for free is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

If there’s one single joke we’ve seen today that’s so radical and excellent that we’d rather see the real product than laugh at the trick, it’s the DLC for Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. In an effort to bring us back to the 1990′s, a magical time when .gif images were used as webpage decorations, the folks behind this fantastic webspace have created a site, a teaser video, and more pixelated greatness than you can shake a joystick at – enter the Blood Dragon!

With this presentation today we’ve seen as many people suggesting it’s a real-deal presentation as we have people saying it’s a joke. At the moment there’s no “official” word from Ubisoft, but given the build-up to this moment, we must assume it’s either going to represent one of the most daring downloadable additions to a game in recent memory OR we’re going to see a real DLC (long awaited, either way) rather soon. We’re certainly hoping for the former.

NOTE: See our full 2013 April Fool’s Day roundup now for every one of the most wild and crazy tricks tossed out today!

As noted by Gamespot, there’s already a Brazilian classification rating for the game as well as notes for the title (Blood Dragon and everything) being ready for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC soon! If you’ve been waiting anxiously for this title, you also know that Ubisoft’s CEO Yves Guillemot has made it clear that you’ll have it in your hands soon.

““Fans certainly won’t have to wait for more years for the next Far Cry.” – Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot”

Also according to Gamespot, Far Cry 3 lead writer Jeffrey Yohalem let it be known that what he was working on “will be surprising” when it’s announced. He added that, “it definitely is a ‘strike while the iron’s hot’ thing.” Could it be that this game is both a joke and a real release in one? Again, we certainly hope so!

“The year is 2007. It is the future. Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear war and new paths for peace must be found. A U.S. cyborg army may have found a solution: a powerful bioweapon on a distant island. A Mark IV Cyber Commando, Sergeant Rex Power Colt has been sent over to gather information and figure out what the hell is going on.”

Have a peek at the Far Cry 3 BLOOD DRAGON official webpage right this minute and decide for yourself. Don’t forget, too, that you’ll want to enter the Konami code to get a special treat! Hint: it involves a sweet GIF!

If the website does happen to go down some day, we’ll not want to be lacking such excellence, even if only in screenshot form. Have a peek at the tiny gallery below to see what this monster is (and perhaps in the future was) all about!

Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon: the one April Fool we wish wasn’t is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

What once was a haven for illegal downloading is now just an afterthought. After the shutdown of Megaupload last year, it seems users are starting to resort to legal downloading means, according to a study from Carnegie Mellon University. The study suggests that studios saw a boost in digital movie and music sales since the shutdown.

The 18-week study consisted of 12 countries, and revenues from digital sales and rentals for two movie studios were anywhere from 6% to 10% higher than they would have been if Megaupload hadn’t been shut down. Unsurprisingly, the countries that featured the most Megaupload users were the countries that experienced increased usage in legal downloads.

It’s interesting to note that most Megaupload users would think about just switching to a new service to illegally download copyrighted content, but with the movies and music easier to obtain legally, it seems a lot of users have decided to think twice after the Megaupload shutdown and have switched over the legal means.

Countries such as France, Spain, Mexico, and Belgium saw the most growth in legal downloads, while Canada, Australia, and Ireland saw the least impact. The study suggest that the number of users using legal means of obtaining digital content could rise if studios made their content more readily available.

Megaupload shutdown increased legal movie downloads, according to study is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.