App TV: 2011 Internet services on TVs compared

Today, many TVs are able to connect directly to the Internet. A few of them include QWERTY keyboard remotes and actual Web browsers, but most lack these PC-like extras. Instead they're designed around a "walled garden" of apps like Facebook, Picasa, and casual games; streaming services like Netflix and Pandora; and an interface meant to be browsed using one thumb and a standard TV remote. Increasingly, they also offer app stores with paid and free apps as well as, in one case so far, actual shopping.

Of course a lot of other devices, especially Blu-ray players and dedicated boxes like Apple TV and Roku, also offer apps and streaming. The advantage of these boxes compared with a TV is cost: you can add them to an existing TV without having to upgrade, and if they become obsolete, the replacement cost is a lot lower.

But if you're buying a new TV and want built-in services without having to connect an extra box, you may be interested in how the various walled gardens stack up. We've reviewed a few this year, with more to come, so here's a quick-and-dirty look in order of which ones we like best so far. All include Netflix and the differences accumulate from there.

Panasonic Viera Connect: We're fans of the simple approach used by Panasonic. The main home page is arranged around tiles that will be familiar to any iPhone user, and you can arrange them so your favorites are on top. Unfortunately there's no Vudu or Hulu Plus client, and it still uses the old Netflix interface, but overall we think it's still better than the alternatives we've tested. The app store has potential and is the first we've seen that lets you purchase physical merchandise, but we wouldn't recommend paying extra for those Gameloft games.
Wi-Fi: USB dongle included

LG Smart TV: Like Panasonic, LG keeps its interface simple, with a tile-based Home page layout we actually liked better than Panasonic's. It's customizable and well-laid-out, especially if you use the unique Nintendo Wii-like remote included in models like the LW5600 below. The remote also allows drag-and-drop and makes using the surprisingly decent built-in Web browser easier. On the downside, LG's app store is the lightest content-wise among the top three (although we love its star rating system for apps), Pandora is mysteriously absent for now, and Search is even less impressive than Samsung's.
Wi-Fi: USB dongle included

Samsung Smart TV: If Panasonic and LG take the simple Apple approach, then Samsung is like the sprawling, more capable but also more impenetrable Android. Samsung offers a video search and a sort of IMDb lite with TV and movie information, but search is disappointing and it's rare for any of the TV shows or movies listed to actually be available to watch. The major missing service is Amazon Instant, but otherwise Samsung offers more apps than anyone, and its potential upside, for example with 3D streaming, is the highest among any we've seen. The UND6400 linked below is missing the browser and QWERTY remote found with the high-end UND8000.
Wi-Fi: Built-in on select high-end models; USB dongle $80

Sony Bravia Internet Video: Unlike Panasonic and Samsung, Sony didn't make any major improvements to its Internet offerings. There's no app store and no integrated home page for Internet content, but streaming selection is quite solid (with the exception of Vudu), and there's a cool Gracenote app that can identify songs much like Shazam on your phone. Most of the other add-ons use a separate Yahoo widgets interface, and the streaming services themselves are bound to Sony's design--a good thing for consistency, but often, as in the case of Netflix and Amazon, the cover art is just too small.
Wi-Fi: Built-in on select high-end models; USB dongle $80

Sharp Aquos Net: Sharp's service doesn't offer YouTube, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Instant, and the selection of apps is relatively sparse in the main user interface. On the other hand, the TV also offers a separate smorgasbord of apps from Vudu, with a better interface but no ability to combine live TV with apps on the same screen.
Wi-Fi: Built-in on all models

Philips Net TV: Our least favorite service so far in 2011 includes even fewer apps than Sharp, and while it also offers Vudu Apps, the rest of the pickings are slim. Although it isn't strictly an app or part of Net TV, Philips' Wi-Fi MediaConnect feature is worth mentioning here since it can let the TV display whatever is on your laptop screen without wires.
Wi-Fi: Built-in on all models

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http://reviews.cnet.com/2795-6482_7-677.html?tag=mncol;txt

China Web users hit 485 million

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The number of Chinese Internet users hit 485 million at the end of June, with microblogging and group-buying posting the highest user growth rates, a Chinese government Internet statistical body said on Tuesday.

The number of microblogging or Weibo users rose over 200 percent in the first six months of the year to 195 million users from 63.1 million at the end of 2010, said the China Internet Network Information Center in a report.

The number of group-buying users also rose 125 percent to 42.2 million users from 18.7 million users at the end of 2010.

Sina Corp, Tencent Holdings and Baidu compete in China's hot Weibo space. Weibo acts like Twitter by allowing users to post links and short messages and accrue followers. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are blocked in China.

The rise in the number of Weibo users could be causing a knock-on effect on the more traditional social-networking sites that saw the number of users fall to 230 million in the first half of the year from 235.1 million at the end of last year.

Renren Inc, Tencent and Kaixin001 compete in the traditional SNS space.

Despite the rise in total number of Web users, China's Internet penetration rate remains low -- at around 36 percent -- compared with developed Asian countries South Korea and Japan, which boast Internet penetration rates of more than 70 percent.

There are also signs that China's Internet growth is slowing, CNNIC's data showed. The rise of 6.1 percent over the end of 2010 is the slowest annual growth rate recorded.

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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/China-Web-users-hit-485-rb-3290857925.html?x=0&.v=1

Microsoft offers $250,000 bounty for Rustock operators

Microsoft may have incapacitated the notorious Rustock botnet this year, but the company is still hunting those who were running the show. In March, Redmond paired up with federal law enforcement agents to seize computer equipment from US Internet hosting facilities to cripple the million-machine-strong network. Besides accounting for a sizable portion of the world's spam, Rustock committed other crimes, including advertising counterfeit or unapproved versions of pharmaceuticals, and violating the trademarks of Pfizer and Microsoft.

Only two weeks after being taken offline, global spam ratesdeclined some 33.6% according to a Symantec MessageLabs Intelligence report. There are still hundreds of thousands of computers infected by Rustock, the total infection base has shrunk by half. Although the botnet has remained inactive since March 16, the former operators remain at large and Microsoft is committed to tracking them down. In a blog post today, the company announced a new initiative to augment the company's civil discovery efforts: money -- and lots of it.

Hoping to hasten the arrest of those responsible for Rustock, Redmond has put out a bounty (PDF) worth a quarter of a million dollars. "In order to determine the identities of the John Doe defendants principally responsible for the control of the Rustock botnet, Microsoft Corporation is offering a $250,000 reward for any new information that results in the identification, arrest and criminal conviction of whoever is responsible," the company said. If you have any information to share, you can contact Microsoft via avreward@microsoft.com.

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http://www.techspot.com/news/44739-microsoft-offers-250000-bounty-for-rustock-operators.html