LG Optimus F3 for Sprint shows up in deep purple, predicts mild summer

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We already saw a rendered image of the LG Optimus F3 break cover. Now we can get slightly better look at the entry-level Android offering, in a purple hue that's reportedly heading to Sprint. There's nothing to suggest any advance on the reported 4-inch WVGA display, 2,460mAh battery and Jelly Bean (4.1.2) specifications. Pretty much the only other aspect to become clear is the textured rear. We're not reading too much into the June 24th date on scree, but if it does turn out to be mostly sunny in Chicago that day, we'll for sure pay more attention next time.

Windows 8 vies with Vista, but Windows 7 gains

Windows 8 is making slow but steady gains.

(Credit: Net Applications)

Pop open the champagne. Windows 8 may be on the verge of claiming installation share victory over Vista.
The latest figures from Net Applications show Windows 8 with a 4.27 percent share of PCs installed worldwide in May (up from 3.84 percent in April) versus 4.51 percent for Vista.
Vista, one of Microsoft's least popular OSes, was introduced in November of 2006.
Then again, maybe we're breaking out the champagne too soon. Windows 7 still leads by a long shot at 44.85 percent and it actually made gains in May, up from 44.72 percent in April.
And Vista was up in Steam's rankings to 7.25 percent in May from 7.06 percent in April.
Windows XP installations were down in May to 37.74 percent from 38.31 percent in April.

Intel's future Pentium chip does Windows and Android

Samsung Ativ Smart PC. More Android-based Intel laptops are coming, the chipmaker says.

(Credit: Samsung)

Intel's Atom is getting a makeover.
In more ways than one. First, when Intel speaks to customers internally about micro-architectures, Atom is out, Silvermont is in, Intel told CNET on Friday.
Second, some upcoming Silvermont silicon will be branded Pentium and Celeron -- which is the value end of Intel's Core-based mainstream chips.
The chipmaker's reasoning is that some variants of Silvermont now offer performance comparable to current mainstream Celeron and Pentium. That's quite different from the Atom of old, which had a reputation -- particularly in Netbooks -- for being slow.
Higher performance varieties of Silvermont will also ship with PC-like attributes such as PCI and SATA.
But here's where it gets interesting. These chips will debut not just in Windows PCs but Android systems too. Laptops, convertibles, detachables, all-in-ones (AIOs), and desktops -- running either Windows 8.1 or Android -- should begin to ship later this year and early next year, Intel said.

CBS acquires all of TV Guide Digital

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TV Guide Digital has fared well between its web portal and mobile apps, but part-owner CBS thinks there's a lot of potential locked away. Enough so, in fact, that CBS is taking over TV Guide Digital by acquiring Lionsgate's remaining 50 percent stake in the venture. The media giant now has full control of both TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Mobile apps, both of which are folding into CBS Interactive's Technology, Games and Lifestyle division. CBS mostly hopes that the deal will make it a font of wisdom for channel surfers -- it sees TV Guide Digital's rapidly growing audience and programming knowledge as complements to TV.com. We don't yet know how the acquisition will affect the TV Guide properties themselves, but we'd expect more than just the status quo.