Google's lightweight image format makes YouTube pages load 10 percent faster

We all want the internet to be faster, right? Well, Google is hoping to make that happen one YouTube thumbnail at a time. Its leaner WebP image format has been used on the Play store for some time now, and Mountain View's latest venue for the faster-loading files its video service. The outfit says that the switch has resulted in up to 10 percent speedier page-loads, and overall it's shaved tens of terabytes off its internal data transfer rates every day. The Chromium Blog says that this should help lower bandwidth usage for users as it rolls out, and, what's more, that there's a test-version of WebP running in Chrome's beta channel that's faster yet. How much so? It drops image decode speeds by 25 percent. If that means faster access to super hero videos and pictures of lazy dogs, sign us up.

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Source: The Chromium Blog

Tags: bandwidth, DataCaps, google, Internet, webp, youtube Next: MLB at Bat for Windows Phone adds push notifications and pitch tracking .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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Hey, boss, 12 percent will watch March Madness in meetings

A survey asks workers when they intend to use their gadgets to watch the NCAA tournament. At work, 66 percent say. Even a performance review wouldn't stop them from watching, say 4 percent.

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IBM laying off up to 25 percent of 'hardware' division

Big Blue confirms it's commencing workforce cuts, but declines to put a number on the job losses. A source tells CNET the layoffs entail up to 25 percent in the Systems and Technology group.

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Report: Less than one percent of mobile gamers responsible for half of all in-app purchases

With the runaway success of Candy Crush Saga, it's perfectly natural to wonder just how many people are dropping coin in freemium mobile games. One firm's answer, however, might surprise you. A very small number -- 0.15 percent, to be exact -- of total mobile payers contribute half of monthly in-game revenue, according to in-app marketing company Swrve. The outfit also says that over 60 percent of the money made within the first two weeks of a player's life is made on the first day. Meaning, if most people install a game and don't make any purchases almost immediately, they likely won't at all. The report comes from a limited sample, but designers hoping to build the next fragile confection-like phenomenon are probably studying it for secrets right now. We've embedded the provided infographic after the break should you want a peek at a whole lot of graphs for yourself.

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IE 11 snares 10 percent of desktop browser traffic

(Credit:Net Applications)

Internet Explorer 11 continues to catch on with Web surfers.

The latest version of IE grabbed 10.4 percent of all desktop browser traffic recorded in December by Web tracker Net Applications. That number revealed a huge bounce from the 3.2 percent seen in November and the 1.5 percent in October.

IE 11 initially popped up as part of the Windows 8.1 preview that debuted in June. A version for Windows 7 finally appeared in early November as an "important" update, paving the way for its adoption by a much larger audience. The December stats show IE 11 in fourth place, behind IE 8 with a 20.6 percent share, Chrome 31 with 12.8 percent, and IE 10 with 11 percent.

Overall, IE remains the dominant browser with a 57.9 percent share in December, according to Net Applications. Firefox took second place with 18.3 percent, followed by Chrome with 16.2 percent.

Topics: Internet Explorer Tags: Firefox, Internet Explorer 11, browser, Microsoft, Chrome, IE 11

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Samsung's new TV remote for 2014 has a new pebble shape, 80 percent smaller touchpad

Samsung couldn't wait for CES to start leaking information about its new HDTVs, starting with the remote. After rolling out larger and larger contraptions over the years with more buttons (on both sides, even), this year's "Smart Control" model has a touchpad that is 80 percent smaller than the 2013 version. That control is in the middle (adjusted from the 2012 and 2013 versions, shown in this infographic) which, combined with a new button layout, integrated microphone and gesture control -- similar to LG's Magic Remote, among others -- promises to make controlling apps and content even easier. We've heard these claims before, and its pebble shape is very similar to the Panasonic Viera Touch remote introduced a couple of years ago, but we're for anything that's simpler than Samsung's previous remotes.

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Source: Samsung Tomorrow (1), (2)

Tags: ces2014, hdpostcross, remote, samsung, smartcontrol Next: Netflix is testing multiple new subscription plans, like 3 streams for $9.99 .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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