MSN TV Shuttering; Samsung Shares Dip; Apple App Store Turns 5

Topping tech headlines during the July 4 weekend was news that Microsoft is officially pulling the plug on its MSN TV service at the end of September.

The company acquired the service ? then called WebTV ? in April 1997, and turned it into a $200-plus set-top box that provided Internet access via a television for $20 per month. But advances in Internet technology, particularly for the TV, has made MSN TV obsolete, so the service will shut down on Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, hardware giant Samsung took a hit last week after an earnings miss. Though its operating income - 9.5 trillion won ($8.3 billion) - is an impressive-sounding number, analysts were hoping for a figure above 10 billion won. Samsung could be the victim of an oversaturated smartphone market, though some believe low-end devices are encroaching on the field. The phone maker's considerable marketing campaign for the Galaxy S 4 and its 1,400 specialized Samsung stores popping up inside of Best Buy retail shops could also be a factor.

In other news, the Apple App Store is celebrating its five-year anniversary this week, commemorating the occasion by reminding people of some of its biggest milestones ? like the store's one billionth download in April 2009, the premiere of the wildly successful Angry Birds in February 2010, and 50 billion downloads on May 16 of this year. But some "milestones" are conspicuously missing from Apple's list, like app removals and other black eyes. Apple will be offering some of its popular apps for free to celebrate the birthday, so keep an eye out.

Also making headlines over the weekend:

• U.K. Orders Google to 'Amend' Privacy Policy: The drama over Google's updated privacy policy continued last week when U.K. regulators formally asked the search giant to "amend" its terms.
• EU Approves Tougher Sentences for Cyber Crime: The European Parliament on Thursday voted to strengthen its cyber-crime laws, with new penalties for running botnets or attacking critical infrastructure.
• Nintendo Won't Use Layoffs to Boost Financials: Nintendo might be on the ropes for a little bit as far as console sales go, but heads aren't going to roll ? just crappy accessories.
• Bing Audio Brings Music Discovery to 14 New Countries: Bing Audio, Microsoft's music-recognition app, rolled out to 14 new countries.
• Infographic: Twitter Named Most Illiterate Social Network: When two marketing firms teamed up to test the literacy of popular social network, they discovered a sad truth about the micro-blogging site.
• Peapod's Virtual Grocery Store Hits the Road: Peapod.com's virtual grocery store is hitting the streets this summer, heading to five major cities along the East Coast and Chicago.
• Foodily Arrives on iPad to Save Your Dinner Plans: Foodily offers thousands of recipes in a great interface, now on iPad.
• Asiana Airlines Crash at SFO: The Web's on the Scene: The phrases "SFO," "Boeing 777," and "Asiana Airlines" jumped to the top of Twitter's trending list after a plane crash-landed at San Francisco International Airport.
• Infographic: The Internet, Then And Now: WhoIsHostingThis journeyed back to 1969, when the U.S. military-funded research network Arpanet connected four computers, to take a look at the Internet, then and now.
• RIAA Records 25 Millionth URL Takedown on Google: The bigger number, though, is the increase in takedown notices that the RIAA has been serving to Google lately.

Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2421434,00.asp?kc=PCRSS05039TX1K0000759

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