Content and publishing

BitTorrent Surf is a new Chrome add-on (download) that turns the browser into a torrent client. While that's not an innovation on its own, this is the first time the company has built a complete torrent-manager for the browser.

In development for the past six months, according to the BitTorrent blog announcing the add-on, Surf lets you find torrents on the Web and download them.

Still in rough alpha, Surf goes beyond that. It allows for automatic torrent detection when you navigate to a site, and you can save favorite sites to "create your own combined engine," … Read more

Netflix users will soon have more shows to stream courtesy of the company's latest studio deals.

New multiyear agreements with Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Television Group will provide Netflix with complete past seasons from the Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation, and Adult Swim. Episodes from the current TNT series "Dallas" will also saddle up for the ride.

Various Cartoon Network shows will pop up on Netflix's "Just for Kids" section. Titles will include "Adventure Time," "Ben 10," "Regular Show," and "Johnny Bravo." And Warner Bros. … Read more

Audiobooks.com has lowered its subscription price, but now you can listen to only one or two books per month.

The new plans offer two different options. You can pay $14.95 per month to listen to one audiobook or $22.95 each month to hear up to two books. Previously, the site charged people $24.95 per month but gave them the ability to listen to an unlimited number of audiobooks for that fee.

Why the change? A spokesman for Audiobooks.com sent CNET the following statement:

Google is opening up Google Play to allow all developers who worked on a particular app to chime in to address comments from users.

Last June, the search giant first started to let people with Top Developers badges respond to user comments. But now the company is expanding that program so that any developer can respond regardless of status, according to The Next Web.

The feature isn't yet available to all developers but is on its way. A Google spokesperson told TNW that "the feature originally rolled out to top developers, and we're gradually expanding it to … Read more

Facebook has pulled Instagram traffic from public view, according to a story out yesterday from TechCrunch.

Instagram's page on AppData, which reports user numbers based on data obtained through Facebook's API, now states that "Facebook no longer reports new data for this application."

As an example cited by TechCrunch, Instagram showed 45.8 million monthly active users on January 7 as measured by Facebook logins. That number was zero as of yesterday.

Facebook told TechCrunch that the move was designed to bring Instagram in accord with its other apps, which don't appear separately in AppData.… Read more

Amazon Prime has expanded its coverage to Canada, but not all benefits will be part of the package.

Starting today, Prime will be offered to Canadian consumers for the yearly fee of $79.

The service's unlimited two-day shipping will be available in most of the country, according to Canada's Times Colonist. People in rural areas can grab the unlimited shipping but with no two-day guarantee. Those in certain locations will be able to upgrade to one-day shipping starting at $3.99 per item.

Steve Oliver, the country manager for Amazon.ca, told the Times Colonist that the shipping … Read more

Walmart will soon be able to convert your DVD movies to online digital content right from your own PC.

The company's Disc-to-Digital service already handles that type of conversion. But the current process requires you to hop over to your local Walmart store to get your DVD converted.

Starting sometime this month, the expanded service will handle the whole conversion with you driving it from your PC. Using its Vudu video streaming service, Walmart will convert your DVD and Blu-ray movies and TV shows into UltraViolet digital copies. Those copies are then stored in your own online libraries where … Read more

The Chinese government is once again imposing new restrictions on Internet use.

A decision approved today by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress institutes an "identity management policy," according to China's official Xinhua news agency. Such a policy requires Internet users to use their real names when registering with an online provider or mobile carrier.

Though most Chinese Internet users already use their real names to sign up for online accounts, the new policy makes it the law.

Li Fei, deputy director of the Commission for Legislative Affairs of the Standing Committee, did acknowledge … Read more

Apple's use of HTTPS for its App Store isn't winning it any friends from the Chinese government.

The company seems to have recently turned on the more secure protocol for its App Store. Before that switch, censors in China could block Chinese users from searching for certain types of apps, such as VPN software, according to Greatfire.org, which monitors Chinese Internet censorship.

Searching for such apps would cause the actual connection to reset, meaning users in China couldn't download them even if they were available in the Chinese App Store.

But now with the more secure … Read more