The Top 10 Places People Lose Their Smartphones

BY AUSTIN CARR OF fASTCOMPANY.COM

"Can you call my phone?"

How many times have you been asked this question in the last year? Losing your phone, whether between your couch cushions or (like most Apple employees) at a bar, is a common headache. But finding your phone is another story, one that usually requires a bit of serendipity or the kindheartedness of a good Samaritan.

Today, mobile-security startup Lookout, which specializes in Android smartphone protection, released an infographic on the lost-phone phenomenon--namely, the 10 worst places to lose your phone, and the top U.S. cities for smartphone loss or theft.

According to Lookout's data, the No. 1 city for cellphone loss, based on the percentage of its population, is Miami. No doubt that season of the Jersey Shore factored into the outcome. (Who could've possibly been sober in the MIA during the weeks the MVP were present?) New York City comes in second, followed by Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Philly, Dallas, and Chicago are all in the bottom half.

As for the top 10 worst places to lose your phone, based on chance of recovery, a restaurant or bar isn't such a horrible place, coming in at No. 9 (chance of recovery is fairly high, at 80% to 95%). The car roof comes in at No. 8, with a 25% to 75% chance of recovery. Unsurprisingly, public transit makes up a big part of the top 10. Airport security, buses and subways, airplanes, taxis--all these areas are prime spots to lose your phone.

The worst location to have your phone go missing is the swimming pool, which has a 50% to 75% chance of recovery--but your sopping-wet phone, even if retrieved, has less than a 5% chance of ever working again.

READ article on FastCompany.com.

Netflix raises plan prices, splits DVD and streaming options

By Tecca | Today in Tech

Apparently all good things, or at least all good prices, must come to an end. Gone are the days of getting both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming video from Netflix for one low price; the company has just announced a new pricing scheme that separates DVDs from streaming video, and charges full price for both. Subscribers can now choose unlimited streaming video for $7.99 a month, or unlimited DVDs (one at a time) also for $7.99 a month. If you want both, you'll have to pay $15.98 each month for the privilege.

There was a time when if you wanted to watch a movie, you actually had to go to a theater to do it. Then came home video, and eventually, Netflix removed the need to leave your house to rent movies to watch. Then came Netflix streaming, and fans of instant gratification rejoiced. As subscribers quickly realized the convenience of streaming video, Netflix introduced a streaming-only subscription option. For a while, fans of both streaming video and DVDs had it great — newer movies on DVD, older features to watch on streaming video whenever they wanted, and all for a pretty good price. Now, not so much.

READ article on Yahoo! News.

Justin Timberlake Considers Turning MySpace into a Talent Show

by Stan Schroeder, Mashable.com

MySpace’s new owners, Specific Media, and Justin Timberlake — who has an ownership stake in the company — are considering plans for the site that include a possible talent show.

“Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out,” said Timberlake’s manager Johnny Wright in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“We definitely want to bring the industry back to MySpace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there,” Wright added.

Timberlake and the new management have said they plan to steer the site’s focus in the direction of music and entertainment. MySpace may have been bleeding traffic in the last two years, but it’s still a very popular site for bands and musicians, and Specific Media obviously plans to capitalize on this.

READ article on Mashable.com.