BGR Daily Breaking Stories

Daily Headlines FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015

Galaxy S6 vs. iPhone 6: Samsung is a clear winner in low-light camera comparison They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but two pictures can be worth even more. Samsung finally took the wraps off of its next-generation flagship smartphones earlier this week. The new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are easily two of the most impressive phones we’ve seen in a long, long time. The designs are gorgeous and the performance is jaw-dropping… these phones really are the total package. But as it turns out, Samsung didn’t stop there — the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge might also feature one of the best cameras we have ever seen on a smartphone.  MORE → Apple to replace AT&T in the Dow Jones In a move that many felt was a long time coming, Joseph Weisenthal of Bloomberg is reporting that Apple is poised to replace AT&T in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. *APPLE TO REPLACE AT&T IN DJIA — Joseph Weisenthal (@TheStalwart) March 6, 2015 The change is expected to go into effect at the beginning of the trading day on Thursday, March 19. In a press release on the upcoming DJIA shuffle, David Blitzer explained the rationale behind the move was somewhat prompted by a recent Visa 4-1 stock split. Also helping matters is that Apple’s stock price is now much lower following the company’s 7-1 stock split last June. As the largest corporation in the world and a leader in technology, Apple is the clear choice for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the most recognized stock market measure, The DJIA is price weighted so extremely high stock prices tend to distort the index while very low stock prices have little impact. The timing of Apple’s addition to the DJIA hinged on two stock splits: Apple’s 7:1  last June and Visa’s 4:1 on March 19th this year. Apple’s split brought the stock price down closer  to the median price in the DJIA. The Visa split will reduce the technology weight in the DJIA and  make room for Apple. Among the current DJIA constituents, AT&T has one of the lowest prices.  Moreover, the DJIA is over-weighted in telecommunications and AT&T and Verizon are quite  similar, though AT&T has a smaller market capitalization. Developing…  MORE → Excited about Google becoming a wireless carrier? There’s a huge catch Android is all about choice. Google’s open mobile platform rocketed from out of nowhere to become the world’s leading mobile operating system, and its meteoric rise was thanks in large part to the wide range of Android-powered devices that flooded the market. Google loves attacking new industries, as we all know, and the company confirmed that one of its next big moves will be to launch a wireless carrier. Interestingly, however, a new report claims that the key element that made Android a hit may be completely abandoned by Google’s wireless carrier service at launch.  MORE → If the TWC merger fails, Comcast could pursue an even more evil backup plan If its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable goes down, Comcast could make us regret it. Really, really regret it. BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield writes that if regulators shoot down the TWC merger, Comcast could turn its attention to buying up a number of other properties to bolster its business… including Netflix.  MORE → I totally get why you want an even slimmer smartphone Whenever I see a company announcing the newest smartphone that also happens to be the slimmest in the world I tend to roll my eyes immediately, thinking that device makers should first figure out how to deliver great smartphone battery life, and then further shrink down the size of their phones. It’s not even surprising to see that iPhone 6 owners wouldn’t mind the device being a bit thicker if that meant having better battery life. But I will admit that I saw one product at MWC that made me understand why some of you want even slimmer smartphones.  MORE → I can’t believe I’m saying this but… webOS looks like a great smartwatch platform Of all the failed smartphone platforms I’ve seen over the years, webOS’s death was the most tragic because it really was a wonderfully intuitive platform that was  especially good for multitasking. Ever since Palm got bought out by HP, which subsequently sold webOS to LG, the platform has basically been dead although it always pops up every now and then running on a TV or a washing machine. However, a great video of LG’s Watch Urbane LTE has me thinking that webOS might have a 17th life as a wearables platform.  MORE → Video: Watch Conan’s hilarious first trip to Cuba With relations between the United States and Cuba finally thawing, Conan O’Brien decided to take a trip down to the beautiful island to give us a glimpse of what it’s really like to live there.  MORE → Top tech companies have stashed an insane $420 billion overseas When it comes to U.S. companies holding vast quantities of cash abroad, Apple is typically singled out… and with good reason. The Cupertino-based company has upwards of $180 billion in the bank, $69.7 billion of which is stashed away in overseas bank accounts.  MORE → The world’s tiniest drone shows privacy may be dead for good Privacy seems like such a quaint 20th Century concept, doesn’t it? Unbox Therapy has posted a video of the CX-10 Mini Drone, which is described as the world’s smallest drone and is a definite harbinger of things to come. In other words, it looks like privacy is finally toast.  MORE → Rock Band 4 officially coming to PS4, Xbox One in 2015 After skirting around the inevitable for months, Harmonix finally announced on Thursday that Rock Band 4 will be coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2015. Rock Band 4 will support all of your old music, which means that it will have a potential setlist of over 2000 songs at launch.  MORE →