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  It’s unlikely that the Jawbone Jambox will be shoved off its throne anytime soon; not necessarily because it’s the best-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker out there, but because it was here first, and it made a huge splash (in part because, yes, it sounds pretty good). But I were to bet on a challenger, I might put my money on the smart new UE Boom. Not only is it ruggedized against drops and splashes, but it’s armed with two very unusual tricks. The first is that two Booms can become a stereo setup with the help of a free companion iOS or Android app; the second is its ability to blast sound in 360 degrees. Then there’s other good stuff, like the Boom’s special plasma-coated acoustic skin — which sounds like it jumped straight out of the latest Marvel flick, and lets the Boom shrug off stains and water. All this, coupled with a 15-hour li-ion battery and UE’s solid reputation for making stuff that sounds fantastic (like the UE Boombox, which we absolutely adored), means that we could be looking at an usurper of the the throne. The UE Boom will be available this month for $200. Related StoriesYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceSound for Disasters: Eton’s Tough New Rukus Bluetooth Speaker is Solar-Powered, SplashproofAnalyst: Don’t Plan To See An iWatch Until Later In 2014, But It Will Probably Use Biometrics

Samsung Electronics has announced that global channel sales of its Galaxy S4 has surpassed 10 million units shipped in less than one month after its commercial debut. Launched globally on April 27, the phone is estimated to be selling at a rate of four units per second. Shipments of the Galaxy S III reached the 10-million mark 50 days after its launch in 2012, while the Galaxy S II took five months and the Galaxy S seven months to reach the same milestone....

In a blog post today, aimed squarely at reports in both the Washington Post and the LA Times, Yelp’s Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes any claim of wrongdoing or pressure to advertise in exchange for hiding poor user reviews. Sollitto points to a third-party, ongoing study by Harvard and Yale professors that hasn’t shown a connection between advertising and Yelps proprietary filtering algorithms. He also notes that the few cases taken to court by business owners have been thrown out due to a lack of fact-based evidence. In addition, Sollitto writes, a simple Google search for sponsors of Yelp that also have poor rating keywords, like “rude staff” in them will show plenty of advertisers with bad Yelp ratings. His point is solid, though still pretty circumstantial. Showing that there are some restaurants out there with poor Yelp ratings who also advertise doesn’t prove anything about whether Yelp ad sales representatives have offered to bury poor reviews in the Yelp interface in mobile apps, for example. Still, Yelp does use automated software to float the “most helpful” reviews to the top of its interface on the web and mobile devices, with less helpful ones posed on a page of filtered reviews (about 20 percent of all reviews, according to Sollitto). Without full transparency about how the automated software works, we really don’t know what it does. Sollitto says that filtering reviews is a way to help keep restaurant owners from gaming the system. “So, in trying to prevent unethical wrongdoing on Yelp,” he writes, “Yelp gets accused of the same.” Unfortunately, even the appearance of impropriety can adversely affect a service like Yelp, and this blog post is an attempt to stem the tide of accusations from business owners toward the restaurant rating service. Sollitto says it best in his blog post, writing, “If consumers can’t trust Yelp’s content to give them an accurate prediction of their offline experience with a business, the site won’t be useful to anyone — consumers looking for great local businesses and great local businesses looking to be discovered by new customers.” Yelp is available on the iTunes App Store as well as on Google Play. Source: Yelp Blog Via: Electronista Related StoriesGoogle Brings New Voice Search Features To ChromeTwitter Finally Gets Two-Factor Authentication To Keep Accounts From Getting HackedPandora Updated To Let You Share Everything You Listen To On FacebookYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing Service

In a blog post today, aimed squarely at reports in both the Washington Post and the LA Times, Yelp’s Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes any claim of wrongdoing or pressure to advertise in exchange for hiding poor user reviews. Sollitto points to a third-party, ongoing study by Harvard and Yale professors that hasn’t shown a connection between advertising and Yelps proprietary filtering algorithms. He also notes that the few cases taken to court by business owners have been thrown out due to a lack of fact-based evidence. In addition, Sollitto writes, a simple Google search for sponsors of Yelp that also have poor rating keywords, like “rude staff” in them will show plenty of advertisers with bad Yelp ratings. His point is solid, though still pretty circumstantial. Showing that there are some restaurants out there with poor Yelp ratings who also advertise doesn’t prove anything about whether Yelp ad sales representatives have offered to bury poor reviews in the Yelp interface in mobile apps, for example. Still, Yelp does use automated software to float the “most helpful” reviews to the top of its interface on the web and mobile devices, with less helpful ones posed on a page of filtered reviews (about 20 percent of all reviews, according to Sollitto). Without full transparency about how the automated software works, we really don’t know what it does. Sollitto says that filtering reviews is a way to help keep restaurant owners from gaming the system. “So, in trying to prevent unethical wrongdoing on Yelp,” he writes, “Yelp gets accused of the same.” Unfortunately, even the appearance of impropriety can adversely affect a service like Yelp, and this blog post is an attempt to stem the tide of accusations from business owners toward the restaurant rating service. Sollitto says it best in his blog post, writing, “If consumers can’t trust Yelp’s content to give them an accurate prediction of their offline experience with a business, the site won’t be useful to anyone — consumers looking for great local businesses and great local businesses looking to be discovered by new customers.” Source: Yelp Blog Via: Electronista Related StoriesGoogle Brings New Voice Search Features To ChromeTwitter Finally Gets Two-Factor Authentication To Keep Accounts From Getting HackedPandora Updated To Let You Share Everything You Listen To On FacebookYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing Service

In a blog post today, aimed squarely at reports in both the Washington Post and the LA Times, Yelp’s Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes any claim of wrongdoing or pressure to advertise in exchange for hiding poor user reviews. Sollitto points to a third-party, ongoing study by Harvard and Yale professors that hasn’t shown a connection between advertising and Yelps proprietary filtering algorithms. He also notes that the few cases taken to court by business owners have been thrown out due to a lack of fact-based evidence. In addition, Sollitto writes, a simple Google search for sponsors of Yelp that also have poor rating keywords, like “rude staff” in them will show plenty of advertisers with bad Yelp ratings. His point is solid, though still pretty circumstantial. Showing that there are some restaurants out there with poor Yelp ratings who also advertise doesn’t prove anything about whether Yelp ad sales representatives have offered to bury poor reviews in the Yelp interface in mobile apps, for example. Still, Yelp does use automated software to float the “most helpful” reviews to the top of its interface on the web and mobile devices, with less helpful ones posed on a page of filtered reviews (about 20 percent of all reviews, according to Sollitto). Without full transparency about how the automated software works, we really don’t know what it does. Sollitto says that filtering reviews is a way to help keep restaurant owners from gaming the system. “So, in trying to prevent unethical wrongdoing on Yelp,” he writes, “Yelp gets accused of the same.” Unfortunately, even the appearance of impropriety can adversely affect a service like Yelp, and this blog post is an attempt to stem the tide of accusations from business owners toward the restaurant rating service. Sollitto says it best in his blog post, writing, “If consumers can’t trust Yelp’s content to give them an accurate prediction of their offline experience with a business, the site won’t be useful to anyone — consumers looking for great local businesses and great local businesses looking to be discovered by new customers.” Source: Yelp Blog Via: Electronista Related StoriesGoogle Brings New Voice Search Features To ChromeTwitter Finally Gets Two-Factor Authentication To Keep Accounts From Getting HackedPandora Updated To Let You Share Everything You Listen To On FacebookYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing ServiceYelp Refutes Media Claims Of Impropriety In Its Restaurant Listing Service

AMD has provided solid details on its new processor lines for the future. The "Temash" APU chipset for "performance tablets" has been detailed, alongside mainstream computing line "Kabini" and elite performance level "Richland" processors, boasting up to 71 percent better graphics performance than the Intel Core i5, according to the manufacturer....

Not a real product, yet. Hoping to see an Apple-branded smart watch this June at WWDC? How about next March at MacWorld/iWorld? Don’t hold your breath, says Ming-Chi Kuo, a KGI Securities analyst. Kuo tells investors that Apple might not have enough resources to make an iOS compatible with such a new form factor, especially given Apple’s probable current iOS 7 efforts. Kuo’s note says that since wearable devices like the rumored iWatch just aren’t mature enough to expect any kind of mass production this year, pushing that to the second half of 2014. He’s also quoted as saying that Apple will likely choose a one-and-a-half to tw-inch screen for any watch-like device, and make use of biometric systems for security. Kuo points to Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec last summer. Kuo also thinks that Apple will model the first model of a possible iWatch off of the iPod nano, which makes a lot of sense, obviously, especially in regards to the touchscreen tech and processor involved. Further, Kuo believes that biometrics will be a key feature for the iWatch, allowing for increased security and opening the door to broader health-related applications. The biometric support should also aid in building out the cross-device integration many expect to see from the iWatch. Kuo has been right in the past, especially in his prediction of the timing of Apple’s 13-inch Retina Macbook Pro, as well as iPod and iPad details, says CNET. While a later manufacturing date means we won’t get our hands on this product for a long while, if it’s truly going to come to fruition, at least his prediction means that an iWatch is still on its way. Source: MacRumors Via: CNET Related StoriesThe Omni Group Releases OmniPresence, Its Own Take On Cloud Sync Between AppsTim Cook’s Reaction To John McCain’s App Question Is Priceless [Image]iPhone Case Makers Collide: Otterbox Has Bought LifeProofMicrosoft’s New Windows 8 Ad Uses Siri To Mock The iPad [Video]Sound for Disasters: Eton’s Tough New Rukus Bluetooth Speaker is Solar-Powered, Splashproof

Today Eton added the Rugged Rukus to their Rukus line of Bluetooth speakers. Like most of its Rukus siblings, the Rugged is solar-powered; unlike its siblings, the Rugged is splashproof. A great addition  for our all-hell-has-broken-loose list. The Rugged Rukus carries a waterproof rating of IPX4, which means it’s pretty much immune to splashes (just don’t drop it in the bathtub or hose it down); it’s also tough enough to survive drops from about three feet. And of course it’s solar-powered — you can even charge devices (including tablets) off its eight-hour lithium battery. The Rugged Rukus should be available about now at REI, Apple stores and on Amazon for $100 — pretty good for a speaker with all that special sauce.     Related StoriesPopular Apple Analyst Michael Gartenberg Joins Apple’s Marketing TeamThe Omni Group Releases OmniPresence, Its Own Take On Cloud Sync Between AppsTim Cook’s Reaction To John McCain’s App Question Is Priceless [Image]iPhone Case Makers Collide: Otterbox Has Bought LifeProofMicrosoft’s New Windows 8 Ad Uses Siri To Mock The iPad [Video]

Crowdsourced review service Yelp has come under attack again over reports of business owners complaints that reviews are "too self-centered and not trustworthy" and that the company hides reviews to its own benefit. A blog post by Yelp's Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes the claims which have been reported to the media, and hopes to clear up the service's reputation....

Crowdsourced review service Yelp has come under attack again over reports of business owners complaints that reviews are "too self-centered and not trustworthy" and that the company hides reviews to its own benefit. A blog post by Yelp's Vice President of Communications Vince Sollitto refutes the claims which have been reported to the media, and hopes to clear up the service's reputation....