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Spotify debuts weekly top 50

This week the most streamed song on Spotify in the U.S. is "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and the most shared song on social networks is "Lift Me Up" by Five Finger Death Punch.

How did this information become available?

Spotify launched a new feature Tuesday that provides weekly updates of the 50 most streamed and viral songs within its music-streaming platform.

Dubbed Spotify Charts and available in 28 countries, this top 50 feature also shows how many plays each song has to date. ("Can't Hold Us" is … Read more

What we know about the Xbox One

CNET Update explains the Xbox One:

Microsoft has revealed its new console, the Xbox One, and it aims to be the one system to handle all home entertainment. This episode of Update gives you the quick roundup of Xbox One's features. Not all these features will be good news for gamers -- such as the requirement to pay a fee to play a used game.

Dive deeper into CNET's coverage of the Xbox One with these stories:

- Details on Microsoft's Xbox One

- The games revealed for the Xbox One

- Details about the Kinect sensor improvements … Read more

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

What's hotter -- the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4?

This year kicked off a new chapter in gaming history as Microsoft and Sony revealed their next-generation consoles, which are destined to rule living rooms (and hands) around the world. Of course, Nintendo also had its fun with the Wii U, but hard-core gamers don't seem to really be jumping on the device.… Read more

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4

Microsoft revealed specs and features for the Xbox One today at an event in Redmond, Wash. This finally gives us a chance to directly compare the new Xbox One with the PlayStation 4.

From the initial specs released from Microsoft and Sony thus far, it would seem that from strictly a specs standpoint, the two are extremely similar, so expect the vast majority of games to look similar across the two platforms.

The buying decision between the two consoles will seemingly come down instead to services and features, such as live TV on the Xbox One.

Check below for the … Read more

The 404 1,272: Where Tumblr takes the cake (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Yahoo confirms $1.1B Tumblr buy, promises "not to screw it up."

- WordPress: 72K blog posts exited Tumblr in one hour over Yahoo deal.

- Tumblr CEO David Karp was on the 404 almost five years ago to the date.

- Australian politician sorry for "liking" Facebook photo of teenager's genitals.

- Nintendo claims ownership over gamer fanvids on YouTube.

Bathroom break video: Smooth McGroove sings an a capella cover of the Chemical Plant Zone music from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.… Read more

Ex-GTA producer: Don't expect 3 consoles in next, next gen

A former Grand Theft Auto producer at Rockstar Games thinks that the next, next generation in consoles won't have three hardware makers competing for your dollars.

Speaking to Games Industry in an interview published on Monday, Jeremy Pope said the economics of the console market make no sense for there to be three hardware companies competing after the next round of consoles launch.

"It's going to be very challenging for Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo," said Pope, who is currently running a mobile startup he founded called Rally Games. "I wouldn't be surprised if we … Read more

On eve of Xbox reveal, Sony teases PS4 peek for E3

Hey, remember the PlayStation 4? Actually, we never saw it, now, did we? Sony's new teaser trailer for the PS4, however, released minutes ago, gives us a decent dose of blurry silhouette and fast-cut shots of what look like details.

The Sony press conference is on June 10 at 6 p.m. PT at E3 in Los Angeles, which is where more details should be spilled -- as opposed to the February PS4 preview event, which was mainly conversations and promises about features. … Read more

How to upload documents, e-books to Google Play Books

Mixed in with all of the announcements and releases from Google I/O earlier this week, the Google Play Books service received an important update. Google Play Books users can now upload personal PDFs and e-books they currently own to the service.

To upload a document to the service, you can visit Play.Google.com and click on the My Books section heading, or you can go to the My Books section directly by using this link.

You will see a new "Uploads" option on the left-hand side; when you click on it you'll be prompted to … Read more

Star Apps: Penny Arcade's Tycho

As one of the longest-running and most successful Web comics of all time, Penny Arcade has garnered an enormous and devoted fanbase who lives for the topical, no-holds-barred commentary of gamer characters John "Gabe" Gabriel and Tycho Brahe. The Web comic has also spawned the annual gaming convention PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) and multiple video games.

In a recent e-mail interview with Download.com, Penny Arcade's co-creator and writer Jerry Holkins, the man behind Tycho, discussed, among other things, his experiences developing games, current gaming trends, and his top five mobile game apps.

When is On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness … Read more

Sonic the Hedgehog hits Android, Nintendo platforms

Attention all those of you who came of age in the 1990s: Sonic the Hedgehog is back and ready for the mobile world of the 21st century.

So get out your old HyperColor T-shirts, pop in that cassette copy of Pearl Jam's "Ten," and get ready to relive the days when kids had actually heard of a company named Sega.

The company this week launched a remastered version of the original Sonic game in the Google Play store for Android, and also announced the next title in the Sonic franchise will be exclusive to perhaps Sega's oldest foe, Nintendo.… Read more