This week in tech: 5 must-know things

— -- 1. Customers caught in crossfire between Viacom and DirecTV

Satellite provider DirecTV stopped broadcasting a number of channels provided by Viacom.

What channels did they yank?

•Comedy Central

•BET

•MTV

•Nickelodeon

•Spike

•VH1

Why the kerfuffle?

Viacom wanted to charge DirecTV 30% more to broadcast its channels. DirecTV would have none of it and is essentially boycotting Viacom until the two companies can negotiate a more amenable deal.

Who gains from this game of chicken?

No one yet. We'll have to wait and see who blinks first.

Who loses?

•The television shows that lost access to their DirecTV fans. Some of them, including The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, have created videos urging viewers to call DirecTV and ask for an end to the standoff.

•The consumers. Without some of their favorite television shows since Tuesday night, the viewers are simply waiting. As a consolation gift, DirecTV subscribers are getting eight premium Encore movie channels free until July 31.

2. Apple drops environmental certification; San Francisco drops Apple

Apple withdrew from green certification program EPEAT on July 6. Shortly after, the government of San Francisco announced it would no longer buy any Apple products.

Why would Apple do this?

The battery in the new line of MacBook Pros is glued or soldered directly to the case, making it very difficult to recycle. EPEAT, which stands for Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, also doesn't have standards for tablets and smartphones.

Is Apple truly not green?

It depends on who you ask. Greenpeace says Apple is the fourth-greenest tech company in the world, and it follows the energy compliance standards of Energy Star. But many schools and governments put great weight in EPEAT's standards, meaning Apple could have a bit of an image problem on its hands.

3. Meet Ouya, the latest video game console

Imagine playing the games you love on your smartphone while using a full-sized controller on your home TV.

Ouya (pronounced OOO-yah) plans to give you just that.

About the size of a Rubix cube, the Ouya game system will sell for less than $100.

How does it differ from the video game consoles I have now?

Though most video games on traditional gaming platforms arrive on a disc, Ouya sells its games directly through an online store, similar to the Android Market or the Apple App Store. It allows users to download free trials, like they would on a smartphone, and possibly upgrade later.

4. BlackBerry's last bet

Research in Motion, the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, hopes its upcoming BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system will pull the company out of its slump and again make it a formidable opponent to Apple, Google and Microsoft.

While BlackBerry used to dominate the smartphone market with its trademark keyboard and click wheel, phones with touch screens have surpassed RIM's models, putting its stock at a nine-year low and forcing a 30% cut to its workforce.

BlackBerry 10 will have fewer games than its smartphone counterparts, but top RIM executives hope the increasing customer base of smartphones will buy into its multitasking capabilities when it comes out early next year.

5. 'Angry Birds' just got bigger