AfterDawn: Tech news

News written by Andre Yoskowitz

AfterDawn: News

GMG apologizes for bad Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 keys

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Nov 2016 6:56

GMG apologizes for bad Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 keys Green Man Gaming (GMG) has apologized for sending out bad keys for the new Titanfall 2 and Battlefield 1 games.

Many consumers pre-ordered the games and either received invalid keys or did not receive any keys at all.

Reads the company's statement on the matter: "Over the last few days, the demand for Battlefield 1 and Titanfall 2 on the Green Man Gaming store has been unprecedented. Our mission is to put the customer first and offer gamers a wide range of products at great prices. Our customer service team take pride in looking after our customers and we'd like to sincerely apologise to all those customers who we've been slow to respond to.

We have put on extra customer service staff and are dedicated to making sure all our customer queries are responded to as soon as possible.

We recognise that it can be frustrating for some of our pre-order customers who were not able to play their games immediately but, we're working through our tickets as fast as we can to ensure we help all our customers with their queries."


GMG had similar problems earlier this year with Overwatch.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Worldwide tablet sales fall nearly 15 percent year-over-year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Nov 2016 12:17

Worldwide tablet sales fall nearly 15 percent year-over-year The global tablet slump continued this quarter, showing a year-over-year decline of 14.7 percent to 43 million units.

Most vendors saw significant declines but Amazon's Prime Day sale led to huge sales of the company's Fire tablet, which sells for under $100.

"Beyond the different end-user experience delivered by low- and high-end tablets, we're witnessing real tectonic movements in the market with slate companion devices sold at the low-end serving a broader platform strategy, like Amazon is doing with Alexa on its Fire Tablets, and more expensive productivity tools closer to true computing and legitimate notebook replacement devices that should manage to keep average prices up," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director, Tablets at IDC.

Apple and Samsung still control the market, with 21.5 and 15 percent market share, respectively, but each saw declines during the quarter.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Google giving out $50 Play vouchers due to delays in Pixel shipments

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Nov 2016 12:05

Google giving out $50 Play vouchers due to delays in Pixel shipments Earlier this week, Google announced that its Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have sold out of pre-orders, with demand much higher than expectations.

Due to the lack of supply, shipments have been delayed and Google is sending affected customers some Play Store credits to apologize.

If your phone is not being shipped by its promised date, you should be receiving an email with $50 of store credit, which can be used on media like movies, music, and apps.

See the attached screenshot of emails that affected users have received:

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Google reveals actively exploited Windows vulnerability

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 Oct 2016 11:19

Google reveals actively exploited Windows vulnerability Google has revealed details of a 0-day vulnerability in the Windows operating system that it claims is being currently exploited.

The search giant disclosed the flaw to Microsoft just 10 days ago, but Microsoft has not yet released a patch or even an advisory.

Reads Google's post:

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

LG, Samsung fight for new Apple OLED business with large investments

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 Oct 2016 10:11

LG, Samsung fight for new Apple OLED business with large investments Both LG Display and Samsung will combine to invest about $12 billion USD in flexible OLED tech this year in an effort to win orders for the upcoming Apple iPhones.

The investments are a record high and analysts believe the companies will continue in a "do or die" fight to become the leader in the market.

Samsung is currently the clear leader in the market for small and mid-sized OLEDs, accounting for over 90 percent of units sold. The company will make an additional $4 billion investment this quarter alone. LG, on the other hand, will make a similar investment this quarter to make sure facilities are ready for manufacturing of hundreds of millions of displays for Apple.

Apple is expected to adopt flexible OLEDs for their 10-year anniversary model of the iPhone next year, moving away from "retina" LCD screens.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

The Nintendo Switch's controller has a 6.2-inch, 720p display

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 Oct 2016 9:29

The Nintendo Switch's controller has a 6.2-inch, 720p display Information about Nintendo's Switch console continues to trickle out ahead of a full information launch in January, and now we know some more details about the detachable controller.

The controller features a 6.2-inch, 720p display with capacitive multi-touch. This is a big step away from the 3DS and Wii U, which had less precise resistive screens.

Additionally, the Switch's screen is standard 10-point multi-touch, allowing for gestures if Nintendo chooses to support them.

It will be interesting to see what Nintendo has up their sleeve on January 13th during the more in-depth unveiling of the console's features.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

New Pokemon games are most pre-ordered in Nintendo history

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 8:34

New Pokemon games are most pre-ordered in Nintendo history Even though they are still a month from release, the new Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon have set the record for most pre-ordered game in Nintendo history.

In addition, the demo of the game is the most downloaded 3DS demo, ever, as well.

The games are set for launch on November 18th in NA and November 23rd in the EU.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Sony introduces three new 1TB PS4 bundles for the EU market

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 7:07

Sony introduces three new 1TB PS4 bundles for the EU market Sony has announced three new PS4 bundles for the EU market, each including Uncharted 4 and a 1TB HDD.

The first bundle includes the critically acclaimed titles Driveclub and The Last of Us: Remastered. The second is aimed more at kids and family and includes a 1TB PS4, Uncharted 4, Driveclub and Ratchet & Clank.

Finally, and what I assume will be the most popular of the bundles, "combines adventure, gothic horror and sci-fi exploration with our bundle that offers a 1TB PlayStation, Uncharted 4, Bloodborne Game of the Year Edition and No Man's Sky." That bundle also comes with an in-ear headset.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Apple to sell LG 4K and 5K monitors

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 6:36

Apple to sell LG 4K and 5K monitors Apple has announced it will begin selling LG displays for their power users, including 4K and 5K models.

The company discontinued its Thunderbolt Display earlier this year, effectively leaving the external monitor business. Apple will now partner with LG and co-market the displays, giving it a stamp of approval for use with Mac products.

Apple will have retail exclusivity for the two UltraFine displays, at least to start. The 21.5-inch 4K model is available for $700, and the 27-inch 5K model will go on sale in December for $1,300. Both will work with the newly announced MacBook Pros, using a single USB-C cable for power, data and video.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

B&N to create new Nook device with Google Play Store access

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 12:25

B&N to create new Nook device with Google Play Store access Just a few months after bookseller Barnes & Noble shut down their own Nook App Store, the company appears to be readying a new device that has access to the Google Play Store.

The new Nook has just passed through the FCC and is codename "Nook Tablet 7," and the FCC posting makes it clear that the new tab will run Android including access to the Google Play Store, allowing for the download of a billion apps.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Apple raises Mac prices in UK due to falling pound

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 11:50

Apple raises Mac prices in UK due to falling pound Apple has raised the price of their entire Mac line in the UK, citing the falling value of the pound following the surprise Brexit vote this summer.

For example, the 2015 edition 13-inch Macbook Air is now £949, up from £849 last week, despite not being updated. More significantly, the older model MacBook Pros w/ Retina all saw increases of £300, despite Apple launching new models to replace them and the Mac Pro, which was last updated in 2013, saw a price increase of £500, from £2,499 to £2,999, an outrageous figure for the old computer.

Says Apple: "Apple suggests product prices internationally on the basis of several factors, including currency exchange rates, local import laws, business practices, taxes, and the cost of doing business. These factors vary from region to region and over time, such that international prices are not always comparable to US suggested retail prices."

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

English Uber drivers win case to be classified as employees

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 11:27

English Uber drivers win case to be classified as employees A London employment tribunal has ruled that Uber drivers will be classified as employees rather than self-employed in England and Wales, thus entitling them to holiday pay, a national minimum wage, and paid breaks.

Uber says it will appeal the decision that could affect 40,000 drivers. In all nations where it operates, Uber considers its drivers as self-employed contractors rather than employees.

The GMB Union brought the case claiming that "the notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common 'platform' is to our mind faintly ridiculous."

For now, the decision only affects two drivers, James Farrar and Yaseen Aslam, who successfully argued that Uber controlled their actions, and they should have basic workers' rights.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Mozilla launches 'Project Quantum' to accelerate browsing speed, efficiency for Firefox users

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 10:54

Mozilla launches 'Project Quantum' to accelerate browsing speed, efficiency for Firefox users Mozilla, the non-profit organization behind the popular Firefox browser, has announced the start of "Project Quantum," an effort to accelerate browsing speeds using Firefox.

"We are striving for performance gains from Quantum that will be so noticeable that your entire web experience will feel different," said David Bryant, Mozilla's head of platform engineering. "Pages will load faster, and scrolling will be silky smooth. Animations and interactive apps will respond instantly, and be able to handle more intensive content while holding consistent frame rates. And the content most important to you will automatically get the highest priority, focusing processing power where you need it the most."

Quantum will use Firefox's current Gecko engine as its base, but will also take features of the company's experimental Servo browser engine. The first updates will launch in the first half of 2017, adds Bryant, who also says Android devices will see better performance and lower power consumption, a win-win for battery-life-conscious consumers. "We do think Project Quantum will be especially significant on mobile, as for example best use of available hardware can have considerable potential benefits for battery life," Bryant added.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

LG Mobile has its worst loss ever

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 30 Oct 2016 10:43

LG Mobile has its worst loss ever Thanks to sluggish sales of the flagship G5 smartphone, LG Mobile had its worse loss ever, a loss so bad it destroyed the company's overall profits.

The division took a loss of $389.4 million for the Q3 2016, its worst quarter since the Great Recession. The division has not been profitable since the Q4 2014.

Overall profits for LG fell 61 percent due to the mobile division, to $252.7 million.

Is it time for LG to step out of the mobile business? Motorola, HTC, Sony and BlackBerry all learned that hard way that there are really just a few players that can compete.

Read more...




AfterDawn: News

Sony PlayStation Vue now available on Android TV

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 28 Oct 2016 11:57

Sony PlayStation Vue now available on Android TV Sony streaming IPTV service, PlayStation Vue, is now available on Android TV.

The service will be available on all devices that use the Android TV platform, including smart TVs and set-top boxes.

PlayStation Vue offers 55 to 100 channels for $30 to $75 per month.

With the new announcement, PlayStation Vue is now available on the PlayStation 3 and 4, iOS, Android, Android TV, Roku, Fire TV and Chromecast.

Read more...





News archive