News written by Andre Yoskowitz (April, 2014)

Just a month after Microsoft launched their Office suite for iPad, Google has responded by releasing Google Docs and Google Sheets for iOS.

Until now, any productivity content you may have had was restricted to Google Drive or the Web browser, which were not overall great experiences. Additionally, Google's PowerPoint-equivalent Slides is "coming soon" but has not reached the App Store like its brothers.

Google has had dedicated apps for Android for some time.

Reads the release for Docs:

Create, edit & collaborate with others on documents from your iPod, iPhone, or iPad with the free Google Docs app.

With Google Docs you can:

-Create new documents or open and edit any that you started on the web or another device.
-Share documents and work together with others in the same document at the same time
-Get stuff done anytime–even without an internet connection
-Add and respond to comments
-Never worry about losing your work–everything is automatically saved as you type

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with Microsoft in a case in which it was accused of antitrust practices nearly twenty years ago.

Novell, which once developed word-processing program WordPerfect, accused Microsoft of witholding key software components while building Windows 95, thus making it much harder for rivals to build software that could run smoothly on the operating system.

By doing so, WordPerfect had its development severely slowed, said Novell, causing Microsoft Word to move forward and become the dominate word processing program. Novell had claimed that Microsoft "made its own operating system less attractive to consumers in order to crush competition and protect its operating system monopoly."

The Supreme Court Justices rejected the appeal and did not make any comment.

Source:
Bloomberg

Last night, Sony released v1.70 firmware update for the PlayStation 4, adding numerous key features including HDCP disabling and the addition of ShareFactory.

Unfortunately, users have flocked to Reddit to note issues and bugs they are having with the update.

One Reddit user reported a black screen bug upon disabling HDCP. After disabling HDCP and launching SHAREfactory, the user wrote: "After playing around with a BF4 clip for a few minutes, and being quite impressed I realized I couldn't hear any sound. So I backed out, went to Amazon to quickly play some TV to check that sound was working (quicker than loading a game, or so I thought) and went straight to a black screen. Despite numerous reboots, I've since been unable to connect directly from PS4–>HDMI–>TV. I just get the black screen."

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation and longtime movie industry veteran, had a few interesting proposals for the future of movies.

Katzenberg says in the future, you will be able to pay for movies according to the size of the screen you want to watch them on. After a quick run in theaters, the exec says you will be able to purchase the movie or rent, depending on the display size. Says Katzenberg: "A movie screen will be $15. A 75-inch TV will be $4. A smartphone will be $1.99," for example.

Extended movie theater runs will no longer be necessary if the new model is adapted. "I think the model will change and you won't pay for the window of availability. A movie will come out and you will have 17 days, that's exactly three weekends, which is 95% of the revenue for 98% of movies," he explains.

As far as the future of the industry is concerned, the CEO admits that "movies are not a growth business" and that the whole industry will need to "reinvent the enterprise of movies" over the next decade.

Source:
Variety

Last month, Microsoft unveiled their suite of Office applications for iPads. The popular apps saw 12 million downloads in their first week.

Today, the software giant updated the apps, adding the ability to print along with some other improvements. Microsoft says printing was the top requested feature since launch.

Says Microsoft: "Your top request is here! You can now print Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations to an AirPrintTM printer. In Word for iPad, you can choose to print a document with or without markup. In Excel, print a selected range, a single worksheet or an entire spreadsheet. Of course, you can select the pages or slides you want to print."

Additionally, the company has added "SmartGuides" in PowerPoint to help align pictures, shapes, text and more within the slide. The update also fixes some bugs and improves overall performance.

Hulu has announced that they will be opening up some content to free users via mobile devices.

Normally, you need to be a Hulu Plus subscriber at $8 per month to have access to Hulu on your mobile devices or TV. Otherwise, the shows and movies are available for free on desktops.

CEO Mike Hopkins says the free episodes will begin over the summer and will first be available to Android users, followed quickly by iOS with the release of a new iPhone app. Currently, free users can only access some clips via mobile devices but no full-length content.

The executive also noted that Hulu is still in negotiations with cable providers to integrate the service into their cable boxes, similar to what Netflix has done overseas and recently here in the U.S. with some small providers.

Finally, Hopkins boasted about Hulu Plus' growth, stating: "Hulu Plus is now accessible on more than 400 million internet-connected devices in the United States, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Chromecast, and most recently, Amazon's new set-top box, Amazon Fire TV. After redesigning our living room devices such as Roku and Wii-U, we saw average-minutes-viewed increase by over 30%. And out of our tens of millions of viewers, there are 3000 unique ways Hulu viewers access content on Hulu and Hulu Plus (for example, I watch on my iPad and Apple TV)."

According to multiple reports, Google has an "Android Silver" program in the pipeline, one that will replace their own Nexus devices.

OEMs invited to the Silver program will build reference devices (like the Nexus 5 and Google Play Edition devices) and the partnerships will be incentive-driven.

Reportedly, the incentives include indirect payments through marketing and in-store displays with trained Google employees. To be part of the program the devices must be as close to stock as possible, or potentially if there are apps pre-installed, that they can be uninstalled easily.

For consumers, this means that Android updates will come a lot quicker than current methods, where some smartphones and tablets needs months if not years to receive the latest Android operating system update. Additionally, Google is said to be spearheading hardware advancements, as well, including better water proofing, better voice recognition and improved display resolutions.

Sprint has officially announced a partnership with Spotify for its Framily plan customers, as leaked two weeks ago.

The carrier is offering six free months of Spotify for its Framily plan customers, followed by a $7.99 monthly price (compared to $9.99) if your plan has one to five lines attached. If you have over 5 lines, the price is $4.99, a nice fifty percent discount.

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek noted the obvious, calling the partnership the "biggest deal we've ever made." The executive confirmed that Sprint customers will get the deal starting on May 9th.

Spotify has 8 million subscribers around the globe, and Sprint has 54 million subscribers, making it the third largest carrier in the nation.

Harper Lee, author behind the literary classic "To Kill a Mockingbird," has finally made the book available digitally through legitimate channels.

"I'm still old-fashioned. I love dusty old books and libraries," Lee said on the eve of her 88th birthday. "This is Mockingbird for a new generation."

The classic book, written in 1960, follows the relationships of a Southern white attorney as he defends a black man accused of rape in the 1930s. The book is one of the top selling of all time, having moved over 30 million copies in English alone. The book is now available in over 40 languages.

Both an ebook and digital audio companion will be released on July 8th.

Source:
CNN

LG's upcoming G Watch smartwatch has finally been given a release date and price, at least for the European markets.

The watch will be the first to the commercial market using Google's Android Wear operating system for wearables when it hits in June. The watch has been priced at €199 for Europe, with an expected $199 price tag for the U.S., as well.

LG's new endeavor features a rectangular face, a 1.65-inch screen and 4GB internal storage.

Among the specs and features we know about is the fact that the device will have an "always-on" screen, will be dust and water proof and will be available in both black and champagne gold.

Android Wear, introduced by Google earlier this year, is built around the Google Now user interface and includes access to Google Maps and built-in voice controls.

For the last decade China has had an inexcusable ban on consoles, but that ban was finally lifted in January, paving the way for Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony to get into the nation and access its massive population.

It appears that Microsoft may have the first major console to reach China since 2000, with the company expected to begin selling the Xbox One in September thanks to a partnership with Chinese company BesTV.

By joining up with BesTV, Microsoft is ensuring that that all compliance requirements are hit and that the consoles are produced in the Shanghai free trade zone.

An official announcement is expected tomorrow, but the media spoiled the surprise today. Microsoft executive Yusef Mehdi says the Xbox One will offer "an amazing array of experiences for gamers in China."

Microsoft will indeed announce plans to sell Xbox One in China in September at an event tomorrow, the company said.

-- Dina Bass (@dinabass) April 30, 2014

As expected, Microsoft has announced original content for the Xbox, including what the software giant calls "premium dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation, unscripted shows, and live events."

Dubbed Xbox Originals, the content is available only on Microsoft devices including the Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Besides the Ridley Scott/Steven Spielberg 'Halo' project, there will be original programming about international street soccer, robotic servants, and the previously reported documentary about the discarded Atari games recently unearthed in a landfill.

"We are developing premium, original content for the Xbox community which is an audience we are incredibly respectful of," said Nancy Tellem, President of Xbox Entertainment Studios. "We believe Xbox Originals should embrace the way our fans think about traditional TV."

"Microsoft has a long and rich legacy in the content business," added Jordan Levin, Executive Vice President of Xbox Entertainment Studios. "Games have been part of our DNA for at least the last 15 years, and creating original TV content is a logical next step in our evolution."

Rovio, the gaming company behind the blockbuster Angry Birds series, saw its profits fall almost 50 percent in 2013, on Rovio that barely grew.

The Finnish gaming co. had $215.9 million in revenue for 2013, just 2.5 percent higher than the $210.6 million in sales it saw for 2012.

Profits collapsed to $37.3 million from $76.8 million in 2012 almost entirely due to having 800 employees compared to 500 the year before.

Rovio collects most of its revenue from sales of the games and merchandising and licensing of their characters into toys and cards and more. Additionally, the company has an animation studio and is working on TV shows and a film.

Here's an interesting look at some other casual gaming hit makers, all from Nordic nations:

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has announced the company's first full-length original programming, two comedies that will play exclusively via its portal and mobile apps.

The move will instantly give Yahoo a few very powerful rivals including Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon, HBO and Hulu, all of which now offer original (and sometimes expensive) content.

In addition, Yahoo has partnered with Live Nation (the U.S.' second-largest concert promoter), in which Yahoo will stream one live concert every day for the next year.

"Users expect online content to be as good as, if not better than, TV," Mayer added. The company has also committed to digital magazines. The first comedy is called "Other Space" and features the 'adventures of a misfit spaceship crew in an alternate universe.' The other show, "Sin City Saints," takes place in the front office of a "fictional pro basketball expansion team owned by a Silicon Valley billionaire."

Yahoo has 800 million monthly visitors and a large advertising budget so it is not a stretch to believe the company can have decent success if the shows are actually good.

According to sources, Disney tried to acquire online content provider BuzzFeed but was rebuffed over price, with BuzzFeed seeking over $1 billion.

The valuation is higher than anything previously reported on, with the company last raising venture capital funds at the beginning of 2013 at a valuation of just over $200 million.

Disney normally acquires intellectual property that can then be exploited in TV, gaming, animation, theme parks and toys. Recently, however, the company has expanded into other types of content, most recently purchasing video network and YouTube star Maker Studios for $500 million plus incentives.

BuzzFeed certainly gets eyeballs, at 85 million monthly uniques, and the company recently became profitable while expecting over $120 million in revenue in 2014. It is not clear if those types of numbers warrant a 10-figure buyout, however.

Source:
Tech Fortune

BlackBerry has finally put their Z3 smartphone up for sale in Indonesia, after unveiling it at the Mobile World Congress earlier this year.

The device is available through carriers Indosat and XL, with a launch date of May 13.

Z3s have a 5-inch 540 x 960 display, a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor, 1.5GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and dual 5MP/1.1MP cameras with a 2500mAh battery.

Those low end specs come with a low price, as well, at IDR 2,199,000 (about $190).

The fully touch design will run on BlackBerry OS 10.2.1.

Source:
GSMArena

Global research firm Kantar Worldpanel has released their quarterly smartphone market share report this week, showing some interesting trends once again in the industry.

Most of the more interesting data came via the European markets, which Kantar defines as the EU5 of Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK.

For the EU5, Windows Phone saw continued growth, up to 8.1 percent share for the quarter ended March 31st 2014 from 6.5 percent for the same period in 2013.

Android remained king, at 70.7 percent, followed by iOS at 19.2 percent. BlackBerry and all other operating systems have almost disappeared, down to just 2 percent of overall market share.

Windows Phone had its biggest share in Italy, at 13.9 percent share. Spain had the largest Android population, at an astonishing 88.6 percent, although that figure was down significantly from the 93.7 percent share it controlled in 2013.

Lenovo has a new addition to their ThinkPad line of tablets, a 10-inch device aptly named the ThinkPad 10.

Under the hood is a 1.6GHz quad-core Atom processor with 2GB RAM, and the display has a nice 1,920 x 1,200 resolution. The device will have 64GB internal storage and dual 2MP/8MP cameras. The tablet has a 33Whr battery with 10 hours claimed life. An active digitizer is native and there is support for digital pens. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0, a mini HDMI port, 4G LTE, NFC and Wi-Fi 802.11n.

When it launches, only a Windows 8.1 32-bit model will be available, but a Pro 64-bit model will be available later in the year. Additionally, a 128GB model with 4GB will also be available later in the year.

As with most Windows tablets, Microsoft Office Home & Student 2013 will come pre-loaded.

The Chinese government has demanded large streaming sites in the nation stop streaming popular American TV shows including "The Big Bang Theory."

Among the other shows are "The Good Wife," "NCIS" and "The Practice."

A spokesperson for major video site Youku confirmed the demands, although the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television did not give a reason for the order.

Sites like Youku, Sohu, Tencent and others started with roots in piracy and YouTube-esque clips, but have expanded to include domestic and international licensed movies and TV.

Many are free to watch with ads, but it appears the government may not necessarily approve of the content.

Source:
Yahoo

Turtle Rock Studios has released an awesome interactive trailer for their upcoming cooperative shooter, Evolve, using YouTube.

Making the clip interesting is that it follows four players in their quest to defeat a massive monster, and you can switch between the player's perspectives using YouTube's annotations feature.

The video isn't short at 52 minutes, but certainly worth trying out.

Check it here:

Comixology, the popular comic book reader and store app recently purchased by Amazon, has updated the iOS app to remove the ability for in-app purchases.

The app will serve only as a reader now, and you will have to head to the company's website to purchase new ones. Free comics and the ability to browse within the app are still functional, as well. You can add books you want to a watch list to make purchases at home easier.

Says the company: "As we move to complete the acquisition with Amazon, we are shifting to the web-based purchasing model they've successfully used with the Kindle, which we expect will allow us to strike the best balance between prices, selection and customer experience.

There are many advantages to shopping at comiXology.com. Because of the content restrictions our mobile partners have, shopping on the web provides even greater selection of comic books and graphic novels. iOS customers will now be able to save money with comiXology's exclusive web-only Bundles, take advantage of Subscription features and enjoy eGift Cards. We also made our website more tablet/mobile friendly on all devices to make the purchasing process that much easier. And in Safari on iOS, customers can easily save a shortcut to our webstore with the "Add to Home Screen" feature. Read more...

One of the top stories of the week has been the story of RadiumOne founder and CEO Gurbasksh Chahal, who was accused of hitting his girlfriend 117 times, with a security video seemingly proving that case.

This weekend, the board of directors has fired the longtime executive, replacing him with current COO Bill Lonergan. The board did not cite a reason for the termination, but it is most likely due to Chahal's conviction for battery and domestic violence.

The move comes at a perilous time for the advertising tech company which is planning to raise $100 million and go public this year. RadiumOne builds software that automates media buying, making big data actionable for digital marketers.

Sources claim the board took so long to make a decision due to Chahal's massive stake, control and power within the company and the legal complexity of the move. It was even unclear if the board could fire Chahal.

Chahal wrote an aggressive blog post defending himself earlier in the weekend. You can read that here.

Microsoft has confirmed a zero-day vulnerability that has put a large portion of the world's computer users at risk.

The exploit affects Internet Explorer 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.

Microsoft explains that "the vulnerability is a remote code execution vulnerability. The vulnerability exists in the way that Internet Explorer accesses an object in memory that has been deleted or has not been properly allocated. The vulnerability may corrupt memory in a way that could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user within Internet Explorer. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit this vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website."

The software giant is preparing a patch and it is so critical that it could be provided out-of-cycle.

Internet Explorer is used by about 55 percent of the world as their preferred browser, leavings hundreds of millions vulnerable.

Read more here: Vulnerability in Internet Explorer Could Allow Remote Code Execution

Streaming music giant Spotify has announced it is adding users in the UK at a very brisk pace.

In the UK alone, the company added 1 million active users since the beginning of the year, and executives believe they can surpass iTunes as the largest digital music service in Europe before the year is out.

"Some of our partners are saying Spotify is now generating more revenue each month across Continental Europe than iTunes," Spotify's head of label relations in Europe, Kevin Brown, said. "Given that download sales are declining and Spotify is growing rapidly, particularly in the UK, it is only a matter of time before Spotify is bigger than iTunes across Europe as a whole."

As far as revenue is concerned, Brown says a "significant" portion of the 1 million users in the UK are paying subscribers, either to the unlimited ad-free premium Web service or the full premier account that offers mobile access, as well. A lot of the growth came via a marketing partnerships with Vodafone and the Sunday Times.

PayPal president David Marcus posted a great chart today via his Twitter feed that we feel deserved a little more attention.

Via comScore MobiLens, the chart shows off the market share for the top mobile operating systems in the U.S. beginning in 2005 and ending at the end of last year. The chart effectively shows how a fragmented and diverse market slowly but surely became a duopoly entirely populated by Apple and Google.

Additionally, the chart shows the rise and fall of BlackBerry, the once immensely popular Canadian smartphone maker that has now all but left the consumer handset market. The now defunct Palm is also prominently displayed, as is Nokia's one-time hit Symbian operating system. Nokia killed off the OS a few years ago and their hardware fate is now in the hands of new owner Microsoft.

By the end 2005, Palm was the proud owner of 30 percent market share of the fledgling smartphone market, followed by BlackBerry and Symbian each at 25 percent and Microsoft's original mobile OS Windows Mobile controlling the remaining 20 percent.

Sony's latest flagship still does not have any carrier support.

The Xperia Z2, Sony's new and powerful smartphone, is headed to the U.S., but you will have to get it unlocked and directly through the company. In fact, there isn't expected to be carrier support "in the near future," confirms the company.

Compared to their Z1, the display of the flagship has been increased to 5.2 inches, with the same 1080p resolution. The new IPS Triluminos X-Reality display has Sony's new Live Color LEDs, which the company says offers the widest color gamut on the market.

Internals have been improved significantly, as well, to a quad-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon processor, 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a microSD slot, Android 4.4.2, IPX5 and IPX8 waterproof/dustproof certification and new stereo speakers.

Google has updated its search engine for Android, better integrating the company's hotel and restaurant search features.

For example, typing or using voice to ask questions like "show me restaurants in New York City" should lead to a list of restaurants near you.

The move follows Google's integration of flight search into its voice search for PCs and Android.

So far, the search features work reasonably well, and will place higher rated hotels and restaurants up near the top of results.

Microsoft and AOL have announced a new pact in which the software giant will distribute many of AOL's videos via some of their Web properties.

All videos in AOL's library are included, including home grown clips from Huffington Post and TechCrunch, as well as videos being distributed through other content makers, such as clips from TMZ and ESPN.

Among the properties making the videos available are the MSN Web portal, and the Bing apps on Windows Phone devices. Microsoft gets to keep 50 percent of ad revenue, and will sell the ads for the videos.

The MSN portal has a large reach, with over 450 million users accessing it. Microsoft continues to reach for premium content to engage its audience better, and the deal for AOL is a no-brainer following their similar deal with YouTube.

Source:
re/code

Netflix has announced that its streaming service will be available via the cable boxes of Atlantic Broadband, Grande Communications and RCN subscribers.

If you have a TiVo DVR from one of those companies, starting on Monday you will be able to access the streaming service through your TV without the need for an extra device or downloaded app. Of course, you will need a Netflix subscription, as well, which is $7.99 per month currently and eventually will increase to $8.99.

The cable companies are small, but the deals mirror similar pacts Netflix has in Europe.

"Now, watching Netflix is as easy as changing the channel," said David Isenberg, chief marketing and strategy officer, Atlantic Broadband. "The ever-expanding selection of titles on Netflix is a tremendous complement to Atlantic Broadband's existing portfolio of Live TV, HD channels and On Demand programming. Integrating the world's leading Internet TV network with the world's best DVR platform underscores our commitment to delivering customers what they want – instantly."

Sony has confirmed that mandatory PlayStation 4 firmware update 1.70 will be released on April 30th.

1.70 will add the ShareFactory video editing app and also will give gamers the ability to disable HDCP video signal copyright protection, a highly anticipated move.

ShareFactory allows gamers to add audio, filters and more to their gaming and other videos.

In addition, the update will let users save screenshots, photos and videos to USB drives.

According to sources, Microsoft will unveil at least two new original programs that will be exclusive to the Xbox.

Besides the previously announced Halo series, the company is working on a reality series about soccer players and a documentary about the alleged landfill that holds millions of discarded E.T. games for the Atari 2600.

Microsoft needs original programming if it hopes to differentiate its streaming services from major rivals. Netflix has spent hundreds of millions on hit original shows like 'Orange is the New Black' and 'House of Cards' and Amazon recently launched their first original program 'Alpha House' along with an exclusive deal for older HBO content. Hulu Plus has a number of exclusive original shows, as well, although of a less splashier variety.

The software giant first announced its own content 19 months ago, but so far has nothing to show for it. There is not even a true business model or strategy in place, say the sources, and it is unclear whether the content will be packaged as part of the Xbox Live subscription or if it will be separate.

Foxconn has confirmed the sale of numerous communications technology patents to Google, although figures were not disclosed.

The major Taiwanese manufacturer is well known for building the most popular devices in the world, including the iPhone, iPad and Sony PlayStation consoles. Less known about Hon Hai (the parent of Foxconn), is its significant patent portfolio, which is now above 64,000.

Google, another one of the world's largest patent holders, is always in the market to bolster their portfolio, especially from ongoing legislation from other giants like Microsoft and Apple. The search giant purchased head-mounted display patents from Foxconn last year, and has a good business relationship.

As part of their press release, Foxconn says it will continue to invest in R&D and "transforming such investments into valuable intellectual property assets."

Netflix appears to be hiring an engineer to help the company at least begin testing using a massive scale peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture for streaming video.

The senior software engineer would be working on Netflix's Open Connect content delivery network and helping to explore the P2P route.

Reads the job posting: "Netflix seeks a seasoned Senior Software Engineer with a special focus in peer-to-peer networks. Duties include: Research and architecture of large-scale peer-to-peer network technology as applicable to Netflix streaming. Liaise with internal client and toolkit teams to integrate P2P as an additional delivery mechanism. Design and develop tools for the operation of peer-to-peer enabled clients in a production environment. The successful applicant is required to have 'At least five years of relevant experience with development and testing of large-scale peer-to-peer systems.' Preferred qualifications include 'Knowledge of and proven experience with P2P, CDN/HTTP cache/proxy technology.'

The streaming video service Hulu has begun blocking users accessing the site through VPNs in an effort to block international users from seeing videos available only in the U.S.

As of this weekend, VPN users, including Americans trying to access the Web legitimately, will receive an error message.

The message reads: "Based on your IP-address, we noticed that you are trying to access Hulu through an anonymous proxy tool. Hulu is not currently available outside the U.S. If you're in the U.S. you'll need to disable your anonymizer to access videos on Hulu,"

Hulu's updated blocklist covers a huge range IPs from of all major VPN providers.

While such a move makes sense for Hulu and other streaming companies that do not want give unlicensed access to domestic shows, American users have rightful complaints as many are using the VPN to browse more securely, and not to see unauthorized content.

Apple has launched a new replacement program for users that have an iPhone 5 with a faulty sleep/wake button.

Says the company: "Apple today launched a program to replace the sleep/wake button on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models where the button may stop working or work intermittently. Apple will offer the service free of charge to iPhone 5 customers with models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number."

In addition, Apple revealed a new Web site with details on how to get your device fixed, if you are one of the few unlucky ones.

Apple noted that this is free even if the phone is out of warranty.

Source:
The Loop

Another key executive has left the struggling Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC.

Scott Croyle, the company's head of design for the One smartphone line, will be leaving to build his own projects. HTC says the move will be a "long-term transition" where the exec will still stay involved with product design over the coming months.

"HTC remains at the forefront of smartphone innovation. Scott Croyle will be focusing on special projects and dedicated on next generation developments," adds the company.

The day to day responsibilities will likely fall to lieutenant Jonah Becker and the company also promoted Drew Bamford to head of HTC software and services. The executive was previously head of the Sense user experience.

"Drew Bamford is an experienced and talented leader at HTC with solid track records in leading and building our user experience team. Effective immediately, in addition to his current duties in product development and user experience, Drew will lead HTC Creative Labs and focus on innovative new products and user experience strategies," read an emailed statement from HTC.

Tech giants Apple, Google, Intel and Adobe have settled and will pay $324 million over accusations that the companies conspired to keep wages/salaries down in Silicon Valley.

Had the companies not settled, a trial would have begun next month and damages could have potentially been higher.

The class action lawsuit was filed in 2011 by tech employees who accused the companies of conspiring to "refrain from soliciting one another's employees" in order to keep salaries down and avoid bidding wars that would have raised wages.

In the suit, the plaintiffs were seeking $3 billion in damages, and that figure could have ballooned to $9 billion if it was determined that the group violated antitrust law.

The case was based mainly on emails from Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt and others that revealed the companies would not court employees from rivals. One such example showed that a Google recruiter tried to solicit an Apple employee and former Google CEO Schmidt told Jobs the recruiter would then be fired. Many of the emails were even worse.

In 2008, WREAL LLC created a porn streaming set-top box called the FyreTV, along with a dedicated website at FyreTV.com.

This week, the company has sued Amazon for five counts of alleged trademark infringement, following the release of the new Fire TV set-top media streamer. The company claims the trademarks were registered six years before Amazon unveiled their new hardware.

Almost comically, the company's court documents claim that "Amazon's continued use of the "Fire TV" moniker has caused, and will continue to cause, serious irreparable harm to Wreal's established business, necessitating this action."

In their complaint, WREAL claims both products are identical (for the most part) and that the "FireTV is nothing more than a proprietary STB that performs a substantially similar, if not identical, function to the proprietary STB marketed under the FyreTV trademark."

Currently, FireTV.com redirects to FyreTV.com, so there are likely some consumers who have been unwittingly led to a porn-based site when looking for more information about Amazon's set-top. The market for the original FyreTV is likely non-existent, and the hype from Amazon may have possibly even helped bring awareness to the porn box.

Earlier today, consumers got a rush when it appeared that Google Glass headsets were available to the public, without need for an invite.

The page remained up allowing for would-be owners to purchase the glasses without signing up for the Explorer program, at the standard Explorer price of $1500.

Unfortunately, later in the day Google apologized for the mistake, saying they just neglected to pull down the URL from the April 15th one-day sale. The site should be down soon, they added, and anyone who ordered will most likely not get a device as the search giant noted that any customer not already "in the pipeline" will not receive a unit.

Google has not set a release date for the device, which has received rave reviews from techies but criticism from the media.

If you want to get notice of when the devices will really be available to all, check here.

Source:
Engadget

Earlier this week, Google made their smart thermostat Nest available for sale via the hardware Play Store.

The learning thermostat is selling for $250 and will ship within 2 business days, according to the page.

Nest's Learning Thermostat "programs itself and automatically helps save energy when you're away. And you can control it from anywhere using your smartphone." It does so by creating a personalized schedule based on the temperature adjustments you make and continually adapts to your changing life. The whole process takes just a week.

The device features a 320x320 LCD display.

Google acquired Nest Labs in January for over $3 billion.

Check the device here: Nest Learning Thermostat at Google Play Store

Microsoft has never officially confirmed it but more and more evidence is mounting for a Surface "Mini," an 8-inch version of the company's flagship Windows tablet.

The tablets would be compliments to the company's Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets, which have 10.6-inch screens. Apple and Google have been very successful with their smaller tablets, the Nexus 7 and iPad Mini, and Microsoft will need to eventually launch one if it wishes to remain relevant at that form factor.

Amazon is the source of the latest piece of evidence, where accessories maker VSTN has listed multiple cases and attachments for a Surface Mini.

Among the listings are a Bluetooth keyboard case and a smart cover, which promise to "only fit Microsoft Surface Mini 8-inch tablet." The accessories go on sale on May 18th, which could imply an upcoming release for the tablet.

Hector Xavier Monsegur, aka Sabu, reportedly led cyber attacks against Syria, Iran, Pakistan and possibly other nations.

Sabu, best known for turning on LulzSec and Anonymous as an FBI informant, also directed attacks against the Polish Embassy in England and Iraq's Ministry of Electricity, read the newly released court documents. At the time, Sabu was already an FBI informant, following his arrest for multiple high profile cases.

Intelligence firm Stratfor was among the most notable attacks, and Sabu's testimony was key in convicting hacker and activist Jeremy Hammond.

It remains unclear whether the attacks were part of a broad plan to entrap Anonymous hackers, as Sabu recruited plenty, or if the FBI (or other agencies) were directing attacks on other nations using the talented hacker.

Source:
New York Times
Pic via Ars

Apple CEO Tim Cook has stated that the company is "closer than it's ever been" to launching a new product line, following years of the executive claiming that a new product is finally coming.

Of course, Cook reiterated that "you want to take the time to get it right," when asked why the process has taken so long for a new product. "To do things really well, it takes time," Cook said in his interview. "You can see a lot of products that have been brought to market where the thinking isn't really deep and, as a consequence, these things don't do very well."

Among the most rumored products are an Apple-powered HDTV, a smartwatch with fitness focus, or a full fitness band. Cook did not mention any specific products or leave any hints as to a time frame.

Additionally, mobile payments have been oft-rumored as an industry that Apple could take over, due to having hundreds of millions of customers signed into iTunes with a credit card attached. Cook said the Touch ID fingerprint scanner could be integrated into a mobile payments platform but that the whole industry is "an area where nobody has figured it out yet. I realize that there are some companies playing in it, but you still have a wallet in your back pocket and I do too which probably means it hasn't been figured out just yet."

Longtime Google executive and Google+ boss Vic Gundotra has confirmed he is leaving the company.

"Now is the time for a new journey," said Gundotra, via his Google+ page. "A continuation."

Reportedly, the search giant's social network will now be headed by Google VP of engineering David Besbris. Gundotra joined the company eight years ago after leaving Microsoft and was recently responsible for many of Google+'s features including "circles."

While the social network never caught on like Facebook, it does have over 540 million active users, and Google says 300 million regularly visit the Plus homepage.

Reads the rest of his post:

Samsung has announced that their low and mid-range Galaxy Tab4 line of tablets will be headed to the U.S. on May 1st.

Three devices are in the lineup, the Galaxy Tab4 7.0, Galaxy Tab4 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 4 10.1, each differentiated in name by the size of the display.

The design of the tablets is certainly improved from previous models, and has thinner bezels and a lighter form factor. The design is reminiscent of the company's high-end Galaxy TabPRO and NotePRO series.

Under the hood is a different story, as the devices are not packed with high-end specs. The devices have 1200x800 resolution displays, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.4 with Samsung TouchWiz, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal storage as a base, a microSD slot for expanded storage, LTE support, and dual cameras: 1.3MP/3MP.

AT&T and media powerhouse the Chernin Group have invested $500 million in building a new streaming video service.

The venture will specifically acquire content before launching a video streaming service that could rival Netflix and Amazon. The Chernin Group will contribute their majority stake in Crunchyroll, a niche subscription VOD service, to the new venture.

Reads the joint press release: "'A critical part of The Chernin Group's strategy has been our significant focus on the online video industry, and joining forces with AT&T only further underscores our strategic commitment in this area as operators, investors and programmers,' said Peter Chernin, Chairman and CEO, The Chernin Group. 'Consumers are increasingly viewing video content on their phones, tablets, computers, game consoles and connected TVs on mobile and broadband networks. AT&T's massive reach on those platforms across mobile and broadband and their commitment to the online video space make them the perfect fit for this venture with us.'"

There will certainly be more to come about the venture, especially because it is unclear what content AT&T is looking to offer, and what kind of business model will be employed.

Yesterday, Apple reported its quarterly earnings while also announcing a stock buyback and a stock split. Investors loved the report, and the company saw its shares fly today.

However, despite the stellar report, there were a few interesting numbers on the hardware side.

iPad sales were down 16 percent year-over-year, and fell well below analyst expectations. The company sold 16.3 million iPads, which it claims was on the high-end of its internal projections, but far behind the 19.8 million expected consensus.

The company's ancient iPod line, which was not even refreshed last year, continued its quick fall to obscurity, with just 2.76 million sold during the quarter. Eventually that figure will fall to sub-1 million, and could be a minor drag on earnings.

Otherwise, the company reported massive numbers, as usual, earning $10.2 billion in profit on $45.6 billion in revenue. The company sold 43.7 million iPhones, up from 37.4 million YoY, and they sold 4.1 million Macs, up from 3.9 million YoY. Macs remain a small player in the industry but appear to at least be seeing small growth compared to declines in other PC areas. Gross margins were a ridiculous 39.3 percent, higher than expected.

Music video giant Vevo has announced that monthly average traffic topped 6 billion in December, a huge 46 percent rise from the same month in 2013.

Rio Caraeff, CEO, Vevo, confirmed the figure, and also noted that over 65 percent of the videos were being viewed on mobile devices like phones and tablets.

"On a global stage, it's really all about mobile," says Caraeff. "Mobile and tablet and television are where the majority of the views are happening."

Vevo was founded by Universal Music and Sony Music, and has Google (through YouTube) as a minority owner. Almost all of the company's revenue comes via YouTube, as does most of its traffic. Vevo has been looking to expand and has already had early conversations with potential new investors. "We are continuing to speak to investors as we try to find the right partners to grow the business more rapidly than we've been able to do so far," Caraeff noted. "We're still very active in that process."

The service is available in 13 countries, and about 5 billion of the views occur outside of the U.S., most notably in Germany.

Source:
Reuters

While not revealing too much, LG has provided more information about their upcoming G-Watch.

The smartwatch will be the first to use the Android Wear operating system, followed later in the year by other devices from Motorola and Samsung.

Among the new revelations is the fact that the device will have an "always-on" screen, will be dust and water proof and will be available in both black and champagne gold.

Android Wear, introduced by Google earlier this year, is built around the Google Now user interface and includes access to Google Maps and built-in voice controls.

Source:
LG G Watch

Earlier this week, The Pirate Bay reached a new milestone when its 10 millionth torrent was uploaded to the tracker.

Comically, the site needed to update its code to assist with an extra digit moving forward.

The 10 millionth upload was a pirated copy of the latest in the "IntimateLesbians" porn series, and it was uploaded by a popular VIP uploader known as "Drarb."

While the video was the 10 millionth ever uploaded, there are currently only 3.05 million active torrents in the database. The other torrents have been deleted for one reason or another.

The Pirate Bay says many of the torrents that have been deleted were fake, contained malware or were uploaded by anti-piracy firms. Additionally, if the content does not match the description, moderators will delete it, as well.

As of now, over 10,000 uploads are added daily to the site, meaning the next big milestone will be sooner rather than later.

Source:
TorrentFreak

A month after announcing its acquisition of virtual reality startup Oculus VR for $2 billion, the deal has been approved by U.S. regulators.

The company makes the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset which has just been sent out to developers and is ushering in a new generation of gaming.

Both the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice approved the deal, which was not expected to have any regulatory hurdles.

The social networking giant purchased the company for mostly stock, just after purchasing giant instant messaging service Whatsapp for $19 billion.

Source:
Reuters

Amazon has announced a blockbuster deal today with original programming king HBO in which Amazon will offer older content for free via its Prime streaming catalog starting May 21st.

The move marks the first time the premium cable channel has licensed its programming to a third party. The company currently allows subscribers to watch content via their own HBO Go streaming app.

Most notably for Amazon, the deal is exclusive and leaves rival Netflix out in the cold. The deal does not include any current seasons or episodes from shows that ended within the last three years. A few other older hits (like Sex and the City) are also excluded because they are currently under contract for syndication deals with cable TV networks.

Included in the deal are past hits like "The Sopranos," "The Wire" and the first seasons of current hits like "True Blood." "Game of Thrones" fans will have to wait a little bit longer.

For fans that purchased Amazon's Fire TV streaming set-top box, there was also some good news, as the HBO Go app will finally make its way to the device in the coming months.

Microsoft has confirmed that their acquisition of Nokia's Devices and Service business will close on April 25th.

Reads the company's press release: "Today we are excited to share that we have completed the steps necessary to finalize Microsoft's acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business. The transaction will be completed this Friday, April 25, when we'll officially welcome the Nokia Devices and Services business as part of the Microsoft family.

The completion of this acquisition follows several months of planning and will mark a key step on the journey towards integration. This acquisition will help Microsoft accelerate innovation and market adoption for Windows Phones. In addition, we look forward to introducing the next billion customers to Microsoft services via Nokia mobile phones."

There had been roadblocks overseas, most notably in China, which were recently resolved.

Sony has confirmed that the Xperia Z2 IP55/58 waterproof tablet is now available for pre-order at $500 for the 16GB base model.

The device features a 10.1" tablet display with Full HD TRILUMINOS and Live Color LED technology and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3 Ghz quad-core processor and 3 GB RAM. Android 4.4 is loaded right out of the gate, along with Sony's Xperia UI.

Additionally, the tablet has S-Force Front Surround audio, Clear Audio+ and digital noise cancelling support, a 6000mAh battery and an8 MP camera with Exmor RS image sensor and Superior Auto mode.

Finally, Sony has pre-loaded media offers including six movies from Sony Pictures (including new films like Captain Phillips and American Hustle), a free trial to Music Unlimited and eight free PlayStation Mobile games.

Netflix has confirmed that Amazon will be adding the company's full streaming catalog to its Fire TV's universal search feature.

CEO Reed Hastings said "we expect to support voice search later this year," a move that will greatly improve the functionality of the box.

Besides Netflix, Amazon announced recently that there would be support for Crackle, Showtime Anytime, and Hulu Plus in the near future.

Read our review of the set-top box here: Review: The powerful streaming, gaming set-top Amazon Fire TV

AT&T is preparing a true rival for Google Fiber, showing off potential launch sites for expanding their gigabit speed fiber Internet service, GigaPower.

The service is currently only available in Austin and has been announced for Dallas, Winston-Salem and Raleigh-Durham.

With today's announcement, the company has now identified 21 new candidate metropolitan areas including: Atlanta, Augusta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, Greensboro, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Oakland, Orlando, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, San Francisco, and San Jose.

"We're delivering advanced services that offer consumers and small businesses the ability to do more, faster, help communities create a new wave of innovation, and encourage economic development," said Lori Lee, senior executive vice president, AT&T Home Solutions. "We're interested in working with communities that appreciate the value of the most advanced technologies and are willing to encourage investment by offering solid investment cases and policies."

Following their quarterly earnings report this afternoon, Netflix has announced it will be raising the price for new subscribers to its streaming catalog.

Currently at $7.99 per month for unlimited streaming and multiple profiles, the price will increase by $1 or $2 depending on where you live in the world. The new price change goes into effect later in the quarter, most likely in June.

Netflix says current users will get to keep their grandfathered pricing for a "generous time period." The company previously tested pricing variations in Ireland.

The company justified the small price increase by noting how much content they have added in the past year, especially in original programming. The added revenue will go towards more acquisitions and to "deliver an even better streaming experience."

As a group, analysts appear to have called for the peak in iPad sales.

Consensus for the Q1 2014 is that iPad sales will fall year-over-year (YoY) by 0.7 percent.

Such a drop would be surprising for Apple, which saw over 20 percent growth in the last quarter for its refreshed iPad line.

Across the industry, the consensus is 19.3 million units sold, compared to 19.5 million YoY. Noted Apple enthusiasts Horace Dediu, Peter Misek and Gene Munster all had estimates at the high end of the range, above 21 million. Braeburn Group's Matt Lew came in with the low print at 15 million, although that is likely to get more visibility to the firm rather than a real estimation.

Unless Apple blows away these estimates, growth will have slowed significantly. Customers are likely waiting for the updated iPad Air and Mini with Retina models to be released in the Q3.

We will learn more this week following Apple's earnings report.

Toshiba has just unveiled the world's fastest microSD cards, cards that the company claims can handle 4K video.

Available initially in 32GB and 64GB versions, the cards are rated at UHS Speed Class 3 (U3) and they are the first to use the new UHS-II interface standard.

Notes Toshiba: UHS-II with U3 means support for "high-quality 4K video capture at constant minimum write speed of 30MB/S. This means that 4K2K video, live broadcast, and content can be recorded on high-performance cameras."

The new announcement is of great significance to the industry, given that product makers will no longer have to sacrifice valuable space to accommodate bigger cards, like full sized SD.

Toshiba claims the 64GB card has a max read speed of 260MB per second and write speed of 240MB/s while the 32GB has 145MB/s and 130MB/s, respectively. Compared to previous cards, the new specs "represents an 8x write speed improvement and 2.7x read speed improvement when compared to Toshiba's current 32GB MicroSD UHS-1 card."

LinkedIn has announced this week that the professional social network now has 300 million registered users, with 100 million residing in the U.S.

Reads the blog post: "We are excited to announce that we reached a big milestone today: there are now more than 300 million LinkedIn members in the world! More than half of these members come from outside of the U.S., while there are 100 million members in the U.S. While this is an exciting moment, we still have a long way to go to realize our vision of creating economic opportunity for every one of the 3.3 billion people in the global workforce."

The company has plans for major expansions into Asia and mobile devices, with the ultimate goal of expanding their user base into the billions.

Of course, the registered userbase is much higher than the active users, with uniques totaling 187 million last quarter.

Yesterday, Samsung device owners had many of their services unavailable for some time, with even Samsung.com down for a time.

Apps were unavailable on Samsung Smart TVs, as well, thanks to a large fire at a Samsung SDS building in Gwacheon, South Korea.

Earlier this morning, access was restored and Samsung confirmed the fire as the culprit.

There were no fatalities.

According to a new Pew research survey, Americans remain wary of technology that could power the future, including drones, robots and even wearable devices like Google Glass.

1,000 US adults were surveyed, and 59 percent expressed optimism that upcoming tech would positively benefit society and their lives, while a full 30 percent believed society would be worse off.

There were some mixed results in other areas. 80 percent believe lab-grown organs will be a mainstay, while 50 percent believe that computers will be able to produce art on the same quality as humans.

One worrying figure was that 39 percent of those surveyed believe scientists will be able to teleport objects within the next 50 years. There have been no breakthroughs in such an endeavor, and many believe teleportation is hundreds of years away, if it is possible at all.

53 percent of respondents were worried about wearables and think society will be worse off if "most people wear implants or other devices that constantly show them information about the world around them." 37 percent believed society would be better off. Only 48 percent of respondents would take a ride in a driverless car. 63 percent are concerned society will be worse off if drones are allowed to operate in commercial airspace. 65 percent are against robots as caregivers for the eldery and 66 percent are against DNA alteration for babies to include specific traits. The largest number, 78 percent, had no interest in eating lab-grown meats.

Starting next week, AT&T will boost their pre-paid GoPhone plans with additional data, with no additional change in price.

The base GoPhone plan will still cost $40 per month for 500 minutes and unlimited texting (including international for certain countries), but data will be bumped to 500MB from the current 250MB.

If you pay up for the unlimited talk and text plan at $60 per month, data will be boosted to 2.5GB from 2GB and Wi-Fi hotspot capability is added for free.

For new customers, and available exclusively at Walmart, there is a third plan with unlimited text and talk with 1GB data for $45 per month, a stronger value than the base plan as long as the $5 isn't a deal breaker.

"We're giving customers more for less, and making it even easier for them to enjoy their smartphones the way they want - all on a superior, reliable network," said Mark Collins, AT&T Mobility senior vice president of data and voice products.

Government officials have confirmed that the HealthCare.gov website is indeed vulnerable to the Heartbleed bug, and those that have signed up for Obamacare should change their passwords.

There was no indication that the site had been compromised, but officials still recommend changing the password to be safe. Other government sites may have been vulnerable, as well, but a full review is still ongoing, say the officials.

Heartbleed, which is a massive flaw in the OpenSSL website encryption technology used by a major portion of the Web, has been dominating headlines recently as major companies rush to patch their services and recommend to users that their passwords and other info be changed.

"While there's no indication that any personal information has ever been at risk, we have taken steps to address Heartbleed issues and reset consumers' passwords out of an abundance of caution," reads the website.

Phyllis Schneck, Department of Homeland Security deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications also added: "We will continue to focus on this issue until government agencies have mitigated the vulnerability in their systems. And we will continue to adapt our response if we learn about additional issues created by the vulnerability."

Beats Music has bitten the bullet and has added in-app purchasing for subscriptions of the streaming service through the iOS app.

The service launched in January and has been modestly successful due to its high reviews.

Apple takes 30 percent of all in-app purchase revenue, which is significant but should also open up the service to more users. Beats Music costs $10 per month.

Beats Music is available in the U.S. on iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android, PC and Mac. The headphone company, run by music industry exec Jimmy Iovine and famous producer Dr. Dre, says all U.S. consumers can try the service for free for 30 days and can download or stream unlimited music for $10 per month afterwards. For $15 a month, a family of five can access the service through a deal will AT&T. The charge will be part of your regular monthly bill.

Unlimited downloads will allow you to listen to music offline, but the downloads expire and disappear when your membership ends.

The Kickstarter-funded high-fidelity music player, Pono, has closed its campaign at $6.2 million raised, good for the third best campaign on the crowdfunding site, ever.

Launched by musician Neil Young, the device was offered in 31 different options, including players with artist's signatures laser engraved on the side and pre-loaded with the artist's music.

Still in prototype form, the device is expected to launch in October in its final retail form. "The art of engineering is the art of compromise," Pono said recently. "And when you have a chance to listen to the PonoPlayer, we promise that you will be more than happy with the choices we have made."

Pono Players will cost $399 when they launch at retail in October, but 100 lucky backers got it for $199 and all other Kickstarter backers could purchase it for $299.

What is Pono?

Pono's mission is to provide the best possible listening experience of your favorite music. We want to be very clear that PonoMusic is not a new audio file format or standard. PonoMusic is an end-to-end ecosystem for music lovers to get access to and enjoy their favorite music exactly as the artist created it, at the recording resolution they chose in the studio. We offer PonoMusic customers the highest resolution digital music available. PonoMusic is more than just a high-resolution music store and player; it is a grassroots movement to keep the heart of music beating. PonoMusic aims to preserve the feeling, spirit, and emotion that the artists put in their original studio recordings.

Read more...

According to a new Experian Marketing Services study, cord cutting is definitely on the rise, especially among those with popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus.

The study reveals that 6.5 percent of U.S. households cut the cord in 2013, leaving their cable TV service for good, up from 4.5 percent in 2010. This amounts to almost 8 million.

If you are a subscriber to Netflix or Hulu, that figure jumps significantly, with 18 percent of Americans using those services having effectively cut the cord.

Perhaps most dramatically, in the 18-34 age range, the number is closer to 12.5 percent of all households. "The young millennials who are just getting started on their own may never pay for television," said John Fetto, a senior analyst at Experian Marketing Services. "Pay TV is definitely declining."

Following a report that the company was shutting down its FuelBand digital sports division and laying employees off, Nike has confirmed a "small number" of layoffs but denied the division was being ended.

"The Nike+ FuelBand SE remains an important part of our business," says the company. "We will continue to improve the Nike+ FuelBand App, launch new METALUXE colors, and we will sell and support the Nike+ FuelBand SE for the foreseeable future."

To that end, Nike could be suggesting that there will be no future FuelBand bracelets in the future, and other sources claim Nike is just waiting to wind down its remaining inventory while it decides on the future of the unit.

The bracelets have high expenses, low margins and sales have been moderate. Sources also claim Nike has had issues attracting the engineering talent it would need for future devices. The device also lacks an Android app, alienating a huge portion of the population.

According to supply chain sources, Google is working on a $100 Nexus smartphone for budget-conscious consumers.

There is very little to go on, but the reports claim that Google will join up with chip maker MediaTek to build the phone. MediaTek offers SoC with high-end specs, but for lower priced devices.

Such a device could certainly disrupt the industry, especially if it is serviceable, given that Apple's iPhones sell for over $600 unlocked, and at least $199 on contract, and the Galaxy line sells for the same price. Samsung and Apple are the only two profitable smartphone makers and it is clear that margins on a $100 phone would be non-existent.

Most likely, Google would be losing money on each device (like Amazon normally does), to ensure the Android OS and Google ecosystem are in as many hands as possible, where they can sell more content.

On the high-end, Google is expected to launch their Nexus 6 later this year.

Sony Computer Entertainment has announced that the PlayStation 4 (PS4) console has sold over 7 million units as of April 6th, showing strong demand around the globe.

"The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice," said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. "The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage. We look forward to unveiling many of these experiences to our fans in the coming months."

Overall, software sales totaled 20.5 million physical and digital copies, and the company says there will be 120 titles available by the end of 2014.

Additionally, the console has seen 135 million shares via the "SHARE" button on the controller and 4.9 million gameplay broadcasts have been uploaded through video streaming services Twitch and Ustream.

Developer Bungie has confirmed that the upcoming blockbuster game Destiny is 'close to shipping' even though the veteran composer Marty O'Donnell was recently fired from the company.

O'Donnell was the man behind the soundtrack for the Halo series, and was well known by fans and in the industry. Bungie COO Pete Parsons says his music will remain in the game and the game is "close to shipping."

"I think the Bungie fanbase is going to look forward to hearing Marty's music, Mike Salvatori's music, C. Paul's music and Paul McCartney's music in the game," Parsons added. "That's going to be exciting for people. It's going to be a great, fantastic experience."

Most of the game is already completed, and there should be no delay for the game's September release date.

"I believe people will be transported not just by the activities and the stories within the Destiny universe but by the sights and the wonderful sounds and music," Parsons concluded. "We have a fantastic team. We're pretty close to shipping. There's a lot of polish left to do, lots of tweaking and tuning, but a lot is already complete."

Source:
Eurogamer

A day after Sony revealed that over 7 million PlayStation 4 had been sold, Microsoft countered by announcing that 5 million Xbox One units have been shipped to retailers, although a good portion of those are expected to have been sold to consumers.

Says the software giant: "We're happy to share today that more than 5 million Xbox One consoles have been sold-in to retailers since our launch. The new generation is off to a strong start, with global Xbox One sales outpacing Xbox 360 by more than 60 percent at the same point in time, a true testament to your love of console gaming. Even more important to us is how much fun you are having on Xbox One."

The company also notes that Xbox One gamers are spending an average of five hours per day on the console, totaling over one billion hours of gaming, streaming, and more.

Former Yahoo CEO Henrique de Castro will walk away with $58 million in severance, after being fired just 15 months into the job.

CEO Marissa Mayer personally hired de Castro away from his position at Google in early 2013 and admits Henrique "was not a fit and that's a regrettable conclusion."

De Castro received $1.14 million in salary and bonuses, and $56.8 million in Yahoo stock that doubled in value in 2013 thanks to Yahoo's strong performance.

Mayer, as chief of the company, made $25 million last year in salary and bonuses.

Amazon has announced that its Fire TV set-top box will be getting added partners for its universal voice search feature.

"We're excited and energized by the momentum we're seeing with Fire TV," said Dave Limp, Vice President, Amazon Devices. "Customers are telling us they love it, developers are building for it, and we're working hard to expand existing features and build new ones. We're thrilled to have Hulu Plus, Crackle, and SHOWTIME integrating their full selection of movies and TV shows into Fire TV's unified voice search."

The device will get the new partners over the summer, says Amazon.

Additionally, the company says there is a "big pipeline of great developers working to make their services and games available for Fire TV. New selection is coming from developers like Telltale Games, Halfbrick, Pixowl, Disney Interactive, Minority Media, Paradox Interactive, Gaiam, AllRecipes, and Twitch." Finally, Amazon FreeTime and MP3 will be added soon with the next OTA update.

In 2011, Google launched their Chrome Remote Desktop extension, allowing users to gain access to their machines from other notebooks and desktops, securely.

The service has now been extended to Android devices, with an iOS app coming eventually.

Users can enable remote access to their machines on Mac OSX, Linux and Windows, and Android users will even get another six-digit pin for an extra layer of security. "Computers can be made available on an short-term basis for scenarios such as ad hoc remote support, or on a more long-term basis for remote access to your applications and files. All connections are fully secured," reads the Chrome extension description.

For those worried about having their home computers remotely accessed by intruders, Google notes that "all remote desktop sessions are fully encrypted using Chrome's SSL features." No data is recorded or saved during sessions, and you will always need your PIN and one-time use Access Code to remotely connect.

According to reports, Apple is planning to build a song ID (discovery) feature right into iOS that will work just like Shazam and rival services in allowing iPhone and iPad users to quickly identify a song/artist.

Apple will work directly with the market leader, Shazam, for the technology, which quickly pairs music heard by the device's microphone with a vast database of tracks.

The company remains the world's largest digital music seller via its popular iTunes store, but single and album downloads have finally stagnated after years of strong growth. Streaming services like Spotify and Pandora have taken significant share of the music market and Apple even introduced their own service, iTunes Radio, last year, integrating it with iOS 7.

Samsung has confirmed another smartwatch set for release this year, this one running on Google's Android Wear operating system.

Last year, the company got into the market with its first-generation Galaxy Gear, which uses a Samsung-modified version of Android. Earlier this year, the company announced its Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo devices, each of which run on the Tizen operating system. Samsung's new Gear Fit fitness band runs on its own completely different OS.

Hankil Yoon, Samsung's SVP of product design, confirmed the Android Wear-based device in an interview. Android Wear is Android optimized for wearable devices.

So far, LG and Motorola have also announced watches that run on the OS, set for release over the summer. Google is expected to be building an Android Wear reference device, likely using the Nexus branding name.

LWG Consulting has put together an infographic helping concerned Internet users who may be susceptible to the Heartbleed bug that plagued OpenSSL traffic and only just recently began making headlines.

An estimated 65 percent of all sites on the Web are affected, and major companies have scrambled to issue patches.

Despite most major sites being patched quickly, Heartbleed has been around for at least three years, meaning your passwords and other personal data could be have stolen at some point, well before the patches. There are a number of tools for checking if a site you have been using is, or has been, vulnerable. One such tool is LastPass Heartbleed checker.

As an added protection if you use the Chrome browser, there is a new plugin that will automatically let you know if the site you are visiting is still vulnerable, and will also place a Heartbleed logo next to Google search results.

Try the plugin here and check the infographic below. Worth noting, however, is Google's response here:

Samsung has placed a new time frame for its long-awaited Tizen operating system, claiming it will launch in the Q2.

This is not the first time the company has given a release date for the mobile operating system, but it has delayed it for years, releasing no smartphones or tablets running on Tizen but releasing some cameras and other less popular devices.

More recently, Tizen is powering the newly launched Gear 2 smartwatch.

Two smartphones running on Tizen are expected to be released, allowing Samsung to break some of its dependence on the Android OS. By releasing Tizen, Samsung can better build its own ecosystem, app store and applications, while collecting more revenue per device.

Despite Samsung's heavy marketing power and global brand recognition, prospects for Tizen have not been bright, especially after a delay last year due to market conditions as cited by carrier partners DoCoMo and Orange. The company has now changed the strategy and will release the phones in just a few countries where it believes it can succeed.

The first two devices will include a low-end device for volume sales, and a high-end device that could match the specs of the Galaxy S5 under the hood.

Is Google Fiber headed to New York City to disrupt Time Warner's monopoly?

A new job opening in Google's careers website could possibly be suggesting so, asking for a Google Fiber Regional Sales Manager for New York, that "will manage multiple teams that evangelize Google Fiber services to MDU (multi-dwelling apartments and condos) and large SMB owners."

The Fiber offering, which has up to 1Gb down and upload speeds without caps, would be a significant upgrade from current ISPs in the city, especially on price. A gigabit connection is $70 per month, and usually comes with freebies like a Nexus tablet.

25 Mbit (Google is 40 times faster) connections from Time Warner Cable and Verizon are $60 a month when discounted for combined bundled offerings like TV and landline telephones.

Source:
Google Careers

Apple has made their 8GB model of the iPhone 5c available in a few more European nations.

After a quick maintenance and downtime, the Apple Store came back up yesterday adding the device to the stores for the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Poland and the Czech Republic.

For most of the countries, the 8GB model offers a €50 savings from the 16GB (former) base model. In the Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal and Belgium it costs €549, and €579 in Italy.

The Czech Republic and Sweden each had equivalent price drops.

In March, Apple made the 8GB model available in th UK, France, Germany, Australia and China.

LaCie, the French maker of hard drives and other storage media, is the latest victim of an attack that has exposed customer information and credit card information.

The company confirmed that the FBI notified them on March 19th that "an unauthorized person used malware to gain access to information from customer transactions that were made through LaCie's website." The company has shut down its online store and has hired a private investigation firm.

Shockingly, the company says all transactions made from March 27th, 2013 to March 10th of this year could be affected and the info stolen includes usernames, passwords, full names, addresses, emails and credit card numbers including expiration dates.

To get back on the site you must reset your password, and it is unclear how many consumers are affected.

Krebs on Security first wrote about the breach three weeks before LaCie began sending out emails to affected customers on April 11th, which is equally as shocking and appalling.

Source:
Lacie

Google has announced that it sold out of Google Glass stock that was made available to consumers for the first time yesterday.

As part of its tax day one-day-only sale, anyone in the U.S. could purchase the $1500 eyewear on a first-come, first-serve basis. New "Explorers" received a free pair of glass or sunglass frames.

Google did not reveal how many units were up for sale, and everyone who wanted to get one appears to have been able to. The white colorway sold out first, followed by grey, black, red and blue.

Posting a bit past midnight, Google wrote: "Welcome to our new Explorers! All spots in the Explorer Program have been claimed for now, but if you missed it this time, don't worry. We'll be trying new ways to expand the Explorer program in the future. You can sign up below to stay updated. That's all for now, folks."

The limited rollouts are expected to continue before a full launch either later this year or early next year. Currently, Explorers must apply as developers.

Samsung has announced a full compatibility list for its new Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smart devices.

As of writing, the devices will be compatible with twenty Galaxy devices, the full list of which is posted below.

12 of the devices are smartphones and the other 8 are Samsung tablets.

Looking forward, the Gear and Fit have their own SDKs and all "resources you need to develop apps for Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are already available in Tizen SDK for Wearables and Samsung Mobile SDK(Accessory package)," says Samsung.

Full list:

Phones

Galaxy S5
Galaxy Note 3
Galaxy Note 3 Neo
Galaxy S4
Galaxy Note II
Galaxy S III
Galaxy S4 Active
Galaxy S4 mini
Galaxy S4 zoom
Galaxy Mega 6.3
Galaxy Mega 5.8
Galaxy Grand 2

Read more...

Thanks to a new ruling by the High Court in New Zealand, Kim Dotcom can have his seized personal assets back, including a garage full of luxury cars, millions in cash, and other items taken from the raid of his mansion.

The mansion was raided in 2012 when authorities took down file storage locker Megaupload and arrested its larger-than-life owner, Dotcom. Before the raid, the authorities were granted foreign restraining orders that allowed for the seizure of his assets, but those orders expire on Friday and have not been renewed nor extended.

While Dotcom is certainly excited (see the Tweets embedded below), the authorities have two weeks to file an appeal and given the high profile nature of the case, almost certainly will.

Earlier this week we reported that Amazon was working on its first smartphone, a 3D device that could be unveiled in June for a launch in September.

This morning, pictures emerged purporting to be the alleged Amazon phone, showing off the multiple cameras on the front as rumored to make the device 3D capable without the need for glasses. There are four corner cameras alongside the standard camera.

There is little to see of the design as the company has protected it with a case while still in prototype.

Sources say there will be two handsets released, a high-end and a mid-range model, each with different features and specs. The mid-range device will not have 3D capabilities or the added cameras.

Other than the camera, the phone will have a disappointing 4.7-inch 720p display and a Snapdragon processor, says the sources. The real selling point will be the 3D technology, which means text and images can move as a person head moves (or the phone moves), and could certainly be ideal for visual gaming, thanks to the added depth perception.

After launching the game for iOS and Android in late 2012, Rovio has brought their hit 'Bad Piggies' to Windows Phone.

The pigs, villains in all the Angry Birds games, get the lead in this one, with gamers needing to build different vehicles to get the pigs across the landscapes to steal eggs from the birds.

For the Windows Phone version, the game will have over 200 levels with unlockable content, as well.

Reads the post:

Create the ultimate flying/crawling/rolling/spinning/crashing device and pilot the pigs safely to the eggs!

The Bad Piggies are after the eggs again - but as usual, nothing is going according to plan! Can you create the ultimate flying machine and steer them safely to their destination? Those tricky pigs have a few objects they can use, but they need your help to turn these into the perfect transportation!

With more than 200 levels, and free updates coming up, you have hours and hours of pig-crashing, exploding, and flying fun! Get three stars on every level to unlock 36 more puzzles!

The music industry trade group RIAA has added to Megaupload and owner Kim Dotcom's woes, filing a new civil lawsuit.

Megaupload was shut down two years ago after a U.S. raid, and Dotcom was arrested, as well. At the time, the site was bringing in over $25 million per year in ads, and over $100 million per year from premium account subscription fees.

As part of the suit, the RIAA has accused Megaupload of "allowing users to engage in rapid, unrestricted downloading of popular, infringing content."

The RIAA has also been providing the media with a data sheet that shows a drop in piracy since the site shut down, thanks to "an analysis by the RIAA of third party-provided data." These "facts" have often been heavily skewed in the past, and likely do not take other factors into account, like the rise of Spotify and other unlimited streaming services.

Last week, the film industry trade group MPAA filed a similar suit against Megaupload.

Microsoft Studios has confirmed that 'Age of Empires' will be headed to mobile devices this summer.

Headed to iOS, Android and Windows Phone, there is little else known about the game, which will be a spin-off of the popular series.

Dubbed Age of Empires: World Domination, the game will look similar to its console and desktop counterparts, at least from what we can see in the short trailer.

The studio says there is more info here: AOEWD

Check it here:

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened microblogging site Twitter again, this time accusing it of tax evasion.

The PM recently tried banning Twitter in the nation, but the ban was overturned by the nation's highest court. Information about a major corruption scandal involving Erdogan's inner circle was broken and disseminated via the service.

In his latest tirade, Erdogan says "Twitter, YouTube and Facebook are international companies established for profit and making money. Twitter is at the same time a tax evader. We will go after it. These companies, like every international company, will abide by my country's constitution, laws and tax rules."

Erdogan then criticized the court's decision, claiming it was "advocating commercial law of international companies instead of defending the rights of its own country and its own people. This amounts to interference in politics. We abided by the (court) ruling on (Twitter), but I say it again, I don't respect it."

A week after blocking Twitter, the government also blocked YouTube, after videos were uploaded of a secret meeting between the country's top civilian and military officials.

Source:
Yahoo News

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has confirmed that it could not migrate all of its computers from Windows XP in time for the April 8th support end-of-life, and will now have to have Microsoft millions of dollars for security patches.

Microsoft ended public security patches for the 13-year-old operating system last week, but will still offer private patches for companies that pay for extra support. Without the patches, systems running XP are vulnerable to being exploited and attacked.

Of the IRS's 110,000 computers, 52,000 have been upgraded to Windows 7, but the agency could not raise the additional $30 million needed to migrate the rest. Microsoft announced the end-of-life dates for XP back in 2008.

The new commissioner of the IRS, John Koskinen, said the agency had $300 million in IT projects on hold due to budget cuts in the past years, including the migration to Windows 7. Because they could not complete the upgrades, the IRS will likely have to pay near $10 million for just one year of Microsoft "Custom Support" for the operating system.

As of now, Koskinen says they will take money from their enforcement budget to complete the move by the end of 2014.

Last year, Andrew Auernheimer aka 'Weev,' was convicted and sentenced to 41 months in jail for exploiting AT&T and revealing data from over 114,000 iPad 3G owners.

This week, an Appellate court has tossed the conviction, on the grounds that he was prosecuted in the wrong state. Weev was tried in New Jersey federal court, despite living in Arkansas. All of his crimes, including violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and thousands of charges of identity theft, had no connection to NJ, added the court.

Weev has spent the last 20 months in Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex in Pennsylvania, well known as a "Club Fed" white collar prison. The felon is said to be spending nearly all his time in solitary, however, and his attorney claims he has been treated poorly.

Original Crime

Reports out of Korea seem to confirm that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is selling well, or at least significantly better than its predecessor, the S4.

Setting a Samsung record for first day sales, the smartphone has topped the previous mark by 30 percent.

In some key European markets, the S5 doubled the first day sales of the S4, and would have likely been even higher had there been more supply to keep up with demand, says the report.

Launching in 125 nations, with 25 more to join in the coming days, the S5 was the biggest launch for Samsung, ever.

The S5 features a 1080p 5.1-inch display and runs on Android 4.4.2 + TouchWiz. Under the hood is a 2.5GHz Quad core processor, 2GB RAM, 16/32GB internal storage, microSD slot, dual cameras, 16MP (rear) with 4K video support, 2.0MP (front), LTE Cat 4, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac MIMO(2x2) Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, NFC and a built-in IR remote to control TV and other devices.

Back in December, we reported that one of the most popular apps in the Google Play Store, "Brightest Flashlight," which has been downloaded over 50 million times and reviewed over 1 million times, had been sanctioned by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for sneakily selling your personal information to advertisers.

The app, built by GoldenShores, sent your location and a unique ID to advertisers who could then better target their marketing. Users were aware of this, but opting out through the application's settings did not change whether data was sent or not.

At the time, the FTC proposed a settlement with GoldenShores, run by just one individual (Erik Geidl), and the final terms have been revealed this week.

Geidl and GoldenShores are banned from collecting app user's geolocation data without a very clear explanation that they are doing so and who will be seeing such information. Additionally, the company will have to keep records that the FTC can inspect at any time, and the FTC must be notified of any new business Geidl starts in the next decade. Most importantly for phone users, all the data already collected must be deleted in the next ten days.

Amazon will unveil their first smartphone in June, with an expected release in September, say sources, yet another timeframe for the oft-rumored device that has never been officially confirmed.

The device has been demoed to developers in the past weeks, say the sources, and when launched will compete directly with Apple, Samsung and other high-margin OEMs.

As previously rumored, the device will have a 3D-capable display without the need for glasses, using four front-facing cameras for retina tracking.

Using the technology, text and images can move as a person head moves (or the phone moves), and could certainly be ideal for visual gaming, thanks to the added depth perception. The smartphone will most likely run on the Android-forked Fire OS, and have access to Amazon's curated version of the Google Play Store.

Amazon has reportedly set up an initial order of 600,000 units, with mass production slated to begin in May. While consumers may not want to try a smartphone run directly on Android or iOS, Amazon will have the ability to price their device with no margins, as CEO Jeff Bezos has long said the company would rather make money on content via their ecosystem rather than on the hardware.

According to a new report, Sprint and Spotify are preparing to team up in an effort to get the carrier's customers set up with the unlimited streaming music service.

The wireless carrier will start off with free trials to Spotify for its subscribers, allow for paying via their monthly carrier bill, and will also offer discounts to the streaming service for some of its users. Spotify Premium costs $9.99 per month and allows for streaming on mobile devices.

If you are on a "Framily" plan, you can get Spotify Premium at a discount, to be shared between the group.

Reportedly, Sprint and Spotify will jointly announce the partnership at a press event on April 29th. Any such deal would require record label approval, so the 29th date is tentative.

Spotify has 8 million subscribers around the globe, and Sprint has 54 million subscribers, making it the third largest carrier in the nation.

According to a new report, 44 percent of Twitter's registered users have never tweeted, a huge number that cannot make the microblogging service happy.

The WSJ claims that the company has 974 million accounts, meaning a full 429 million accounts have never been used for actual tweeting. There is a good chance that millions of these accounts are used to read and follow others, with no need for their own input and there is also a good chance that millions of accounts have lost or missing passwords that cannot be recovered by the original owner.

Twitter, by its own admission, has nearly 250 million active users, but "active" means that they at least log in a couple of times a month.

Other data has shown that only 13 percent of accounts have over 100 tweets over their lifetime, and 30 percent have between just one and ten tweets.

As Twitter continues to evolve, and continues to search for more ad revenue, it is clear it will have to find a way to engage all of its dead accounts.

DreamWorks Animation (DWA), is reportedly looking to buy a stake in music video giant Vevo, expanding outside of its blockbuster animated movie business.

Sources say CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg wants part of the service that is currently owned by Universal Music, Sony Music and Abu Dhabi Media. It is unclear how big of a stake the company is looking to invest in.

Vevo is very popular, generating 55 billion views last year, mainly through YouTube. The service does have its own site and other platforms can traffic Vevo, as well, like the Xbox, Roku set-tops and smart TVs.

The company is valued at over $600 million and it generated over $250 million in revenue last year. Investors need be weary, however, as YouTube, music publishers and the video's owners take 90 percent of any revenue generated from the videos being played.

If a move is made, it will be the second time in the last year that DWA has expanded outside of their core business. The studio purchased YouTube channel AwesomenessTV for $100 million last year, expanding into content.

Source:
Re/code

Billionaire and 'Shark Tank' investor Mark Cuban has put forward $250,000 of his own money to help the "PowerPot" succeed, a pot that lets you charge your smartphone with boiling water.

Cuban paid $250,000 for a 12 percent stake in the company, a seat on the board of directors and 3% in "adviser options." With the investment, the company is worth over $2 million, seemingly a good value given that they have supposedly already sold $300,000 worth of the devices.

The founders have been marketing the device towards campers, but have also been testing it in developing nations in Africa, where villagers have been using it to light their huts.

A 5-watt model and 10-watt model are available, starting at $149.

Check the pot in action:

Google is making installing apps on your Android device a bit more secure by offering malware scans during installation for apps installed from outside of the Google Play Store.

Moving forward, the service will also continuously scan to ensure that all apps are "behaving in a safe manner, even after installation."

Chrome users will be familiar with continuous app checks, as their Chrome-based apps use the same scans from Google.

Google's current "Verify Apps" service has been used over 4 billion times, says the company and only 0.18 percent of installations occurred after seeing the warning, making them very effective.

Of course, you are not likely to ever get these warnings if you download directly from the Google Play Store, which accounts for only 0.1 percent of all malware. Most of the malicious apps come from third-party stores or from pirated downloads.

After weeks of rumors, LG's upcoming flagship (likely the G3) has been unwittingly confirmed by Sprint.

Even though the company already released the G Pro 2 this year, it was always supposed to be place marker for the company's real flagship and successor to the G2.

Leaked by Sprint through a User Agent Profile XML document, the LS990 (G3) will have a QHD screen at 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. So far, no major manufacturer has reached such a resolution for their smartphones, but Oppo and Vivo recently unveiled new phones with QHD for release in the coming months.

The screen's size is unknown, but the specs reveal 3GB RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 800, which could be inaccurate given how old that chip is. The device runs on Android 4.4, has 32GB internal storage and on the camera side, dual 13MP/2.1MP sensors.

A peer reviewed study from the Federation University in Ballarat has confirmed what nearly everyone knew, that ads placed on piracy sites are high risk and should never be clicked on.

As defined in the study, "high risk" categories are pornography-based (sometimes child), malware or complete scam and fraud sites.

The study had researchers analyzing the "top 500 Google-upheld copyrighted complaints for movies and TV distributed by major Hollywood studios and then analyzing 10 sites from each complaint sampled for all ads displayed," notes Mumbrella.

Only one percent of ads on the illicit sites were found to be for mainstream brands such as banks and retailers, with the most often found advertiser being Quibids.com, the legitimate auction/bidding site.

To avoid re-targeting during the study (where a user's cookies and other past history helps bring up targeted ads), the researchers did not store cookies. "We eyeballed all the ads and classified it as either mainstream or high risk. In terms of methodology every time we took a new page capture we didn't store any cookies. There was nothing in a virtual browser which recorded where we had been eliminated that potential for retargeting by Google etc."

As demand for its high-end devices stagnate, Samsung is offering up to $600 worth of freebies with its new Galaxy S5 flagship device.

Among the offerings are a PayPal voucher, a LinkedIn premium account and multiple fitness apps. In addition, other packages include six months free to the WSJ, 12 months free for Bloomberg Businessweek and other applications, as well.

Samsung says it expects S5 sales to hit 10 million units within 25 days, basing that figure on its pre-orders.

"The Galaxy S5 was designed to offer consumers the most advanced tool to help improve their everyday lives," Shin Jong Kyun, CEO Samsung Mobile, said in a statement. "These new partnerships perfectly compliment this mission with a comprehensive offering of some of the world's best mobile resources to suit people's active lives."

Last year, it was reported that Microsoft was working on a "Mini" version of their Surface tablet, one that would be between 7 and 8 inches in size, just like the standard bearer in the market, the 7.9-inch Apple iPad Mini.

According to a new report, the new Surface is already produced and ready to ship, but Microsoft is still working on how to market the tablet.

The device will look just like the full-sized 11.6-inch Surface tablets, potentially even including the built-in kickstand that allows for easier viewing.

While other tablets in the size range market themselves as media consumption devices (think iPad Mini, Nexus 7), Microsoft is said to be considering marketing the device as the "ultimate" in note-taking, adding OneNote and digital pen support.

It is unclear when the device will be officially launched, it is a safe bet that it Microsoft decides to go with the note taking route, then it will be available in time for the fall college semester.

For at least the last three years, LG has been working on its own ARM-based system-on-a-chip (SoC), and it appears that the chip may finally be headed to market.

The "Odin" octo-core SoC is rumored to run on four 2.2 GHz Cortex-A15s, along with an additional four Cortex-A7s, clocked at 1.7 GHz or lower.

LG is said to be using TSMC for production of Odin, which will use the standard 28nm manufacturing process.

If accurate, the company will send the chip into "mass production soon," although that time frame is unclear. The company supposedly had some issues with the final design, and stayed away from including the SoC with its flagship G3.

The Dutch Ministry of Security has ruled that downloading content from unauthorized sources is illegal, and does not fall under the Netherland's private copying regulations.

Downloading pirated content causes damages to copyright holders and also encourages broader sales of pirated works, says the court.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) was asked to make the decision after the Netherlands introduced a new levy on blank DVDs/Blu-rays, smartphones, set-tops and tablets as a way to compensate content holders for when consumers do private home copying of copyright protected content. The levy is three cents on discs, and up to €5 for devices.

Dutch film makers have argued that the levy is a good start, but cannot reverse the damages caused by unauthorized downloading and sharing. Film makers applauded the new ruling.

As of today, all downloading from illegal sites and other sources is now banned in the nations.

Google is using tax day to offer up its Glass Web-connected eyewear to the public for the first time.

On Tuesday, April 15th, the company will make a limited quantity available to the public, the first time the glasses are available to anyone outside of the Glass Explorer program.

"Every day we get requests from those of you who haven't found a way into the program yet, and we want your feedback too," Google said. "That's why next Tuesday, April 15th, we'll be trying our latest and biggest Explorer Program expansion experiment to date. We'll be allowing anyone in the U.S. to become an Explorer by purchasing Glass."

Google has never given a set time frame for a full consumer release of the glasses, but they are expected to launch the headset this year.

The launch should be a boost for manufacturers like Himax, who build the LCOS micro-displays used by Glass.

Nikon will be updating last year's first try at an Android point-and-shoot digital camera, showing off the new Coolpix S810C.

The camera is a successor to the S800c, and it should be an overall upgrade to its older brother. The new S810c runs on Android 4.2.2, has a 300mm equivalent zoom, 16MP sensor, a slimmer design and a larger 3.7-inch touchscreen display. The device also has a headphone jack

Most importantly, the camera can access the Google Play Store, giving users the ability to download apps, play games, check their emails, and edit photos easier (or upload them to Instagram).

In its previous incarnation, Nikon put forward a lackluster effort, with most consumers claiming the lag of the screen and the apps was intolerable. Hopefully, the company has executed better this time around.

The device will sell for $350 starting next month.

Google has announced that its Play Music service on Android devices now has native Sonos integration and support.

The new integration should allow for even easier streaming of your tracks to the hi-fi speaker system. Previously, you had to download the Sonos Controller app to cast the tracks directly to the speakers, so the new move should eliminate one step in your hectic day.

Sonos confirmed Google is the first major service to offer the native support, but there are likely to be more in the future if the feature becomes popular. "As we continue to invest in the way you experience and control your music at home, curating and managing an array of services across multiple rooms, the benefits of playing your music to Sonos directly from these very services is clear. In Google Play Music, we've found a great partner to bring this vision to life for the first time on a global scale. Together, we've created a music experience that shows how media, devices, and sound can seamlessly work together in the home," reads the Sonos blog post.

Google did note that you will still need the Controller app installed, even though you are not using it to control your music. Google Play will give you the option to select which speaker you want to the music to come from, and also which system you want it to play from, if you have a multi-room setup.

If KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi Kuo is to be believed, Apple may be headed for a huge upgrade and new product cycle this year.

Kuo, in a note to clients, provided an expected product roadmap for the year, which includes a handful of new devices. Kuo has connections in Apple's supply chain, and has been relatively accurate in the past with his notes, at least compared to most.

If true, Apple will release two iPhone 6, one at 4.7-inches and the other at 5.5-inches, huge upgrades from the current 4-inch screens of its iPhone 5, 5c and 5s.

The iWatch, rumored for over three years now, will finally be released, as well, in two sizes. Most likely this means men and women will have slightly different models.

Finally, the Apple TV will be upgraded, as will the iPad Air, iPad Mini, iMac and MacBooks, which will allegedly be getting slimmer.

All of the products are slated for the end of the Q2 all the way until the end of the Q4.

Nintendo has revealed narrower time frames for the release of the new Super Smash Bros on its consoles.

The company revealed more info during a 39-minute Nintendo Direct presentation earlier this week.

Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that the 3DS version will be released ahead of its console counterpart, with the handheld game reaching shelves over the summer compared to the Wii U version hitting sometime during the winter.

Between the game, there will be some differences, most notably the stages. Additionally, the 3DS will have a 'Smash Run' mode, but the rosters are completely the same.

There will most likely be added features for the Wii U console given its later date and to incentivize gamers to possible wait for it.

Nokia has unveiled its new 225 phone for the emerging markets, a device the company calls its "slimmest Internet phone" to date.

Selling for just EUR39 ($54), Nokia is making the device available in five colorways starting in the Q2.

The phone has a 2.8-inch screen and will come pre-loaded with the company's Xpress Browser, which is based in the cloud and helps to optimize sites for speedier performance on 2G/3G networks. The phone has a 2MP camera, a microSD slot, a dust and splash proof keymat, and dual band 900/1800MHz network support.

In addition, the device will come with Facebook and Twitter apps and five older games: Block Breaker 3, Asphalt 6, Assassins Creed 3, The Avengers and Real Football 2012.

Nokia has promised single and dual SIM models and up to 36 days of standby time. The operating system is Series 30+, meaning Nokia has stayed away from Windows Phone here.

Motorola Mobility, which was recently sold by Google to Lenovo, has named its new president and Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The executive will replace Dennis Woodside, who was CEO for MM while it was owned by Google. Woodside recently moved to Dropbox to become COO for the cloud storage startup.

Osterloh has been leading product management at Motorola for the past two years, and joined the company seven years ago via Motorola's acquisition of mobile security solutions provider Good Technology in 2007. The executive then worked at Skype overseeing design before it was acquired by Microsoft, when he then returned to Motorola.

"Since his return, Rick's had a key role in the company's reinvigoration," reads a Google post. "He's been a guiding visionary on the entire product front and a passionate advocate for our philosophy to focus everything we do on the consumer experience. Read more...

T-Mobile, in their ongoing efforts to turnaround the U.S. carrier market, has offered a new plan for budget-conscious consumers.

The new "Simple Starter" plan offers unlimited text, talk and 500MB of 2G/3G/4G data for just $40 per month. The data is a strong cap, unlike T-Mobile's other plans which offer unlimited data but the speeds are throttled to 2G after the stated amount.

If you reach 500MB, you will be prompted to purchase additional data via a day or week pass, but you will not be able to use any more mobile data.

Besides the cap, there are a few more limitations, as well. The Simple Starter cannot be added to family plans, and you will not have access to T-Mobile's new, free global roaming and international texting. You can, however, use the Jump program for quicker handset upgrades, and the plan also qualifies for zero down interest-free financing like T-Mobile's other plans.

Jony Ive, Apple's SVP of Design, may be behind the departure of another high-ranking Apple executive.

Human Interface VP Greg Christie will be leaving Apple after over twenty years, reportedly because of intense infighting between himself and Ive. Ive was also reportedly behind the firing of Scott Forstall in 2012, another executive that was close to former CEO Steve Jobs, but was said to have had friction with many co-workers.

Christie led the design of the new iOS 7 interface, and also played a prominent role in the "Slide to Unlock" feature of the iPhone.

While Christie was in charge of Apple software design, Ive received an expanded role in late 2012. The two did not agree on the direction of iOS 7, however, and Ive then reportedly took control of the design himself, undermining Christie's leadership.

Apple confirmed the move: "Greg has been planning to retire later this year after nearly 20 years at Apple. He has made vital contributions to Apple products across the board, and built a world-class Human Interface team which has worked closely with Jony for many years."

According to Microsoft, if you are a business trying to update Windows via the Windows Server Update Services, you will temporarily be unable to do so due to a new bug.

The bug was preventing business users from seeing future updates when using the service, so Microsoft deciding to rollback the update for the time being.

Says the software giant of the issue: "There is a known issue which causes some PCs updated with the Windows 8.1 Update (KB 2919355) to stop scanning against Windows Server Update Services 3.0 Service Pack 2 (WSUS 3.0 SP2 or WSUS 3.2) servers which are configured to use SSL and have not enabled TLS 1.2."

Of course, you can still get the update manually, through the Windows Update Catalog or via standard MDSN. Naturally, Microsoft does not recommend getting the update until it is patched.

If you still want the update, you can avoid the bug by disabling HTTPS on WSUS and then re-enabling it once the patch is finally released.

Source:
WSUS Product Team Blog

Following the death of Windows XP, Google has announced a number of promotions for enterprise customers that could be willing to move to Chrome OS.

Says Google in their post: "Today marks the end of an era for computing, as Windows XP meets its maker. I remember when XP was released in 2001--it seemed like a revolution that introduced computers to a whole new generation. But fast forward 13 years and we live in a very different world--one in which we expect the latest and greatest software, and the ability to access our stuff from anywhere. Even Microsoft admits: it's time for a change."

From now until June 30th, if you buy a Chromebook for Business you will get $100 off each managed device for your company. The biggest downside risk for businesses is the fact that many employees need access to desktop apps.

Taking that into account, Google is offering $200 off Chromebooks for Business if you purchase them with VMware Desktop as a Service (DaaS). Additionally, you can get 25% off Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition, which includes AppDNA software for accelerating Windows XP migration.

Last year, Microsoft announced it would be acquiring Nokia's device and services division for $7.2 billion as long as significant regulatory hurdles across continents were leaped.

Today, one of those major hurdles has been jumped as regulators in China have approved the deal.

"Nokia and Microsoft have now received regulatory approvals from the People's Republic of China, the European Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and numerous other jurisdictions. Nokia and Microsoft continue to expect the transaction to close during April 2014, as communicated in our press release from March 24, 2014," said the Ministry of Commerce.

Microsoft had originally planned for the deal to close in the Q1, but it will miss that original deadline by a few weeks.The U.S. DOJ approved the deal back in December.

Additionally, Microsoft will license and use Nokia's mapping services. Microsoft is making a large, bold investment in the future of Windows Phone, expanding their partnership with Nokia from early 2011 that saw the start of the Lumia brand of smartphones. Microsoft is looking to "accelerate the growth of its share and profit in mobile devices through faster innovation, increased synergies, and unified branding and marketing."

The infamous hacktivist group Anonymous has launched another attack on the Israeli government, a year after their first such attack.

Under the group name AnonymousOpIsrael, a number of Israeli government websites were attacked, including sites for the Israeli Education Ministry, the Postal Service and the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The group, which is pro-Palestine, also posted threatening messages on YouTube demanding that our "brothers and sisters to hack, deface, hijack, database leak, admin takeover and DNS terminate the Israeli cyberspace by any means necessary."

AnonymousOpIsrael says the attack was retaliation for alleged "crimes against humanity" by Israel against the Palestinian people.

Last year's attack took down and defaced websites, and the hackers also released credit card numbers and info.

According to a new report, Comcast is actively considering launching its own wireless mobile phone service, one that would have to compete with massive players like Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T.

The service would need to used leased cellular network capacity and Wi-Fi and the service would likely be bundled with the cable provider's TV, Internet and legacy landline phone services. Such a package could certainly be attractive, especially if the prices are discounted for adding more to the bundle.

For now, any plans are in the concept stage, but it could come to fruition in the near future thanks to a deal Comcast struck with Verizon in 2011. Comcast has the right to buy access on Verizon's CDMA networks, and that could certainly provide solid network access when traffic cannot be handled on Comcast's Wi-Fi networks.

These major plans will complement their recent proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable, the U.S.' second-largest cable company, for $45 billion.

Outspoken British video game programmer Peter Molyneux has made some interesting comments about the Xbox One, which has been struggling against rival Sony's PlayStation 4.

Always known for his bold (and sometimes controversial) statements, Molyneux says that he wishes "Kinect wasn't a requirement as it feels like an unnecessary add-on" for the Xbox One. The Kinect motion control system is one Microsoft's highly touted features for gaming and gamers overwhelmingly approve.

"Maybe it's because we're in England, and it doesn't really use the TV stuff, but it feels more and more like a joke. My son and I sit there saying random things at it, and it doesn't work," added the designer when asked his thoughts on Kinect.

In the UK, the Kinect has certainly had its issues. Being able to control your TV is not possible due to poor upscaling and framerate problems.

Molyneux previously worked for Microsoft, as a producer for Lionhead Studios (acquired in 2006) and then later as the Creative Director of Microsoft Game Studios in Europe.

Despite being wildly profitable, Samsung has seen its income fall for the second straight quarter.

Operating profit fell to 8.4 trillion won (~$8 billion USD) for the quarter ended March 31st, down from its then record 8.8 trillion for the same period in 2013.

Demand has stagnated for the company's components and devices businesses, causing Samsung to move further into the mid-range tier for smartphones and tablets.

Overall sales were 53 trillion won ($50.3 billion) for the quarter, lower than the 54 trillion won expected.

The company's most profitable division was also its biggest, the mobile unit, with an estimated 5.9 trillion won in profit. This was down from 6.7 trillion won in the Q3 2013, which was a record.

Oppo made the Find 7a superphone available for pre-order today, and it quickly sold out but there appears to be some back in stock as of writing.

In addition to the great spec sheet, Oppo is also including a free blue Easy-Cover (similar to Samsung flip covers), an extra 2,800mAh battery and a 32GB microSD card (valued together at $80).

The Find 7a has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, a 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage and a 2800mAh battery. The device has Gorilla Glass 3, a microSD slot (expandable up to 128GB), LTE, MaxxAudio plus Dirac HD audio enhancement and VOOC rapid charging promising "zero to 75 percent" in just 30 minutes.

HTC has posted another quarterly loss, its second in three quarters after nearly five years of profitability.

The company's loss was NT$1.88 billion ($62 million) as sales slowed down before the launch of the flagship One (M8), a thorough upgrade from last year's smartphone of the same name.

Released on March 25th, the M8 is the centerpiece of the company's turnaround efforts, which will also include more low and mid-range range phones that can appeal to larger groups of consumers.

Chief Financial Officer Chang Chialin added that revenue fell to NT$33.1 billion ($1.1 billion) from NT$42.8 billion year over year, below expectations and forecasts.

"The company expects to see positive trajectory of its revenue in April from March and forecasts quarter-on-quarter revenue growth in the second quarter," HTC said, based on sales of the M8 and the new Desire 816.

Waze, the social mapping application acquired by Google last year, sold for $1.15 billion says the company's CEO.

The Israeli startup sold for $1.15 billion says CEO Noam Bardin. Previous reports had said Facebook was also a likely suitor, and that there had been a bidding war.

Most interestingly, Bardin admitted that the founders of the company diluted their stakes in the company during funding rounds with investors. The venture capitalists and other investors took over real control of the company, and over time forced them to make some costly mistakes.

Reads the post: "There has been some speculation that we sold due to investor pressure. That was never a factor in selling! The point is that since we owned so little of the company at that point, we felt that we were "working" for our board and not ourselves and so decided we would rather work for Larry Page than our investors."

The full post is an excellent and interesting look into the startup world, and I recommend it: A Unicorn in Israel

Twitter has confirmed its acquisition of Cover, a lockscreen app for Android devices that lets users customize what applications and shortcuts they want to see when the phone is locked.

Cover founders Todd Jackson, Gordon Luk and Edward Ho says the app will remain live in the Google Play Store, but that could change. "If that changes down the road, we'll provide another update here," reads the blog post.

While it is unclear what Twitter will do with Cover, or what the companies are working on, the deal will certainly help Twitter to integrate better with Android. "Twitter, like Cover, believes in the incredible potential of Android," reads the post. "They share our vision that smartphones can be a lot smarter -- more useful and more contextual -- and together we're going to make that happen. We'll be building upon a lot of what makes Cover great, and we're thrilled to create something even better at Twitter."

Twitter, which is primarily a mobile-based service, makes most of its ad revenue from its mobile users and having Twitter prominently in the lockscreen is a good way to make sure users don't forget about the service. Cover was moderately popular, with over 300,000 users.

Windows Phone's Joe Belfiore has confirmed that Windows Phone 8.1 Developer Preview will be available next week, during the "first part of April."

All registered developers (or anyone who has registered at App Studio) will have access, but it will be notably missing some Nokia features like Cyan bits and hardware drivers for Miracast.

Among the new features not previously known, Local Scout will be available in Maps, Bing Vision is available via the native camera app, and QRcode reading is its own separate application.

Cortana, the voice-activated assistant, will also have Bing Music built-in.

The full software update will be available over the summer.

Earlier this week, Amazon broke its silence on its long-awaited set-top box: the Fire TV.

The device, which rivals a growing amount of consumer set-tops and HDMI dongles including those from Apple, Roku, WD and Google, is another gateway to Amazon's ever growing ecosystem of applications, games, movies, TV and cloud storage.

In differentiating itself from other similar devices, Amazon has promised better gaming, better voice search and of course, the easiest access to your Amazon life. It succeeds in may of its endeavors, but the biggest question remains whether the device is worth shelling out $99 for a set-top so similar to what you may already own.

Design, Remote and Set Up

Thanks to the Xbox One's independent developer program, it appears that a Plex client is on the way for the console.

Developer Tyson Edwards says he has been approved by Microsoft to develop a Plex client, which could be a game changer for the console that currently lacks decent streaming from home servers with dedicated apps.

Edwards says the client will be based off the current Windows 8 Modern UI Plex app and will also include voice and motion control via Kinect.

Universal Windows apps will not be available until the launch of Windows 8.1 later this year, so the Plex client is probably a few months away at best.

Regardless, the developer says the platform has been quite easy to develop for, which is a good sign.

Source:
Plex for Xbox One is a Go! Plex

Google has added a new section to its Play Store, "People," which shows off what your friends and other users are downloading.

The move comes just days after the search giant added an activity feed to the mobile app,

In the activity feed, you can see your recent reviews, ratings and of course purchases. The People section will show off what friends have recently downloaded or reviewed.

Google says the People feed will be closely tied to Google+, allowing for easier following on the social network and their full profiles.

If you are running Android, you most likely have the feed now.

Source:
9to5Google

Hundreds of old school gaming fans got a treat yesterday when they were able to play Tetris on the side of the 29-story Circa Center in Philadelphia.

Images of the giant, colorful Tetris shapes were created by the building's embedded LED lights in its external glass facade.

Anyone looking to play used joysticks to maneuver the giant lights. The game was part of the citywide series of events dubbed Philly Tech Week.

Tetris was also chosen to celebrate the upcoming 30th anniversary of the game. Frank Lee, an associate professor of digital media at Drexel University, oversaw the project. "This project began as a personal love letter to the games that I loved when I was a child - Pong last year, Tetris this year. But it ended up as a way of uniting the city of Philadelphia," Lee added.

Lee, who is already the Guinness World Record holder for the world's largest architectural video game display, made a similar stunt by playing Pong last year on the Circa Center.

Twitter, in their ongoing efforts to monetize the platform and bring in revenue, will be introducing fifteen new types of advertisements and better ways to target specific users.

The ad products will roll out over the next six months, and the first few will be available within the month. One of the first new ads will let users click a button to download apps directly via Twitter and then through their respective app stores. They are then returned to Twitter after the download begins.

Twitter's ad revenue, which accounts of nearly all of their current earnings, doubled in the Q4 YoY, to $219.6 million. The company is not profitable. The company is now beta testing a mobile app install ad unit, following in Facebook's footsteps.

Facebook offers a similar mobile advertising product and Facebook users downloaded over 245 million mobile apps after seeing those ads in their news feeds. Many gaming companies prefer to use Facebook due to the popularity of those packages of ads.

Ads have been found in user's timelines since 2010, but top executives have always suggested that they do not want to inundate streams with ads.

According to a new report, at least five important executives have left Samsung's US mobile business in the last two months, a strange and alarming turn of events.

Samsung Telecommunications America (STA) is in charge of mobile devices in the U.S. including smartphones, tablets and smartwatches.

Among those that have left are the head of national sales, the mobile devices product chief, a lead engineer for the Gear smartwatch, the vice president of retail and channel marketing and the director of human resources. The company is in current patent-infringement suits with Apple, and the previous trials have forced STA executives to be witnesses, provide evidence or provide testimony. This may not sit right with current executives.

Samsung was asked for comment on the departures and left a generic statement. "As our US business continues to diversify and expand, we will continue to build an industry-leading organization with people who will contribute to even greater success for Samsung. Some have left voluntarily to pursue other opportunities, and we thank them for their service."

The ongoing Apple vs. Samsung wars have provided some interesting tidbits of information about the companies, including emails from late Apple founder Steve Jobs.

One such newly released email reveals that 2011 was set to be the year of the "holy war" against Google, and how Jobs and Apple were planning to fight.

At the time, the company was working on the iPhone 4S ("plus iPhone 4") and the iPhone 5, looking to have an LTE version of the iPhone in 2012. Additionally, the company was looking to build a low-cost iPhone model to replace the aging iPhone 3GS. All of the goals were hit with the exception of the low-cost replacement, which eventually became somewhat of a reality with the iPhone 5c.

The full 2011 strategy via the document:

- "plus" iPhone 4 with better antenna, processor, camera & software to stay ahead of competitors until mid 2012
- have LTE version in mid-2012
- create low cost iPhone model based on iPod touch to replace 3GS
- Business & competitive update
- show Droid and RIM ads
- Verizon iPhone
- schedule, marketing, ...
- iPhone 5 hardware
- H4 performance
- new antenna design, etc
- new camera
- schedule
- CONFIDENTIAL
- cost goal
- show model (and/or renderings) – Jony

On Thursday, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (only known as NASA), will release a full list of many software projects it has been running over the last forty years including how to gain access to the open-source code behind the projects.

Among the code being made available is software for PCs, robotics, climate simulators, running rocket guidance systems and much more.

The master list will include over a thousand projects with instructions to obtain the code. NASA wants developers and budding entrepreneurs to push the software in new directions, or to use the code as foundations for new software and ideas. A lot of the code will be hard to obtain (for example, the rocket guidance system will not be given to just anybody), but if you are approved, you can use it free of charge and without royalties. You can even adapt it into commercial projects.

After the list is released, NASA will build a searchable database for all the projects. By next year, the code will be hosted in its own online repository.

NASA has been offering up their code for some time now, but never on this scale and never with such ease to find. The code that has been available has already been used in many different projects outside of space, including helping to identify endangered animals and "our design software has been used to make everything from guitars to roller coasters to Cadillacs. Scheduling software that keeps the Hubble Space Telescope operations straight has been used for scheduling MRIs at busy hospitals and as control algorithms for online dating services."

As part of Windows 8.1, Microsoft is adding its own sliding/swiping text input, dubbed "Word Flow," which it promises will be the fastest such software available.

The virtual keyboard for Windows Phone has always been well accepted by critics and consumers, but the addition of a Swype-esque input should certainly make it more convenient. Android has native swiping input, but Apple does not.

Says Microsoft:

Microsoft has unveiled prototypes for an upcoming Windows interface built for cars that mirrors your Windows Phone and Metro-based devices.

Last month, Apple unveiled their CarPlay interface for autos, bringing the iOS experience you are used to on your mobile devices to your car. iPhone 5, 5C and 5S users can use CarPlay to control phone calls, use Maps, play their music, and have messages dictated to them.

Similarly, Microsoft's new system will use the connectivity standard known as Mirrorlink to sync your Windows devices to the in-car entertainment system. Volkswagen, Honda, Toyota, and Citroen have all confirmed they are working on new cars with Mirrorlink support, and car radio manufacturers Alpine and Pioneer are also on board.

As of writing, the prototypes are just barely usable, and Microsoft's demo at BUILD even crashed at one point when it was being unveiled. Developers will be open to build apps designed for the car, and the Windows Store marketplace will make its way over, as well. Just like Windows 8 and Windows Phone, you can swipe between different tiles and sections.

Fans of Reddit most certainly know about the image-sharing site Imgur, as do millions of others, but a new funding round should help make the site an even more household name.

Imgur sees 130 million unique monthly visitors, 1.5 million images uploaded daily and 1.3 billion images viewed.

Despite the massive popularity, the site is infamous for being "bootstrapped," and run as lean as possible by its founder. The founder jokes that the only investment he or others have made to the site was registering the domain name for $7.

As of this week, tech investment firm Andreessen Horowitz has raised $40 million for the site, the first step in a potential long road to going public. "Being bootstrapped is great," added Alan Schaaf, the founder and chief executive of Imgur. "You own 100 percent of it. But the downside is that you aren't able to move as fast as you want."

"We've talked with over a dozen VCs and angel investors over the years," he noted. "But we've never clicked with any of them until Andreessen. During our initial meeting, we were bouncing ideas around about where Imgur could go."

The company will use the funds to hire more salespeople and engineers and eventually move to a larger office. Additionally, the company will build new mobile apps.

Will.i.am, famous for his time with the Black Eyed Peas and more recently as a major producer and tech investor, has shown off a new smartwatch that does not need a separate phone to be useful.

The project was unveiled on the Alan Carr show, and will.i.am himself funded and founded the project.

Via his own Twitter, the producer says the device should be available on sale by July.

"I don't carry my phone anymore. This is my phone," will.i.am said on the show. The device can make phone calls, can hold music, has Twitter/Instagram/Facebook integration and can be linked up with Bluetooth headphones.

The device is certainly intriguing, but there is a lot left to the imagination here.

Google appears to have moved on from their failed Google TV endeavor with a new TV interface that should make fans of content very happy: Android TV.

A new report from the Verge, citing exclusively obtained documents and pictures, claims Android TV is already in the works, with video app providers already building for the platform. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform," writes Google in the documents. "It's all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast."

While Google TV tried to change how we watch TV and content, Android TV will just make it easier to find what you are looking for, using the Google formats popular to a billion Android device owners.

The platform will rely on simple TV apps (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu Plus, Crackle, VUDU, Plex and plenty more) and scrolling cards (think Google Now) that show off apps, movies, games, TV, etc.

A remote control with a simple D-Pad allows you to scroll through the content, which will include curated suggestions. Each category will have its own up/down/left/right options. Additionally, the controller will have "enter," "home" and "back" buttons for navigation and in the future there will be game controllers similar to Amazon's newly unveiled Kindle Fire TV.

Thanks to the new Wolfenstein: The New Order FAQ, we know the upcoming DOOM beta will only be available for the PS4, Xbox One and PC, leaving out older consoles like the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Developer Bethesda snuck the news into the FAQ, along with the news that codes for the beta that are included with pre-orders of Wolfenstein will be codes for the console you bought the game for. For example, if you pre-ordered Wolfenstein for the PS4, the DOOM beta code will only be good for the PS4.

Bethesda also says that pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee access to the beta. That guarantee does not include also retailers though: "Other digital retailers' processes and/or participation may vary. We suggest contacting your preferred retailer directly for additional information."

While Wolfenstein: The New Order releases May 20th in NA, it is still unclear when the DOOM beta will launch.

Source:

'DOOM' Beta Only Available on PC, PS4 & Xbox One Gamerant

According to a new leak, it appears that Amazon's oft-rumored unlimited streaming music service could launch as early as next month.

Sources have posted part of a licensing agreement, claiming it was obtained from a major music publisher, which states that Amazon is planning to launch "one or more digital music subscription service(s)."

In addition, the services would be made available as part of a "bundle with one or more other Amazon products or services." This suggests the service will be bundled with Prime, the $99 subscription package that gives access to the free Prime Video catalog, free 2-day shipping on millions of items, and free Kindle books and more.

The contract also says that Amazon could offer free access to the streaming music, but with limitations, likely if you do not want to be a part of Prime. The limits could be as low as one play per free track.

If accurate, the sources claim that the contracts must all be signed by May 1st, meaning the service could be available starting next month.

Amazon has unveiled its "Dash" shopping accessory this week, a stick that includes an LED scanner and microphone for voice search with the ultimate goal of helping you build a shopping list.

After using the accessory, the Wi-Fi enabled device will connect to your home network or your phone and allow you to view the items and purchase them via Amazon.

For the time being, the stick is available to AmazonFresh users, which means you are in Southern California, San Fran or Seattle. Amazon Fresh offers same-day delivery of groceries to your home.

The device works similarly to the Amazon smartphone app which allows you to scan barcodes but it could facilitate the process with one-click access and voice search.

Check the getting started video, and the promo trailer:

Apple has acquired the veteran automatic speech recognition (ASR) firm Novauris Technologies.

Novauris was split from the British research division of Dragon Systems, now known as Nuance Communications, popular for their voice dictation and voice search technology. The company is full of voice tech vets, including those who worked at Nortel, Aurix, Dragon and SRI (the company that helped build Siri).

Apple, as is their standard comment, says "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

Supposedly, Apple made the acquisition last year and the team has been working on improving Siri, which has its share of problems.

Novauris Technologies has a full list customers including Verizon Wireless, Panasonic, Samsung, SingTel, Alpine, BMW and many more.

Intel has shown off some interesting new chips this week, including a 64-bit Android kernel and a new SoC aimed at Chromebooks and other low-end PCs.

Codenamed 'Braswell,'the new SoC will be the successor to the current-generation Bay Trail processors found in Chromebooks and cheaper Windows PCs. The new SoC will be built on the efficient 14nm manufacturing process and will offer improved performance along with better power efficiency.

The 64-bit Android kernel is optimized for Intel Architecture (IA) devices and Android 4.4, even though the OS is 32-bit. "With this release, the company ported, validated and tested the Android Open Source code on IA, taking on the work that developers typically would need to do on their own. This release will provide the ecosystem with 64-bit kernel support for development of next-generation devices," says the company.

Finally,the company discussed two other mobile chips: The SoFIA 3G and the Intel XMM 7260. The 3G is a dual-chip SoC aimed at low-end smartphones. The XMM has five-mode support, including the Chinese 4G TD-LTE and TD-SCDMA networks, which should increase Intel's potential base significantly.

Apple has announced this week that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will begin on June 2nd and extend through June 6th.

The company will reveal upcoming features for iOS and OS X, giving developers a first look from over 1000 Apple engineers.

"We have the most amazing developer community in the world and have a great week planned for them," said Philip Schiller, Apple's SVP of Worldwide Marketing. "Every year the WWDC audience becomes more diverse, with developers from almost every discipline you can imagine and coming from every corner of the globe. We look forward to sharing with them our latest advances in iOS and OS X so they can create the next generation of great apps."

Microsoft has confirmed a few milestones for its application stores this week.

The software giant says there are over 400,000 apps now available between the Windows Phone Store and the Windows Store. It was recently unveiled that the Windows Store had just reached 150,000, implying the Windows Phone Store is at 250,000, a significant number for sure, but still behind the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store, which have a million a piece.

In addition, the two app stores are now seeing a combined 14 million in daily app downloads.

The company recently announced that all Windows devices will be getting universal apps due to a new Windows RunTime ecosystem to launch with Windows Phone 8.1.

Developers will be able to use common code and have their applications work on Windows phones, PCs, tablets and even the Xbox One. The experience can be modified for screen size and different environments while keeping most of the code the same.

Sony Music, Universal Music and Warner Music have filed suit against major Russian social network vKontakte (VK) over "large scale music piracy" being facilitated through its services.

The Russian divisions of the major labels each filed separate lawsuits, in conjunction with local industry group NFMI and the IFPI.

vKontakte, which has 145 million registered users (with over half in Russia) has never inked licensing deals with content rights holders and is allegedly keeping a massive catalog of music uploaded by its users, at least according to the labels. "VK's music service, unlike others in Russia, is an unlicensed file-sharing service that is designed for copyright infringement on a large scale," noted IFPI chief executive Frances Moore. "We have repeatedly highlighted this problem over a long period of time. We have encouraged VK to cease its infringements and negotiate with record companies to become a licensed service. To date the company has taken no meaningful steps to tackle the problem, so today legal proceedings are being commenced."

Samsung has made the ATIV SE official, following a few major leaks.

The Windows Phone 8 device has a 5-inch 1080p display, a 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, a microSD slot, a 2600mAh battery and a 13MP rear-facing camera.

Samsung has included an infra-red blaster, allowing for control of home devices like TVs, 'Ativ Beam' for quick NFC-based sharing to other Samsung devices, and other Samsung applications. The device also has 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and all other standard radios.

The company's latest appears to have a rather refined design compared to the colorful and plastic Lumias, with a silver brushed look.

Verizon has the phone up for pre-order, priced at $200 with two-year contact and a ship date of April 12th. If you prefer to go without a contract, you can get the device for $600.

The much-anticipated Radeon R9 295X2 'Vesuvius' has been unveiled in leaked press images, along with its specs.

Built first by Asus, the 295X2 features two Hawaii XT cores with GCN 1.1 architecture, with the GPUs featuring 2816 x 2 stream processors, 176 x 2 texture mapping units and 64 x 2 Raster Operators.

The GPUs each have 4GB GDDR5 RAM, totaling an impressive 8GB of GDDR5 running a "512B X 2 memory bus that is clocked at 1250 MHz effective clock speed."

As far as display outlets go, there are four Display Ports and a DVI port. 4K and multiple monitors should certainly not be an issue with the card.

To cool the beast, AMD has begun using their Project Hydra hybrid cooling system. The card has a 120mm radiator that must be installed into your PC with two fans that lead to two 38cm coolant pipes.

Last year, we reported that a documentary crew had received preliminary approval to dig up a site in New Mexico where Atari allegedly buried millions of unsold Atari 2600 consoles and games.

The urban legend of the desert site has been around for at least two decades, and gamers (and former gamers) have been following the story, us included.

As of this week, the New Mexico Environmental Department has given final approval, pending some stipulations. Fuel Entertainment (the documentary crew), Xbox Entertainment Studios and LightBox Entertainment will be allowed to dig up the site, but must notify the NMED "five working days before any excavation begins and the companies who haul the waste must register as certified or commercial haulers of waste with the NMED before they can remove any waste from the site."

The alleged games and consoles, which supposedly include millions of copies of the awful E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, were buried in September 1983. That year, the video game industry saw a large downtrend due to greater market factors, leaving Atari with millions of unsold and sealed consoles and games, including over 3 million copies of E.T. The company then, according to the myth, dumped the unsold merchandise in the Alamogordo landfill which was later covered by concrete.

Nokia has unveiled their new Lumia 930 smartphone, a device that the company says "beautifully blends the best of Microsoft and Lumia with a collection of features readymade for the needs of today's forward-thinking smartphone owner."

The phone has a 5-inch, 1080p Full HD display (1920×1080; 441ppi) with Gorilla Glass 3 protection and Super Sensitive Touch (to be able to type with gloves on). Under the hood is a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage with 7GB free OneDrive cloud storage. The device also has Dolby Surround Sound integrated. Other standards include Bluetooth 4.0 LE and LTE Cat4 along with wireless charging.

Microsoft has made a huge announcement today, making Windows free for all devices with screens smaller than 9 inches.

The move will include all Windows Phone smartphones and most tablets, and should boost market share for the operating system. The move is good for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1, which will hit mobile devices in the coming months.

There had been reports that Microsoft was experimenting with a free version of "Windows 8.1 with Bing," which would have made the OS free but pre-loaded it with Microsoft apps and services.

Microsoft is calling the new version its "Windows for Internet of Things," and it even includes a free year of Office 365.

The company had previously charged $50 per Windows 8.1 license before slashing it earlier this year for some OEMs making tablets.

Source:
Original Report from Build: The Verge

Earlier today, Amazon unveiled their new Fire TV media streaming box for $99, rivaling the popular Apple TV and Roku devices.

Besides streaming movie and TV content, the box also allows for console-esque gaming, with over 100 games available at launch.

In February, Amazon acquired the gaming studio Double Helix to boost their own in-house gaming offerings and the company has unveiled their first game, a sci-fi tower defense shooter dubbed "Sev Zero."

Here is how Amazon Game Studios explains the game: "Earth is threatened by an alien species, the Ne'ahtu. Early in the 22nd century, the Ne'ahtu infected Earth's energy grid with a computer virus that disabled the planet's defenses. Before the Ne'ahtu could strike, computer prodigy Amy Ramanujan neutralized the alien computer virus and saved the planet. Now, the Ne'ahtu are back and Dr. Ramanujan is trying to prevent them from another all-out invasion of Earth. Switching between towers (to launch various missiles and grenades) and face-to-face combat (to attack with machine guns), the player's mission is to join Dr. Ramanujan and defend Earth from the Ne'ahtu. Read more...

According to new research from ABI Research, Chromebook shipments jumped to 2.1 million in 2013, as the cheap notebooks remain popular among certain groups.

89 percent of shipments went to North America, and ABI forecasts an average growth rate of 28 percent per year until 2019 when shipments will reach 11 million.

"ABI Research tracked Chromebooks across six regions and found the average selling price (ASP) to be US$338," adds research analyst Stephanie Van Vactor. "This truly budget-driven device is a disruptive force to the portable PC market."

Chromebooks, due to their lower prices, light frames and long battery life, have been popular in the education market.

Source:
Press release: ABI Research

WhatsApp, the world's most popular messaging app, has revealed that the service hit a new record by processing 64 billion messages in one day.

There were 20 billion messages sent and 44 billion messages received by WhatsApp users. The company explains that the numbers are so skewed because group messages are included, which can include many people either receiving or sending one message but having it viewed by many.

The service was recently acquired by social networking giant Facebook in a deal that is worth up to $19 billion, one of the largest acquisitions in the tech space, ever.

Growth appears to be very strong for WhatsApp, who announced 10 months ago that it was processing 27 billion messages per day. The service is likely to announce soon that it has surpassed 500 million monthly active users, as it adds voice calls and other features.

Boxee.tv, the Web-based TV service owned by Samsung, has seen its forums hacked and personal data stolen on 158,000 users.

Among the data stolen was names, emails, birth dates, IP addresses, message history and encrypted passwords.

An 800MB file was circulated online last week, and password management service LastPass began warning its customers on Tuesday about the breach. "Please update the password for your boxee.tv account immediately," says the LastPass warning. "The LastPass Security Challenge, located in the Tools menu of the LastPass addon, will help find any other accounts using the same password as the leaked account."

Despite the passwords being cryptographically hashed, they can be eventually cracked.

If you are a Boxee TV user, change your password immediately, and if you can't remember whether you had an account, HaveIBeenPwned? is a great resource to check.

Sources & Additional Material:
Original Report: Arstechnica Security & Hactivism
Check if you have been compromised: HaveIBeenPwned?

Samsung has confirmed their new Galaxy Tab4 line of low-end tablets, following leaks from @evleaks and leaks of the FCC documentation for the devices.

Three devices are in the lineup, the Galaxy Tab4 7.0, Galaxy Tab4 8.0 and Galaxy Tab 4 10.1, each differentiated in name by the size of the display.

The design of the tablets is certainly improved from previous models, and has thinner bezels and a lighter form factor. The design is reminiscent of the company's high-end Galaxy TabPRO and NotePRO series.

Under the hood is a different question, as the devices are not packed with high-end specs. The devices have 1200x800 resolution displays, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.4 with Samsung TouchWiz, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal storage as a base, a microSD slot for expanded storage, LTE support, and dual cameras: 1.3MP/3MP.

A strange development has occurred in Google's hardware Play Store.

If you are checking out the page for the old Nexus 10 (built by Samsung) underneath the price of the device are the words "coming soon" in regards to the shipping time.

The device has been discounted over the past few weeks at different retailers, with the expectation that Google was clearing out inventory ahead of a new announcement.

While the "coming soon" could just mean Google is waiting on a new shipment of the same tablet, there is hope that the oft-rumored second-generation Nexus 10 may be finally on the way. There have been rumors that Samsung, Asus or LG is building the tablet, which should feature high-end specs.

Check the page here.

Sources:
Google Play Store Nexus 10

According to the Asian Nikkei, Apple is in talks to purchase a majority stake in Japanese LCD chip supplier Renesas SP Drivers.

The company designs chips for smartphone displays, and is a joint venture between Renesas, Sharp and Taiwan-based Powerchip.

Apple is reportedly looking into buying Renesas' entire 55 percent stake in the venture for 50 billion yen ($480 million). The company had sales of 60 billion yen last year, with a profit of 6 billion yen ($58 million). If the deal goes through, Sharp will also likely sell their 25 percent stake to Apple.

If accurate, Apple is looking to complete the acquisition by the summer, keeping all of the venture's 240 employees in Japan. Renesas SP is the world's top producer of drivers and controllers for midsize LCDs, with a market share of around 32 percent. The controllers determine energy efficiency for smartphones.

Apple has released models of their iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display with TD-LTE support for the Chinese market.

The new devices will mark the first time Apple's newest products will have support for the 4G network in China.

Says Apple: "The new iPad models give customers the ability to connect to today's most advanced cellular data networks at blazingly fast speeds, so users can surf the web or download email and apps even faster. iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display models supporting TD-LTE also accommodate the TD-SCDMA mobile standard, and join existing iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display WLAN + Cellular models in support of Personal Hotspot connectivity and other advanced cellular technology (GSM/EDGE, DC-HSDPA, HSPA+) to provide customers in China fast cellular access in whichever iPad model they choose."

Just a week after Amazon once again cut its prices for its cloud services, Microsoft has matched with price cuts for their Azure service.

Azure will see price cuts for compute fall by up to 25 percent, and storage price falls by up to 65 percent. Block Blob storage prices will also fall 65 percent for LRS and 44 percent for GRS, adds the software giant.

Amazon's prices take effect today while Microsoft's will take effect on May 1st.

In addition, Microsoft has announced other service changes:

OpenText is demanding $268 million in damages from cloud storage company Box, alleging over 200 violations of patent infringement.

The company, which provides enterprise information management software, is also asking for preliminary and permanent injunctions of many of Box's products. The original suit with filed last June, and claims Box is infringing on 12 patents.

Box offers free online storage for consumers and businesses, while charging subscription fees for expanded storage and other premium features.

The company has plans to go public this year, and could be valued in the billions. For the fiscal year ended January 31st, Box saw revenue of $124.2 million, doubling from the year before. Box is not profitable, however, losing money every year since 2005 when it launched.

According to multiple sources, Yahoo is in talks to acquire the major online video service News Distribution Network (NDN), a move that fits right in-line with the company's reported plans to create a video content service to rival YouTube.

The portal site could pay up to $300 million for NDN, and the sources claim the talks are still in preliminary stages.

NDN was quick to deny the rumors, as is standard, stating "We are not in talks to get acquired by Yahoo at this time."

The video service gives news outlets and Web publishers clips about news, sports, politics and other major topics and owning NDN could help Yahoo significantly by expanding its video offerings to thousands of new partners. The company has a catalog of over 100,000 videos, most from local TV news stations. It sells the videos to major news outlets like Bloomberg, and also sells ads to accompany the videos. NDN had 573 million video views in January, making it the fourth-largest video service on the planet.

Yesterday, smartwatch maker Pebble desperately asked its users not to install version 2.1 of their iOS app, as it was broken for many users and had a critical flaw that could break the sync between the watch and the application.

The company said the v2.1 glitch affected "connecting, loading, and managing" the watch.

Pebble announced earlier today that they have submitted a fix to the iOS App Store, and are asking for an expedited review given the nature of the update.

For the time being, Pebble has hidden the app to avoid manual downloads, but it can still be automatically updated if you have such updates enabled through iOS.

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has dropped his salary to $1 per year, following the path of other billionaire tech moguls like Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin and others.

Zuckerberg took a $1 salary in 2013 and will do so again in 2014. This follows a base salary of $503,205 in 2012. His overall compensation was $653,165, mainly for use of his private planes and security, fees, fuel, crew and catering costs.

The CEO is one of the richest men in the world, with a current wealth of over $25 billion due to his large ownership stake in the social media giant.

Last year, Zuckerberg sold 60 million shares valued at $3.3 billion, while gifting another 18 million to charity.

Marvell Technology has seen its penalties increase for infringing on hard drive patents owned by Carnegie Mellon University.

Last year, a jury awarded the University $1.17 billion over the patents related to how accurately hard disk- drive circuits read data from high-speed magnetic disks. Mellon first sued Marvell in March 2009 over the patents issued in 2002.

The University said at least nine different Marvell circuit devices used the patents and Marvell sold billions of chips using the technology without permission. The jury agreed. This week, a federal judge increased the damages to $1.54 billion although the award was much less than the maximum $3.75 billion Carnegie was seeking.

"This award is sufficient to penalize Marvell for its egregious behavior and to deter future infringement activities," the judge wrote in his decision. The $3.75 billion in damages would have "severely prejudiced" Marvell and could have threatened the company's future, added the judge.

Speaker hardware company Jawbone has confirmed the acquisition of Playground.fm, the social music playlist app.

Although the terms were undisclosed, sources claim the acquisition cost Jawbone "eight figures." Jawbone has a valuation near $3 billion after raising $250 million last year, and is expected to go public this year.

Playground is free on iOS and claims to be "human-powered radio" which pulls data from your social media and Spotify to build a personalized, curated radio station.

While the service itself is popular, Jawbone likely made the purchase for Playground's patents and its team. One of the top executives is Mehul Trivedi, Apple's original iOS audio engineer.

There is now speculation that Jawbone could start its own Internet radio service that could be included with the company's Jambox products.

Marking the third time in recent weeks that a VR engineer has left Valve, developer Aaron Nicholls is the latest to join Oculus VR.

Oculus confirmed the move through Twitter, stating simply "We're thrilled to welcome Aaron Nicholls to the team! He'll be working out of the Bellevue R&D lab with Atman and crew."

Nicholls helped code and also managed on hit games like Gears of War, Halo 3 and Jade Empire for Microsoft Studios before joining Valve in 2010 to help with design, gameplay and systems.

Facebook recently acquired Oculus VR for $2 billion, bringing the future of gaming to the mainstream.

Last week, Oculus VR announced the hiring of Michael Abrash as its Chief Scientist, a major industry vet leaving Valve. In the tweet, the Atman mentioned is Atman Binstock, who was also previously an engineer on Valve's virtual reality projects.

Microsoft has announced today that Twitch is now seeing record numbers following a boost in Xbox One usage of the services.

The app added broadcasting for Xbox on March 10th, and the company says there have been over 23 million minutes broadcast from Twitch on Xbox One since this launch.

Says the software giant: "This includes more than 2.7 million minutes broadcast from Xbox One March 10-11, the most ever for a Twitch console app in its first day. Additionally, 30 percent of all Twitch unique broadcasters were broadcasting from Xbox One during the app's first day.

In its first week, 108,000 unique Twitch users tried their hand at broadcasting from Xbox One, accounting for 22 percent of Twitch's unique broadcasters in the same period of time. To put that in perspective, according to Twitch, it took another console a month to achieve what the Twitch app on Xbox One did within its first week. New broadcasters are really getting into it, too, as the average Twitch broadcast on Xbox One is nearly as long as the average American TV sitcom at 28 minutes."

The online dating site OkCupid has taken a strong stance against Mozilla Firefox, protesting the browser due to new Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich's stance against gay marriage.

Eich supported California's Proposition 8 (which banned gay marriage) and even donated to the politicians backing the bill.

OkCupid says it will not stand for intolerance, and that eight percent of the relationships formed via the site would be illegal if bills like Prop 8 were passed everywhere. "OkCupid is for creating love," says the company. "Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure."

Here is the full post from OkCupid:

Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user. Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience. Mozilla's new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.

Politics is normally not the business of a website, and we all know there's a lot more wrong with the world than misguided CEOs. So you might wonder why we're asserting ourselves today. This is why: we've devoted the last ten years to bringing people--all people--together. If individuals like Mr. Eich had their way, then roughly 8% of the relationships we've worked so hard to bring about would be illegal. Equality for gay relationships is personally important to many of us here at OkCupid. But it's professionally important to the entire company. OkCupid is for creating love. Those who seek to deny love and instead enforce misery, shame, and frustration are our enemies, and we wish them nothing but failure.

Read more...

A leaked HTC document has revealed which smartphones will be getting which Android and Sense UI updates.

The new HTC One M8 is the first with the new Sense 6.0 user interface (video below) but it will not be the only in the line to receive the update.

According to the table, 2013's HTC One, One Dual Sim, One Max, One Mini and Butterfly S will all receive Sense 6.0 to go along with their Android 4.4.2. The time frames are between June and July. All those devices have Android 4.4 and Sense 5.5 currently.

If you have a two year old phone, you are out of luck. Your phone will not be getting Android 4.4 or Sense 6.0. Many will not even get Sense 5.5.

Keep in mind this has not been confirmed by HTC, but if accurate should provide a thorough map for your device.