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Kodak made a smartphone that's more of a camera

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 21 Oct 2016 9:15

Kodak made a smartphone that's more of a camera Kodak has revealed their second smartphone, a device that is more camera than it is phone.

Dubbed "The Ektra," the phone has inspiration from the company's classic 1940s Ektra camera and has a powerful and feature-rich 21MP shooter.

The phone has a steel-rimmed f/2.0 aperture 26.5mm lens for the 21MP camera, including 4K video capture and a powerful Sony IMX230 image sensor. From a design standpoint, the Ektra has a curved bottom, a leather back for easier grip and a dedicated camera shutter button.

Kodak used Bullitt to build the device, which runs on a mostly stock Android 6.0 and runs on a Helio X-20 deca-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and a 3000mAh battery. The device also has a 1080p 5-inch screen, a 13MP selfie camera and can take microSD cards. The specs are certainly above mid-range but are nothing to write home about.

It will be interesting to see the kind of buyers that Kodak lines up for this type of device, especially at 500 euro when it launches in December.

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AfterDawn: News

LinkedIn: Recently arrested Russian hacker was part of 2012 data breach

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Oct 2016 9:20

LinkedIn: Recently arrested Russian hacker was part of 2012 data breach LinkedIn has said this week that a Russian hacker recently arrested in the Czech Republic took part in the 2012 data breach of the professional social network that led to the theft of over 115 million passwords.

"Following the 2012 breach of LinkedIn member information, we have remained actively involved with the FBI's case to pursue those responsible,"
company officials said. "We are thankful for the hard work and dedication of the FBI in its efforts to locate and capture the parties believed to be responsible for this criminal activity."

The man was arrested in Prague on Tuesday and accused of unspecified cyber attacks on U.S. companies.

Here is a video of the raid:

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AfterDawn: News

The Nintendo Switch is a console, tablet hybrid with AAA publisher support

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Oct 2016 9:07

The Nintendo Switch is a console, tablet hybrid with AAA publisher support Nintendo has finally pulled back the curtain on the mysterious "NX" console, known officially as the Nintendo Switch.

The gaming company unveiled a "Preview Trailer" today showing off the console/tablet hybrid that has two detachable, one-handed controllers (Joy-Cons) that "can be employed by numerous people for a variety of gameplay options. They can easily click back into place or be slipped into a Joy-Con Grip accessory, mirroring a more traditional controller."

If you aren't a fan of the Joy-Con you can use a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller that looks similar to a traditional Xbox or other dual-analog controller.

The tablet connects to a TV via a dock, and can slide out easily when you want to take gaming on the go. "In addition to providing single and multiplayer thrills at home, the Nintendo Switch system also enables gamers to play the same title wherever, whenever and with whomever they choose," Nintendo added. "The mobility of a handheld is now added to the power of a home gaming system to enable unprecedented new video game play styles."

Perhaps most importantly, Nintendo announced major third-party support, includingSquare Enix, Sega, Konami, Activision, Bethesda, Capcom, Take-Two, Warner Bros. and EA. This is a stark contrast to the Wii U which died after game publishers stopped supporting the console.

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AfterDawn: News

Tesla's video shows us how full autopilot works in real life

Written by Matti Robinson @ 20 Oct 2016 3:39

Tesla's video shows us how full autopilot works in real life Tesla has been sneaking in autonomous driving feature to its cars for a while now. Depending on the model and what options you choose a Tesla car might already have a capability for fully autonomous driving.

In addition, Tesla has recently announced that all upcoming cars will be given the new autopilot mode that will enable fully automatic driving from start to finish. Now Elon Musk and the Tesla team has released a video showcasing what to expect from future autopilot.

In this impressive video the car drives completely without any aid from the passenger from the garage it starts to the parking spot it ends up picking at Tesla HQ. It even drops off the passenger before continuing the search for a free spot and doesn't choose the vacant spot meant for the handicapped.

It seems clear that this is what the future of transportation will be – at least when it comes to personal transportation. Soon you don't even have to pay the very premium price of the car in question (Model X starting at $74,000 and going as high as $150,000). Even the more affordable Model 3 (starting at $35,000) launching next year will have this feature.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple to attend MWC first time ever

Written by Matti Robinson @ 20 Oct 2016 1:31

Apple to attend MWC first time ever The mobile industry's own trade show in Barcelona packs the most influential manufacturer's and developers every year but there's always at least one major name missing every year – Apple. The Cupertino giant has never attended the show, at least not with their own booth, but this is about to change, reports suggest.

According to a leak published by MacRumors Apple is listed as an exhibitor for he next years Mobile World Congress. Held in Feb 27 through March 2, the MWC 2017 seems to be the first trade show Apple is willing to give a pass in a long while.

After the information came public Apple's name was removed from the exhibitors list. It is unlikely however that this was a mistake or that Apple cancelled after the information was leaked to the public. It probably was intended as a surprise that unfortunately for the company didn't last because of a human (or computer) error.

The listing has it that Apple would be located in the App Planet in Hall 8.1 which suggests that we might hear more about the Planet of Apps television series and/or App Store updates. It's unlikely that we'll see any major product launches (or maybe an iPad?), as even most of the other manufacturers have decreased the number of significant launches at MWC.




AfterDawn: News

Netflix to increase original programming to almost two fold

Written by Matti Robinson @ 19 Oct 2016 5:28

Netflix to increase original programming to almost two fold Netflix has been steadily increasing their investment in original content, often dubbed Netflix Originals, and other exclusive programming. This year the company expects over 600 hours of original programming but even that is nothing compared to what's planned for 2017.

The streaming giant's execs have previously said that they aim to have original programming count for half of the new content. Next year they are going to get close to the goal by featuring more than a thousand hours of exclusive content.

In just two years Netflix would have increased the amount of said content from 450 hours to over 1000 hours. That is over 40 straight days worth of shows, documentaries, animations, and movies. Pretty much anyone that has seen the likes of Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, as well as the newest critically-acclaimed show Stranger Things would agree that new original content is a good thing – maybe even if the price increases a dollar or two.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung setting up booths at airports to stop Note7s taking off

Written by Matti Robinson @ 19 Oct 2016 5:16

Samsung setting up booths at airports to stop Note7s taking off Samsung's fiasco with the Note7 reached new heights when couple days ago US Department of Transportation banned all Note7s from all flights. Now it is illegal to carry a Samsung Galaxy Note7 to an airplane whether it is on or off.

The smartphone has a battery problem which can result in a fire which is obviously a huge hazard in a plane. Washington Post reports that Samsung is now setting up booths at airports to get more defect phones off the market and make sure people won't be fined for taking a prohibited item on board.

Samsung will be helping customers that still haven't returned their Galaxy Note7 even after two recalls and tons of media coverage. Samsung had to cancel the smartphone model's production and sales altogether after failing to relaunch late last month.

The booth are located before the TSA security screening and offer to copy your data to a new phone. Unfortunately Samsung probably won't be offer replacements from other manufacturers so you might have to choose a Galaxy S7 to enter your flight. Then again there are far worse options than the S7.




AfterDawn: News

KGI: Apple will gain up to 7 million switchers due to Galaxy Note7 debacle

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 10:07

KGI: Apple will gain up to 7 million switchers due to Galaxy Note7 debacle According to longtime Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, the Cupertino giant will be a huge beneficiary of the Galaxy Note7 explosion-gate, gaining as many as 7 million switchers.

For those who haven't been following, Samsung's new Galaxy Note7 had faulty wiring and batteries that caused the phone to literally explode, and the company has issued a recall for over 12 million devices and frozen production for the time being. All carriers have also offered full refunds and free exchanges for any consumer with the device.

Kuo estimates that up to 7 million Note7 buyers will eventually convert to iPhone 7 sales, with the majority moving to the iPHone 7 Plus due to its size and dual cameras.

Of course, it is impossible to predict the future and Google's new Pixel devices could take some of switchers, but we won't know for sure until each of the companies report earnings next quarter.

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AfterDawn: News

Razer buys THX to boost audio and video quality

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 9:34

Razer buys THX to boost audio and video quality THX, the AV quality assurance company founded as part of Lucasfilm, has been acquired by gaming hardware company Razer.

According to Razer, the brand THX will be "spun out as a startup" (despite being 33-years-old) and run independently under its current management team but with capitalization from Razer.

THX was founded in 1983 and has been sold multiple times including a purchase in 2002 by Creative Technology at a valuation of $13 million directly from Lucasfilm. The company currently has 50 employees including a few top audio and graphics engineers and scientists in their fields.

"We've been fans of THX for a long time, from the time of the Star Wars legacy and how George Lucas created it,"
added Razer. "THX has one of the biggest brands when it comes to movies or music. Audio files, films, we think of the THX brand in audio as akin to what Razer is in gaming." Additionally, the company has a large library of patents and IP in the AV space, which Razer hopes to implement. "There is a lot of potential to extend it into newer areas that interest us, like virtual reality and live streaming," they concluded.

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AfterDawn: News

Netflix shatters earnings expectations, hits on all cylinders

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 9:11

Netflix shatters earnings expectations, hits on all cylinders After nearly a year of mediocre earnings, Netflix is back to massive growth and it's stock price is flying.

The company's shares jumped 20 percent today following earnings in which the company revealed strong subscriber growth.

Netflix added 3.2 million international subscribers, and 370,000 domestic subscribers with a total base now up to 86.7 million. The expectation had been for 2 million international additions and 304,000 domestic.

"Our over-performance against forecast was driven primarily by stronger than expected acquisition due to excitement around Netflix original content," the company added.

Netflix has been spending billions to bring original content to the service, and it appears to be paying off.




AfterDawn: News

Google Flights to take on Hopper with predictive pricing

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 8:52

Google Flights to take on Hopper with predictive pricing Google's flight search service Google Flights just got a little better, adding predictive pricing allowing you to see if you should wait to buy those tickets.

The service now tells you when prices are expected to increase (based on historical patterns), tracks price changes to flights you are tracking and lets you search for cheap destinations based on your criteria.

Hopper, a small but popular startup available on Android and iOS, has been offering similar predictive pricing since launch last year. Google Flights may prove to be more popular given that it works on mobile and desktop.

In addition, Google says it is updating its Hotels service, as well.

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AfterDawn: News

Evleaks: Google to release two smartwatches early next year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 8:24

Evleaks: Google to release two smartwatches early next year Following in the footsteps of their new Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, reports claim that Google is set to release two homemade smartwatches in the Q1 of next year.

Codenamed "Swordfish" and "Angelfish," the devices will be special due to being Google Assistant-enabled.

Evan Blass aka Evleaks has a couple of renders of the devices, which look pretty plain, but the features are expected to be robust (at least for the Angelfish). Rumored specs include LTE connectivity, GPS, heart rate sensor, Google Assistant and Android Wear 2.0 which is expected to support standalone apps.

Check out the renders:

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AfterDawn: News

Oculus purchases LED maker InfiniLED

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Oct 2016 8:09

Oculus purchases LED maker InfiniLED Facebook's Oculus VR has acquired low-powered LED maker InfiniLED with the ultimate goal of using the tech in their virtual reality headsets.

The Irish company was founded in 2010 and is known for their ILED Display technology that "outperforms widely available standard display technologies, resulting in significant reductions in power use."

According to the company, InfiniLED displays use 20x less power than a standard OLED and 40x less than the average LCD, with the ability to produce more light with better contrast and better colors.

"It is exciting to see that Oculus, a vibrant and leading-edge company, appreciates both the technology and the strength of the ecosystem that the InfiniLED team sits in," said Tyndall National Institute chief executive Dr. Kieran Drain. "A key impact of this acquisition will be to increase global awareness that Ireland has technology and research of this calibre, and we anticipate further interactions with companies looking to merge hardware and software in efficient solutions, particularly for new devices that advance consumer electronics and the industrial internet."

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AfterDawn: News

Nobody is buying Twitter

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Oct 2016 8:42

Nobody is buying Twitter In a span of just two weeks, Twitter went from the hottest commodity in the tech space to a company that nobody wants to buy.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was the most recent executive to drop his company out of the Twitter acquisition pool, leaving nobody left. Other suitors, including Google, Apple and Disney all declined to move past the due diligence stage in the last week.

"In this case we've walked away. It wasn't the right fit for us," said Benioff.

Twitter's board and advisors are still looking for potential bidders, but investors don't appear to see anything on the horizon; Twitter's stock has fallen 34 percent in the last week.

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AfterDawn: News

The Coen bros are writing a new 'Silk Road' movie

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Oct 2016 8:22

The Coen bros are writing a new 'Silk Road' movie The Oscar-winning Coen brothers have been tasked with writing a new movie called "Dark Web" based on Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht.

Ulbricht, operating under the handle "Dread Pirate Roberts," created the Silk Road darknet marketplace in 2010 and it became the premier destination for drug dealers (or worse) looking to break the law online anonymously. Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent in the marketplace and Ulbricht became a millionaire, as well.

After his arrest, millions in Bitcoins were seized and eventually Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison for drug trafficking, money laundering and even for paying assassins (although nobody got killed).

No doubt, with the Coens writing a screenplay based on a story that has so much intrigue, we could have a great movie coming next year.

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