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If you were around six years ago and actively seeking for BitTorrent enabled movie services, you are probably familiar with Popcorn Time. The controversial service with a fairly unstable history has now come back to life, Motherboard reports.

The original service was buried in early 2014 but it came back just hours later by another group. Even the one died mere year and a half later.

There's no story behind the resurfacing of an old familiar face, not that we know anyways, but one could construct a plausible reasoning on top of coronavirus and people searching for content online. Especially since the latest version of Popcorn Time has been named Corona.

However, what we do know is that people are using VPN way more than they were before the outbreak. In fact, Popcorn Time suggests that you use VPN when using the service for reasons that will become obvious if they aren't already.

World has in many ways stopped and people have definitely isolated due to coronavirus spreading around the world. Conferences have been cancelled, school's out, movie theaters are suffering, and people are spending time at home.

For some very specific businesses this means a boost. Amazon is hiring 100,000 new employees and Netflix is likely more crowded than ever. The latter also means that VPN connections are on the rise.

As people are using their internet and region-restricted streaming services, they are seeking new content from abroad, according to Atlas VPN blog post. Another reason, probably as important, is to access work networks from home as more and more people are working from home.

The company reveals that VPN usage has indeed increased tremendously in coronavirus affected countries. In the US, usage is up 53% but in Italy, the western country that has been affected the worst, is up 112%.

Even Russia, that has officially had only a few cases of coronavirus, has gone up 36%.

There are also services that are provided to Italians for free due to the harsh impact coronavirus has had in the country. VPN might make it possible for people from other countries to share those benefits.

As soon as Microsoft decided to reveal most of the mighty specs of their upcoming Xbox Series X console, Sony is ready to unveil something of their own.

PlayStation 5 has so far been under covers, and there's not a lot we know about the next-gen gaming console. This is going to change tomorrow, as the Japanese company is set to reveal the console.

PS5 lead system architect Mark Cerny will "provide a deep dive into PS5's system architecture." What exactly this means is unclear, and whether we see the actual console, and perhaps the controllers is unclear.

It is likely that at this point Sony is still just going to talk about the technical specifications, and leave the console unveiling itself for a later event.

Xbox Series X specs (see them here) are likely going to be challenged today, and Sony wants to express exactly how they are going to be outcompeting their rival.

Sony might have intended to share this information at Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, which would've been organized right now if coronavirus didn't happen. Both GDC as well as E3 in June were cancelled due to the outbreak.

NBCUniversal announced that Universal Pictures will make movies available for digital rental on the same day as a theatrical release.

The news comes as coronavirus fears have shut theaters in countries around the world. The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma, will be available on a wide variety of the most popular on-demand services for a 48-hour rental period at a suggested retail price of $19.99 in the U.S., from this Friday, March 20.

DreamWorks Animation's Trolls World Tour has its opening on April 10 and will be available for digital rental the same day.

"Universal Pictures has a broad and diverse range of movies with 2020 being no exception. Rather than delaying these films or releasing them into a challenged distribution landscape, we wanted to provide an option for people to view these titles in the home that is both accessible and affordable," said Jeff Shell, CEO, NBCUniversal

"We hope and believe that people will still go to the movies in theaters where available, but we understand that for people in different areas of the world that is increasingly becoming less possible."

Movie studios have considered releasing movies online during their theatrical run for years, only to be pushed back by theater chains who see it as an obvious threat to their revenues.

The Redmond software giant has notified customers that its stores will be shut while the world deals with the spread of the ongoing pandemic.

The company e-mailed customers to explain to them that it has made this decision and why.

"We are closing Microsoft Store locations to help protect the health and safety of our customers and employees. During this unprecedented time, the best way we can serve you is to do everything we can to help minimize the risk of the virus spreading."

Microsoft will continue to pay its store employees for their scheduled hours as the premises are closed, however. Rival Apple closed all of its stores outside of mainland China starting several days ago.

Advice from governments in North America, Europe, and around the world is to limit gatherings of people to slow the spread of the virus and take pressure off of health authorities who face a struggle to deal with the serious cases.

Source: Engadget

Uber users will not have the option to pool rides with others riders headed in the same direction for the time being.

Uber riders can typically choose to share a ride with up to three other passengers who are headed in the same direction. It is a way to cut costs and for the service to be more efficient. However, due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, Uber has decided to disable the option for customers in Canada and the United States.

"Our goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve," senior vice president Uber Rides and Platform Andrew Macdonald said, reports Reuters.

Decisions on whether to limit the service in countries outside of the U.S. and Canada will be made on a case-by-case basis as more data emerges on the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to the same report, the Uber app will also prompt users only to travel when it is necessary. Users are also asked to clean or sanitize hands before and after a ride, to sit in the backseat and to keep windows lowered for ventilation to reduce the chance of transmitting the virus.

Online retail giant will create 100,000 more roles to meet significant jumps in demand amidst the global coronavirus pandemic.

It will create the 100,000 new positions for warehouse and delivery workers in the United States to begin with. It is targeting people who have recently been laid off due to the closure of restaurants, bars, stores and so forth. The company says that online orders are spiking are more people are practicing social distancing to thwart the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis. We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back," Amazon's press information states.

In addition to the 100,000 new roles, Amazon is also bumping hourly pay a little. It is increasing hourly pay by $2 in the U.S., £2 in the UK, and €2 in the EU through to April as workers deal with the heavier demand.

"This commitment to increased pay through the end of April represents an investment of over $350 million in increased compensation for hourly employees across the U.S., Europe, and Canada."

Microsoft has revealed what will power its next generation Xbox Series X console when it is launched later this year.

According to Microsoft, three things that will define the new Xbox Series X will be power, speed, and compatibility. To that end, it has revealed a lot of details about the upcoming next generation console and how it will deliver more power, and also allow Xbox gamers to play their favorite titles going back 15 years of Xbox consoles.

In terms of power, the Xbox team wants to ensure that developers can easily produce games that will run comfortable at a 4K resolution at 60fps. In fact, the goal is to go beyond 60fps to 120fps if developers wish. Previous consoles can support 4K at 60fps, but developers often have to be creative with solutions like dynamic resolution scaling to keep image quality up without sacrificing frame rates.

In the context of power, the history of gaming consoles has revolved around graphical performance, from 8-bit to 16-bit graphics and then from standard definition TV resolution, to 4K UltraHD. Microsoft doesn't think this will define power with the next generation, but the console will have what it needs to raise the bar regardless. Let's take a look at the technical specs we have been given today.

Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system is installed on over one billion active devices, according to the Redmond giant.

Windows 10 launched in 2015 after the lackluster Windows 8/8.1 effort failed to dethrone its previous Windows 7 iteration. Almost five years on, it is now installed on over a billion active devices, in over 200 countries in the world. The devices it powers includes PCs, laptops, tablets, gaming devices, and more.

Microsoft notes that Windows 10 is used by the entirety of the Fortune 500, making it a critical platform for driving business transformation in the enterprise and beyond. One factor driving more recent transitions to Windows 10 is the end of support for Windows 7 last month, which launched in 2009 and was very successful.

Windows 10 is on over 80,000 models and configurations of different laptops and 2-in-1s from over 1,000 different manufacturers globally, but it also powers Microsoft's Mixed Reality and HoloLens products. Additionally, while Windows 10 is the most popular platform for PC gaming, it is also on modern Xbox consoles and will be on the Xbox Series X when it launches later this year.

In other news, Microsoft also announced that the Windows Insider program has reached 17.8 million participants. The Insider Program lets Microsoft roll out feature changes and updates early to participants and get feedback before a more general release. Scheduling of Windows 10 revamps has also changed compared to older systems.

Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, EA has announced that it will suspend all events for EA's competitive gaming series.

This includes Apex Legends Global Series, EA SPORTS FIFA 20 Global Series, FIFA Online 4 Live Events and Madden NFL 20 Championship Series. All third-party events held under license with EA are also included in this suspension. Naturally, all events that are held online will continue because participants and staff operate remotely.

"Our priority is protecting our competitors, our employees, our partner's employees and our communities. As we continue to monitor the situation around the coronavirus and receive updated guidance from health officials around the world, we will use this time to determine next steps for moving forward with all of EA's Competitive Gaming live events and online broadcasts," a statement from EA reads.

EA previously closed several international offices and is encouraging its staff to work from home in North America, Europe, and Australia, at least until early April.

Read more: EA

Apple has been hit with a huge €1.1 billion fine by French authorities, while two wholesalers were also targeted with large fines in the country.

The iPhone-maker was investigated for anti-competitive behavior in its product distribution by the French competition watchdog. It also was accused of abusing the economic dependence of its re-sellers, and agreeing on prices with wholesalers.

Tech Data was fined €76 million for its part in the activity by the watchdog, while Ingram Micro was also hit with a €63 million fine.

"Apple and its two wholesalers have agreed not to compete with each other and to prevent distributors from competing with each other, thereby sterilizing the wholesale market for Apple products," said Isabelle de Silva, head of France's competition authority, according to the Reuters News Agency.

Apple told AppleInsider that it disagrees with the decision and plans to appeal it.

Bill Gates revealed that he will leave the two public boards he serves on to focus his efforts on philanthropy.

The world's second wealthiest man will step down from the Microsoft board almost 45 years after he founded the company with Paul Allen. He had left the day-to-day operations of Microsoft in 2008 and has focused primarily on the work of the Bill & Malinda Gates Foundation ever since. Gates will also be departing the Berkshire Hathaway board.

Despite leaving the Microsoft board, Gates says he will always be close to the company. "Microsoft will always be an important part of my life's work and I will continue to be engaged with Satya and the technical leadership to help shape the vision and achieve the company's ambitious goals."

Gates also nodded to Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffet, saying they were the best of friends before he joined the board and will remain that way long after. "I look forward to our continued partnership as co-trustees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and co-founders of The Giving Pledge."

Ultimately Gates is leaving the two boards as he wants to focus his efforts more on philanthropic priorities including global health and development, education, and climate change.

As many of us expected after numerous conferences and gatherings cancelled due to coronavirus, Apple did not find it responsible to fly hundreds of people to attend its annual developer conference.

Apple doesn't exactly call WWDC cancelled, since it is planning to organize a purely virtual conference, but the physical part, the one that people were excited to once again attend, is not going to happen.

Apple joins the list of cancellations with Microsoft and Google, who've just recently announced the cancellation of their physical developer events, as well as other conferences, such as world's largest mobile conference MWC, Game Developer Conference, and E3.

As mentioned, WWDC 2020 will still happen virtually and Apple promises both keynote speeches as well as panels for software developers. They promise that the announcements will be major even though they couldn't invite people at their campus this time around.

Pokemon Go is still one of the most popular mobile games in the world. The very core of the game involves wandering around your community, pushing your walking mileage and catching pokemons that appear while you're walking around.

Now, due the coronavirus pandemic, such activities are less and less popular around the globe. Game developer Niantic has now reacted to this situation.

Starting last night, players of the game can get almost-free bundle of so-called incense items to the game. The bundle costs only one pokecoin (the currency used in the game, equaling roughly to $0.01 or €0.01) and contains 30 incense units.

With incense, players can stay at home and use the incense to attract pokemons to their home that wouldn't appear there otherwise. The incense unit has been part of the game since the very beginning, but it has always cost much more - and is typically considered most useful for those players in rural areas, where there aren't very many places where pokemons spawn on their own.

Global disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic is sending people online to work and network remotely.

In efforts to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers and students are being sent home to carry out their work and studies online. Others are self-isolating due to symptoms or concerns over the spread of the virus in their region.

This is resulting in heavier demand on web services to enable work, education and continued communication between colleagues, family, and friends. Discord has recognized that some people are relying on its services for continuity during the coronavirus pandemic.

"People -- particularly in regions harder hit by COVID-19 -- are already using Discord to keep in touch and stay on track with their everyday lives, from attending classes remotely to working from home," wrote Jason Citron, on the Discord website.

The service will temporarily up its Go Live streaming limit from 10 to 50 participants. Go Live is free to use and lets people privately stream or screen share apps from a computer while others watch on any device. Using Go Live, teachers/professors can conduct classes, co-workers can collaborate on work from their homes, and so on.