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Microsoft and HP have teamed up to take on Chromebooks, launching the HP Stream 14 at just $199, even undercutting most of the Google-backed cloud-based systems.

The 14-inch notebook runs on Windows 8.1, giving it its first advantage over Chromebooks, has a 1366x768 resolution display, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage (SDXC slot is available to add up 128GB more) and an AMD A4 Micro-6400T Quadcore SoC clocked at 1GHz. The SoC has an integrated Radeon R3 GPU.

Additionally, the laptop has the standard three USB ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI out and a webcam. The Stream 14 has four speakers, and takes advantage of Beats Audio software.

Since the internal storage may not be enough, Microsoft is throwing in 2 years of 100 GB OneDrive cloud storage for free.

The design isn't too pretty, and the laptop is heavy at 3.9 lbs, but for $199 HP may have a potential hit on their hands.

According to new reports, Apple could be preparing to unveil a new Lightning cable for the iPhone 6 that can be plugged into a USB port with either way up, avoiding user confusion that has existed since the beginning of time.

Apple filed a patent in 2013 that described "reversible or dual orientation USB plug connectors" that can plug into any standard PC and "reduce the potential USB connector damage and user frustration."

Such a design would also be future-proof as long as the computer (or other device) has a full-sized USB port.

SonnyDickson also leaked a photo of the alleged cable:

If you are in your late 20's then you probably spent at least a year of your life collecting, trading and playing Pokémon cards. You will now be able to do so again, with your iPad.

The makers of the Pokémon Trading Card Game have confirmed the game is set for release later this year, although from the screenshots it looks like a port of the PC game that has been available for some time. Regardless, this will be a touch enabled game, and if it is like its PC counterpart, it will allow you to import your physical cards to your digital deck.

It may be time to take out the old binders that are collecting dust.

It looks like Pokémon TCGO is in works for the iPad! Should be a huge way to expand the game. #PlayPokemon pic.twitter.com/SPlx3QZaTC

-- Josh Wittenkeller (@TheJWittz) August 15, 2014

Expected to be officially launched on September 4th, Best Buy has let the cat out of the bag on the upcoming Motorola Moto 360, the highly anticipated Android Wear smartwatch.

According to the retailer's listing, the watch will cost $249.99, more expensive than current Android Wear devices, but less than the rumored $299.99.

The device will have a 1.5-inch backlit round LCD with 320x290 resolution (205ppi) and will be protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The watch is powered by an unspecified Texas Instruments processor, weighs 2.1oz, has 512MB RAM, an ambient light sensor, water resistance up to 1 meter, a pedometer and a heart rate monitor.

The Premier League has confirmed they will be actively shutting down fan videos posted online of goals from League games.

For every game, hundreds of goal Vines and YouTube videos are posted online, and thousands more are expected now that the new season has started this weekend.

Dan Johnson, director of communications at the Premier League, added: "You can understand that fans see something, they can capture it, they can share it, but ultimately it is against the law. It's a breach of copyright and we would discourage fans from doing it, we're developing technologies like gif crawlers, Vine crawlers, working with Twitter to look to curtail this kind of activity."

Understanding that fans will be angry, Johnson added, "I know it sounds as if we're killjoys but we have to protect our intellectual property."

Many major media companies paid hundreds of millions of pounds/euros for exclusive rights to Premier League games, and understandably don't want the same content available for free without them getting a cut.

The developer team behind the messaging app Glyphic have created a new way to easily make GIFs from YouTube videos, creating the site gifyoutube.com.

You don't even have to go to the site to use the service, however, as you can add the word "gif" to theURL, right before the "youtube.com."

For example, "https://www.gifyoutube.com/watch?v=TLzhlsEFcVQ"

Google hasn't officially sanctioned the tool so who knows how long it will last, but it is cool while it exists.

Microsoft's hotly anticipated Docking Station for the Surface Pro 3 tablet is now available in North America.

The Docking Station turns the tablet into a fully-fledged PC, as it can connect to 4K monitors, mouse/keyboard, printers, speakers and more.

Microsoft has included 6 USB ports, 4 of which are 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet and a mini Display Port, as well.

The accessory is available directly through Microsoft or through many retailers.

Although Amazon has not released an updated Kindle Paperwhite this year, the company has confirmed that its recent inventory now has double the internal storage of previous models.

If you purchased a Paperwhite in the last month you will have 4GB of internal storage, compared to 2GB.

By adding more storage but not updating anything else, it appears that Amazon may be holding off an full Kindle Paperwhite hardware refresh this year although there is still plenty of time left. Amazon had been rumored to be building a new Paperwhite with a 300ppi display for clearer text rendering and an overall thinner design.

The extra space may feel good for consumers, but will have little real-world use since most ebooks are 1.3MB or less. Amazon also has free cloud backup of all your ebooks, so really, unless you plan to have thousands of books on your device at one time, 2GB compared to 4GB really means nothing.

Earlier this month, Microsoft announced that it was shutting down its Xbox Entertainment Studios division, after investments for the past few years led to just one original program.

Sources are reporting now that Microsoft has been shopping the studio, and that Warner Bros. has emerged as a potential suitor. If accurate, the reports say Warner would merge XES with its YouTube network Machinima, which currently specializes in gaming-based content.

The talks are in very early stages, and there are no guarantees that the talks move forward to an agreement of any kind.

Although the studio has been shut down, a couple of projects will continue to be developed, including the Steven Spielberg-produced Halo series, the digital "Halo: Nightfall," and the documentary series "Signal to Noise." XES was first launched in 2012, and was run by longtime TV exec Nancy Tellem who came from CBS. The point of the studio was to create exclusive projects for the Xbox 360 (and eventually Xbox One) but only one series ever made it, the newly launched "Every Street United" soccer reality show.

The two teams would be a good fit, especially given XES' pipeline of shows that are almost sure to be hits. Microsoft also worked with Machinima in the past to distribute the Halo 4 digital series last year.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has approved IBM's sale of its x86 server business to Chinese PC and smartphone giant Lenovo.

Originally announced in January, the deal saw no progress for months due to national security concerns. The $2.3 billion sale will give Lenovo IBM's x86-based servers, blade networking and maintenance operations.

Chinese regulators approved the deal last month, after similar scrutiny.

The main concerns of the deal is the fact that the servers are used in the data centers of the Pentagon, putting extremely sensitive data in a potentially compromised situation. It appears the worries have been overblown if the deal was approved.

Source:
ZDNet

Microsoft is said to be preparing a "technology preview" of the upcoming Windows "Threshold" (Windows 9) operating system, which will be available to anyone who is interested by the end of the next month.

The operating system itself is expected to launch in full sometime during the spring of next year and will include a scrapping of many unpopular Windows 8 features, including the confusing "Charms Bar." Most importantly, Microsoft will continue to improve on mouse-and-keyboard functionality, taking the OS back to its roots.

Additionally, "Modern/Metro" apps will be able to run on the desktop, virtual desktops will be integrated and the Start Menu will make an honest return. Potentially, Microsoft's voice-support assistant Cortana could be integrated, as well.

Sources say if you install the tech preview, you will have to agree to have monthly updates pushed automatically, which should not be a problem given how Microsoft pushes updates currently.

There have been rumors that Microsoft will make Threshold free to anyone with Windows XP, Vista or 7, in an effort to move them away from the older OS's.

According to new data from IDC, the smartphone market reached a new milestone, with global OEMs shipping 300 million units for the Q2 2014.

Overall, the market saw 25.3 percent growth year-over-year, which was still impressive but smaller than past years as the market reaches saturation.

On the operating system front, there are only two players remaining, with Android and iOS combining for a ridiculous 96.4 percent market share. Android accounted for 84.7 percent of shipments, and 255 million smartphones. The iPhone came in second at 11.7 percent share, good for 35 million units sold for the quarter. Apple's share has mostly peaked but the company remains one of the most profitable on the planet and sales are still very strong for the iPhone in its multiple iterations. Windows Phone dropped, with shipments at 7.4 million and good for 2.5 percent share.

"With many of its OEM partners focusing on the sub-$200 segments, Android has been reaping huge gains within emerging markets," says Ramon Llamas, Research Manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team. "During the second quarter, 58.6% of all Android smartphone shipments worldwide cost less than $200 off contract, making them very attractive compared to other devices. With the recent introduction of Android One, in which Google offers reference designs below $100 to Android OEMs, the proportion of sub-$200 volumes will climb even higher."

Microsoft has built an app that will rival the popular market leading Snapchat, dubbed "WindUp."

WindUp works similarly to SnapChat in that it allows users to send messages and other media to friends and family that destroy themselves in a few seconds.

Sources say Microsoft chose the name as it is made to "'wind up' your friends as they race to see what you've posted." That being said, Microsoft is not known for pushing the boundaries of creativity with their brand names.

Unlike Snapchat, the WindUp app for Windows Phone will not require Locations Services permissions, which should be a relief to those who don't like apps following you.

Try it here.

Sony Music has introduced a new app in the U.S. that will offer deep discounts on music albums from its artists on a daily basis.

One album will be discounted by up to 70 percent every day for 24 hours, with links directly to the iTunes store for downloads.

The label calls the service the "first music flash sales app," and the app will push notifications daily with what album is available including previews and contextual information.

Until recently, the app had been available only in Germany since March, and will rollout past the U.S. in the coming months.

Digital download sales have stagnated of late, as more and more consumers move towards unlimited streaming services including Spotify and Beats.

Motorola has sent out press invites for a launch event on September 4th in which the company will show off a few new products including the hotly-anticipated Moto 360 smartwatch.

The invite promises a "Moto Launch Experience," and the logos seem to reveal a new "X" phone, a new "G" phone, the Moto 360 and potentially a Bluetooth headset or accessory.

As leaked, the new X phone is the X+1, a successor to the company's Moto X, albeit without the same proprietary processor and engine under the hood.