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Gigaom has reported on Mozilla's latest project, a media streaming HDMI dongle based on their Firefox OS.

The device would rival Google's popular Chromecast device and Mozilla has been working on prototypes with an unknown hardware partner for the past few months.

Mostly everything remains unknown about the new device including price, availability, specs and even name.

Besides working just like Chromecast, the report states that it can actually run some Chromecast apps, as well, although it is unclear how. It looks now like Mozilla will add casting to Firefox and will also release a device that is more open to hacking and developers than Google's dongle is. Mozilla will allow developers to build casting into apps for all operating systems, not just Android and iOS, meaning BlackBerry, Amazon and Windows Phone users could get access.

Thanks to new cloud-based tech, cable set-top box users are starting to get access to YouTube around the globe, even on legacy SD boxes.

For example, local cable provider UPC Hungary (in Hungary) added a YouTube app to its boxes earlier this month, marking the first time the video service has been available on TVs via a legacy cable box.

At the heart of the new app is a tech called CloudTV, which has very basic hardware requirements, allowing all UPC Hungary customers to get access to YouTube no matter how old their box. The app itself isn't even downloaded on the actual box but is rendered in the cloud and delivered to each box. Controls (like pause and switching to next video) are sent to the cloud and changed on the fly, with a promised latency of under 500 milliseconds.

Netflix, on the other hand, has been signing deals with cable providers, but that process is much, much slower. The app is available only via TiVo DVRs, and not everyone wants to upgrade. In the UK, Netflix has a deal with Virgin but only 50 percent of users have an upgraded TiVo DVR. There are currently no big cable operators that offer the streaming movie and TV service but four smaller ones do.

Skype has said this week that it will be retiring all older versions of its desktop application, including versions for Mac and Windows that were released as recently as February 2014.

"We are going to retire older versions of Skype for Windows desktop (6.13 and below) as well as Skype for Mac (6.14 and below) over the next few months," Skype said. This makes upgrading to the latest versions mandatory if you want to keep using Skype.

While it is not out of the ordinary for companies to retire older versions and force updates, it is not normal to see versions released just four months prior being added to the list. If you are up to date, you would have 6.16 on Windows and 6.18 on Mac OS X.

What will happen once the retirement occurs? "Once a version is retired, users will no longer be able to sign into the retired version until they upgrade to the latest version of Skype," a Microsoft rep noted. Microsoft acquired Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion.

Source:
CW

Earlier this month, at Apple's annual WWDC, the company made a low-profile announcement that The Weather Channel would be replacing Yahoo Weather as the default weather application for iOS 8.

Yahoo had long held the spot, and the partnership led to a ton of traffic coming back to Yahoo and its portal so the loss will certainly have repercussions. In fact, a recent update of the app was highly touted by CEO Marissa Mayer and has seen strong reviews.

Quite ironically, the Yahoo Weather app has always been powered by Weather Channel data. Yahoo polished the user interface but the technical and important data came directly from Weather Channel servers. The new deal was engineered by Weather Channel CEO David Kenny, who was also a former Yahoo board of directors member and who clearly saw a large opportunity.

In their updated app, The Weather Channel has added more technology and information including better weather related to current locations, a full nine-day forecast, a weather-conditions summary and even more details. The move should prove to be a huge gain for TWC.

In 2012, Philips sued Nintendo for patent infringement in the UK, alleging that the Wii and Wii U infringed on its remote control patents.

This week, the England and Wales High Court has ruled that Nintendo did in fact infringe on three patents, all of which are related to a "user interface system based on a pointing device." One was found to be invalid, but did rule that Nintendo infringed amended versions of the other two patents.

Each of the patents describe computer systems with handheld pointing devices that have a camera and physical motion sensor. In addition, the "device is used for hand-gesture commands to a fixed unit with the gesture analysis based on motion trajectory of the device." Those systems use room localization beacons, and Philips claims that the tech can be used and has been used for gaming.

While there have of course been similar products on the market, the court ruled that nobody has used the combination of sensors and gesture analysis. Other companies, like Wacom and Sony, have used some aspects but not others. "The Nintendo Wii system set up with Wii Tennis is an example of that combination and therefore infringes the claim," Philips said in its initial claim.

According to sources, Google is actively in talks to acquire video search startup Baarzo, although it remains unclear whether a final agreement has already been reached.

Baarzo allows users to search for moments within videos, for example finding an athlete doing specific actions within a clip. The company itself describes its product as "true video search."

The company is private and does not have open signups so it is unclear how well the service works. However, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt is said to have been wholly impressed by a demo of the tech by co-founder and CTO Siva Yellamrajuat at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

Baarzo explains the tech a little more: "Unlike Google or YouTube searches, which only evaluate the text around the video, the Baarzo search technology actually analyzes the video content, recognizing hundreds of thousands of objects and millions of faces, and locates the precise moment in the video when the search objects interact in the way you had specified."

On Monday, Computerworld will shut down its print edition, 47 years after the first issue was released.

The tech publication was the first from IDG, and the first newspaper for computer hobbyists.

"It's sad to lose anything that has endured so long. But we are merely taking part in the natural evolution of the media industry, like so many great publications before us," editor-in-chief Scot Finnie added.

The creator of Computerworld, Patrick J. McGovern, passed away in March. His publication was considered the "bible of the industry" when it launched.

Computerworld covered industry trends and new product news, and started at a time when IBM and Microsoft were just babies. The online edition will continue on.

Source:
Beta

Nest Labs (now part of Google) has announced their acquisition of Dropcam, a startup that has been building home monitoring cameras.

The company was quick to note that data will not be shared with any third parties (not even Google), just like Nest's privacy policy.

Reads the blog post: "We have some exciting news to share: Nest is acquiring Dropcam. Although this was a big decision for us, it wasn't a difficult one to make. Before deciding to extend an offer to Dropcam, we spent a lot of time looking at camera companies and technologies around the world. And I can say without a doubt, Dropcam has the best products, services, and customer experience in the business."

Dropcam sells cameras, but also has a subscription service in which the camera buyer signs up for a cloud recording service that allows for up to one month to be recorded, stored online and played back at any time from your mobile device or home PC. The video can also be shared via a private or public link. Dropcam is also working on small $29 Bluetooth-enabled sensors that can be placed around the home to detect movement and help protect your home.

Nest, on the other hand, has only been selling hardware, with no additional high margin software or recurring billing.

Nokia has surprised the market this week unveiling their new 'Z Launcher' for Android devices.

Z Launcher is a home screen replacement for Android devices, one that the company says will make everything you need at any time available on one page.

At the top of the display is the time, date and one singular calendar event. As you can imagine, hitting the time takes you to the clock app, and the calendar event leads you to your Calendar application. The rest of the screen displays just 6 shortcuts (what you use most), followed by your favorite apps on the bottom like any other launcher.

What makes the Z Launcher interesting is that it evolves as your usage evolves. If you always use, for example, Spotify in the mornings, the streaming music app will show up in your shortcuts in the morning. Additionally, Nokia has introduced "Scribble," which allows you to use gestures to open any app you have installed. Just write the first letter of the app you are looking for right on the screen and Z Launcher will take you to all the apps that start with that letter. If you write the second letter, as well, it will narrow it down even more.

The Lego Group has announced a new product line within their hugely popular Lego brand, "Lego Fusion," that allows you to play with the new toys you just built in the real world in virtual worlds and games.

Each Lego Fusion box has 200 Lego pieces, and when you are done building you can upload them to iOS and Android apps to play in games like "Town Master" where you have to build a town out of Lego, or "Battle Towers," where you have to defend you Lego tower.

Adding a social experience to the mix, builders can then see and interact with other uploaded Fusion sets, including other towers, cars, and towns.

There are just a couple of rules for building with Fusion sets, but otherwise the design is entirely up to the builder. You must make your creation 16 bricks wide by 16 bricks tall, and it must include a door. The creations must also be built on a "Fusion Capture Plate" using Qualcomm's augmented reality platform Vuforia. You upload the creation right from the plate using your device's camera and it is then recreated in the virtual world brick by brick.

Nintendo has confirmed VR is not part of the plan when it comes to the Wii U, as the tech is in "direct contrast" to what the company is looking to do with the console.

The quote comes via Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary designer behind Mario, Zelda, Pikmin and more. The designer says Nintendo made the Wii U for its social experience, and VR is in contrast to that philosophy.

"What we're trying to do with the Wii U is to create games for everyone in the living room," Miyamoto says. "It's intended to be fun not only for the person who's playing, but also for the people who are watching."

With VR systems, gamers are spending "all their time alone playing in that virtual reality" and Nintendo feels that is not "the best way for people to play," especially on the Wii U, adds the designer.

Of course, the company remains interested in the technology, as a whole and that "it might be better suited to some sort of attraction style of entertainment, say something at a video game arcade or things like that."

According to a new report, Samsung will reveal their first Android Wear-based smartphone at the upcoming Google I/O event.

The move is notable as Samsung has been running their own smartwatches on the proprietary Tizen OS, which has efficient battery performance but lacks third-party support. There will reportedly be multiple models, one running on Samsung's own Exynos chips and the other running on a Qualcomm processor.

LG and Motorola have already announced Android Wear devices, and both are expected to show them off at I/O, as well.

The I/O event begins on June 25th and is expected to have over 6000 developers present.

As a way to take some attention off of Steam's new summer sale, EA's Origin service has made 'Titanfall' free to play for two days.

EA is calling the new scheme "Game Time," with players able to download the PC version for free, and the 48-hour trial will start the second you start playing.

The company says gamers will have 100 percent full access to the game and all progress will be saved (single player and multiplayer) if you want to continue and buy the game at its real price after the trial.

There will be many more Game Time promotions in the future, says EA, and the company has been making other games free in the past few months.

According to new sources, Taiwan's Quanta will begin mass production on the oft-rumored Apple iWatch starting next month, suggesting a late September or October launch for the company's first smartwatch.

Until now, it had been assumed that Hon Hai (Foxconn) would be the supplier, given the company's current close relationship with Apple for iPad and iPhone production. Quanta has produced Macbooks and iPods for Apple in the past. The company will produce about 70 percent of all iWatches, say the sources.

There are still very few details of the watch, although a few recent rumors suggest a 2.5-inch (diagonal) arched display, a full touch interface and wireless charging capabilities. The device will also be powered by iOS 8 (or a variant) and feature HealthKit for fitness tracking. Of course, the watch can only pair with iOS devices for messaging, emails and more.

There have been varying estimates of iWatch sales in the first year, ranging from 35 million to 50 million, with a price point of $299. Even at the low end of the range, the device is expected to be popular.

Search giant Google is now facing another antitrust complaint in the EU, this time from mobile app marketplace (app store) company Aptoide.

The Portuguese company claims that Google has abused its market leading position in the smartphone market to steer consumers away from any app store that isn't their own Google Play Store.

"We are struggling to grow, even to survive, in the face of Google systematically setting up obstacles for users to install third-party app stores in the Android platform and blocking competition in their Google Play store," said Paulo Trezentos, Aptoide's co-founder and CEO.

Trezentos says the app store has six million unique monthly users and that the company will team together with other independent app stores to forge a common front" against Google.

The European Commission did not confirm they had received the complaint, which Aptoide filed last week.

Google is already facing a large antitrust complaint from Nokia, Microsoft and 13 other companies which had accused the search giant of using Android to promote Google's own apps.