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Sony PS3, PS4 get native HBO Go app

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Jan 2014 6:11

Sony PS3, PS4 get native HBO Go app Following streaming deals with all the major content providers over the past few years, Sony will now be bringing hit shows like "Game of Thrones" and "True Blood" to their PS3 and PS4 consoles via the HBO Go app.

The older PlayStation 3 will be the first to get the app, followed by the PS4 later in the year.

"With the HBO Go app on your PlayStation system and an HBO subscription via your cable or satellite provider, you'll have unlimited, on-demand access to your favorite HBO shows, like 'Game of Thrones,' 'Boardwalk Empire,' and 'True Detective'," Sony Computer Entertainment America's senior vice president of business development Phil Rosenberg writes. "HBO Go offers every episode of every season of the network's best shows. You can also enjoy hit movies, sports, documentaries, and comedy specials, as well as special behind-the-scenes extras."

HBO Go continues to see expansion, as well, most recently being added to the Google Chromecast.




AfterDawn: News

China developing its own operating system for PCs, mobile devices, set-tops

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Jan 2014 5:56

China developing its own operating system for PCs, mobile devices, set-tops The government-backed Chinese Academy of Sciences, in conjunction with Shanghai Liantong Network Communications Technology, are developing their own secure OS to rival Android, Windows and Ubuntu.

China Operating System (COS) will eventually work on PCs, smartphone, tablets and PCs. There is already a prototype of a set-top box running the OS, but the groups have not yet secured any deals with smartphone or PC vendors.

"The operating system has already risen to become a national security matter," said Shanghai Liantong Network Communications Technology in a press statement.

There are scarce details about the operating system except that it supports HTML5 and can run over 100,000 legacy apps. Liantong says current open source operating systems can often include security flaws and may include interfaces that do not agree with standard Chinese user habits.

Additionally, there have been clashes between Chinese tech firms and U.S lawmakers in the past, leading Liantong to conclude that an independent OS is necessary.




AfterDawn: News

Report: HTC to build bigger model of One flagship

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Jan 2014 5:33

Report: HTC to build bigger model of One flagship According to new reports, HTC is preparing to release a bigger-screened version of the One smartphone.

The display will be larger at 5-inches compared to the current 4.7-inch devices. The smartphone will also add a camera with "a so-called 'twin-sensor' rear-facing camera" and the latest Snapdragon quad-core processor. Otherwise, the form factor and design will be the same.

By adding twin sensors, the camera will have 'better focus, depth of field and image quality.'

HTC has been desperately trying to turn around their fortunes following years of falling revenue, profit and handset sales.




AfterDawn: News

Infographic: Skype now rules the international phone calling market

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Jan 2014 5:08

Infographic: Skype now rules the international phone calling market According to telco research company TeleGeography, Skype now controls the international calling market, even as more traditional landline and mobile networks continue to grow, as well.

Last year, Skype users made 214 billion minutes of international "on-net" calls (Skype to Skype), up 36 percent year-over-year. Skype's traffic amounted to 40 percent of the entire international telecom market, far and away larger than any other company.

At a growth of 54 billion minutes, Skype outpaced the the whole rest of the industry which grew 35 billion minutes.

While the numbers are impressive, the report does note that public switched telephone networks (PSTNs) (traditional landline and mobile networks) are not going away anytime soon: "The PSTN will not disappear anytime soon. While Facebook has approximately 1.2 billion monthly users, at year-end 2013, the PSTN connected to just over 8 billion fixed and mobile subscribers worldwide."

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AfterDawn: News

Sony PlayStation Now to launch in Europe in Q1 2015, US in Q2

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Jan 2014 10:35

Sony PlayStation Now to launch in Europe in Q1 2015, US in Q2 According to a new report, Sony's PlayStation Now streaming service will not launch in Europe until the Q1 2015.

Additionally, the full U.S. launch is slated for the Q2 of this year, say the sources, within Sony's "summer launch" time frame.

Japan and Korea will also see PlayStation Now by the end of the year.

The reports cite an internal Sony presentation slideshow which reveals a time table for the service as well as other devices.

PlayStation Now will allow gamers to stream PlayStation games on the PS4, PS3, PlayStation Vita, tablets, smartphones and TVs.

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AfterDawn: News

Nintendo expects another annual loss, reduces sales expectations

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Jan 2014 9:29

Nintendo expects another annual loss, reduces sales expectations Nintendo has reversed its sales guidance expectations, with the gaming company now expecting an annual fiscal operating loss of 35 billion yen ($336 million) as compared to its previous forecast of a 100 billion yen profit.

The guidance is bad news for the company which will now have its third straight year of operating losses following half a decade of record sales.

"We failed to reach our target for hardware sales during the year-end, when revenues are the highest," says the company. "As a result, the sale of high-margin software fell far short of our projections."

The Wii U was once again the biggest culprit, as the company has reduced projections every months since the console's release in 2012. The company slashed its fiscal year Wii U sales forecast to 2.8 million from 9 million, a devastatingly low estimate. 3DS sales were guided down to 13.5 million units from 18 million units.

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AfterDawn: News

Intel puts the kibosh on new Arizona manufacturing chip plant

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 6:48

Intel puts the kibosh on new Arizona manufacturing chip plant Intel has announced it has indefinitely postponed its "Fab 42" chip factory that was set to be opened in Arizona.

The $5 billion plant would create Intel's most high-end and advanced chips, but will no remain closed while Intel upgrades other factories within the same site.

"The new construction is going to be left vacant for now and it will be targeted at future technologies," said the company. Despite shutting the high-end factory, Intel has hired over 1000 employees since 2011, and will receive state tax benefits for doing so.

Intel would have used the plant to manufacture tiny and efficient 14 nanometer microchips. The existing factories currently manufacture 22nm chips but are gradually being converted to the more advanced architecture. "It boils down to better capital utilization," added the company.




AfterDawn: News

EU: Google, you only have a couple of weeks to provide more concessions before formal anti-trust charges are filed

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 5:29

EU: Google, you only have a couple of weeks to provide more concessions before formal anti-trust charges are filed In December, EU antitrust boss Joaquin Almunia rejected Google's offer to settle a European Union anti-trust investigation, claiming there were not enough concessions. At the time, the official said Google had "some" time to return with a new offer.

It appears that time has come.

Almunia has said today that the commission is still waiting for Google's response, having heard nothing in the last three weeks. "We need more and we need more not during the next year, we need more during the next weeks," he said.

Google has been under investigation by the European Commission antitrust regulators since 2010 over complaints that they block competition, such as Microsoft and Foundem, from search results. The Commission asked 125 Google competitors for feedback on the previous settlement offers, and they have rejected each of the deals so far.

Really, what the EU is looking for is a removal of concerns about vertical searches, which are the specialized searches for individual products.




AfterDawn: News

Meet the Blackphone: A privacy heavy high-end Android device

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 5:14

Meet the Blackphone: A privacy heavy high-end Android device Silent Circle, the encrypted email service provider, and Geeksphone, the small Spanish smartphone startup best known for its early Firefox OS devices have launched a new device, the Blackphone, a smartphone that was created to enable completely encrypted and secure communications, private browsing, and of course, secure file-sharing.

Says the company: "Blackphone is the world's first smartphone which prioritizes the user's privacy and control, without any hooks to carriers or vendors. It comes preinstalled with all the tools you need to move throughout the world, conduct business, and stay in touch, while shielding you from prying eyes."

Amongst the privacy controls placed in user's hands are the ability to make and receive "secure phone calls; exchange secure texts; exchange and store secure files; have secure video chat; browse privately; and anonymize your activity through a VPN."

Running on an Android variant called PrivatOS, there is little else known about the device except that it is GSM unlocked and that its "performance benchmarks put it among the top performers from any manufacturer."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Walter Isaacson: Google is now more innovative than Apple

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 4:51

Walter Isaacson: Google is now more innovative than Apple According to Walter Isaacson, the author of the "Steve Jobs" biography, Google has unseated Apple as the most innovative company in the world right now.

Speaking to CNBC, Isaacson says Google buying Nest Labs was a much bigger deal than Apple beginning to sell iPhones through China Mobile. Of course, the Apple deal will be great for the company's bottom line, he acknowledged, but the Nest buy shows the "amazingly strong integrated strategy that Google has to connect all of our devices, all of our lives, from our car, to our navigation system, to how our garage doors are going to open."

While Apple has not really introduced anything new in quite some time with the exception of the TouchID fingerprint scanning of the iPhone 5S, Google has quietly (and not so quietly) been working on robots, self-driving cars, Google Glass and now, smart hubs for the home through Nest.

Isaacson also noted that grabbing Nest CEO Tony Fadell is a huge part of the deal for Google. "Fadell was one of the team that created the iPod. He was very deep into the Apple culture ... when Apple was so innovative," says the author.

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AfterDawn: News

HP returns to the mobile market with two tablets

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 4:19

HP returns to the mobile market with two tablets HP has announced today that it has returned to the smartphone/tablet market after a two year hiatus, building two "voice-enabled" tablets that will launch in India this year.

The Slate 6 VoiceTab and the Slate 7 VoiceTab will run on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and there are no plans for the tablets outside of India.

Ron Coughlin, Senior VP for the consumer PC business, notes: "We see a need in India that we can meet. Consumers are looking for a way to consolidate devices. We think there's an opportunity to enter a growing market where there's an unmet need."

At just 6 inches, the Slate 6 is a small tablet (or an oversized phone) but the 7-inch Slate 7 fills the normal form factor slot owned by the Kindle Fire, Nexus 7 and Galaxy Tabs. Both devices have 720p displays, quad-core processors (likely from MediaTek), 16GB internal storage and microSD slots. Both have dual 2MP/5MP cameras.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft once again denies 'Halo' feature film

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 1:28

Microsoft once again denies 'Halo' feature film For at least the last eight years, there have been rumors that there would be a Halo feature film, but Microsoft has repeatedly denied or kept quiet on it.

Today, the software giant has denied the most recent rumors, stating "As we've previously stated, we have no plans for a 'Halo' motion picture at this time."

In 2005, blockbuster director Peter Jackson was rumored to be involved in a Halo movie, even going as far as to say, "as a gaming fan, I'm excited to bring Halo's premise, action, and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today's technology can provide."

the project was initially postponed back in 2006 and the entire script and its concept were scrapped in 2009. Last year, District 9 and Elysium director Neill Blomkamp expressed interest in a revival.




AfterDawn: News

Amazon's new product will be 'bigger than Kindle'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 12:43

Amazon's new product will be 'bigger than Kindle' Amazon has sent out invites for a recruiting event in Massachusetts that hints on something huge brewing for the e-tailing giant.

As with most invites or press releases from Amazon, there is a lot left to the imagination, but the secret project promises to be "bigger than Kindle!"

The invite comes via the Kindle New Initiatives team and the product or service will "deliver digital media to our customers in new ways and disrupt the marketplace."

Most likely, the device will be Amazon's oft-rumored streaming set-top box, although there is a chance it could be Amazon's Kindle phone that has been rumored for over two years.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Motorola Moto G gets Google Play Edition

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 12:17

Motorola Moto G gets Google Play Edition Even though the device was practically stock Android to begin with, Google is now selling a Google Play Edition version of the Moto G.

The Play Edition will offer a fully stock Android 4.4, and remove the three or four Motorola apps that were pre-installed with the device (even though those apps were excellent). The current Moto G runs on Android 4.4, as well.

Priced at $179 for the 8GB and $199 for the 16GB model, the prices are exactly the same as the Motorola models. The devices will work on AT&T and T-Mobile and are U.S.-only.

The device has a 4.5-inch 720p display, a mid-range 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400, 1GB RAM and no LTE support.

Read our review of the Moto G here: Hands-On Review: Does the Motorola Moto G give you your money's worth for $179?




AfterDawn: News

Foxconn has shipped nearly 1.4 million iPhone 5S to China Mobile

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jan 2014 11:59

Foxconn has shipped nearly 1.4 million iPhone 5S to China Mobile According to multiple sources, Foxconn shipped nearly 1.4 million iPhone 5S units to China Mobile last week, well above expectations.

The phone will officially launch on the world's largest carrier on Friday and China Mobile has been taking pre-orders since December 25th.

"Shipping one million or more iPhones to a single carrier per month is substantial. But we have limited visibility beyond this month as Apple hasn't informed Foxconn of the volume for the next shipment to China Mobile," said the source.

China Mobile has 745 million subscribers, so the base for growth is certainly massive. Most analysts believe the deal will help Apple sell another 20 million iPhones in 2014.

Through deals with other carriers in the nation, Apple sold 18.5 million iPhones in China for the first three quarters of 2013.





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