Latest news

The ability for Spotify users to control the music app through Siri on Apple devices has not softened Spotify's criticism of Apple.

The Swedish streaming pioneer has been running its "Time to Play Fair" campaign against what it alleges are unfair business practices from Apple for a while. This week, Spotify users on Apple platforms gained the ability to control their music using Siri commands, which is a nice boost. It hasn't softened Spotify's attitude toward Apple however.

In fact, Spotify went to the trouble of modifying an animated video criticizing Apple's business practices and alleged abuses of its position. Previously, the video had scalded Apple for not allowing users to control Spotify with Siri but now acknowledges that Apple device owners finally have this ability but not to use it as their default player.

The rest of the video deals with the existing complaints Spotify has against Apple, including the so called "30 percent Apple tax" and how Apple's red tape keeps Spotify from offering promotions and features.

You may have seen most of this video before. If not, here is the modified version updated this week by Spotify.

A popular Android app used for IPTV service on devices has disappeared from the Play Store, and not for the first time.

IPTV Smarters is one of the more popular IPTV player solutions for Android devices like smartphones, tablets, TV boxes and smart televisions. It can be used with third party IPTV services and provided a good user experience through its GUI and Electronic Programming Guide and other features.

However, it has disappeared from Google's Play Store and not for the first time. According to the developer of the application, the removal is due to a false complaint.

"It's normal [to receive such complaints] and [it has] happened three times so far. We had it sorted out last time and this time. We have executed the same procedure with the help of our lawyers," Amanpreet Singh, told TorrentFreak. Singh did not reveal the source of the false complaint.

"As it's just a video player, that's why it will be back very soon," he added.

IPTV Smarters is only a software application itself. It does not provide any IPTV streams as is, and instead has to be used with another service. The developer does not endorse its use by any third party provider that violates Intellectual Property laws.

Sony's PlayStation 4 (PS4) console software updates to version 7.00 this week and brings some notable improvements for user experience.

The first thing to mention is that Remote Play is now supported on Android 5.0 (or newer) devices. All you have to do is get the Remote Play app from the Play Store. On iPhones and iPads, Remote Play can now also display the controller at all times or lock the screen orientation if the user deems either necessary.

Additionally, a DualShock 4 controller can be used for Remote Play on Android, iPhone, iPad, and Mac using Bluetooth. For that functionality you require Android 10, iOS 13, iPadOD 13 or macOS Catalina.

The software update also improves the Party experience on PlayStation 4. Once updated, the maximum number of Party users is doubled from 8 to 16, while the audio quality is also of higher quality. Connectivity issues should also be alleviated due to back-end changes made by Sony to its network infrastructure.

Accessibility is also improved for the Party feature with the inclusion of Chat Transcription. This is initially available in the United States and only in the English language. Party voice chats can be converted to text and will display on the PS4 second screen app on your smartphone or other mobile device. Furthermore, it supports speech to text so users can speak aloud and have their speech transcribed to text and sent to other Party participants.

Epic Games has settled a lawsuit with a 14 year old boy who sold cheats for Fortnite online, and demonstrated them in videos.

The boy is identified only as CBV in court documents. He was targeted by Epic Games for copyright infringement as he made cheats available for sale through an online forum. On his YouTube channel he demonstrated how the hacks work and linked his more than 14,000 subscribers to where they were made available.

Epic Games maintained that the cheats and their marketing was unfair and unlawful, and that they altered the copyrighted work of Epic and effectively resulted in a new version of the game. The dev also claimed that while CBV claimed he would cheat for fun and entertainment, and not to steal from those who work hard for what they do, he still benefited financially from the activity.

Game developers and publishers have been cracking down on cheats and on modding of games and those who sell them, as they can create a skewed experience for other players and also provides incentive for others to cheat as well.

Epic Games may face a class action lawsuit in Canada that alleges the gamemaker deliberately made Fortnite as addictive as possible and did not disclose the health risks of the game.

Sony has confirmed that its next-generation PlayStation 5 will launch for the holiday season next year, and also confirmed more details about the system.

The first thing to note is that the next-generation in the console series is in fact called PlayStation 5. It will launch in time for Holiday 2020, according to Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. Some other details were also spilled by Ryan today, including a big change to the controller for the PS5 console.

Ryan says that the company wanted to re-imagine how the sense of touch can add to the immersion of video games. To that end, the new PS5 controller will scrap the long-lasting "rumble" technology in the DualShock line, and replace it with haptic feedback. This means that there is a wider range of feedback from the controller, so that "crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field."

Another change to the PS5 controller is the incorporation of adaptive triggers. This has been incorporated into the L2 and R2 triggers on the controller and will enable developers to "program the resistance of the triggers so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain."

Sony has announced that Facebook integration is no longer supported on the PlayStation 4 system. So what does that mean for users?

From today, Facebook integration has been scrapped on the PS4 console. This means that players will no longer be able to record and then upload their gameplay clips to the social network for their friends to see. Trophy unlock activity also can no longer be shared with Facebook friends. Friend finder is also out, which was a feature that used your Facebook account information to help you find friends on Sony's network.

So all share options (screenshots, videos, music, trophy details, links, broadcasts, etc.) can no longer be shared from your PS4 console to your Facebook account and friends. Profile pictures imported from Facebook will no longer be used either, so if you imported your profile picture from Facebook you will have to set up a new one.

The support page for the change does not give any reason why Sony has abruptly ended support for Facebook integration. However, Kotaku did reach out to Facebook and it seems that the social network is hoping to restore the integration soon.

A one-of-a-kind 'Nintendo PlayStation' console - a relic of a rocky and ultimately doomed partnership between Sony and Nintendo - is up for sale.

In the 1980s, Sony and Nintendo were collaborating on games console hardware. Nintendo had partnered with Sony to produce a CD-ROM add-on that could be used for the standard SNES console. It would use a format called Super Disc with the rights retained by Sony in agreement with Nintendo. Along with the add-on for the SNES, Sony was developing its own Play Station system, which was a hybrid containing the standard cartridge port for Nintendo games and the CD-ROM drive for games on Super Disc.

Trouble started however when Nintendo realized that Sony had an upper hand in software licensing as it retained control of Super Disc, and the Japanese gaming giant then approached Philips seeking a more favorable agreement over a partnership. As a result, the 1991 consumer electronics show saw both the introduction of the hybrid Play Station system from Sony, and the surprise announcement of a new partnership between Nintendo and Philips (which Sony had no prior warning about).

Despite trying to repair their issues over the next couple of years, Nintendo and Sony ultimately went separate ways with Sony deciding to focus on a new console for the next generation of gaming which we now know as the original PlayStation. During the negotiations as many as 300 prototypes were reportedly developed of Sony / Nintendo console hardware.

A legal firm is seeking a class action lawsuit against Epic Games because its popular Fortnite game is too addictive.

Calex Légal is representing the parents of two children in arguing that Fortnite is designed to be addictive, and that Epic Games did not warn customers about the dangers. The firm, based in Montreal, is seeking authorization for a class-action lawsuit and inviting parents concerned about their children's dependence on the video game to come forward.

"We dug into it and we realized there was a strong case for it," said Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, a Calex Légal attorney, reports the CBC.

The suit cites a decision made by the Quebec Superior Court in 2015 that determined tobacco companies had not warned customers about the dangers of smoking their product. This duty to inform is what Calex Légal is focusing on. Furthermore, Chartrand claims that the game is actually made purposely to be as addictive as possible.

"Epic Games, when they created Fortnite, for years and years, hired psychologists -- they really dug into the human brain and they really made the effort to make it as addictive as possible," she said. "They knowingly put on the market a very, very addictive game which was also geared toward youth."

The creators of South Park have 'apologized' to China after the show is reportedly banned in the country and it's exactly what you expect.

It has been reported that South Park is banned on the Chinese Internet, after last week's episode "Band in China". The episode follows dimwit Randy Marsh - father of Stan, a geologist, the voice of pop sensation Lorde, and the entrepreneur behind Tegridy Weed - on a journey to China to find more customers for his product. His visit instead gets Randy sent to a work camp where he has to speak praise of the communist party.

At the same time, Randy's son Stan is trying to film a biopic for his several-weeks-old death metal band Crimson Dawn, but finds out that he has to censor topics ranging from Winnie the Pooh to the Dalai Lama in order to appease Chinese censors and make money in the country.

The episode even shows a Chinese censor in military uniform erasing things that Stan writes down, or erasing things he types on his laptop.

Apparently, the Chinese authorities didn't see the humor in the episode and reports are that South Park is now banned on the Chinese Internet. Matt Stone and Trey Parker responded to the news in a fashion we've come to expect over the years from the minds behind South Park. While it clearly makes fun of the Chinese reaction to the episode, it also takes aim at the NBA.

While the release of the OnePlus 7T is coming soon, there are already leaks regarding the OnePlus 8 series.

CashKaro and OnLeaks have published renders of the upcoming OnePlus 8 smartphone based on schematics from a source within the company. The leak shows that the OnePlus 8 will trade in the notch of the OnePlus 7T, and the pop-up selfie camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro, for a punch-hole cam in the 6.5-inch curved display itself. OnePlus 8 will be the first OnePlus non-Pro smartphone to feature a curved display.

Like the OnePlus 7T and 7 Pro, OnePlus 8 will feature three camera lenses on the back.

The bottom speaker also appears to have a smoother edge than previous OnePlus series. The overall dimensions of the smartphone are estimated at 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.1mm (9.3mm when including the bump for the rear camera lenses).

Another big detail in the leak is the support for wireless charging. OnePlus has put effort into fast charging with some of its previous models. The OnePlus 7T comes (and 7 Pro) come with a 30W (5V/6A) charger for speedy charging. However, with competitors offering wireless charging it was an expected step for OnePlus to make.

Microsoft has revealed an attempt to identify and target e-mail accounts related to the U.S. 2020 Presidential Elections by a group with suspected links to Tehran.

Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft, revealed in an article that a group he identified as Phosphorus had targeted accounts linked to an election campaign for the U.S. 2020 Presidential Election. Microsoft believes that the attack originates from Iran and is linked to the Iranian government.

During August and September, Microsoft observed more than 2,700 attempts to identify consumer e-mail accounts belonging to specific Microsoft customers. 241 of these accounts were later directly attacked and four were compromised. Microsoft would only say that the targeted accounts are associated with a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and prominent Iranians living outside Iran.

However, sources told the Reuters news agency that U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign was specifically targeted, but the operation was unsuccessful. Responding to the report, Tim Murtaugh of the Trump campaign said it has no indication that any of its campaign infrastructure being targeted.

Apple has announced that it will repair some iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus handsets for free as they may become unusable due to a component failure.

The Cupertino giant did not specify what component is leading to the failure of some iPhone 6s series handsets to power on, but it did say that the issue is limited to units manufactured between October 2018 and August 2019. It established a homepage for its free service program where users can check if their handset is eligible for a free repair.

If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus that suddenly won't power on then it might be caused by this component issue. To find out, visit the repair page and enter the serial number of your model and it will inform you whether or not it is eligible for a free repair.

Affected iPhone 6s models can be repaired at any Apple Authorized Service Provider, an Apple Retail Store, through Apple Support's mail-in service. Owners who previously paid to have an iPhone 6s repaired that would have been eligible for free repair can contact Apple for a refund.

The program covers affected iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices for 2 years after the first retail sale of the unit.

It should be noted that Apple may restrict or limit repair to the original country or region of purchase, which might complicate things if the handset was imported from a foreign source.

PayPal has dropped out of the Libra Association, the first financial backer to leave the group backing the Libra digital currency.

Facebook's ambitions to launch a digital currency that can be used worldwide for payments have hit constant roadblocks. PayPal has continued to this shaky start by dropping out of the Libra Association, the organization that would oversee the development and deployment of Libra and associated products.

"PayPal has made the decision to forgo further participation in the Libra Association at this time and to continue to focus on advancing our existing mission and business priorities as we strive to democratize access to financial services for underserved populations," PayPal said in a statement.

"We remain supportive of Libra's aspirations and look forward to continued dialogue on ways to work together in the future. Facebook has been a longstanding and valued strategic partner to PayPal, and we will continue to partner with and support Facebook in various capacities."

Libra has also been subjected to probes and attacks from politicians and bureaucrats the world-round, who see Libra and other digital currencies as a threat to the financial system. Facebook's chequered history on its handling of user data is another commonly cited reason for opposing the proposed digital currency.

A mother is warning about the dangers of social media 'challenges' after her 12 year old son is badly burned doing the so called 'Fire Challenge'.

Viral challenges are far from new. For years, people have essentially performed silly or stupid stunts on video and posted it online. We all remember the ALS challenge phenomenon that prompted millions of people to dump cold water over their heads and then challenge others to do the same.

Well, how about you set yourself on fire? Incredibly, a small number of people seem to have done this. It was reported this week that a 12 year old Michigan boy had suffered second degree burns after his friend set him on fire. Amazingly, the goal was to post the video of this "challenge" online.

The boy spent four days in hospital after his friend sprayed him with nail polish remover and then lit him up. His mother, Tabitha, has warned about the dangers of social media challenges.

"I just want everybody to know that these challenges, or whatever they're watching on YouTube, is not worth risking your life," she said, reports NBC News.

Rockstar Games has provided details about the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC, including that it will be a Google Stadia launch title.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC platforms from November 5, with pre-orders available from the new recently launched Rockstar Games Launcher from October 9. The PC version of the first in the Red Dead Redemption series to launch on the platforms comes with some new content and bonuses as well.

Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC features a range of graphical and technical enhancements for increased immersion along with new Bounty Hunting Missions, Gang Hideouts, Weapons and more.

Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC also includes free access to the shared living world of Red Dead Online featuring all previously released improvements and the latest content updates for the complete online experience including Frontier Pursuits and the specialist Roles of Bounty Hunter, Trader and Collector for players to progress through and earn unique rewards.

For those who choose to pre-order from October 9 to October 22 on Rockstar Games Launcher, Rockstar will also throw two free games. You can choose your two free games from Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andrea, Bully: Scholarship Edition, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, and Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition.