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AfterDawn: News

EA: We'll get back to Wii U when it's viable

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Jun 2013 7:58

EA: We'll get back to Wii U when it's viable According to EA Labels president Frank Gibeau, the company will resume developing games for the struggling Wii U console when "it becomes a viable platform" to sell games.

Last month, the company confirmed it would not be bringing popular sports titles like Madden 25 and FIFA 14 to the console, and a spokesperson later confirmed there were no games in development for the system.

Gibeau's comments mirror those of Ubisoft, which earlier this week announced they would not develop any more exclusives for the console until Nintendo sold more hardware. Unlike EA, however, Ubisoft remains committed to the console for non-exclusives.

"Look, the only thing they can do to fix it is to sell more boxes. We're a rational company, we go where the audience is. We publish games where we think we can make a great game and hit a big audience, and make money. That's why we're here, that's why we have an industry,"
said Gibeau.

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AfterDawn: News

Each iTunes user generates $300 for the company

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Jun 2013 7:47

Each iTunes user generates $300 for the company Earlier in the week, Apple announced that it had reached 575 million iTunes accounts, a huge jump from previous announcements.

In 2009, the company revealed that figure as 100 million.

Apple analyst Horace Dediu took a deeper look into the numbers, including gross revenue, and figured out that each iTunes account is worth $40 in iTunes spending to the company.

Then, Dediu took into account that most Apple fans don't just have an iTunes account, but more than likely have multiple Apple devices, as well.

By his calculations, which can be found here, each iTunes account is worth just about $300 per year to Apple, a hefty figure which is perhaps larger than Amazon's Prime member value.

Dediu also believes iTunes Radio, as long as it helps people discover music that they later buy, will significantly boost the figure.




AfterDawn: News

FCC listing outs second-generation Google Nexus 7 tablet

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jun 2013 8:00

FCC listing outs second-generation Google Nexus 7 tablet Thanks to a new FCC listing, we may have a complete spec sheet for the second generation of the popular Google Nexus 7 tablet.

A new Asus tab, with model K009, is powered by a Qualcomm APQ-8064 S4 Pro quad-core, 1.5GHz processor with Adreno graphics, front and rear cameras, 4,000 mAh Li-ion battery and LTE radios.

Additionally, the base model will have 32GB internal storage.

For the display, "This tablet features a 7" LED-backlit capacitive multitouch screen for easy carrying and fantastic multi -media experience everywhere. It is enpowered by Qualcomm ® Snapdragon ™ 600 Quad-core CPU with the highest performance. Wireless networking Ensures simple connection to the Internet without wires."

The device is expected to launch towards the end of the summer.




AfterDawn: News

AT&T adds Wireless Emergency Alerts to iPhones

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jun 2013 7:14

AT&T adds Wireless Emergency Alerts to iPhones Beginning today, AT&T will be sending an OTA update to iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 owners that includes Wireless Emergency Alerts such as AMBER alerts for missing children.

Other alerts include emergencies such as man-made or natural disasters, and Presidential alerts.

Most of the alerts are not mandated by law and are easily shut off if you do not want them. With the exception of the Presidential alerts, you can head to Settings >Notifications>Turn On/Off.

Additionally, alerts will not go against your data or messaging plans. The update will be sent to users with iOS 6.1 or higher.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft reportedly paying developers up to $100,000 to write for Windows Phone

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jun 2013 6:25

Microsoft reportedly paying developers up to $100,000 to write for Windows Phone According to multiple reports, Microsoft is offering money up front to certain developers for them to write Windows Phone 8 apps.

While the company currently offers anyone who develops up to $2000 ($100 per app), big name developers can make up to $100,000.

Of course, paying to bring popular apps over to the fledgling operating system makes perfect sense, given how far behind they are behind Android and iOS.

For the operating system, Microsoft has had extraordinarily deep pockets. The company pays struggling phone maker up to $1 billion per year to exclusively build Lumia Windows Phone devices.




AfterDawn: News

'jOBS' biopic gets new release date over summer

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Jun 2013 5:47

'jOBS' biopic gets new release date over summer Ashton Kutcher's Steve Jobs biopic finally has a new release date.

Originally scheduled to reach theaters on April 19th on the anniversary of Apple's founding, distributor Open Road Films decided it needed to be delayed.

The movie covers the years 1971-2000, right before the release of the original iPod and the beginning of Apple as the giant it is today. The film will show off Jobs' founding of the company, his ouster, the founding of NeXT and Pixar, and his return to the company after Apple purchased NeXT in 1996 for $429 million. NeXT's software highly influenced Mac OS X and iOS. Some of the movie was filmed in the original garage in which Apple was founded.

The film is now slated for a wide release on August 16th.




AfterDawn: News

EU citizens data protection rights are 'non-negotiable', VP Reding says

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 1:57

EU citizens data protection rights are 'non-negotiable', VP Reding says European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding has made it clear that national security does not provide states with an 'anything goes' right to spy on citizens.

VP Reding had met with U.S. attorney general Eric Holder on Friday at the EU-U.S. Ministerial meeting held in Dublin, Ireland. Previously, the commissioner had sent a letter to Holder asking for information on recent revelations of NSA spying, and how it affected citizens of the 27-national European Union bloc who use Internet services from U.S. firms.

At the meeting, the two delegations agreed to quickly convene a meeting of EU-U.S. experts to look into the "PRISM" revelations and the safeguards available for EU citizens. Reding also called for intensified efforts to reach an EU-U.S. data protection agreement that would provide equal protections for citizens of both regions.

"The concept of national security does not mean that "anything goes": States do not enjoy an unlimited right of secret surveillance," Reding said in a statement.

"In Europe, even in cases involving national security, every individual – irrespective of their nationality – can go to a Court, national or European, if they believe that their right to privacy or to data protection has been infringed. I have made my point clearly: this is what I want for European citizens also in the US."




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft got over 6,000 data requests during second half of 2012

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 1:49

Microsoft got over 6,000 data requests during second half of 2012 Microsoft has revealed that it received between 6,000 and 7,000 requests for user data from U.S. government sources at the local, state and federal level during the last six months of 2012.

It joins Facebook in reporting these figures following media reports about NSA requests for information. The total number of accounts affected in one way or another from the 6,000-7,000 requests is around 31,000-32,000 accounts.

Microsoft is stressing that it is only allowed to provide information on FISA requests (related to intelligence services) as long as it is included with all other law enforcement requests and only in blocks of 1,000 (hence, the "between 6,000 and 7,000 requests," as opposed to a specific figure).

Microsoft had joined Google and Facebook in pushing the U.S. government to allow it to provide more information on the volume of requests it receives. Facebook revealed earlier that it received between 9,000-10,000 information requests during the same period, also from sources at the local, state and federal level in the United States.

It explained that while some of these requests may involve intelligence related activity (counter-terrorism etc.), it also frequently gets requests for information in missing persons cases, or in the cases of fugitives who are being hunted by law enforcement. It also made it clear that it does not comply with all requests, downright rejecting some of them, while providing much less data than requested for others. Basically, Facebook stressed it only complies to its legal obligation and no more.

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AfterDawn: News

Google wants to beam Internet from balloons

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 1:25

Google wants to beam Internet from balloons Google has introduced Project Loon, an ambitious project that would provide Internet access from high up in the atmosphere to regions of the world where affordable access is too expensive or impossible.

The idea sounds crazy, and Google admits that it is called Project Loon because it is crazy. However, there is solid science behind it, Google asserts.

Google believes that it is possible to build a ring of balloons that would fly around the world on the stratospheric winds, way high up in the atmosphere beyond even commercial airliners. These balloons could beam Internet access to the ground at speeds around those offered by 3G connections, or better.

"As a result, we hope balloons could become an option for connecting rural, remote, and underserved areas, and for helping with communications after natural disasters," Google's Mike Cassidy, Project Loon leader, said.

There are of course many challenges associated with this approach, though Google feels it is finding solutions to them. Using just wind and solar power, Google believes it can actually move the balloons in the sky up or down to catch winds they want them to travel in, allowing Google to control their path in the sky.

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AfterDawn: News

EU probes mobile firms on Android

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 1:06

EU probes mobile firms on Android The European Commission is asking mobile providers and handset makers about their deals with Google to use Android, which could potentially lead to another antitrust probe into the Internet giant.

It has sent a questionnaire to providers and handset makers, asking 82 questions about the nature of their dealings with Google, seeking to establish whether the search giant is abusing its power in the mobile space. Respondents have until July 26 to reply, at which point the commission will decide whether there is a case or not.

The action follows an April complaint from Microsoft and Nokia, alleging that Google uses its Android operating system to push its Search, and other services, to the detriment of competitors.

The questionnaire asks the firms whether their agreements with Google make it more difficult or impossible to launch devices with rival operating systems installed. It also questions compatibility requirements and whether Android-powered devices can be freely shipped with mobile services like compete with Google services.

"Android is an open platform that fosters competition. Handset makers, carriers and consumers can decide how to use Android, including which applications they want to use," Google spokesman Al Verney said.




AfterDawn: News

Apple didn't set e-book prices, Eddy Cue tells court

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 12:56

Apple didn't set e-book prices, Eddy Cue tells court Apple executive Eddy Cue has told a federal court that the company did not set e-book prices, defending the iPad maker from prosecutor allegations that it conspired to fix prices of e-books across the industry.

The U.S. government accused Apple of conspiring with 5 publishers in order to raise the prices of e-books across the industry. The likely target of the move was Amazon, which in late 2009 had about 90 percent of the e-books market. The publishers separately reached settlement deals with the government.

"I didn't raise prices," Cue told the federal court. He had acted as the primary negotiator with U.S. publishers ahead of the launch of the iPad in 2010, and has been described by a Justice Department lawyer as the "chief ringleader."

At the time, Cue says that Apple was seeking the same type of deal that Amazon had with publishers, which was to buy in bulk and sell on to customers at their own prices. In the end, Apple agreed with an agency model with the publishers, allowing them to set the prices of the books as long as Apple got its 30 percent cut. Apple had, of course, expressed some upper price caps.

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AfterDawn: News

VIDEO: Microsoft Office arrives on iPhone, iPod touch

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 12:41

VIDEO: Microsoft Office arrives on iPhone, iPod touch Microsoft has finally unveiled a long-awaited Microsoft Office app for iPhone, which lets Office 365 subscribers create and edit documents and spreadsheet stored in the cloud.

Currently, there is no iPad version of the Microsoft Office app, and it is limited to the United States. It will also only work with iPhones or iPod touch models running iOS 6.1.

After signing in to an Office 365 account, you can access, view and edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents from anywhere, and Microsoft promises that all formatting will remain intact so documents still look the same when you get back to a PC.

You can access your content from SkyDrive or SkyDrive Pro. When you're on your phone, you'll easily find the content you viewed on your computer in the Recent Documents panel.

Here's a video that covers some features.

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AfterDawn: News

Mobile roaming charges to end in Europe next year

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 12:33

Mobile roaming charges to end in Europe next year The European Commission has made a huge leap toward ending mobile roaming charges within the European Union, as it seeks to aid a single telecoms market.

In the European Union single market, one area that has remained strongly fragmented and inconsistent is the telecommunications industry. Services, costs and rules vary widely between EU member states, despite several EU regulations that addressed some concerns.

One aspect of travel familiar to all EU citizens is roaming charges - the charges you must pay when you use your mobile phone in an EU state outside of your own. Earlier this week, the group of 27 commissioners voted on telecoms proposals, one of which paves the way for roaming fees on voice calls, texts and internet access to be scrapped by next year.

"They agreed that this time next year we will have got rid of these charges," a Brussels source said.

European regulators are targeting the telecommunications market in the EU as it sees its current state as a block to innovation, and detrimental to millions of EU customers.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung to supply 7.9-inch Retina displays for new iPad mini, report says

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 12:17

Samsung to supply 7.9-inch Retina displays for new iPad mini, report says According to a report in Korean media, Samsung will be the primary supplier for 7.9-inch Retina displays for a new iPad mini that will launch this year.

Korean outlet, ETNews, reported that Apple ran into yield and quality problems with alternative suppliers Sharp and AU Optronics.

That leaves Samsung as the primary source of 7.9-inch displays with a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536, which is the same as the latest iPad. Samsung will ship the displays in Q3 and Q4 this year.

While Apple does also provide quite a bit of business to LG Display, it still must use Samsung as a huge parts supplier for its products. This relationship was shaken in recent years due to a spat of lawsuits around the world over each others' smartphone and tablet PC products.

Regardless, relations between Apple and Samsung Display have allegedly improved recently, and Samsung is not likely to lose its position as an Apple supplier for the foreseeable future.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft to open 600 stores at Best Buy outlets in North America

Written by James Delahunty @ 15 Jun 2013 12:07

Microsoft to open 600 stores at Best Buy outlets in North America Microsoft and Best Buy have revealed a partnership to open 600 Windows stores within Best Buy outlets in the United States and North America.

The comprehensive store-within-a-store will open at 500 Best Buy locations in the United States and more than 100 Best Buy and Future Shop locations in Canada.

They will range in size from 1,500 square feet to 2,200 square feet and will be the premier destination for consumers to see, try, compare and purchase a range of products and accessories, including Windows tablets and PCs, Windows Phones, Microsoft Office, Xbox and so on.

Watch this promotional video announcement.

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