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AfterDawn: News

Sony promises 40 PlayStation games for E3

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 06 Jun 2013 8:09

Sony promises 40 PlayStation games for E3 Sony Computer Entertainment has promised that it will show off 40 PlayStation titles during E3 next week.

The games will be for the PlayStation Vita, the PS3 and the upcoming PS4.

Besides its keynote on Monday, June 11th, Sony will also broadcast three days of livestreamed demos and other interviews with developers and executives.

Sony notes that the games will be a mix of first-party and third-party games including DriveClub, Destiny, Infamous: Second Sun and Killzone: Shadow Fall for the PS4; Gran Turismo 6 and Beyond: Two Souls for the PS3 and Vita games Tearaway and Killzone Mercenary.

If you plan to watch the livestream, it will be available via Playstation.com, Facebook, the Nico Nico video app on your PS device and Ustream.




AfterDawn: News

Topeka Capital: Next iPhone, iPad will have fingerprint scanning

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 11:13

Topeka Capital: Next iPhone, iPad will have fingerprint scanning According to Topeka Capital analyst Brian White, Apple's next innovation will be fingerprint scanning tech.

The tech will be added to the next iPhone and iPad, says the analyst.

White has been on a "tech tour" of Taiwan, speaking with sources during the Computex tradeshow. The analyst promises that "fingerprint technology will greatly simplify and speed up a customer's interaction with iOS devices."

He believes the iPhone 5S will use the technology, thus making it more than just a marginal update from the current iPhone 5.

"Our research suggests that users will simply place their finger on the home key of the iPhone 5S and this will automatically unlock the device, nullifying the need to enter a four-character Apple ID Password," noted White, "Additionally, we believe this new feature will allow users to more quickly and easily make purchases from iTunes, the iBook Store and the App Store, while also accessing Game Center."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Amazon, Viacom ink streaming video deal

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 10:16

Amazon, Viacom ink streaming video deal Amazon has announced a new expanded digital video licensing deal with Viacom to add content to its Amazon Prime service.

The new deal will brings thousands of more TV episodes to the service, and some of the new shows will even be exclusive to Prime.

Making the deal more significant is the fact that Netflix's similar deal with Viacom expired last month and was not renewed. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says the company is moving towards exclusive and original content rather than expensive non-exclusive bulk deals like the one it had with Viacom.

Prime members will now have access to popular shows like "Awkward," "Tosh.0" and "Workaholics" and kids will get shows like "Dora the Explorer," "Bubble Guppies," and "The Backyardigans."

"Kids' shows are one of the most watched TV genres on Prime Instant Video," Bill Carr, Amazon's vice president of digital video and music, said in a statement. "And this expanded deal will now bring customers the largest subscription selection of Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. TV shows online, anywhere."

Amazon Prime costs $79 per year and gives buyers free 2-day shipping on items they purchase from the e-tailer and other perks including free books for their Kindles and free access to the streaming movie/TV catalog.




AfterDawn: News

AT&T, Verizon ignore BlackBerry Q10 suggested retail and price device at $199

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 10:04

AT&T, Verizon ignore BlackBerry Q10 suggested retail and price device at $199 Despite an MSRP by BlackBerry of $249 due to its "premium" appeal for enterprise users, Verizon and AT&T have announced they have priced the Q10 smartphone at $199 with contract.

The price is in-line with the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5, and it's clear the carriers did not believe it would sell for more than the two most popular phones on the planet.

When asked about the prices, Kristian Tear, BlackBerry's chief operating officer, said the MSRP "is definitely a good price," for corporate users. "If you want to do a more consumery play, I think they wanted to make it simple and have one price," Tear added.

The Q10 features a full keyboard and runs on the much improved BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Both companies have begun pre-orders for the device.




AfterDawn: News

HTC COO steps down as company struggles in smartphone business

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 9:18

HTC COO steps down as company struggles in smartphone business HTC Chief Operating Officer Matthew Costello has resigned from the company after less than three years at the position following the company's struggles to remain relevant in the market.

Fred Liu, the current president of engineering and operations, has taken on Costello's roles.

Over the last 18 months, HTC has seen four senior executives leave the company. Year-over-year, quarterly earnings fell 98 percent, and the company's stock has fallen over 75 percent in the same time frame.

The company has put most of its eggs in one basket, with the new One smartphone which includes a powerful quad-core processor, a 5-inch 1080p display and UltraPixel camera technology that uses multiple 4MP sensors.

HTC will need the phone to be a hit if it wants to reverse the downtrend its seen on its market share. Once above 10 percent in 2011, share in the global market is down to 4.2 percent.




AfterDawn: News

Napster streaming music expands to 14 new nations

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 9:02

Napster streaming music expands to 14 new nations The new Napster, owned by Rhapsody, has now expanded to 14 more European countries.

Already available in the UK and Germany, the streaming music service is now available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

Rhapsody has priced the service at €9.95 per month for unlimited web and mobile streaming, which includes offline.

The company is betting on the Napster name, once one of the most infamous services for P2P and general music piracy, to help expand in a region where there is no shortage of competition including Spotify, Deezer, Google and soon Apple.

Napster has over 20 million songs and is available for iOS and Android alongside its web versions.




AfterDawn: News

Leaked: The 4.3-inch HTC One Mini

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 8:51

Leaked: The 4.3-inch HTC One Mini According to leaked photos, HTC appears to be preparing a 4.3-inch One "Mini" similar to how Samsung releases a "Mini" version of their Galaxy devices.

The 4.3-inch display will be 720p compared to the 1080p display of the full-sized HTC One, and the device will include 2GB RAM, a dual-core processor (not quad-core like the One), 16GB internal storage and the same 4MP UltraPixel camera hardware.

Sources claim the device will be released in August for €399.

Check out some more pictures:





AfterDawn: News

All smaller Windows 8 tablets to ship with bundled copy of Office 2013

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 05 Jun 2013 8:24

All smaller Windows 8 tablets to ship with bundled copy of Office 2013 Microsoft has confirmed today that future Windows 8 tablets in the 7 to 8-inch range will ship with free copies of Office 2013.

Windows CFO Tami Reller says Office Home and Student 2013 will be bundled with the smaller form factor tablets. The software includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote but does not include Outlook 2013.

Reller added that Outlook would be included in upcoming Windows RT 8.1 tablets.

Acer recently announced the first 8-inch Windows 8 tablet, but Microsoft and others are expected to follow suit in the near future.

Microsoft's Windows 8.1 update, set for release later this year, will drastically improve the OS on smaller tablets, so it appears that manufacturers may be waiting.




AfterDawn: News

GameStop dropping 8GB Wii U Basic, according to report.

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 10:08

GameStop dropping 8GB Wii U Basic, according to report. A Kotaku report suggests that GameStop will be dropping the Wii U Basic 8GB model from its retail stores over the next few weeks.

It cited a trusted retail source in reporting that retail GameStop stores were contacted with the following messages.

"Nintendo Wii U Basic Recall - Two Week Preparation On Tuesday, 6/18, all stories will need to return all new/unopened Wii U Basic (020359). .. Stores that have 10 or more in stock will receive shipping cartons from the [distribution center]. .. All other stores will need to save shipping cartons for this recall."
What's not clear is what the recall is about, whether it be due to a defect (which likely would be a full recall and not just new/unopened units) or if Nintendo has decided to drop it.

The 8GB pack costs about $300, while the better selling 32GB option goes for $350, and has reportedly been more successful from the start.

Nintendo is eyeing the E3 trade show this year to unveil more compelling games and offers, hoping to bring life to the console which has suffered a very poor start.




AfterDawn: News

Saudi Arabia bans Viber service

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 10:01

Saudi Arabia bans Viber service Saudi Arabia has reportedly banned the use of the Viber communication app in the country.

Such communications services are much more difficult for regimes to monitor, but reports also indicated the block was done to protect the revenue of licenses telecommunications companies in the country.

"The Viber application has been suspended ... and the (regulator) affirms it will take appropriate action against any other applications or services if they fail to comply with regulatory requirements and rules in force in the kingdom," the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) said in a statement.

The regulator in the country issued a warning back in March, saying that services such as Skype, WhatsApp and Viber broke local laws in the country but didn't explain exactly how.

Local media had also reported that the regulator asked telecommunications providers about their abilities to monitor or block such applications.

The Interior Ministry also separately complained that Islamist militants were taking advantage of such social media services to foment unrest.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft courts Hollywood for Xbox One content

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 9:50

Microsoft courts Hollywood for Xbox One content Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has reportedly met with Hollywood executives about content opportunities for the Xbox One platform, according to Deadline.

Ballmer was reportedly joined by Nancy Tellem, entertainment and digital media president of Microsoft, as he met with the likes of CBS CEO Leslie Moonves about what they could do with Xbox One in the areas of sports, music, reality TV and regular programming.

He also stated that Microsoft does not "want to be a cable channel."

Microsoft's Xbox One reveal event last month focused heavily on using the next generation console to consume television content. Seeking to get exclusive content from Hollywood is a natural step to push that agenda much further, while the gaming community hopes for more information on the gameplay aspects of the console at E3.




AfterDawn: News

VIDEO: Microsoft previews Windows 8.1

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 9:42

VIDEO: Microsoft previews Windows 8.1 Microsoft has posted a video showing a preview of some of the changes in its upcoming Windows 8.1 update.

The company already put out a lot of details about changes that it has made in Windows 8.1, largely responding to consumer criticism of the user interface and so forth. The update will be available for free later this year for Windows 8 users.

Microsoft has today posted a video showing how some of these changes look. If you are a Windows 8 user then it is definitely worth a watch.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Wikipad launches on June 11 in U.S., priced at $249

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 9:33

Wikipad launches on June 11 in U.S., priced at $249 The 7-inch Wikipad tablet will be available in the United States from June 11, at a retain price of $249 with a global launch planned for summer.

The Wikipad aims to bring together the console quality experience with the functionality and portability of a premium tablet.

"The launch of the Wikipad 7 tablet signals a transformative turning point in the direction of the mobile gaming industry. Wikipad's tablet combines the latest range of features found in a premium Android tablet together with the unrivaled console video game experience only available with a gamepad," said Matthew Joynes, Chairman of Wikipad Inc.

Wikipad offers a multi capacitive 7 inch touch screen, 16 GB memory with an additional micro SD slot to support a further 32 GB of storage, together with micro USB, GPS, accelerometer and gyroscope.

The tablets ultra-light and thin chassis is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core mobile processor that's optimized for cloud gaming with a 12 core Nvidia GPU. With an aspect ratio of 16:10, a 2-mega-pixel front facing camera the Wikipad tablet offers true widescreen HD display and HDMI out. It runs full Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

On the gaming side, customers will have access to over 700,000 apps from Google Play, and more from PlayStation Mobile games and TegraZone.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

NPD: Netflix dominates in growth of SVOD TV viewing

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 9:23

NPD: Netflix dominates in growth of SVOD TV viewing The NPD Group is reporting that number of viewers watching television shows using SVOD services increased 34 percent compared to the same period of last year, with Netflix still firmly on top.

NPD's VideoWatch Digital tracking puts Netflix at 90 percent share of video-streaming units during Q1 2013. In the TV category, Netflix holds an 89 percent share. Hulu Plus has grown in Q1 2013, with a 10 percent share, while Amazon's Prime accounts for less than 2 percent.

"There's no doubt that Netflix is driving the growth in SVOD, particularly with increased attention to television programming," said Russ Crupnick, senior vice president of industry analysis at NPD.

"We are also seeing good gains in the streaming numbers from Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime, and while neither pose an immediate threat to Netflix it is interesting to see which services later adopters will try."

More Info: NPD Group




AfterDawn: News

Apple denies e-book price fixing as trial begins

Written by James Delahunty @ 05 Jun 2013 7:54

Apple denies e-book price fixing as trial begins Apple has denied that it conspired with publishers to fix the price of e-books after the launch of the iPad, as the trial in New York gets under way.

The Justice Department has accused Apple of conspiring with five publishers (who already settled with the government) to fix the price of e-books after the launch of the iPad, claiming that the move was aimed at Amazon's own services.

Apple flatly denies the allegations and has called the Justice Department's case "bizarre." It insists that it acted in its own business interests when it made deals with publishers to supply e-books through its iBooks platform, encouraging them to set the price of their own e-books rather than letting retailers set the price.

Prosecutors argue that Apple aimed to cause problems for Amazon, and noted that after the launch of the first iPad in 2010, the average price for a best seller on Amazon rose from $9.99 to $12.99 or $14.99. This change cost consumers hundreds of millions of dollars, the prosecution has claimed.

Orin Snyder, lawyer representing Apple, said that the government has "reserve engineered a conspiracy" by linking Apple's deal with publishers to the rise in prices at Amazon, arguing that Apple cannot be held responsible for the business decisions of others.





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