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AfterDawn: News

Film crew to dig up desert in search of millions of copies of E.T. for Atari

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 6:29

Film crew to dig up desert in search of millions of copies of E.T. for Atari A documentary crew has now received approval to dig up a site in New Mexico where Atari allegedly buried millions of unsold Atari 2600 consoles and games.

The urban legend of the desert site has been around for at least two decades, and gamers (and former gamers) will certainly follow the story.

Fuel Industries, a marketing firm, will excavate the site in the next 180 days, before the 30 year anniversary of the supposed burial in September 1983.

That year, the video game industry saw a large downtrend due to greater market factors, leaving Atari with millions of unsold and sealed consoles and games, including over 3 million copies of E.T. The company then, according to the myth, dumped the unsold merchandise in an Alamogordo landfill which was later covered by concrete.

If reports from the New York Times are accurate, there could have been as many as 20 dump trucks full of merchandise dumped in the landfill.




AfterDawn: News

White model of Nexus 4 now available in U.S.

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 6:19

White model of Nexus 4 now available in U.S. The white colorway version of the LG Nexus 4 is now available in the U.S., through Google Play or T-Mobile USA.

A global rollout is expected within the month.

As part of the launch, if you purchase through Google Play, the company is adding a free bumper case.

The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch 1280-by-768 True HD IPS Plus display (320ppi), runs the latest version of Android and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB RAM.

Pricing matches the original at $299 for the base model (8GB).

Get it here: Nexus 4




AfterDawn: News

R.I.P Camino browser

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 6:15

R.I.P Camino browser The long-standing open-source Web browser Camino has been discontinued.

Camino's devs say the browser, which launched for Macs almost 10 years ago had fallen too far behind modern browsers like Chrome and that the current speed of updates would lead to serious security issues for users.

Although Camino's overall browser market share has been around 0.1 percent for years, at one point it was popular as it embraced the services and overall look of older Mac OS X builds.

Says the company:

After a decade-long run, Camino is no longer being developed, and we encourage all users to upgrade to a more modern browser. Camino is increasingly lagging behind the fast pace of changes on the web, and more importantly it is not receiving security updates, making it increasingly unsafe to use.

Fortunately, Mac users have many more browsers to choose from than they did when Camino started ten years ago. Former Camino developers have helped build the three most popular – Chrome, Firefox, and Safari – so while this is the end of Camino itself, the community that helped build it is still making the web better for Mac users.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Dish bids up for Clearwire, may push Sprint out of running

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 6:10

Dish bids up for Clearwire, may push Sprint out of running Although it had been a lock that Sprint would be purchasing the rest of 4G spectrum operator Clearwire, Dish Network recently upped their bid by a significant amount, leading shareholders to reconsider.

Sprint had offered $3.40 per share in April, and a vote was set for this week before Dish countered with $4.40 per share, a huge increase.

One large shareholder, Crest Financial, which currently holds 8 percent of outstanding shares, has said the company should open itself to competitive bidding now given the new offer.

Making the move even more complicated is the fact that Dish has offered $25 billion to buy Sprint as a whole, competing with an offer from Japan's third largest carrier, Softbank.

A special committee from Clearwire will take two weeks to review the new proposal and vote on June 13th.




AfterDawn: News

Disney adds ABC livestreaming app to Kindle

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 6:02

Disney adds ABC livestreaming app to Kindle After launching two weeks ago in NYC and Philadelphia on iOS devices, Disney has expanded its livestreaming ABC app to the Amazon Kindle Fire and Fire HD.

The app brings live broadcast TV to your tablet just as if it was being broadcasted on TV. That includes commercials of course, but will also allow you to go mobile as long as you have a data connection.

Disney says the live feed will be based on your current location and you will need your cable or satellite TV subscription credentials to login and authenticate.

It is important to note the app is not yet available for Android, just the Kindle, but Disney says it is working on a version of the application for Samsung's Galaxy lineup.




AfterDawn: News

iPhone sales grow exponentially in India after aggressive pricing

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 5:51

iPhone sales grow exponentially in India after aggressive pricing According to investment bank Credit Suisse, iPhone sales have jumped over 500 percent in India following the institution of installment payment plans in the nation.

Apple is now selling 400,000 handsets per month there, compared to 80,000 before the new pricing schemes. Besides the monthly installment plans, the company also implemented a discount program.

This is according to analyst Sunil Tirumalai, who added "the 4-9% implicit discount coupled with the option of easy EMIs (equal monthly installment) spread over 6-12 months became popular. Within a few months, our discussions with handset retailers indicated that iPhone sales went up 3-5x, forcing companies to respond."

The EMIs allow would-be buyers to put a down payment on an iPhone 4 or 4S and then pay the rest over 6 to 12 months, interest free.

Last month, the company added an 18 percent cash discount to the iPhone 4, almost erasing the entire down payment and certainly making the device affordable to first time smartphone buyers.




AfterDawn: News

Hulu Plus for the living room gets a refresh, Kids section added

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 5:39

Hulu Plus for the living room gets a refresh, Kids section added Hulu has upgraded their Hulu Plus "experience for the living room" for multiple devices today, including Samsung Smart TVs, Blu-ray players, Roku set-tops and the Nintendo Wii.

The user interface has been updated to better help viewers find and search for new shows.

Among the improvements are navigation, controls, search and Hulu says even the artwork is "larger and more vivid." Playback should be easier, as displaying the playback menu now just requires you to hit "up" on your remote. Fast forward and rewind use right and left, respectively.

On the search side, the results will appear right under the search in a tray-style format.

Hulu Kids has also been added, a welcome addition for parents.

PS3 owners should be well versed on the updates, since most of them were added to the console app over the past few months.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft Surface RT buyer will now get a free cover

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 5:25

Microsoft Surface RT buyer will now get a free cover Microsoft has begun offering a free Touch or Type Cover to all new U.S. and Canadian buyers of the Surface RT tablet.

The move is aimed at attracting buyers to the struggling tablet and is a pretty good deal given that the covers cost between $100 and $129 depending on how you purchase them.

Touch Covers will be available in cyan, red, magenta, white, or black. The Type Cover is only available in black.

It is unclear how long the promotion will last but Microsoft says it is a "limited time offer."

Sales to date of the tablet have been lackluster, to say the least. Since launch in October, the company has only sold slightly above 1 million.




AfterDawn: News

Judge: Google must comply with FBI warrantless requests for user details

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 5:08

Judge: Google must comply with FBI warrantless requests for user details In news that has big repercussions for American citizens, a federal judge has ruled that Google must comply with the FBI's warrantless "National Security Letters" in which they request user details.

The search giant had been trying to get 19 of such letters thrown out, claiming the demands are unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston made the ruling after a high-ranking assistant director at the FBI submitted classified affidavits.

The trial is very important, as the FBI has made 192,499 such demands since 2003, to Google and other companies that hold sensitive personal data for Americans. Illston did not completely shut down Google either, as the company is allowed to bring the case again, but this time they will need arguments "specific to the 19 NSLs at issue." Additionally, two of the 19 NSLs will require more information from the government before they can be ruled on, says the Judge.

NSLs, which remain of questionable constitutionality, allow FBI officials to send secret requests to ISPs, telcos and companies like Google and Facebook requesting the "name, address, length of service" (and some other details) for anyone they choose, without the need for a judge's approval. Additionally, the companies cannot disclose such requests to those they are disclosing info about.




AfterDawn: News

BT drops Yahoo as email provider following claims of hacking

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 4:11

BT drops Yahoo as email provider following claims of hacking ISP BT will be moving all of its customers from Yahoo! after a decade of service following relentless claims of hacking and account abuse.

Customers have claimed that hackers have repeatedly taken control of their accounts and used them to send mass spam emails.

BT says now the accounts will begin to migrate within weeks and that the new system will "feature in-built anti-virus and anti-spam solutions."

Adds the company: "We will be switching customers' email over to BT Mail, which will include the features and functions they expect from a modern email service. We will be keeping our customers fully informed about what changes to expect and when they will be able to enjoy the new services."

All emails, folders and preferences will move over (as well as your original address), but users will likely be prompted to change their password.




AfterDawn: News

Twitter lists now allow up to 5000 accounts

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 12:55

Twitter lists now allow up to 5000 accounts Twitter has updated its "lists" feature this week.

Until now, there was a limit of just 20 different groups, but that is no longer an issue.

Twitter has now expanded the limit to 1000 lists, and each can include up to 5000 follows, up from the current 500 limitations.

The company first introduced lists in 2009.





AfterDawn: News

DirecTV ups bid on Hulu to over $1 billion

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 Jun 2013 12:29

DirecTV ups bid on Hulu to over $1 billion DirecTV, the U.S.' second largest pay TV service, has upped their bid to over $1 billion for video streaming site Hulu, say sources.

Additionally, two others have bid over $1 billion although it is unclear which companies have placed those bids.

Yahoo reportedly just lowballed at $800 million, but other potential buyers include Guggenheim Partners, Time Warner Cable and KKR.

Hulu is expected to narrow down its offers in the next few weeks.

DirecTV would use the site to offer free (or low cost) streaming content alongside its pay TV packages.




AfterDawn: News

New Acer AIO will run on Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 May 2013 11:31

New Acer AIO will run on Android Acer has announced its DA220HQL all-in-one, one of the first AIOs to run on Android and not Windows.

The 21.5-inch multitouch panel has 1080p resolution, runs on Android 4.0 and a Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual-core ARM Coretex-A9 processor.

Some resellers had incorrectly posted that the AIO would run on the upcoming Intel Haswell 4430, but that does not appear to be accurate.

Under the hood is 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, front-facing camera, built-in speakers, Wi-Fi, Micro-HDMI, Micro USB 2.0, and wireless keyboard and mouse.

More importantly, the device will be cheap, with retailers currently pricing it at $399 to $425.




AfterDawn: News

CBS purchases remaining stake in TV Guide Digital

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 May 2013 11:05

CBS purchases remaining stake in TV Guide Digital CBS has announced its acquisition of TV Guide Digital, including the site TVGuide.com and TV Guide mobile.

The company had already owned 50 percent, and the rest was owned by movie studio Lionsgate. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With the deal, the online/mobile versions will be separated from the TV Guide Network, the basic cable channel available in almost every American household despite its low ratings. Additionally, the weekly magazine will remain part of the TV Guide Network's assets, not the digital.

The digital guide will be integrated into the rest of CBS' properties, such as TV.com, GameSpot, Metracritic and even possibly Last.fm. TVGuide.com has 16.5 million monthly visitors. "It's a brand that has a nice-size audience, and a highly monetizable category that has a lot of relevance going forward," says CBS. "That's why it fits so well with our strategy."




AfterDawn: News

Asus shows off 4K IGZO 31.5-inch monitor

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 31 May 2013 10:46

Asus shows off 4K IGZO 31.5-inch monitor Asus has unveiled their PQ321 monitor, an extremely high-end 31.5-inch IGZO display with 4K resolution (3840 x 2160).

Additionally, the monitor will be the thinnest 4K (UltraHD) yet, at just 35mm.

The display has dual HDMI ports and DisplayPort, and the company says you can combine two inputs at the same time to offer picture-by-picture support.

4K UHD monitors remain a dream for most, given the prices and the lack of current generation support for such outputs. However, Intel's upcoming HD Graphics 5000 (integrated card) will offer 4K resolution support via DisplayPort 1.2 and should be able to playback 4K video, as well.

Asus says the monitor is aimed at creative users, but should also be popular with gamers with SLI or even larger GPU setups.

Read more...



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