AfterDawn: Tech news

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AfterDawn: News

HTC One flagship delayed thanks to supply issues

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2013 7:52

HTC One flagship delayed thanks to supply issues Last month, HTC made a big show of unveiling its next flagship, the One, a powerful device with high-end specs and the latest version of its Sense user interface.

This week, the company has admitted it has to delay the phone due to supply issues.

One exec even went as far as to say that the company is no longer a "tier-one" customer and therefore has issues securing adequate supplies for big launches. Says the exec: "The company has a problem managing its component suppliers as it has changed its order forecasts drastically and frequently following last year's unexpected slump in shipments. HTC has had difficulty in securing adequate camera components as it is no longer a tier-one customer."

The phone was set for a March launch, but will now "hopefully" launch in April. The delay may be another nail in the coffin, especially since Samsung just announced the Galaxy S4 to much fanfare.

HTC One has a 4.7-inch LCD with 1080p resolution and a massive pixel density of 468ppi.

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AfterDawn: News

Justin Long to star as Steve Jobs in satirical biopic 'iSteve'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 9:24

Justin Long to star as Steve Jobs in satirical biopic 'iSteve' 'Funny or Die,' the comedy video website started by Will Ferrell, will host "the first Steve Jobs movie," a satirical pic called 'iSteve.'

The movie will star Justin Long as Jobs and Jorge Garcia of 'Lost' as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The movie, which will be about 65 minutes long, will debut on the site on April 15th.

iSteve comes on the heels of Ashton Kutcher's 'jOBS' biopic being delayed, and Aaron Sorkin's Sony-backed Jobs biopic being set for release in late 2014.

The movie is a satire of biopics in general and will stretch facts and stick completely to Funny or Die's comedy roots, although the long-form film is certainly a move away from the site's regular content, which are 5 minute clips or shorter.

"In true Internet fashion, it's not based on very thorough research -- essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs Wikipedia page," said Ryan Perez, iSteve's writer and director (via NYT). "It's very silly. But it looks at his whole life. We might not be the best, but we will be the first."




AfterDawn: News

WhatsApp expanding subscription model to iOS

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 9:05

WhatsApp expanding subscription model to iOS WhatsApp, the popular cross-market mobile messaging application, has announced it will be expanding its annual subscription model to iOS.

Currently, the app has a one-time $1 upfront fee for iOS. On Android, the app is free but the service costs $1 per year. The same goes for BlackBerry and Windows Phone.

"We're relaxed on dates, but definitely this year. It's on the road map," Jan Koum, WhatsApp's CEO, said in an interview.

WhatsApp has over 130 million users, and 17 billion messages are sent and received daily, making it hugely popular, especially within Android.

When asked if the company is working on a desktop version of the service, Koum says they are not. "We get that question asked a lot. We feel strongly that the world is moving to mobile and [so] we want to be mobile-only. Your phone is with you all the time, and desktop is to many becoming a secondary experience. [So] our answer is no, not anytime soon."




AfterDawn: News

Sony unveils Xperia SP and Xperia L smartphones

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 8:43

Sony unveils Xperia SP and Xperia L smartphones Sony has announced two new mid-range Android phones today, the Xperia SP and L.

The SP has a 4.6-inch 720p display, a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, an 8MP camera, NFC, LTE, 8GB internal storage and runs on Android 4.1, matching high-end specs for 2012 but not for 2013.

Second, the Xperia L has a 4.3-inch FWVGA (854x480) display, a dual-core 1 GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, NFC, 8GB of internal storage, Android 4.1, and no LTE. However, the device does have an 8MP camera, including HDR tech, which the company is really touting.

Sony is making both devices available in Asia and Europe by the end of the Q2, and there was no word on price. Don't expect a U.S. release for these devices as they wouldn't sell well here.

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AfterDawn: News

AT&T hacker gets 41 months in prison and fine

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 7:50

AT&T hacker gets 41 months in prison and fine Andrew Auernheimer, perhaps better known as "Weev," has been sentenced to 41 months in prison for exploiting AT&T and revealing data from over 114,000 iPad 3G owners.

Weev was sentenced for being found guilty on one charge of conspiracy to access a computer without authorization under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and one charge of fraud in connection with personal information.

In addition to the prison time, he will also serve three years probation and must pay $73,000 to AT&T. Both charges had maximum sentences of five years each.

Back in 2010, Auernheimer very publicly revealed the security flaw by giving the database info to Gawker rather than AT&T itself.




AfterDawn: News

EA CEO steps down following another poor quarter

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 7:34

EA CEO steps down following another poor quarter EA's longtime CEO John Riccitiello has resigned today following another poor earnings quarter.

The exec will step down on March 30th, with Larry Probst stepping in as an interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent replacement.

Riccitiello says he was resigning due to the company's poor financial performance, but surely the recent SimCity debacle must have had a small part in the decision, as well.

"My decision to leave EA is really all about my accountability for the shortcomings in our financial results this year," he noted. "It currently looks like we will come in at the low end of, or slightly below, the financial guidance we issued to the Street, and we have fallen short of the internal operating plan we set one year ago. And for that, I am 100 percent accountable."

The company said net revenue this quarter would be about $1.115 billion, at the very low end of the company's own recent guidance.

Mr. Riccitiello added, "EA is an outstanding company with creative and talented employees, and it has been an honor to serve as the Company's CEO. I am proud of what we have accomplished together, and after six years I feel it is the right time for me pass the baton and let new leadership take the Company into its next phase of innovation and growth. I remain very optimistic about EA's future – there is a world class team driving the Company's transition to the next generation of game consoles."




AfterDawn: News

Owners of 'SimCity' can now claim their free EA game following debacle

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2013 6:48

Owners of 'SimCity' can now claim their free EA game following debacle Earlier this month, EA released its newly updated 'SimCity' title to critical acclaim.

However, the consumer feedback at launch was less than stellar (that is being extremely generous) due to the game's "always-on" DRM requiring a user be connected to the Internet and logged in to EA's Origin at all times to play, even in single player mode. The load on EA's Origin servers meant most players that put down $60 to download the game were unable to even log in or try their new game for a day or two.

Due to the backlash, EA announced on March 9th that they would be offering a free game to all buyers of the game, downloadable via the Origin digital distribution store.

Today, those games are available. Reads the full release:

Our SimCity Mayors are incredibly important to the team at Maxis. We sincerely apologize for the difficulties at launch and hope to make it up to you with a free PC game download from Origin.

Starting today, every player that has activated their copy of SimCity will receive an email that will give directions on how to redeem this offer, and you can also find more information on our FAQ. We'll be opening up the redemption portal country-by-country so some of you may see it a little sooner than others. The portal will be live worldwide for everyone to select their game by March 22. We don't want any of you to miss out on your free game, so please note that you must register your copy of SimCity before March 25, 2013 at 11:59 PM PDT and you must claim your free game by March 30, 2013 at 11:59PM PDT.

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AfterDawn: News

Nvidia: Being part of PlayStation 4 was not worth cost

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Mar 2013 1:18

Nvidia: Being part of PlayStation 4 was not worth cost Nvidia's Senior VP of content and technology Tony Tamasi has said this week that the company skipped involvement with the PlayStation 4 because it was not worth the cost.

The upcoming console has a custom APU built by Sony and AMD, and the Wii U has a similar chip as does the Microsoft Xbox 8.

"I'm sure there was a negotiation that went on, and we came to the conclusion that we didn't want to do the business at the price those guys were willing to pay," Tamasi added. "Having been through the original Xbox and PS3, we understand the economics of [console development] and the tradeoffs."

With the original Xbox, Nvidia built the 233 MHz "NV2A" application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) and the company also co-developed PlayStation 3's RSX "Reality Synthesizer" GPU (550 MHz).

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AfterDawn: News

Wii U sales continue disappointment in February as does industry

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Mar 2013 10:20

Wii U sales continue disappointment in February as does industry The NPD Group has released their video game industry figures for February, with the overall downtrend not abating.

Hardware, software and accessory sales were down 25 percent year-over-year, with hardware seeing the biggest decline at 36 percent.

Wii U sales were disappointing, (and that's being generous), at 74,000, which was actually a 40 percent boost from January. The number is shockingly low for the console which is just four months old.

The full figures (via Sutra):

Video game hardware: $244.2M (-36%)
Video game software (console, handheld): $352M (-36%)
Video game software (console, handheld, and PC): $369.9M (-27%)
Video game accessories: $213.9M (-3%)
Total video game sales: $810M (-25%)


The industry is eagerly awaiting the launch of the PlayStation 4 in November, which should lead to a significant boost in hardware and accessories.




AfterDawn: News

'Xbox Addiction' leads to beating by sex deprived girlfriend

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Mar 2013 9:16

'Xbox Addiction' leads to beating by sex deprived girlfriend A sex deprived girlfriend was arrested this week for assaulting her boyfriend in the middle of a supermarket.

Heather Hayes walked into the supermarket, nude from the waist down and assaulted her boyfriend claiming that he would not have sex with her due to being addicted to his Xbox 360.

Hayes says her boyfriend had been playing his console for days with friends and refused to have sex with her.

The man, Eric Zuber, had run to the supermarket to call the police after Hayes bit him and grabbed him by the testicles, say authorities.

Hayes has been charged with indecent exposure, simple assault, open lewdness, and harassment.




AfterDawn: News

R.I.P. MSN Messenger

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Mar 2013 8:23

R.I.P. MSN Messenger Microsoft has laid its Messenger program to rest, after almost 14 years of service.

Last year, the software giant announced that it would be retiring MSN/Windows Live Messenger, replacing it with massively popular video chat and instant messaging platform Skype.

Today was the last day to migrate your account over to Skype.

Messenger launched in 1999, and was once very popular for instant messaging, just like AOL's AIM was. The service is generally credited with growing the popularity of emoticons.

MSN had lost popularity in recent years thanks to the rise of Google Talk, BlackBerry Messenger and Apple Messenger.




AfterDawn: News

Facebook to add hashtag functions to posts

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Mar 2013 7:12

Facebook to add hashtag functions to posts According to multiple sources, Facebook will soon be adding hashtag functionality to the social network.

The hashtags will be a complement to the current ability to tag people, places and company/other pages.

Twitter has famously made the hashtag a household term since 2006, but Facebook will likely use the service to attract premium advertising and to improve its Graph Search functions.

Facebook declined to comment.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung: High-end Tizen phone coming late summer

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 Mar 2013 6:52

Samsung: High-end Tizen phone coming late summer Samsung Electronics has confirmed its plans to release a high-end Tizen smartphone this year, either in late August or early September.

Tizen is the open-source Linux-based operating system backed by Intel, and Samsung's effort to not have all their eggs in the Android basket.

"The Tizen phone will be out in August or September, and this will be in the high-end category," said Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business. "The device will be the best product equipped with the best specifications."

This is good news for potential buyers, as there had been worries that Samsung may try to attack the budget-conscious market instead, and offer low-end phones.

The new phone will be the third of the company's premium devices for 2013, following yesterday's Galaxy S4 launch and the upcoming Galaxy Note 3.

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AfterDawn: News

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is official with 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera, Cat 3 LTE, eye-tracking features

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Mar 2013 10:01

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is official with 5-inch 1080p display, 13MP camera, Cat 3 LTE, eye-tracking features Samsung unveiled its highly-anticipated flagship, the Galaxy S4, during a long and extremely strange event in NYC tonight.

While there was little announced that had not already been leaked in the past few weeks, the company's latest includes a number of very innovate new features including eye tracking.

From a design standpoint, the phone looks almost identical to the Galaxy S III, except with a larger screen.

As expected, the phone has a 5-inch 1080p super AMOLED display with 441ppi. The screen is also protected by Corning's latest Gorilla Glass 3 and can be used with gloves thanks to "mitten tech." Under the hood the phone is powered by a Samsung Exynos 5 (international) or Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (North America), has 2GB RAM, 16-64GB of internal storage, a microSD slot, a removable 2600 mAh battery, 100 Mbps Cat 3 LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The device also has an IR blaster, turning it into a full remote control. The device is a thin 7.9mm.

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AfterDawn: News

CBS brings full episode streaming to iOS

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Mar 2013 9:24

CBS brings full episode streaming to iOS CBS has unveiled a new app for iOS devices giving iPhone and iPad owners streaming access to full episodes of their favorite shows including NCIS, CSI, and How I Met Your Mother.

The app will allow for streaming of daytime and late-night shows within 24 hours of the original broadcast date.

Primetime programming will be available 8 days after broadcast.

The app will integrate into the existing CBS Connect App, allow iOS owners to user their devices as second screens, including integrated social feeds and content synced to the shows. You must have iOS 5.0 or newer.

CBS also noted that apps for Windows Phone 8 and Android were in the works and will be available later this year.

"We have been methodically and strategically finding new ways to satiate the appetite for our content on new platforms, while tapping into the tremendous revenue provided by doing so," said CEO Leslie Moonves. "Our announcement today achieves both of these objectives, while protecting our very healthy current ecosystem. In addition, by making our shows available on all the leading mobile devices out there, we are confident we will bring a whole new set of viewers to the CBS Television Network and build upon our standing as the #1 network in the business."





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