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AfterDawn: News

Facebook co-founder to save $67 million in taxes by renouncing citizenship

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 May 2012 12:24

Facebook co-founder to save $67 million in taxes by renouncing citizenship Last week we reported that Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin had renounced his U.S. citizenship and moved to Singapore.

By doing so, it looks like the billionaire will save about $67 million in federal income taxes, and that number will grow if the company's share price grows after it IPOs on Friday.

Saverin, who helped found the company with $15,000 of his money, was once a 40 percent owner. CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg is said to have used shady tactics to reduce Saverin's stake by creating a new LLC in a different state that then purchased the original company and diluted his shares. Regardless, Saverin is said to be a 2-4 percent owner of the company, which should bring him a windfall of $2-4 billion tomorrow.

To come up with the savings on the tax bill, sources applied a 15 percent long-term capital gains rate to the shares expected price.

Saverin, for his part, has said his decision to move last September had little do with taxes and was completely due to his need to be a world traveler.




AfterDawn: News

HTC forced to ship custom Android builds to avoid Apple patents

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2012 11:21

HTC forced to ship custom Android builds to avoid Apple patents After losing a patent case to Apple, HTC has been forced to begin shipping custom Android builds in the U.S.

Had they not, the company would have faced an import block at U.S. customs for the infringing devices, says The Verge.

The first two devices that would have faced the block are the new One X and Evo 4G LTE, both of which have clear differences from their international counterparts.

During the case, the ITC found that the stock Android messaging app, HTC's own messaging app and the stock Android browser all infringed upon Apple patent #5,946,647 for "data tapping." Verge explains that the "ITC also specifically found that Apple's patent claims were limited to the system both detecting data structures like phone numbers and email addresses in text and then presenting a menu of options when those detected structures are clicked."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Google responds to Google Music device authorization issues

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2012 9:07

Google responds to Google Music device authorization issues Google has taken time today to respond to the numerous complaints it's been hearing in regards to its new Google Music policy changes.

Changing the policy of their popular Google Music streaming service, Google made it that you can only authorize up to 10 devices to use the service, and if you need more, you will need to deauthorize one of the previous 10. You are also only allowed to do this 4 times per year.

This became a problem for users who like to wipe their devices on a regular basis, or flash custom ROMs, as the 10 device quota can easily be filled in little time.

Google has decided to suspend the limit for the time being.

Here is the response to the complaints:

Yesterday we made a change to our device policy for music on Google Play. Any user can associate up to 10 devices to his or her account. Once you have connected 10 devices, you may add a new device only by deauthorizing an existing one from your account, and you may do this up to four times per year.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung crushed on report claiming Apple will order elsewhere

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2012 7:55

Samsung crushed on report claiming Apple will order elsewhere Shares of behemoth electronics company Samsung took a dive today after a report surfaced that Apple would be ordering chips from rival Elpida instead of them.

The report claims Apple placed a massive mobile dynamic random access memory (DRAM) order with Elpida in Japan, accounting for half of the facilities total chip production.

Samsung is the world's largest DRAM maker, and Elpida recently declared bankruptcy before being revived by American rival Micron. Other DRAM rival SE Hynix also saw a large 10 percent drop on the day.

"It looks like Apple doesn't want to see Samsung and hynix dominate the chip market. Apple wants to maintain its bargaining power by keeping Elpida running," noted Choi Do-yeon, an analyst at LIG Investment & Securities.

None of the companies involved had comment on the report.




AfterDawn: News

Verizon to say bye bye to unlimited data, even if you're grandfathered

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2012 7:21

Verizon to say bye bye to unlimited data, even if you're grandfathered A Verizon Wireless exec let the point slip today during an investor conference.

Communications CFO Fran Shammo said unlimited data is about to die, even for grandfathered customers who have had it for years. All new and existing customers will be forced to sign up for a tiered "data share" plan if they want to use 4G LTE.

The $30-a-month unlimited data plan will cease to exist starting this summer.

For the time being, the data share plans have still not been unveiled in detail but they will allow families or individuals to share a "bucket" of data, minutes and text across different devices.

Verizon first eliminated the unlimited plan last July for new users, but allowed existing customer to keep it. At the time the company did say, however, that the policy was subject to change.




AfterDawn: News

Google to meet French data regulator over Privacy Policy

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 7:08

Google to meet French data regulator over Privacy Policy French regulator spearheading EU probe into Google privacy changes.

In March, Google onsolidated 60 privacy policies into a single one. It is now pooling data from users across dozens of services, including YouTube, Google+ and GMail. The change raised concerns among data protection and privacy regulators in the EU, as well as the United States, Japan, Australia and other places.

Google has already provided a 94-page response to a questionnaire from the Commission Nationale de l'Informatique (CNIL) in France.

"We are not totally satisfied with their responses so we have set up this meeting to discuss the issues with Google," CNIL president Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin told Reuters in an interview.

"We want to untangle the precise way that specific personal data is being used for individual services, and examine what the benefit for the consumer really is."

Google said it welcomed the chance to meet with the French regulator, and that it was confident it complied with European data protection laws.




AfterDawn: News

Viacom and Time Warner settle dispute over iPad streaming

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 6:38

Viacom and Time Warner settle dispute over iPad streaming Time Warner, Viacom opt to settle iPad streaming lawsuit.

Time Warner had released an application for the iPad that let users watch live television broadcasts as long as they were in their own home.

Viacom sued Time Warner, claiming it didn't have the right to stream its content to the iPad. Time Warner disagreed, but decided to pull several channels from its iPad streaming app regardless of its stance. Following a spat in Federal court, both sides have decided to settle the case.

Both companies issued a statement on Wednesday, saying they had "agreed to resolve their pending litigations," and that Viacom conent will now be available to Time Warner Cable subscribers for viewing in their homes via iPad.

Comedy Central and MTV will be restored first, but it will take some time to restore all streams.




AfterDawn: News

RealPlayer security update released

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 6:14

RealPlayer security update released Latest update fixes serious security bugs.

RealNetworks has released its latest security update for its RealPlayer software. If you use RealPlayer for Windows, it strongly recommends downloading the most current version released late last week, which patches vulnerabilities and contains bug fixes and other updates to the player.

The software contained a security flaw that, if exploited, could allow arbitrary code to be run on a device if the user visits a malicious site or opens a malicious file.

Users running older versions of RealPlayer should download the update from www.real.com to protect their computers from hackers.

For more information about the security update, see: service.real.com




AfterDawn: News

Gamers find big flaw in Diablo III

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 5:09

Gamers find big flaw in Diablo III Server overload is not the only headache for Blizzard.

It confirmed reports that there is a game breaking flaw in its new blockbuster for PC and Mac. Apparently, gamers get thrown out of the system if they attempt to give a shield to a character known as the Templar follower.

This new flaw follows Blizzard's efforts to address server overload problems. So many gamers were unable to play the title after launch that "#error37" was trending on Twitter. As an anti-piracy measure, you are required to have a constant-on Internet connection to play Diablo III.

Now Blizzard has confirmed the new bizarre bug. "We're aware of this issue and working to resolve it as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your reports," the developer said.

The developer had already been forced to take down websites in an effort to dedicate more servers to the game. Users on Twitter commented about how difficult it was to get the game started.

"Man, Diablo III is super hard. I've been playing for 30 minutes and haven't even defeated the login screen," one Twitter user said.




AfterDawn: News

Pirate Bay hit by DDoS attack

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 4:49

Pirate Bay hit by DDoS attack Notorious BitTorrent website down due to attack.

The website confirmed the DDoS attack on its Facebook page but only said that it "had suspicions" about who is to blame. Early reports suggested that the same Anonymous group responsible for the Virgin Media attack were behind, since the Pirate Bay denounced the attack, but experts say that it's unlikely.

"There will be further attacks, but what's significant about this whole story is that people think that it is the Anonymous attacking a site which is typically a type of site that they defend," said Andre Stewart of Corero Network Security, to BBC News.

"It could be the record labels, or a government somewhere that has had enough of not being able to catch The Pirate Bay, it could be just one person who had rented some cloud power from Amazon and is sitting in a cafe, and is able to launch an attack."

Virgin Media's main website in the UK was forced down for some time last week. A group claimed responsibility for it on Twitter, and hinted that it was revenge for blocking the Pirate Bay. The ISP responded by saying its hands are tied, since the High Court had ordered it (and other UK ISPs) to block the website.




AfterDawn: News

Ofcom: ISPs need to improve speed info

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 4:37

Ofcom: ISPs need to improve speed info Ofcom finds that ISPs must do more to provide information on speed to consumers.

The regulator used mystery shopping to check compliance with the Voluntary Code of Practice on Broadband Speeds, introduced in December 2008. A strengthened Code came into force in July 2011, through which ISP signatories have committed to give maximum speed estimates in the form of a range as early as practicable in the sales process.

The regulator found that information provided to consumers by ISPs has improved but has also identified areas where further work is needed. The research shows that in 93 per cent of telephone enquiries made by mystery shoppers, an estimate of the broadband speed was given by the provider, and in 72 per cent of cases an estimate was given in the form of a range.

The Code requires that speed estimates be volunteered as early as possible in the sales process. Overall, speed estimates were provided without prompting from the mystery shoppers in 59 per cent of all calls, with the most likely to provide an estimated speed without prompting being Sky (72 per cent of cases), Karoo (76 per cent) and Plusnet (67 per cent).

TalkTalk (47 per cent of cases) and BT Total Broadband (48 per cent) were significantly less likely to provide a speed estimate without prompting from the caller. Both agreed to amend staff training to address the issue.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Report slams mobile Internet censorship in UK

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 4:29

Report slams mobile Internet censorship in UK Report details widespread over-blocking.

Mobile Internet services in the UK are subject to child protection filters that block pornographic websites. The Open Rights Group (ORG) and the LSE Media Policy Project released a report which shows widespread over-blocking as a result of such filters.

The groups found that the filters led to the incorrect blocking of political commentaries, personal blogs, restaurants' sites and community websites. The report calls on mobile operators to give parents an 'active choice' to turn filters on, and to be far more transparent about how their systems work.

It also warns against proposals to make such filtering systems the default on fixed-line broadband. The proposal is heavily backed by Claire Perry MP, and the rights' groups claim it will have the same damning consequences as it does for mobile Internet.

"This report shows how child protection filters can actually affect many more users than intended and block many more sites than they should. These blunt blocks effectively add up to a system of censorship across UK networks," said Peter Bradwell of Open Rights Group, and author of the report.

"The lessons for 'porn filter' proposals are clear. Default-on blocks can have significant harmful and unintended consequences for everybody?s access to information. To help protect children online, the Government should reject 'default on' network filtering and work to give parents simpler choices and better, device-based tools."

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AfterDawn: News

Baidu unveils own low-cost smartphone in China

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 4:19

Baidu unveils own low-cost smartphone in China Handset runs Baidu's own operating system.

Its new Changhong H5018 is built by Foxconn, and runs Baidu's own Cloud Smart Terminal platform, which is based on Android. China has the world's largest number of smartphone users, so it is an important market for Baidu to stake its claim in. It will face serious competition from low-cost handsets made by firms such as Huawei Technologies, ZTE Corp, HTC, Lenovo and Xiaomi.

The 3.5-inch handset features a 480 x 320 screen, dual-SIM and is powered by a MTK6573 650Mhz processor. It has a 3MP rear-camera and a microSD slot for storage. China Unicom will carry the device initially.

To entice Chinese buyers to switch to its new handset, Baidu has included 100GB of cloud-storage from Wangpan, which would be the Chinese equivalent of Dropbox.

The Changhong H5018 will sell for less than 1,000 yuan ($158; £99). "It's a terrific market opportunity for us, and Baidu is constantly adjusting, understanding what users are interested in," Baidu's director of international communications, Kaiser Kuo, told BBC News.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Android gains more market share

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 May 2012 4:04

Android gains more market share Android share seen rising throughout world.

Kantar WorldPanel showed research on Tuesday that saw Android double its market share in some places. In Germany, its share almost doubled to 62 percent year-on year, while it did double in Italy to 49 percent and Spain to 72 percent.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, the iPhone 4S narrowed the gap slightly between Android and the market no.2, iOS. Microsoft's Windows Phone platform gained some ground in Germany, claiming 6 percent of the market, while it climbed between 3-4 percent in France, Britain, Italy and the United States.

Nokia's retired Symbian platform fell sharply, while Canadian BlackBerry maker Research In Motion also suffered at the hands of other platforms. In the United States, RIM's market share dropped from 9 percent to just 3 percent.

Android's growth has been attributed to the plentiful supply of new handsets, particularly from HTC and Samsung.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft will clean your 'crapware' for $99

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2012 3:01

Microsoft will clean your 'crapware' for $99 Microsoft will now begin cleaning away all your pre-loaded PC bloatware for $99.

As most new pre-built PC owners know, the bloat/crapware is installed by the hardware makers and paid by the vendors (usually). Examples of the bloatware include subscriptions to anti-virus software, e-reading alternatives, Adobe products, "tuning" software, vendor specific help links, and Best Buy junk like links to Geek Squad.

For the $99 fee, Microsoft will remove all the bloatware, install Microsoft Security Essentials, offer 90 days of premium phone support and even reformat Windows 7 including data transfer.

Unfortunately, the program is only available at actual Microsoft Stores, which there are only 16 of in the U.S., mainly situated around California.

While it doesn't eliminate the problem (of bloatware being sold to highest bidder), this is at least a step in the right direction for the average consumer.





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