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Nintendo dropping prices of 'Wii Sports Resort' and 'Wii Party'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Apr 2011 2:52

Nintendo dropping prices of 'Wii Sports Resort' and 'Wii Party' Beginning next week, Nintendo has confirmed that it will lower the prices of its original Wii games, "Wii Sports Resort" and "Wii Play."

On April 25th, the minigame collections will drop to MSRP $40.

"Resort" is the sequel to Wii Sports, which featured many sports games like basketball and archery.

"Party" has 13 modes and 80 minigames.

Each game is an all-time top seller for the Wii, and for consoles in general.




AfterDawn: News

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.: iPad is eliminating American jobs

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 2:24

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.: iPad is eliminating American jobs Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Illinois has made news this weekend with his claim that the iPad (and similar tech) has lead to the elimination of thousands of American jobs.

The representative is a big fan of the efficiency of the iPad, and has even proposed that all Illinois students eventually be given one as a learning tool, but says it does not help the growing problem of unemployment.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

PSP beats out 3DS again in Japan

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:55

PSP beats out 3DS again in Japan Somewhat surprisingly, the aged PSP handheld has beat out the new Nintendo 3DS for a second consecutive week in Japanese sales.

MediaCreate says the PSP moved 35,478 units for the week ended April 10th, followed by the 3DS at 32,910 units.

If adding all iterations of the DS, Nintendo won handily with the DSi LL and DSi selling 8,386 and 8,035 units, respectively.

The two-week boost in PSP sales has been attributed to the release of Final Fantasy IV: Complete Collection, which continues to be a strong seller for the PSP.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

R.I.P. Google Video

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:39

R.I.P. Google Video Google has sent out emails today letting users of the defunct Google Video service that their videos will soon be gone as the company finally completely shuts down the hosting service.

The search giant asks everyone to move their content over to YouTube, which is also owned by Google.

If you do have content, you may want to go get it quickly as the service shuts down on May 13th.

Copy of the email (via USAT)

Dear Google Video User,

Later this month, hosted video content on Google Video will no longer be available for playback. Google Video stopped taking uploads in May 2009 and now we're removing the remaining hosted content. We've always maintained that the strength of Google Video is its ability to let people search videos from across the web, regardless of where those videos are hosted. And this move will enable us to focus on developing these technologies further to the benefit of searchers worldwide.

On April 29, 2011, videos that have been uploaded to Google Video will no longer be available for playback. We've added a Download button to the video status page, so you can download any video content you want to save. If you don't want to download your content, you don't need to do anything. (The Download feature will be disabled after May 13, 2011.)

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

YouTube banishes pirates to 'Copyright School'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:33

YouTube banishes pirates to 'Copyright School' Google has acquiesced to the movie, TV and music industries, agreeing to send those that post copywritten work to "Copyright School" before they can use the service again.

Violators will have to watch the embedded video and then pass a short test before they can upload videos again.

The video itself is a corny cartoon, but goes over the basics of copyright infringement and how it can affect an industry.

Mostly, however, the video illustrates how you can get in trouble for uploading the works.




AfterDawn: News

Sprint: AT&T purchase of T-Mobile will severely harm industry

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:23

Sprint: AT&T purchase of T-Mobile will severely harm industry Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has once again taken to openly opposing AT&T's proposed acquisition of rival carrier T-Mobile for $39 billion.

Said Hesse:

We just cannot let this happen. If the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile merger is allowed to go forward it can also push the wireless industry from competition to duopoly.


The duopoly would feature Verizon on the CDMA side and AT&T on the GSM side, leaving smaller carriers like Sprint with two monsters to compete with.

AT&T says their acquisition will help the company address growing capacity limitations.

The FCC and DOJ are currently looking into the merger, to see if it will violate any anti-trust laws. The acquisition is expected to close in 2012, if passed.

In response to Hesse, AT&T has pointed to comments the CEO made just months ago in which he called the carrier market "hyper competitive" capable of handling consolidation:

Given that Sprint is a major competitor to AT&T in the hyper competitive wireless market Mr. Hesse describes, no one should be surprised that they would oppose this merger. But it is self-serving for them to argue that the highly competitive wireless market they cited only months ago is now threatened by the very type of transaction they seemed prepared to defend previously.




AfterDawn: News

'Do Not Track' mode added to latest Safari

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:58

'Do Not Track' mode added to latest Safari Apple appears to have added "Do Not Track" mode to the latest test version of its Safari browser, giving users a chance to browse the Web without having their online activity tracked by marketers.

Ad networks love to be able to view online activity as it helps them send targeted ads, like coupons for stores in your area.

Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox each have their own type of "do not track" modes, so Apple is the laggard in that respect.

In Firefox 4 and IE9, users simply have to tick a box to opt-out of tracking. For Chrome, users need to install an extension called "Keep My Opt-Outs."

The latest version of Safari should be bundled with Apple's upcoming Mac OS X 10.7 Lion.




AfterDawn: News

Vengeful hacker sentenced to two years in prison

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:43

Vengeful hacker sentenced to two years in prison Bruce Raisley of Kansas City, Missouri has been sentenced to two years of prison this week after being convicted of creating a virus that infected 100,000 computers and used them to DDoS sites that wrote articles showing him in a bad light.

The hacker was "formerly a volunteer for the organization Perverted Justice, which works with police and the popular NBC reality TV show 'To Catch a Predator,'" explains Reuters. Hidden cameras document adults trying to have sex with minors, and the pedophiles are then turned over to the police.

Raisley left the group after getting into a heated dispute with the founder of the organization, Xavier Von Erck.

In retaliation, Van Erck began pretending to be "Holly," striking up an online relationship with Raisley. Raisley eventually decided to leave his wife for "Holly."

Van Erck then photographed Raisley at the airport waiting for "Holly" to arrive.

A number of sites, including Rolling Stone, picked up on the piece and published articles.

Humiliated, Raisley then created the virus and managed to infect 100,000 host computers, using them to DDoS any site that had written the story about him. In addition to the jail time, Raisley must pay $90,000 combined to the sites for any downtime caused.




AfterDawn: News

The white iPhone 4 may finally be right around the corner

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:27

The white iPhone 4 may finally be right around the corner According to Bloomberg, Apple will begin selling the oft-delayed white iPhone 4 by the end of April.

Apple delayed the white model for 10 months, following "manufacturing challenges," which may have included the paint peeling under heat and "complications with a sensor."

Although unconfirmed, the general consensus is that Apple will not release a new iPhone in June, breaking three years of tradition. The iPhone may be introduced in September, instead, and the white phone may help boost sales while users wait to upgrade.

The company released white and black models of the iPad 2 last month, and Apple even hinted that the iPhone 4 would get its second colorway soon.




AfterDawn: News

RIM to outbid Google for remaining Nortel patents?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 1:13

RIM to outbid Google for remaining Nortel patents? Last week it was reported Nortel would sell all of its remaining 6000 patents and applications to Google for $900 million unless a rival bidder took a shot.

It appears that RIM may be willing to outbid Google, or at least start a bidding war with the search giant. RIM would be part of a consortium including at least "two other mobile phone makers" who will jointly try to outbid Google.

That patents cover wireless, 4G, data networking, optical, voice, and semiconductors.

Nortel has been selling off assets since going bankrupt in 2009.

Once trading as high as $600 a share in the tech bubble of the late 90s, Nortel shares now trade for 3 cents.




AfterDawn: News

So, maybe MeeGo isn't dead afterall

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Apr 2011 12:48

So, maybe MeeGo isn't dead afterall Despite founding partner Nokia leaving the mobile operating system for dead, it appears not everyone is willing to let the Linux-based MeeGo head off to Davy Jones' locker.

LG Electronics is looking to adopt the OS for some lower-end smartphones, with discussions already underway.

Says MeeGo, of Nokia's decision to abandon the project in favor of Windows Phone 7:

It's opening opportunities for the others to come in. Discussions are taking place. You'll see things coming out this year, pretty soon.


Besides LG, ZTE and China Mobile are also looking to help develop a handset with the OS.

Even if MeeGo is revived (outside of tablets), it will have stiff competition from Android, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry, and the possibility of Apple creating new models of the iPhone which will be aimed at the lower end of the market.




AfterDawn: News

Wii now selling for $170 at Best Buy

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Apr 2011 4:27

Wii now selling for $170 at Best Buy Best Buy has begun selling the Wii for $170, one month ahead of its expected May 15th price cut.

Leaked images of the proposed price drop began surfacing last week and it appears that retailers have decided to front-run the actual cut so sales don't become stagnant as consumers wait for the price cut.

The drop marks the first time Nintendo has dropped the price since September 2009 when the price went from $250 to $200.

Following the decision, it is rumored Target and other retailers will begin dropping the price on Monday, as well.

Nintendo has sold 86 million Wii since launch, far surpassing the Xbox 360 and PS3, mainly due to its lower price point and "family" marketing.

There has been no word on whether Sony or Microsoft are considering price cuts for their consoles.




AfterDawn: News

Poker sites get smackdown from FBI

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Apr 2011 3:03

Poker sites get smackdown from FBI Owners of three massive online poker companies have been charged today with fraud, and accused of "tricking" banks into processing multiple billions of dollars worth of online gambling proceeds.

Among 11 people arrested are the site owners of Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker, three major player in American online gambling.

Each is charged with violating U.S. anti-Internet gambling laws.

Prosecutors are also seeking $3 billion, after filing civil money laundering charges.

Each of the sites are located overseas but attract players from the U.S.

In addition, the domain names for the companies have been seized and the sites shutdown.

So far, only two of the men have been arrested, and one more is expected to turn himself in today. The other eight are outside of the U.S.




AfterDawn: News

Updated Netflix app is now Kinect-ready

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Apr 2011 2:34

Updated Netflix app is now Kinect-ready Microsoft has said this week that the updated Netflix app on the Xbox 360 features Kinect support, meaning "controller-free movies and TV shows."

Says Pete Thompson, General Manager, Xbox LIVE:

By integrating Kinect into the Netflix experience on Xbox LIVE, we're continuing to transform the way people enjoy their favorite entertainment in the living room. Since its launch, Netflix has always been one of the most popular services on Xbox LIVE, so we are excited to deliver a brand new way to control this experience in a way that can't be found anywhere else.


The Netflix app is available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers who also have a Netflix subscription, which starts at $8 per month.

Adds Netflix:

Netflix continues to provide its more than 20 million members in the U.S. and Canada unparalleled convenience, selection and value. With thousands and thousands of titles available to watch instantly, paired with the innovation of Kinect and the power of Xbox LIVE, this is an entirely new way for Netflix members to enjoy instantly watching TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix on their TVs.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Comcast introduces new, fast 105Mbps cable service

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 Apr 2011 10:08

Comcast introduces new, fast 105Mbps cable service Comcast has introduced their new Extreme 105 cable service today, offering 105Mbps downstream, at least 15 times faster than most of the other plans they offer.

The service is available in major cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Miami.

Says Comcast:

This speed tier takes (our Internet services) to a whole new level. With it, we’re powering the digital home of the future.


Extreme 105 offer 10Mbps upload, as well, making video sharing much easier.

If purchased with a triple-play bundle (voice, tv, internet), the service will cost $105 per month for the first 12 months.





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