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AfterDawn: News

Play PS3 games on your iOS device, using everyAir

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 25 Feb 2011 12:17

Play PS3 games on your iOS device, using everyAir Team Pandaelf has released a video today showing off PS3 games playing on an iPhone using "EveryAir."

The group says the configuration will allow for PS3 gaming on all iOS devices, including the iPad.

For those with PSP handhelds, EveryAir is similar to Remote Play.

Here is the Q&A posted by the group:

Q: What’s the overall picture for how this works?
A: The trick is to connect a capture device and a USB mouse/keyboard device to the PS3. The capture device sends video data to the PC, and the USB keyboard/mouse sends the button presses. On the PC itself, you run a custom build of everyAir which understands custom gestures and pipes the input to the PC which then sends it to the PS3 via the input interpreter.

Q: What were some of the hurdles?
A: There are two problems to solve: sending the video signal to the iOS device and sending back input from the iOS device. Sending the video signal is solved by using an off the shelf capture device, and then sending back the input is a combination of a custom build of everyAir with an off the shelf mouse/keyboard device that connects to the PS3.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: Android activations since 2008

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 11:42

Video Daily: Android activations since 2008 The official Android Developers' YouTube channel has posted a really well-done video this week that shows off how fast Android is being adopted.

In the video, which begins with Android's launch in late 2008, activations in geographic locations are shown off by flashing lights which consistently grow taller and taller.

Notable device launches like the Motorola Droid and the Samsung Galaxy S lead to spikes worldwide.

Google has said that over 300,000 Android devices are now activated, daily.





AfterDawn: News

Killzone 3 developer working with Sony to monitor hackers

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 10:48

Killzone 3 developer working with Sony to monitor hackers Guerrilla, the studio behind 'Killzone 3,' has said today that it is working with Sony to 'aggressively' monitor all hackers using jailbroken systems to cheat during gameplay.

Says producer Steven Ter Heide (via CVG):

The ability for one person to ruin people's games is not a good prospect obviously, so we're working with Sony on the moderation side.

We're looking at people misbehaving, being able to follow reports against those so that's all been taken care of - and we're working with Sony to see, even more aggressively, what kind of things are happening.

But at the same time we have to step up as developers and say, 'OK what are the holes in our game, what is the data, can we analyse that and see where the problems might be?'

We can look at the leaderboards and the stats that most people are playing with and say, 'This doesn't look right. Can we look into that and see what's happening?' That's the reality now, we have to keep patching the game to make sure we keep getting one over the hackers.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

MySpace Music continues its slow death

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 10:01

MySpace Music continues its slow death According to new data from ComScore, MySpace Music continues its slow death spiral, falling behind relative "newcomer" Pandora in traffic.

MySpace attracted 44.8 million unique visitors in the United States in January, down 36 percent year-over-year, with MySpace Music seeing 17 million unique visitors, down 46 percent in the same time frame.

Pandora, which continues to see strong growth, moved up to 20.3 million monthly unique visitors.

Furthermore, MySpace Music president Courtney Holt, after two years on the job.

Holt will "be moving from being the President of Myspace Music to becoming a key advisor to both Myspace and Newscorp. Courtney will provide guidance on the strategic direction of Myspace Music and lend his incredible depth of experience, industry expertise and creativity to Myspace and Myspace Music."




AfterDawn: News

Rumor that won't go away: Sony working on hack-proof PS3?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 9:19

Rumor that won't go away: Sony working on hack-proof PS3? First reported by the relatively unknown blog EverythingHQ, Sony may be creating a new model of the PlayStation 3, one that is 'hack-proof.'

Citing "sources," the blog says the company is looking into creating a model of the console that cannot be hacked to run homebrew, Linux or pirated games, and will drop the price of current models.

Despite multiple custom firmwares being developed for the console (at least for those with firmware 3.55), the site says Sony began development on the 'hack-proof' PS3 after "Killzone 3" was leaked earlier this month.

As an added 'incentive' to purchase the new console, Sony will add a 300GB HDD, and sell the console for $300 USD.

Sony is currently in a legal battle against George 'Geohot' Hotz and other PS3 custom firmware writers, although the case may take months as Hotz has received significant donations from the community and plans to fight the suit.




AfterDawn: News

Sprint gets first Windows Phone 7 device

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 5:37

Sprint gets first Windows Phone 7 device Sprint has introduced its debut smartphone running on the Windows Phone 7 OS, the HTC Arrive, the first WP7 device with CDMA technology.

With the introduction, Verizon is now the only major American carrier without a WP7 device.

The Arrive will go on sale on March 20th for $200 with contract, although you will need to send in a rebate to get that price.

Featuring a 3.6-inch capacitive touch screen, the Arrive also has a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, 16 GB of internal memory and a 5-megapixel camera with flash, autofocus, digital zoom and a 720p camcorder.

Sprint notes that the physical camera button will be able to take pictures even when the device is locked.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Avast! Antivirus 6 released

Written by James Delahunty @ 24 Feb 2011 9:00

Avast! Antivirus 6 released AVAST Software a.s. has released new versions of its popular set of anti-virus and security products.

Used by over 130 million users worldwide, Avast! Antivirus is one of the most trusted and recommended solutions for protecting against virus and spyware infections. Using the Free version of the software does not put you at any great disadvantage compared to the Pro version, which is not something you can say for a lot of free anti-virus suites that have paid equivalents.

Using the free version does require you to register the program using a valid e-mail address, but this only takes a minute and you have 30 days to stop procrastinating and do it.

Time and time again, Avast! has been recognized for its effectiveness at protecting systems. In 2008, AV Comparatives awarded the software an "Advanced" rating for its performance, and awarded it an "Advanced+" rating in 2009. In 2010, Avast! claimed the VB100 award from Virus Bulletin for, amongst other accomplishments, detecting 100 percent of in-the-wild virus samples it was exposed to.

AVAST Software may have gotten something of an ego-boost in November 2010. During an episode of WWE NXT in Manchester, England, an announcement that the "virus database has been updated" is audible over the PSA Announce system, prompting speculation that World Wrestling Entertainment uses Avast! products to protect its systems during broadcasts.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Blockbuster reaches deal with investors for $290 million buyout

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 24 Feb 2011 1:51

Blockbuster reaches deal with investors for $290 million buyout Blockbuster has said this week that they have signed a $290 million deal that will sell the chain to a group of investors which will take it out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The offer comes from Cobalt Video Holdco LLC, which consists of funds Monarch Alternative Capital LP, Owl Creek Asset Management LP, Stonehill Capital Management LLC and Varde Partners Inc.

Each of the funds hold secured Blockbuster debt.

While the deal needs approval from the federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy it is expected to receive the necessary approval soon. From there, other bidders have 30 days to place bids. If any other group does, the company would go up for auction.

CEO Jim Keyes added (via Y!):

An auction will allow for the consolidation of ownership of the company to those with a clear and focused vision for Blockbuster's future.


Blockbuster's stock fell to $0.14 at the close today.




AfterDawn: News

Google releases Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK, updates 2.3 Gingerbread

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 11:28

Google releases Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK, updates 2.3 Gingerbread Google has released the full Android 3.0 Honeycomb SDK this week, giving developers the proper API and tools to create apps for the tablet platform.

Additionally, Google updated their latest smartphone version of Android, Ginergerbread, to version 2.3.3.

Late last month, Google introduced a "preview" version of Honeycomb but Yahoo says the full SDK includes "the ADT plug-in, a new app palette with categories and rendering previews, a more accurate rendering of device-specific layouts, selection-sensitive action bars to manipulate View properties, improvements to zoom, and improved support to merge layouts and create layouts with gesture overlays."

The first tablet with Honeycomb is the upcoming Motorola Xoom, which will be launched next week.

Google says the first two devices to get 2.3.3 (they are pretty much the only devices with 2.3 anyways) are the Nexus One and Nexus S.

2.3.3 adds the "ability to write NFC tags in addition to reading them, better speech recognition, and API support for Bluetooth over a nonsecure socket connection."




AfterDawn: News

HP shares get crushed after lackluster earnings report

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 2:26

HP shares get crushed after lackluster earnings report HP shares have fallen as much as 12 percent today following a lackluster quarterly earnings report yesterday, and a weak forecast for 2011.

The company blamed its revenue downgrade on a "weak consumer personal consumer market" and slowing growth in its information technology services business.

However, corporate hardware business was a strong winner, said the company.

New CEO Leo Apotheker has planned a March meeting with analysts and stock holders in which he will unveil the company's long-term vision, moving it out of its current "transitional" stage.

Overall, HP reported Q1 profit of $2.6 billion on revenue of $32.3 billion. For the Q2, however, the company predicts revenue of $31.5 billion, much lower than the anticipated $32.6 billion average of analysts following the stock.

For the full year 2011, the company expects revenue of $131 billion, lower than the anticipated revenue of $133 billion.




AfterDawn: News

Social gaming giant Zynga is possibly the most profitable company, ever

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 1:32

Social gaming giant Zynga is possibly the most profitable company, ever According to the WSJ, social gaming giant Zynga made $400 million profit on just $850 million revenue in 2010, good for an astonishing 47 percent profit margin.

BI shows off a number of comparisons, and it appears that Zynga may actually be the most profitable company, ever.

In the tech sector, Google, Apple and Facebook all have near 30 percent margins, which are massive, and other behemoths like Amazon and Salesforce have margins closer to 5 percent.

Luxury brands like Hermes have a 30 percent margin, and although unconfirmed, Chanel is said to be the most profitable company in Europe, with a 45 percent profit margin.

Zynga pays Facebook fees for advertising and pays out 30 percent from its virtual goods sales but otherwise has little operating expenses.

The company has hits such as FarmVille, MafiaWars, CityVille and ZyngaPoker, all of which have tens of millions of users.




AfterDawn: News

Windows Phone 7 update bricking phones?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 12:57

Windows Phone 7 update bricking phones? Microsoft is making headlines this week after their recent Windows Phone 7 update has bricked some user's handsets and caused crashes on others.

The official Windows Phone 7 Troubleshooting Guide has a list of 19 possible error codes, and the final repair is simply a rollback to the more stable firmware.

While a small portion of users had their phones completely bricked by the update, most had lighter issues, such as the update failing.

LG Optimus 7 and Samsung Omnia 7 owners saw the highest proportion of bricked devices.

For now, Microsoft is asking users to not try the update for 72 hours, while it investigates and fixes.

To make matters even worse, the update doesn't bring the promised copy and paste feature, which Microsoft says is coming next month.




AfterDawn: News

Official: iPad 2 launch on March 2nd

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 12:12

Official: iPad 2 launch on March 2nd Apple has begun sending out invites for an iPad 2 launch event on March 2nd, confirming recent rumors.

The event will be at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts at 10:00 am, the same venue used for multiple launches in the past few years.

It is unclear what will be upgraded for the iPad 2, but most reports have the tablet adding a dual-core CPU, updated GPU, dual cameras and a slimmer form factor.

The invite teases "Come see what 2011 will be the year of," although arguably 2010 was the year of the iPad, with the tablet crushing all sales estimates on route to 15 million units sold. Apple is expected to sell 40 million iPad/iPad 2 units this year even as it faces increased competition from Android, WebOS and BlackBerry tablets, all of which will make their true debuts this year.

John Gruber of Daring Fireball subtly noted last month that Apple may be moving to a 6-month release schedule for their popular iPad tablet, meaning the iPad 3 could be ready by the end of the year, as well.




AfterDawn: News

YouTube to add live NBA, NHL games

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 23 Feb 2011 11:44

YouTube to add live NBA, NHL games Google is currently in talks with the NBA and NHL in an effort to bring live game streaming to YouTube.

The move follows the strong success of live streaming cricket’s Indian Premier League.

Gautam Anand, Google’s director of content partnerships for Asia Pacific says YouTube is aiming for more live sports and is in talks with "most pro sports leagues," including soccer in Europe.

Anand says last year's ndian Premier League experiment brought in 55 million unique visits from 250 countries.

Says the director:

It’s fair to say that there will be a lot more appealing sports content you’ll see on YouTube. We have ongoing conversations with pretty much everyone.


Google does note that where the live streaming will be offered is dependent on each deal, which will be different.




AfterDawn: News

Windows 7 SP1 now available

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 22 Feb 2011 9:41

Windows 7 SP1 now available Microsoft has begun offering Windows 7 Service Pack 1 via Windows Update today, as promised earlier in the month.

The 32-bit version of SP1 is around 755MB and the 64-bit edition comes in at around 1GB.

Says Microsoft:

Starting today, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 will be available to everyone via the Microsoft Download Center and [will] start rolling out via Windows Update.


If you prefer to have a disc, you can get one sent to you for $6 from Microsoft, including shipping.

The public beta of the SP was released in July 2010, and Microsoft launched the release candidate in October. The SP1 brings no new features, but is instead a collection of security patches and nonsecurity fixes already available through Windows Update.

You can check the SP1 page here: Microsoft Windows 7 SP1





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