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AfterDawn: News

Apple stock falls after rumor of Steve Jobs' health

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Feb 2011 2:24

Apple stock falls after rumor of Steve Jobs' health Apple's shares have fallen five points today after the National Enquirer posted pictures of the ailing CEO Steve Jobs, claiming he may only have six weeks to live due to pancreatic cancer.

The pictures show Jobs leaving the Stanford Cancer Center looking very weak and frail, with his clothes hanging loosely from his body.

Jobs, at 6'2, is said to have fallen to 130 pounds.

Furthermore, the CEO has thinning hair which is "a sign of the effects of the advanced chemotherapy usually used to treat the disease."

One critical care physician, Dr. Samuel Jacobson said of the pictures (via Econ):

Judging from the photos, he is close to terminal. I would say he has six weeks. He is emaciated and looks to have lost a lot of muscle mass, which spells a poor prognosis.


Despite the tabloid report, more credible agencies like the AP have reported today that Jobs will meet with President Barack Obama today to discuss technology and the U.S.

Whether the rumor is true or not, we at AfterDawn wish Jobs a speedy recovery.




AfterDawn: News

Warner launches 'App Editions' of movies for iOS

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Feb 2011 1:09

Warner launches 'App Editions' of movies for iOS Warner Bros. has announced this week that launch of "App Editions" of popular movies, which are available now via the iOS App Store for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch owners.

The free apps (before purchasing the actual movie) have built-in social networking features, and include bonus content like trivia, small games and soundtracks.

Furthermore, Inception comes with "The PASIV Device Instruction Manual" and "The Cobol Job" comic, as well as unreleased tracks from composer Hans Zimmer. The Dark Knight comes with a full gallery of pictures.

Starting with 'The Dark Knight' at $9.99 and 'Inception' at $11.99, users from around the world can purchase the movies in-app, and customize the menus to one of sixteen languages, or add one of thirty-four subtitle tracks.

While watching the films, the apps have real-time Facebook and Twitter integration, allowing watchers to share quotes or talk.

"For many, watching a movie is a social activity and App Editions are the first mobile product to deliver this capability on a global scale," added Thomas Gewecke, President of Warner Bros. Digital Distribution (via PCM).




AfterDawn: News

Redbox to start streaming service to rival Netflix

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Feb 2011 3:25

Redbox to start streaming service to rival Netflix Redbox, the popular $1-a-night DVD rental company, will start a subscription-based Internet streaming service, one that will directly rival Netflix.

President Mitch Lowe told analysts that the new subscription model will also give users a chance to still rent physical DVDs along with unlimited streaming.

Netflix reported last quarter that they moved to over 20 million subscribers, a huge jump since the start of 2010.

The LATimes speculates that Amazon will be Redbox's streaming partner:

Redbox has previously said it will launch a digital service with a partner but has not identified the partner. Several people familiar with the matter have confirmed that Amazon.com is in talks with studios to acquire content for a Netflix-like subscription movie streaming service set to launch soon, making it a likely candidate to be Redbox's partner.




AfterDawn: News

Disney now charging Netflix, Redbox more for new releases

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Feb 2011 1:54

Disney now charging Netflix, Redbox more for new releases Disney, who along with Paramount remain the only studios who still offer new releases to Netflix and Redbox the same day they go on sale, has raised the price it charges the rental outfits for the privilege.

The company will now charge Netflix and Redbox up to $18 per DVD, their full wholesale rate.

'Secretariat' was the first DVD to be hit with the increased pricing. The rental companies got the DVD for Secretariat on January 25th.

Disney has not followed in the footsteps of Fox, Universal and Warner, which have blocked Netflix and Redbox from making new releases available to customers until 28 days after they are released, a delay window long enough to appease internal concerns that the rentals hurt DVD sales on new releases.

Executives at Disney have said that they do not share those fears, especially since animated films and other family friendly Disney movies are often purchased rather than rented.

The wholesale price will drop to $10.80 per movie after 28 days.




AfterDawn: News

Watson beats puny humans in last day of 'Jeopardy' event

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 9:11

Watson beats puny humans in last day of 'Jeopardy' event The IBM supercomputer 'Watson' has finished handily defeating its human opponents on Jeopardy today, beating former champions Ken Jennings and Bruce Rutter.

At the end of the three-day special event, Watson finished with $77,147 to Jenning's $24,000 and Rutter's $21,600.

After the first day of the three-day event, Watson was tied with Rutter at $5000 each, with Jennings lagging behind at $2000. At the end of day 2, however, Watson had taken a commanding lead, with $35,734 to Rutter's $10,400 and Jennings' $4,800.

IBM will receive $1 million, which it is donating to World Vision. Second place gets $300,000 and third gets $200,000. Jennings and Rutter will donate half of their winnings.

Watson is able to calculate thousands of algorithms at the same time, while searching its massive database for the right answer. The behemoth computer runs on ninety 32-core IBM Power 750 Express servers and has 16TB of memory.




AfterDawn: News

Classic PS2 games to be sold via PSN?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 8:25

Classic PS2 games to be sold via PSN? According to the Official PlayStation Magazine, classic PS2 games will soon be available for download via the PlayStation Network.

Currently, Sony offers PSX titles for download on the PSP and PS3.

The company did say last month that some popular PSX games would never be available via PSN, simply because they are too complicated to port or are too buggy.

Sony removed all PS2 backwards compatibility from PlayStation 3 consoles early on, claiming it would lower costs which would then be passed on to the consumer.

Regardless, there will certainly be buyers for blockbuster games like God of War and Grand Theft Auto, especially if available on the upcoming Sony NGP (PSP 2).




AfterDawn: News

Verizon saw slower iPhone sales than expected?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 6:49

Verizon saw slower iPhone sales than expected? Leaked sales data from BGR claim that iPhone 4 sales on Verizon are actually slower than anticipated.

BGR posted sales totals from five Apple brick-and-mortar stores including two "very, very prominent" ones, following the first five days of the smartphone's launch on the carrier.

While there was huge hype for the launch, there were no lines (or small ones) outside of Apple stores on launch day, a stark difference from the phone's launch on AT&T, where eager buyers waited overnight on the street to get the device on the first day.

The full data (sales for Verizon, sales for AT&T, same store):

Thursday: Verizon = 909, AT&T = 539
Friday: Verizon = 916, AT&T = 680
Saturday: Verizon = 660, AT&T = 471
Sunday: Verizon = 796, AT&T = 701
Monday: Verizon = 711, AT&T = 618


Pre-orders of the smartphone were large, however, coming to 550,000 units.

Finally, the site says 30 percent of Verizon iPhone buyers came from Android, 25 percent from BlackBerry and 14 percent from the AT&T iPhone.




AfterDawn: News

Xperia Play buyers will have to re-purchase PSX games

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 6:30

Xperia Play buyers will have to re-purchase PSX games Sony Ericsson has said today that future purchasers of the Xperia Play Android gaming phone will have to repurchase all of their classic PSX downloadable games, regardless of when you bought them.

Most of the games available for the Xperia Play will be developed exclusively for the platform, but there are a number of direct PSX ports that will be available, as well.

You will not be able to just re-download those already purchased games, you will have to re-buy them.

Says Sony Ericsson UK managing director Nathan Vautier (via TG):

You will have to re-purchase the games, so it's not totally integrated. I think the exciting thing is that there are games which people are very, very aware of.


The Xperia Play will launch next month with 50 downloadable games available and only a few being direct ports that were available on the PSP/PS3 before.




AfterDawn: News

ARM expecting revenue boost from new smartphones

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 Feb 2011 6:25

ARM expecting revenue boost from new smartphones British technology firm ARM Holdings, plc. is expecting a boost in revenues from new high-end smartphones unveiled this week in Barcelona.

New high-end devices utilize ARM's new multi-core processor technologies. ARM licenses its technology to chipmakers like Broadcom, Samsung and Renesas instead of making chips of its own. It earns revenue from royalties on the sale of microprocessor units, as well as charging a licensing fee for the use of its technology.

Smartphones such as the new LG Optimus 3D and Samsung Galaxy SII are powered by ARM's Cortex, dual-core designs, which are also used to power tablet computers and microcontrollers.

It receives up to two percent of the selling price of chips based on the Cortex designs, and about one percent for the older chip technology which is still widely in use. The switch then to Cortex architecture in smartphones and tablets will significantly increase the revenue from royalty payments.

ARM CEO Warren East told Reuters that the company is not surprised by the speed of the roll-out of its newer chip technologies. He said that the company is keeping an edge over Intel in the ever-growing space. "Intel is still a long way apart in processors on the market," he said. "Unless they can make their processors smaller they will struggle."




AfterDawn: News

Stuxnet had five Iranian targets, says Symantec

Written by James Delahunty @ 16 Feb 2011 6:11

Stuxnet had five Iranian targets, says Symantec Symantec has published a report on the Stuxnet malware that made headlines around the world last year.

The complex piece of malware was believed to be targeted at Iran's nuclear program, with fingers of blame pointing at the United States and/or Israel for mandating it (though the origin of the malware itself is still a mystery).

Now a detailed description of Stuxnet has been released by Symantec, and the well-known security firm says it was targeted at five industrial facilities in Iran over 10 months. Symantec did not mention the targets by name however, and would not confirm whether the targets had links to the country's nuclear program.

Iran has denied that Stuxnet caused any major damage to its nuclear facilities, but analysis has previously shown that Stuxnet had the capability to disrupt the centrifuges used to enrich uranium. Once Stuxnet compromised a computer network, it was designed to seek out a specific configuration of industrial control software made by Siemens.

It would then reprogram the PLC software to alter instructions given to attached industrial machinery.

Symantec suggests that the authors of the Stuxnet malware must have had extensive knowledge of the systems in use at the targeted organizations. It infected and spread by use of USB keys, bringing it to networks not usually connected to the Internet for security reasons. The virus could have been spread among the targeted organizations by contractors associated with them.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Motorola Xoom finally officially priced

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 5:10

Motorola Xoom finally officially priced Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has finally confirmed the price of the upcoming Motorola Xoom tablet, which will sell for $800 (3G version) or $600 (Wi-Fi-only version).

The tablet launches next Thursday.

Motorola's Xoom will be the first tablet to run Android 3.0 Honeycomb, which has been optimized for media tablets.

The powerful tablet will ship with a 10.1-inch display, 1280x800 resolution, a Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM, 32GB onboard memory (expendable via SD), a 5MP dual-LED flash standard camera and a 2MP front-side camera for video conferencing.

Furthermore, the tablet has a micro USB 2.0 port, an HDMI-port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Sony posts official response on 'PS3 circumvention' and piracy

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 4:48

Sony posts official response on 'PS3 circumvention' and piracy Sony has posted their first official response to the recent release of custom firmwares for the PlayStation 3 that allow for signed homebrew and the inevitable piracy of games.

Says the corporation:

Notice: Unauthorized circumvention devices for the PlayStation 3 system have been recently released by hackers. These devices permit the use of unauthorized or pirated software. Use of such devices or software violates the terms of the “System Software License Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System” and the “Terms of Services and User Agreement” for the PlayStation Network/Qriocity and its Community Code of Conduct provisions. Violation of the System Software Licence Agreement for the PlayStation 3 System invalidates the consumer guarantee for that system. In addition, copying or playing pirated software is a violation of International Copyright Laws. Consumers using circumvention devices or running unauthorized or pirated software will have access to the PlayStation Network and access to Qriocity services through PlayStation 3 system terminated permanently.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Sony building Android PlayStation gaming tablet?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 4:34

Sony building Android PlayStation gaming tablet? According to Engadget, Sony is creating a PlayStation-certified Android gaming tablet, one that will be released in September.

The 9.4-inch tablet will run a customized Android 3.0, and is currently going by the internal codename "S1."

Sources speaking to the site say Sony has brought out an engineering team from their VAIO, Reader, PlayStation, and Sony Ericsson product groups for the product.

The tablet will focus on Qriocity, Sony's on-demand music, games, movie and ebook service. Additionally, the tablet will come preloaded with Sony PSX games, a Bravia Media Remote for HDTV integration and an IR port built-in.

Inside, the device is powered by a Tegra 2 dual-core processor and the tablet will feature 1280x800 resolution and dual cameras.

Finally, Engadget explains the "design" of the tablet which looks like the picture posted below:

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

HTC Flyer tablet has 1.5Ghz processor, Android 2.4

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 1:01

HTC Flyer tablet has 1.5Ghz processor, Android 2.4 HTC has shown off their Flyer tablet today, running on Android 2.4 with an updated HTC Sense UI and a very powerful 1.5Ghz processor.

The company did confirm the tablet will be upgradeable to Android 3.0 Honeycomb, the OS optimized for tablets, in the second quarter.

Featuring a 7-inch display, the tablet will be notably smaller than the upcoming Xoom and the Apple iPad, but directly rival the aging Samsung Galaxy Tab.

Because of the completely overhauled HTC Sense UI, the Flyer will have a 3D home screen of widgets, despite a lack of Honeycomb. The tablet will also include the ability to use touch gestures and HTC will provide a stylus to make use of the company's Scribe note-taking technology.

There is little to no information confirmed about Android 2.4, with most speculating that it adds dual-core support.




AfterDawn: News

Nvidia unveils mobile chipset roadmap starting with quad-core 'Kal-El'

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 Feb 2011 12:27

Nvidia unveils mobile chipset roadmap starting with quad-core 'Kal-El' Nvidia has unveiled its mobile chipset roadmap today, starting with the quad-core 'Kal-El.'

Kal-El refers to Superman's birth name.

Says Nvidia's senior VP of mobile business Phil Carmack (via PCM):

Just as the world has rallied around the concept of dual core, the world is about to see that quad core raises the bar, delivers a lot more performance, and fits into all mobile platforms.


The rest of the roadmap shows off chips dubbed "Wayne," "Logan," and "Stark," the latter of which will offer 100 times the processing power of the current generation Tegra 2 by 2014.

Kal-El has 5 times the graphics performance of Tegra 2, and Nvidia says it can power a monitor with 2560x1600 resolution. Kal-El also enables "retina tablets," meaning all tablets 10-inches or smaller can have resolution "as high as the eye can perceive, at a comfortable viewing distance."

"This ultra-high resolution really does reduce the strain you feel on your eyes," concludes Carmack.

Read more...



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