The RIAA spent over $2 million lobbying the government last quarter |
- The RIAA spent over $2 million lobbying the government last quarter
- BioWare: Yup, we got hacked too
- Apple sues Samsung in South Korea over patents
- ASUS launches AMD A75 chipset-based motherboards
- Sprint letting users remove smartphone bloatware
- LaCie offers CloudBox; backup locally and in the cloud
- Sony seeing class-action lawsuit over PSN outage
- PCI Express 4.0 to double throughput to 16 GT/s
- Facebook hits 750 million users
- DisplayPort standard gets active cables support
- Skype finally headed to iPad 2
- Apple patches over 30 bugs in OS X Snow Leopard
- Xbox Live to add free-to-play games?
- Sony Ericsson Xperia ray smartphone revealed
- Sony Ericsson unveils Xperia active smartphone
| The RIAA spent over $2 million lobbying the government last quarter Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:40 PM PDT  No wonder they have to sue so many file sharers. According to Bloomberg, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) spent $2.1 million lobbying the government in the last quarter, a big increase year-over-year (YoY). The trade group, which is backed by record labels, has been pushing the government to impose stricter rules to protect IP rights in the U.S and other countries and has also been opposing a proposal that would force mobile phone makers to include FM radio chips in all handsets. Two quarters ago, the RIAA spent $1.5 million lobbying and $1.4 million in the corresponding quarter last year. In 2010, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) proposed the FM chip mandate but has been met with extreme resistance, especially from the Consumer Electronics Association (backed by device makers) who believes adding the chip will just add unneeded weight and cost to devices for a feature many users will not care about. The NAB wants the mandate as a way to "bridge the gap" on a bill that RIAA has proposed which would force radio stations to pay performance artists for radio airtime. The RIAA wants those royalties as it sees little promotional value of playing tracks on the radio now, given cliff diving CD sales. The NAB would be "okay" with the bill if the FM chip mandate passes.
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| BioWare: Yup, we got hacked too Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:23 PM PDT  Electronic Arts (EA) has announced today that user accounts have been breached and data like passwords and mailing addresses have been compromised. The attack hit a server for developer BioWare, which is owned by EA. Hackers got in through a backdoor using the 10-year old "Neverwinter Nights" user forums. Although the compromised data is from BioWare, EA warns that your personal data with EA Games may have been stolen, as well. EA did make it very clear that no financial data was compromised, but encrypted passwords, names, CD keys, addresses and phone numbers were all stolen. If you have a BioWare or EA Games account, it is prudent to go and change your password as soon as possible. BioWare apologized (via Rant): We take the security of your information very seriously and regret any inconvenience this may have caused you. If your username, email address and/or password on your EA account are similar to those you use on other sites, we recommend changing the password at those sites as well. We advise all of our fans to always be aware of any suspicious emails or account activity and report any suspicious emails and account activity to Customer Support at 1-877-357-6007.
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| Apple sues Samsung in South Korea over patents Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:19 PM PDT  Latest development in on-going dispute between both giants. A court in South Korea revealed on Friday that Apple sued Samsung in the country, alleging that Samsung products infringe several of its patents. Samsung had previously sued Apple in South Korea, as well as Germany and Japan. Apple has accused Samsung of blatantly cloning its products. An Apple lawyer revealed last week that top executives of both firms were in talks over the patent disputes, as they have a very strong business relationship. Apple was Samsung's biggest customer in the first quarter according to Samsung's reports, with Apple buying up enormous amounts of semiconductors. Samsung is, however, one of Apple's biggest rivals. It's Android-packing smartphones compete directly with Apple in the mobile market, while Samsung has also emerged as the clear rival to Apple's iPad in the tablet PC market. Some of Samsung's products are strikingly similar to the iPhone, from the device dimensions, to the user interface, and even the packing. That is no coincidence, says Apple, but Samsung has also accused Apple of patent infringement and said in a previous filing that it was seeking compensation for damages.
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| ASUS launches AMD A75 chipset-based motherboards Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:10 PM PDT  New boards designed to take advantage of new AMD Accelerated Processing Units (APU). The new F1A75 Series motherboards are based on the based on the latest AMD A75 chipset and FM1 socket, which supports AMD's new Llano APUs. This new series is also equipped with the latest ASUS-exclusive technologies and features, including the Dual Intelligent Processors 2 (DIP2) with DIGI+ VRM for precise power control. The F1A75-V EVO is the world's first FM1 socket motherboard with dual x8/x8 PCI-Express for AMD CrossFireX support. The entire range of ASUS F1A75 Series motherboards are designed to support SATA 6Gbps and SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0). AMD's new APUs include AMD Radeon HD 6000 series processor graphics. Dual Graphics support means an additional PCI-Express Radeon GPU can lead to a performance boost up to 128 percent, in Radeon Dual Graphics mode. The new boards also feature an intuitive UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS, which features a graphical interface and support for a mouse to provide a more user-friendly experience. An EZ-Mode option built in allows for drag and drop boot priority settings, wwhile Advanced Mode allows experienced enthusiasts to tweak more intricate system settings.
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| Sprint letting users remove smartphone bloatware Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:06 PM PDT  If you have purchased an Android smartphone in the last year, chances are you have been stuck with a device that comes loaded with bloatware, pre-installed apps that are impossible to remove unless you root your device. Sprint is looking to change that, however, and starting with the release of the HTC EVO 3D it appears that owners can now remove said bloatware without having to go through the hassle of rooting their device and adding a clean ROM. The carrier says it listened to customer complaints and will continue the practice in the future. There is no official policy on pre-installed apps from the FCC or other groups so it is at the carrier's discretion how many apps they want to add to phones being sold on their network. One can only hope that major offenders Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile follow in Sprint's footsteps soon, giving users the freedom to remove apps that they will never use without having to resort to rooting their devices.
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| LaCie offers CloudBox; backup locally and in the cloud Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:59 PM PDT  Put your backups in the cloud for peace of mind. The LaCie CloudBox is a solution for backing up files that dramatically reduces the risk of catastrophic data loss. When you store data on the CloudBox, it is also transferred to the Cloud each day, ensuring that your data is always safe and accessible from anywhere. If you want to recover everything, the CloudBox can restore your entire online backup. If you just want to restore certain files, the CloudBox's Online Restore application allows you to browse and restore selections of files and folders, up to 10 previous versions. The CloudBox provides multiple levels of data security including two copies of your files and 128-bit AES data encryption. Your files are encrypted before they are sent to the cloud, meaning that nobody can gain access to your files, not even LaCie.      You can buy the CloudBox product in 100GB capacity, which includes a one year cloud backup contract. The CloudBox costs $199.99.
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| Sony seeing class-action lawsuit over PSN outage Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:47 PM PDT  Two months after the PSN was hacked and personal data on 101 million customer was compromised, Sony is facing a class-action lawsuit which accuses the company of negligence and lax security. The suit cites many "confidential" witnesses who claim that Sony's security was far from adequate and very open to attack. Those attacks on PSN servers caused Sony to take down the service for 24 days, a time when gamers could not play online or access the PS Store. The "smoking gun" of the lawsuit is the claim that Sony was actually firing people in their security division, prior to the attack (via Ars): Just two weeks before the April breach, Sony laid off a substantial percentage of its Sony Online Entertainment workforce, including a number of employees in the Network Operations Center, which, according to Confidential Witness 2, is the group that is responsible for preparing for and responding to security breaches, and who ostensibly has the skills to bring the Network's security technology up-to-date. As compensation, Sony offered 2 free games to all PS3 and PSP owners, as well as a free month of PlayStation Plus and 1 year of free identity theft protection but the suit says that isn't enough. The plaintiffs want "appropriate" restitution for class members, free credit-monitoring services, and "exemplary damages" if Sony is found guilty of negligent behavior.
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| PCI Express 4.0 to double throughput to 16 GT/s Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:46 PM PDT  PCI group doesn't see need to abandon copper interconnects just yet. According to reports from the PCI SIG (PCI Special Interest Group) developers conference, PCI Express 4.0 is expected to deliver at least 16 GT/s when it debuts, double the 8 GT/s throughput achieved with PCIe Gen 3. The next advancement of PCI Express isn't expected to make a hardware debut for about four years. "The initial report we got yesterday is a PCI Express 4.0 is feasible--we have to work out the details, but it is feasible," said Al Yanes, president of the PCI SIG. A group that includes AMD, HP, IBM and Intel have been carrying out experiments and have determined 16 GT/s is possible without having to jump to optical interconnects. "We think we can eke out one more turn of the crank out of copper, so we are not looking at optics yet," chairman of the PCI SIG's serial communications working chair, Ramin Neshanti, said.
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| Facebook hits 750 million users Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:28 PM PDT  It has only been almost a year since their last major milestone but growth has accelerated and Facebook has now reached 750 million users, massive growth by any standard. In July 2010, the company announced it had reached 500 million users. Facebook would not confirm the number, as it is evidently waiting for the 1 billion milestone but most active watchers believe the number is accurate, or at least very close. Despite the massive growth, some numbers suggest Facebook has reached saturation in the U.S., where active users fell by 6 million in the last month and where new members joined at a much slower pace than in the past. In an effort to create new revenue streams, Facebook has begun experimenting with sponsored status updates, which can be commented on by users. Facebook is set to IPO in the next year and has a current market value of $100 billion, making it one of the largest tech companies in the entire world.
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| DisplayPort standard gets active cables support Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:21 PM PDT  VESA announces support for longer active cables for DisplayPort standard. VESA - the Video Electronics Standards Association - announced an extension to the DisplayPort v1.2 standard to support active cables, which can be as much as five times longer than passive cables. To achieve the extra length, active cables boost and equalize the attenuated DisplayPort signal. The change, VESA believes, will help enthusiasts building / upgrading home theater systems, which are often strained by the short length of High-definition video cables (particularly those that come free with consumer electronics products.) With the addition of active cables to the DisplayPort standard, cables lengths of more than 100 feet (33 meters) are possible. Because active cables are directional and require each end to be connected to appropriate devices, VESA has developed a new DisplayPort active cable logo to assist cable users in identifying the source and sink ends of the cable. "Active cables are an important connectivity option for DisplayPort users," said Gourgen Oganessyan, vice-chair of the VESA Marketing Task Group and staff product marketing engineer at Intersil Corporation. "Active cables are increasingly being used in market segments ranging from industrial display and digital signage, to the home office. Through detailed compliance and test specifications, as well as our logo programs, VESA will ensure robust and consistent quality of these interconnects in the marketplace and interoperability with a wide variety of DisplayPort-enabled products."
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| Skype finally headed to iPad 2 Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:57 PM PDT  Skype has confirmed that it is imminently preparing an app for the popular Apple iPad 2 tablet. Earlier today, a leaked video showed off the app and the VoIP company confirmed its validity later in the day. It is unclear how long the app will take to get approved by Apple for the App Store but Skype seems to believe that approval is coming very soon. Using the Skype for iPad app will give users a chance to make audio and video calls, as well as chat via IM, even while in a call. You can use either of the iPad's two cameras and even make calls to mobile phones and landlines. It is unclear, however, whether group chat will be available from launch. Check the video here:
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| Apple patches over 30 bugs in OS X Snow Leopard Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:38 PM PDT  Apple has now released the final feature update for Mac OS X Snow Leopard this week, on the heels of the release of OS X 10.7 Lion. With the update comes 36 patches in SL and SL Server. Additionally, if you are still running the older Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, Apple has released an update for you, as well, fixing 13 bugs. If you are looking to download Lion eventually, you will probably need the new 10.6.8 Snow Leopard update, as one of the new features is "Enhancements to the Mac App Store to get your Mac ready to upgrade to Mac OS X Lion." From now on, all updates to Snow Leoaprd will be security related only. The update will be over 400MB, for those with bandwidth caps. More information here from Apple: About the security content of Mac OS X v10.6.8 and Security Update 2011-004
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| Xbox Live to add free-to-play games? Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:19 PM PDT  According to new reports, free-to-play games are headed to Xbox Live. Microsoft has been rumored to be speaking with developers for some time on adding F2P titles, as well as a micro-transaction service which would allow for quick in-game purchase. F2P games, like those found on mobile devices, rely on in-game upgrades (like new armor, poker chips, new maps, etc) or on ads to bring in revenue. The rumor has Microsoft starting the service in early 2012. Rival Sony has one F2P game for the PS3 and Nintendo has bluntly said they will not be starting a similar service for their consoles. Steam on the PC has support for newly added support for F2P, like the new "freed" game Team Fortress 2.
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia ray smartphone revealed Posted: 24 Jun 2011 05:25 PM PDT  Sony Ericsson's Xperia ray unveiled along with Sony Ericsson txt and Xperia active this week. The new Xperia ray smartphone runs the Android operating system (Gingerbread 2.3), and is powered by a 1GHz processor. It features a 3.3-inch display and packs an 8.1mp camera with Exmor R for mobile and HD video functionality. the phone incorporates a front facing camera and a scratch resistant screen with excellent resolution and brightness and integrated touch keys. Integration of Facebook inside Xperia creates a new customer experience for great social interaction with friends. "We expect Xperia ray to appeal to consumers who are looking for a combination of beautiful design and a rich feature set. We are able to uniquely deliver this with a combination of premium materials and multimedia features provided by Sony," said Daniel Sandblom, Global Product Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson.     Click to Enlarge. Sony Ericsson Xperia ray specs and featuresNote: The specifications below may not be entirely the same in every market. Colors
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| Sony Ericsson unveils Xperia active smartphone Posted: 24 Jun 2011 05:24 PM PDT  Sony Ericsson's Xperia active unveiled along with Sony Ericsson txt and Xperia ray this week. The new Xperia active smartphone runs the Android operating system (Gingerbread 2.3), and is powered by a 1GHz processor. It features a 3-inch display and 5 megapixel camera, is dust proof and water resistant. This smartphone features a corner user interface which comes pre-loaded with sports apps that enable users to easily track their fitness levels. By using the built-in GPS, barometer and compass in combination with the on-screen heart rate & pulse monitor, and the iMapMyFitness app, users can easily monitor their day to day performance. "Xperia active is the ultimate smartphone for an active life. Not only is it packed with all the features and applications consumers need for a worry free mobile life, it also comes with a set of accessories that make it fun and easy for them to take it everywhere, whatever their daily plans are," said Fredrik Månsson, Global Product Marketing Manager, Sony Ericsson.     Click to Enlarge. Sony Ericsson Xperia active specs and featuresNote: The specifications below may not be entirely the same in every market. Colors
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