Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

In the competition to establish the one true wireless power standard, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) is adding a big name partner today: Intel. The A4WP was formed last year by Samsung, Qualcomm, and wireless charging company Powermat, but now boasts over 50 members, including Broadcom, Sandisk and LG. That’s roughly the same as the Power Matters Alliance (PMA) and only a third the number of partners as the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), both of which back a different technology, inductive charging, under the names Qi and Power 2.0. Although the battle won’t likely be won or lost by a single partner, Intel’s decision is notable since it’s the first time the company has publicly backed any wireless charging standard. Continue reading…

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Intel picks a favorite in the wireless charging race with A4WP membership

Ford said a while back that it wanted more applications with support for voice control inside its vehicles, and slowly but surely the company’s getting what it wished for. Just as Spotify did a few months ago, SiriusXM is now introducing its own app for the SYNC AppLink ecosystem, giving drivers access to the internet radio service right from their Ford’s in-dash system. This also includes features like voice commands and steering wheel controls, as well as access to SiriusXM On Demand and MySXM. As part of the deal with the Satellite Radio company, the American car maker announced that customers purchasing one of those SYNC AppLink-ready autos will get a six-month subscription to the All Access Package — which is usually $199 per year and has more than 160 channels to choose from.

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SiriusXM internet radio coming to Ford’s SYNC AppLink, complete with in-dash controls

The rumored partnership between Twitter and Viacom has come to fruition. The companies said today they have struck a deal to embed clips from popular Viacom shows and events inside Twitter, starting with the MTV Music Awards on August 25th. It’s a high-profile push into television that could prove lucrative for Twitter as it prepares for an eventual initial public offering. People will be able to tweet out ad-supported clips from the awards show, which Twitter says was the most-discussed news event of 2012 at 14.7 million tweets

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Viacom to debut TV highlights on Twitter at MTV Music Awards

It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything out of the gTar camp — nearly half a year in fact, when the company announced pre-orders the week of CES. This morning the Kickstarted instrument manufacturer broke the silence by announcing that it’ll be opening up its SDK for both iOS and Javascript, letting developers create apps for browsers and Apple’s mobile operating system. The learning-friendly instrument already has a bit of a head start, as it’s presently compatible with more than 150 apps, according to the company. Compatibility also extends to Ableton Live, via an “unofficial custom script” that makes it possible to use the gTar’s fretboard as a control panel for the popular DJ software. Filed under: Misc Comments Source: gTar

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gTar opens up iOS and Javascript SDK, adds Ableton Live compatibility

The European Commission and officials in several countries are asking Google executive Eric Schmidt whether Google is equipped to deal with the privacy implications of its Glass heads-up display. In an open letter , privacy commissioners from Israel, Switzerland, Mexico, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as a representative of the EU’s privacy-focused Article 29 Working Party, raised questions about Project Glass’ privacy policy and asked whether they could test its capabilities first-hand. “To date, what information we have about Google Glass … largely comes from media reports, which contain a great deal of speculation, as well as Google’s own publicizing of the device,” wrote the officials

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European Commission and others question Google about Glass privacy issues

Dolphins’ relentless smiles aren’t smiles at all. According to researcher Lori Marino , the animal’s jaw structure just happens to make it look that way — but that hasn’t stopped humans from associating their apparently tireless grins with joy, healing, and divinity for millennia. Over the past several decades, that association has led people to believe in a supposed therapeutic relief that comes alongside swimming with dolphins, and healing seminars have popped up to capitalize on the notion. The therapies are marketed heavily toward helping autistic children and can cost thousands of dollars for a session. But as it turns out, there’s no more benefit to swimming with dolphins than to running around with a dog

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Dolphins aren’t smiling and definitely won’t heal you

As part of Late Night ‘s “Video Game Week,” Jimmy Fallon has had the opportunity to play with both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. But while Monday night’s Xbox One demo ran through the console’s multimedia features and showed off Killer Instinct and Forza , Sony Tuesday night took the opportunity to highlight its competitor’s complex online and used game policies. Continue reading…

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PS4 appearance on Jimmy Fallon highlights Microsoft’s struggle to explain Xbox One policies

Behold, a ready-made answer for those who own a Linux-powered fruit machine but who are still looking for new ways to use it. It’s a simple media center starter kit, fresh out and shipping today, which makes it easy to hook your Raspberry Pi up to an HDMI display and use it to play video or music from the internet or your home network through the wonders of XBMC . Known simply as “XBMC Solution,” it consists of the Raspbmc software on a bootable SD card (this is an all-in-one install that combines XBMC with a lightweight Linux distro), a rechargeable RF controller with a small keyboard and touchpad to aid navigation (it’s generic, unbranded, and even has a “Win” key, but it works fine), plus Ethernet and HDMI cables in case you don’t have any going spare. Read on for more. Gallery: Raspberry Pi XBMC Solution Filed under: Home Entertainment , Networking , Internet , Software , HD Comments Source: Element14

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Raspberry Pi gets its own media center kit: £46 for easy XBMC and controller (hands-on)

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston has taken to Reddit for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session . As expected, the majority of questions center around his work on the hit TV show and his portrayal of meth kingpin Walter White, but Cranston also confirms he was once a voiceover artist for the Power Rangers , talks about his charity commitments, and offers some very dark responses in his examination by Reddit users. If you can’t wait for the final season of Breaking Bad to begin, Cranston’s AMA may help tide you over until Heisenberg returns to wreak havoc on our screens on August 11th. Continue reading…

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‘Breaking Bad’ star Bryan Cranston shows his dark side in Reddit AMA

Tesla is recalling some Model S vehicles manufactured between May 10th and June 8th 2013. In a PSA on the company’s website, Tesla founder Elon Musk notes that an incorrectly-welded mounting bracket for the left-hand latch of the rear seats “could be weaker than intended.” The defect could cause the seat back to come loose in the event of a crash. Musk stresses that there have been no complaints, no injuries (that the company is aware of), and no weld failures. Customers affected by the fault will be contacted by Tesla, which will pick up the car from “a location of the owner’s convenience” and provide a Model S loaner while the issue is addressed, which Musk says will take “a few hours.” Continue reading…

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Tesla issues partial recall of Model S electric sedan

Following last year’s first expansion into Europe , Netflix is stepping into another nearby market: The Netherlands. Later this year, the low-altitude nation will be getting access to Hollywood fare, local and global TV and films, and Netflix’s own original series like House of Cards and Arrested Development, but so far the company hasn’t announced any pricing information. Branching out into new markets has been a key goal for CEO Reed Hastings, who has overseen an expansion into over 40 countries over the past two years, including much of Latin America, the Nordic countries, the UK and Ireland. Last month, reports in the Belgian press indicated that Netflix was planning to move into not only The Netherlands, but also France and..

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Netflix to launch in the Netherlands in late 2013, France and Belgium next?

The latest software update for Sony’s PlayStation 3 appears to be locking up some people’s systems, leaving them unusable. Polygon reports that Version 4.45 of the PS3 firmware was just released on Tuesday, but already, 23 pages of responses related to the issue have been posted to the PlayStation Community Forums . While not everyone that has the new software is reporting the error, it does appear to be widespread, and we’d advise holding off on that latest software update until Sony responds. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.

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PSA: PlayStation 3 owners report update 4.45 locks up their machines

The US and Russian governments have agreed to repurpose a Cold War-era hotline in a new pact that they say will prevent any chance of cyberwar between the two countries. As a part of the agreement, formalized on Tuesday at a G-8 Summit in Ireland, the two nations said they will regularly share information on hacking incidents and other cyber attacks seen in their countries, both electronically and by way of a pre-existing direct phone line. The alliance comes after more than two years of negotiations between the US and Russia over what information should be shared and how, the White House said in a statement . Continue reading…

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US and Russia agree to use Cold War-era hotline to stave off cyberwar

Chipotle is letting its customers know a little more about their burritos by opening up about the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within its ingredients. The Mexican-themed fast food restaurant has begun marking all products that include GMOs on the company website, helping to bolster its focus on organic and local foods. According to NaturalNews , this makes Chipotle the first US restaurant chain to include such labels. Eventually, the chain also wants to eliminate GMOs from its menu entirely. Continue reading…

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Chipotle becomes first US fast food chain to label all genetically modified ingredients

US Congressman Anthony Weiner New York’s thriving tech sector may wish Mayor Michael Bloomberg would keep extending those term limits. Come January 1st, the country’s largest and most influential city, as well as its second largest hub for tech companies, will have a new leader. Judging from a panel discussion last night between four of the candidates, not one of them appears ready to fill Bloomberg’s shoes when it comes to thinking creatively about technology. Continue reading…

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For New York’s tech scene, Mayor Bloomberg is a tough act to follow

“Over 50″ possible terrorist threats, including plans to bomb the New York Stock Exchange and NYC subway system, are said to have been thwarted by the surveillance efforts of the National Security Agency and other intelligence groups since 9/11. The details were revealed at a congressional hearing on Tuesday morning by General Keith Alexander, director of the NSA. Alexander noted that the foiled plots occurred worldwide — not just domestically — though specific details for most incidents aren’t being publicly given at the moment. According to NBC News , a congressional committee will be briefed on classified details of all of the attacks this Wednesday. Alexander said 702 was necessary Alexander also took the opportunity to expanded..

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‘Over 50′ terrorist plots were stopped by surveillance efforts, says NSA director

Searching for people or messages inside Apple’s Messages for Mac can be downright unbearable . Typing anything into the app’s search bar is liable to slow your computer to a halt, even after some tweaks Apple made in its latest OS X update. Flexibits, the maker of Fantastical, thinks it has a fix: Today the company is launching Chatology , an app for searching through all the instant messaging logs on your Mac. If you’ve hooked up iMessage, it will search through those messages, too. Continue reading…

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Beach ball, no more: Chatology aims to fix OS X’s messaging misfortune

Tesla is to show off its new battery swap technology at an event at its California design studio on June 20th. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce the event, confirming reports that the company would soon allow Tesla S owners to drive longer distances without needing to wait for the battery to charge at a local Supercharger station. Continue reading…

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Elon Musk to demonstrate Tesla battery swapping tech on June 20th

The Raspberry Pi-focused XBMC port Raspbmc’s June changelog is a lengthy one. Among the changes are new settings, new skins, support for the Stealth Nighthawk F117A device and changes to make booting up faster, among many other things. Getting this month’s update should only require rebooting one’s Raspberry Pi, and a few new mirrors that have joined the network should make downloading the updated software even faster. That’s not all however, because the July update is promising Linux kernel updates, Raspbmc “Cloud” features with automatic settings backup / restore across multiple devices and an unspecified “special announcement.” Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD Comments Source: Raspbmc

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Raspbmc’s June build brings a slew of tweaks: cloud backups and more coming in July

Microsoft has been experimenting with various new ways to create ad platforms on Windows 8 and Xbox, but this week the company is launching a new format designed to create interactive and panoramic adverts within applications. The software giant has teamed up with a number of agencies to create concepts that show off the potential for the new “Ad Pano” ad format. The new ads are a big change from the traditional pop up and banner ads found on the web.

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Microsoft’s iAd-like Windows 8 ads could entice clicks within apps

AMD is finally set to release an all-ARM processor next year, but rather than a low-power chip made for smartphones and tablets, “Seattle” is a 64-bit processor intended for use in servers . The American chipmaker, which has been Intel’s understudy in the x86 market for decades, previously announced it would integrate ARM into its processors , and has already done so with an x86-ARM hybrid chip meant for the “embedded ” market. “Seattle,” however, represents the first time the company has moved away from x86 entirely for a processor. It’s set to debut in 2014. Continue reading…

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AMD moves away from Intel with its first ARM processor

It’s been a mere few weeks since Shazam introduced those new location-based and tagging features for the tablet version of its iOS app, but the music-driven service isn’t stopping there. Reaching version 6.1 on Apple’s platform, today Shazam’s universal application is bringing a few more tidbits to both the iPhone and iPad. Handset users, for one, will notice speedier load times within the app and a rather fresh look that focuses on displaying more info on the tab bar — such as friend tags and chart updates. On the bigger screen, Shazam says it’s improved things by allowing users to more easily delete tags from Favorites and by adding under-the-hood tweaks which should make for a smoother experience while browsing the Friends feed. The bigger news, perhaps, is Shazam Pulse, a music discovery tool that’s making its way to the iOS app , one which allows folks to quickly see and sample the music currently being tagged by people

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Shazam for iOS updated with Pulse discovery feature, redesigned tab bar on iPhone

For Nuance, it’s not enough that Dragon Mobile Assistant spares Android users from pecking at the keyboard — with the app’s new 4.0 upgrade, those users can sometimes avoid contact altogether. Dragon Mobile Assistant can now detect when you’re in a moving car and automatically invoke a Driver Mode that relies solely on voice recognition and feedback, keeping your focus on the road. Accordingly, the upgrade builds in spoken notifications for inbound calls, messages, upcoming meetings and Facebook updates. There’s also voice-aware email and customizable wake up commands.

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Dragon Mobile Assistant 4 for Android adds driving mode, voice notifications

Of the nine major tech companies at the heart of Eric Snowden’s revelations about an NSA spying program called PRISM, over the past week, Facebook, Microsoft , and most recently Apple have all opted to publish the total number of data requests they’ve received from the government. Today, they’re being joined by Yahoo , which announced that over the past six months it’s received between 12,000 and 13,000 such requests. Because of the Obama administration’s requirement to obfuscate the data, that number includes ordinary law enforcement requests and secret FISA orders, without a further breakdown.

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Yahoo reveals some data request numbers, urges openness on secret FISA orders

“I have a boss now, I guess,” says Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe. “The board.” On Monday, the virtual reality headset company announced that it had finished raising $15 million in Series A venture capital led by Spark Capital and Matrix Partners, adding a new level of management in the process. Both Spark and Matrix will have seats on the Oculus board of directors, guiding the company from here on out. Will new money and new directors change any of the startup company’s plans, though? Oculus says no.

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Oculus VR says plans won’t change, as it raises $15 million in venture capital for its virtual reality dreams