Posts Tagged ‘windows 8’

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

How’s about this for a coincidence? We’ve just benchmarked the Snapdragon 800 reference tablet , with some very nice results, and now Bloomberg is reporting that Microsoft will use a Qualcomm chip in its next refresh of the Surface RT . The report, based on insider sources, doesn’t stretch to detailing whether we’ll be looking at the flagship 800 processor specifically, but that’d seem like a logical upgrade for the current hybrid which runs on NVIDIA’s Tegra 3 and already feels underpowered. As for NVIDIA, the same unconfirmed report suggests that the company will still have a role to play as a supplier “for some versions” of Microsoft’s product. That’s a curious notion, because it implies we might see multiple iterations of the Surface RT to suit different price points or markets (e.g., those with or without LTE), and at least one version of those could house a Tegra 4 .

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Bloomberg: Next Surface RT will use Qualcomm chip, may come in multiple versions

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

“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

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

Microsoft has long supported a linked accounts feature for its Hotmail and Outlook.com service, allowing users to simply switch between Microsoft Accounts without having to enter passwords. The feature was originally introduced in 2006, but Microsoft says it plans to stop supporting it over the next couple of months. Security fears led to feature change Microsoft blames security for the change of heart, noting that users would often keep their primary account password up-to-date, but failed to regularly change the password on associated accounts.

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Microsoft killing off Outlook.com linked accounts feature in favor of aliases

Samsung is planning to release a variant of the Galaxy S4 that supports LTE Advanced (LTE-A), the next generation of superfast mobile data. The device will come to South Korea within weeks, Samsung Mobile head J.K. Shin tells Reuters . The updated device could prop sales of its flagship up as Apple and other competitors bring new smartphones to the market.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE Advanced coming soon, but most carriers aren’t ready

The NSA has the authority to get the gelocation info from your phone, but it chooses not to exercise it, reports The Wall Street Journal . Citing a statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), it writes that the NSA program doesn’t collect “any cell phone locational information.” An unnamed official stated that location data doesn’t provide enough intelligence to justify the amount of resources that would be required to manage it. Earlier this month, a leaked secret court order exposed a secret NSA intelligence program for compiling ” telephony metadata ” such as time and duration of calls, IMEI numbers, and “comprehensive communications routing information,” the latter of which could be used to track…

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Report: NSA doesn’t collect citizens’ geolocation data because it would cost too much

Google is working on a new plan that would help to wipe child porn from the web. The upcoming technology will allow websites, law enforcement agencies, and charities to build a collective database of abusive imagery that should be hidden and removed, according to The Telegraph , which has been briefed on the plan. These groups have already been identifying and blocking abusive content individually, but so far there’s been no easy way for each group’s knowledge to be shared. Google’s new plan simply creates an open database, allowing any group to easily contribute its findings. The plan comes on the heels of recent pressure by British politicians for Google and other search engines to step up their filtering.

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Google to battle child porn with new industry-wide image blocking tool

We already know about Microsoft’s impending Windows 8 overhaul , but previews of app specific updates have been few and far between. Now, thanks to an apparent Windows Store update on leaked builds , we’re starting to see what kind of updates we can expect. In addition to updates for the news, weather, travel, finance and sports apps (see the video after the break), images are leaking for the OS’ new calculator application, sound recorder, Movie Moments and an Xbox Music redesign. It’s hard to judge these tweaks without actually handling the update ourselves, but we’ll say it again for good measure: we may have to review Windows 8 all over again. Comments Via: Verge , WPCentral Source: Twitter (BAV0) , YouTube

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Leaked Windows 8.1 screenshots show off Xbox Music, Movie Moments apps

Nine years ago, top officials in the Justice Department and FBI threatened to resign over then-President George W. Bush’s sweeping domestic surveillance policy, which they believed to be illegal. As the Washington Post reports , acting attorney general James Comey, FBI director Robert Mueller, and top leadership in the Justice Department began drafting resignation letters in March of 2004, after the National Security Agency (NSA), at Bush’s direction, began collecting metadata on emails and Skype calls sent and placed within the US. Their threats ultimately forced Bush to back off his plans, marking the end of STELLARWIND — the moniker for four government surveillance programs that expanded the NSA’s reach to American citizens and US..

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President Bush’s top intelligence officials nearly resigned over NSA surveillance concerns

We all know the feeling. You’re sleepless in the sad hours of the night or stumbling around early on a hazy weekend morning in need of something to read, and that pile of unread books just isn’t cutting it. Why not take a break from the fire hose of Twitter and RSS and check out our weekly roundup of essential writing from around the web about technology, culture, media, and the future? Sure, it’s one more thing you can feel guilty about sitting in your Instapaper queue, but it’s better than pulling in vain on your Twitter list again. Grab all of these as a Readlist

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The best writing of the week, June 16

Microsoft is tweaking a number of its built-in apps for Windows 8.1, but the Music app appears to include the most changes. A freshly redesigned copy of the Windows Store in leaked builds of Windows 8.1 has revealed the new user interface for Xbox Music. Microsoft previously revealed to The Verge that the focus with the new Music app is on playing songs, noting you can now play music in two clicks rather than six.

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Xbox Music and Windows Store redesigns revealed in Windows 8.1

Since the story broke last week of the NSA’s secret compilation of Americans’ phone call metadata , the overwhelming response from government has been ” nobody is listening to your telephone calls ” — that the data being collected is limited to things like phone numbers and call durations. Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, it now looks like the feds are listening. Or at the very least, they don’t require a court order just to do so. Continue reading…

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Report: NSA briefing reveals agency can listen in on your phone calls without court approval

Following continued demands for more transparency, the Obama administration is said to be considering declassifying a secret court order that would shed light upon recent leaks. According to NPR , the administration may release an order that permits the NSA to gather phone call records on millions of American citizens. The order would apparently expand upon the leaked Verizon court order by explaining specific constraints on the surveillance program, as well as the safeguards in place to protect US citizens’ rights and privacy.

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Obama administration may declassify key court order on NSA surveillance, says NPR

Google has unveil what it’s calling its “latest moonshot” out of the Google X labs. It’s called “Project Loon,” and as reported last month , it involved sending up a huge number of giant balloons to beam down internet access to remote regions around the globe. Google says that balloons make sense for this purpose — they’re cheap to deploy and can provide wireless coverage in areas that would otherwise be difficult to serve due to geography. Like Google’s driverless cars, Project Loon is very much an experiment that’s in “very early days.” Google says that it has already built the system, however, carrying balloon at 60,000 feet, providing internet speeds “similar to today’s 3G networks or faster.” Balloons drift, of course, so Google…

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Google unveils ‘Project Loon,’ an experiment to bring ballon-powered internet to ‘the entire world’

Earlier this week I stood in line outside a food bank in downtown Los Angeles. People chattered in my ears, but those in front of me didn’t move. I walked several steps down the line, leaning into the face of a stoic woman. Behind me I head the sound of commotion

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Digital empathy: how ‘Hunger in Los Angeles’ broke my heart in a virtual world

If Samsung’s standard Galaxy S4 somehow isn’t durable enough for your day-to-day activities, take note: AT&T will be offering the toughened Galaxy S4 Active beginning June 21st. The water-resistant and dustproof handset will be priced at $199 on contract and is set to be available in gray and blue varieties. Other than its resistance to the elements, the Galaxy S4 Active largely resembles its regular counterpart when it comes to internal specs. The main difference here is that the 1080p display is an LCD rather than an OLED panel, and the S4 Active’s camera has a lower megapixel count.

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AT&T launching Galaxy S4 Active June 21st for $199, pre-orders start June 14th

Nintendo showed off new gameplay footage of its upcoming sequel to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past yesterday, and we managed to get our hands on the 3DS game here at E3. In the brief 10-minute-long demo it was clear that A Link Between Worlds doesn’t shake up the formula too much, but it does add new elements that make for some particularly interesting new puzzles. “This is not a remake,” said series producer Eiji Aonuma, “but a whole new game.” Continue reading…

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Back to the future: Nintendo’s new ‘Legend of Zelda’ games have a new look but the same feel