Sweden fines pirate $650,000 for illegally sharing a single film
Sure, it’s no Somalia, but Sweden’s been fighting plenty of its own battles against piracy — of the digital variety. The former home of Pirate Bay, the infamous online repository for everything the RIAA and MPAA stand against, has just fined an unnamed 28-year-old man 4.3 million krona (about $650,000) for uploading a single film to a torrent site. Granted, an anti-piracy group called Rights Alliance described the man as the country’s “worst ever” pirate, according to a BBC report, so just because this fine covers only one film, he’s likely responsible for ripping off plenty more. In fact, the same court that assigned the fine also convicted the man of sharing 517 other flicks — that charge brought a rather tame punishment, including a suspended jail sentence and 160 hours of community service.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: BBC
Source: Rights Alliance
Microsoft releases standalone Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps for Windows Phone 8
Microsoft appears to be taking a page from Google’s approach to core software updates: It just launched standalone Xbox Music and Xbox Video apps for Windows Phone 8 users. The music app (currently deemed a preview) is largely what we’ve seen in Microsoft’s integrated software, but it also lets you edit playlists and sync radio stations. A completed version is due in 2014, the company says. The video client, meanwhile, resurrects functionality that hasn’t been a part of the OS since Windows Phone 7; you can now download or stream Xbox Video content directly from your handset, with playback syncing between phones, PCs and game consoles. There’s no certainty that Xbox Music and Xbox Video represent the first steps toward OS-independent media apps in the rumored Windows Phone 8.1 upgrade, but you can at least try them today.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: Windows Phone Store (1), (2)
App Store coming to Pebble smartwatch early next year
There’s no shortage of apps and watchfaces specially made for the Pebble smartwatch, but the experience of finding your favorites can be a rather frustrating (and confusing) one. Current users have to hunt through a litany of apps and third-party websites like mypebblefaces.com to customize (or download) the perfect watchface — and perhaps a game or two — and once you’ve unlocked that achievement, it’s on to the official Pebble app to get it installed. The watch needs a centralized App Store to restore peace and order to such chaos, and Pebble’s officially announced that such a service is in the works and should be available to consumers in early 2014.
The new App Store will be included as part of the official Pebble App and will come with seven categories: Remotes, Games, Notifications, Tools & Utilities, Watchfaces, Sports & Fitness and Daily. Of course, none of that matters if they’re all empty, so to ensure that the nascent Store has a solid number of options when it launches, Pebble is now inviting developers to submit their apps as of this morning. Since the App Store won’t support older apps, devs will need to make sure their apps run on version 2.0 of Pebble’s SDK, which launched a couple months ago. And if you’re particularly endeared to a certain third-party site or service that isn’t available in said App Store, you’re still covered — Pebble will continue to allow you to install apps the traditional way.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Wireless, Mobile
Source: Pebble
Twitter’s story coming to a TV near you, thanks to ‘Hunger Games’ producer
In a world where history changes 140 characters at a time, what’s the above message if not the recipe for a bonafide Television hit? According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hunger Games producer Allison Shearmur is teaming up with Lionsgate Television to get all The Social Network with the best-seller Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship and Betrayal. The details are pretty scant beyond that for now, though the term “power grab” is used at least once in the writeup, which always makes for compelling TV. Lionsgate’s recent production credits include the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. Perhaps we’ll be seeing the world’s first big budget Vine-based TV show, six-second power grabs at a time?
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Software, HD
LG Unveils New Chromebase Desktop
The Chrome OS jumps from the laptop to the desktop, as LG unveils a new all-in-on desktop with a new version of Chrome called Chromebase on it. LG plans to make this desktop affordable for those out there who do not want to spend a ton on a new desktop, and they plan on showing it off in January at CES 2014. Here are the specs to the new desktop:
- Processor: Intel® Celeron® CPU
- Operating System: Chrome OS
- Display: 21.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS
- Memory: 2 GB
- Storage: 16GB iSSD
- Ports: HDMI-in, USB 2.0 x3, USB 3.0 x1, LAN
- Accessories: Keyboard, Mouse, Cable Organizer
- Webcam: 1.3 M 720 HD
Not too bad if you aren’t looking for anything extravagant. Hopefully we will run into LG’s booth at CES, so we can give the new desktop a run. Let us know your thoughts about the new desktop. Would this be something you would get?
Source: Droid-Life
T-Mobile to usher in 2014 with Uncarrier 4.0
Get ready for yet another set of features for T-Mobile’s Uncarrier strategy. As if it was not already helping the carrier grow its base, T-Mobile’s Uncarrier initiative is about to get even better. The wireless provider’s CEO, John Legere took to Twitter late last night to tease something for the new year.
The annual Consumer Electronics Show gets started in early January so it makes sense that they announce something that week. As to what they’ll be rolling out remains unclear at this stage. And, really, what else is there that needs improvement? What’s this particular pain point?
#ItsAboutCustomers -Time to eliminate another customer pain point? Time for #Uncarrier4? Yes it’s time! Stay tuned…Happy New Year #Randall
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) December 18, 2013
Oh, and how about that #Randall? Wonder if that’s a shot at AT&T’s CEO Randall Stephenson. Yeah, it probably is.
The post T-Mobile to usher in 2014 with Uncarrier 4.0 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
3D systems buys a piece of Xerox to expand 3D printing empire
We’re a mere weeks from 2014, and here’s a sign of the times: a 3D printing company has just picked up a piece of Xerox, a name that’s still a bit hard for many to divorce from images of office printers and industrial copiers. Of course, 3D Systems isn’t exactly a new kid on the block. The company may not possess the relative name recognition of a MakerBot, but it’s been in the game for almost 30 years, founded by the inventor of the rapid prototyping technology that would give birth to the world of 3D printing. The $32.5 million acquisition announced this morning involves a chunk of Xerox’s solid ink product design, engineering and chemistry team in Oregon with more than 100 or so employees joining 3D Systems. The team, labs and IP involved will likely have its biggest impact on 3D Systems’ booming industrial wing, with the two companies having already collaborated on the Star Trekifying Projet line, which has become something of an industry standard for rapid prototyping.
Source: 3D Systems
Single-charger standard proposed for laptops to reduce e-waste, frustration
The group that successfully pushed for a common smartphone charging-connection (in Europe) now has its sights on a bigger target: laptops. The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) recently proposed mandating power supply compatibility across manufacturers and models as a way to reduce e-waste. While the idea of one charger to rule them all sounds rad, the IEC is quick to temper our excitement, saying that due to technical realities, this initiative is still likely a long way from being achievable. Sadly, it looks like the days of replacing entire computers because the power brick was discontinued aren’t over just yet.
[Image credit: Ian Sane/Flickr]
Filed under: Laptops
Via: IT Pro Portal
Apple’s new Mac Pro will finally go on sale December 19th
We knew it was coming, now it’s almost here. Apple has confirmed that the new Mac Pro will go on sale from tomorrow, starting at $3,000. For that, you’ll get a 3.7GHz quad-core Xeon CPU (“with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.9 GHz”), 12GB DRAM, two AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, and a 256GB SSD. As usual, you’ll be able to order online via Apple’s online store, through various resellers and, perhaps most importantly, Apple’s retail stores. While there’s no word on whether you’ll be able to walk out of an Apple Store with a Mac Pro tomorrow, the fact that it’s assembled in the US suggests that could be the case, at least in the States. We’ve contacted Apple for clarification and will update you when we know more.
Source: Apple (Businesswire)
Glyph is a high-res wearable display headed to Kickstarter for $499
We were sold on Avegant’s retinal head-mounted display even when it looked like this, but the company’s latest reveal has us throwing balls of cash at the screen. The consumer version will be branded as Glyph, and it’s set to debut January 22nd on Kickstarter with a pre-order price of $499. Avegant had its previous-gen prototype on hand last month at Engadget Expand, and the refreshed version (pictured above) will be on display at CES — it looks quite nice in the render, but this is a product you’ll really need to see to believe.
The device will sport integrated noise-canceling headphones with a flip-down display, enabling the unit to double as a standard set of cans when you’re not in the mood to consume super-sharp video content projected from the built-in virtual retinal display. We spent a few minutes with the final headphone design this week, and audio sounded great, but you’ll have to hang tight until CES for a full hands-on with the refreshed version. For now, click through for our hands-on demo with the previous prototype, narrated by Avegant CEO Ed Tang.
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