Amazon might launch Kindle-powered checkout system and cloud-based payment service
Amazon might still be working away on its far-out delivery drone project, but it’s also reportedly cooking up something else, admittedly a little tamer, too: a Kindle checkout system and a P2P payment service. Yes, the former’s exactly what it sounds like — a Kindle tablet equipped with proprietary software and a credit card reader (like Square), at least according to the Wall Street Journal. Amazon supposedly acquired GoPago (a mobile payment platform for merchants) in 2013 to nudge this venture forward, though TechCrunch says it’s not the only payment solution the firm’s developing. Apparently, the company’s also creating a cloud-based P2P payment system that might be accessible not just on mobile phones, but also on desktops, making it a veritable PayPal competitor. We just hope it doesn’t tie up with Amazon’s plans to “ship before you buy” if it does launch, because surprise credit card charges are a nightmare.
Filed under: Tablets, Mobile, Amazon
Source: The Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch
Nintendo Confirms No Games Coming to iOS, But Service App in the Works
During a strategy briefing that took place in Osaka, Japan, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata today confirmed (via The Wall Street Journal) that Nintendo has plans to “actively” use service apps for smart devices, but does not have plans to introduce key Nintendo software, like its portfolio of games, on third party platforms.
According to Iwata, Nintendo is aiming to use service apps to both build a bridge with its customers and deliver information on Nintendo products. Service apps are not intended to make money for the company, but instead will be used to “make connections with customers.”
Iwata did acknowledge that Nintendo’s apps would need to be more than a simple advertisement in order to engage customers, but he did not elaborate on what tactics the company would use to entice customers to use a Nintendo app. Neither a potential release date or nor any additional information on the content of the service app was divulged.
Iwata did, however, say that the game console will continue to be at the center of Nintendo’s strategy and there are no plans for the company to abandon its hardware business.
News of Nintendo’s foray into mobile first surfaced in mid-January after company president Satoru Iwata indicated Nintendo would consider a new business structure involving smart devices in light of increasing competition from both iOS and Android and competing consoles.
On Monday, Japanese business newspaper Nikkei suggested Nintendo would release an iOS and Android app featuring game information and playable mini games, but Nintendo quickly refuted the claim and insisted it had no plans to make Nintendo software available on mobile devices.
Earlier today, Nintendo missed its earnings forecast and announced an operating loss of 1.58 billion yen ($15.3 million) for the December quarter. The company expects another loss of 33.4 billion for the final quarter of the year with a total operating loss of 35 billion yen ($355 million) for 2013.
During today’s event, Nintendo also announced plans to bolster its profits by introducing an on-demand gaming service, allowing Wii U players to access Nintendo DS games, and releasing a non-wearable health monitoring device in 2015.
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White Xbox One and an all-digital, less expensive console reportedly coming fall 2014
Microsoft’s white employee-only Xbox One could become a little less exclusive. The snow-colored console is rumored to appear alongside the cartoony shooter Sunset Overdrive this October, and a 1TB version of the hardware might release in November according to a NeoGAF thread that’s been confirmed by The Verge‘s sources. What’s more, Microsoft’s latest console may also see worldwide release this year sans Blu-ray drive for $399. With the annual DICE Summit and Game Developers Conference not far off on the horizon, it might not be long before we see these rumors publicly confirmed. We’ve reached out to Redmond and will update this post if we hear back.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Via: The Verge
Source: NeoGAF
Daily Roundup: camera with gun-like sight, Nintendo execs take pay cut, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nintendo execs take big pay cuts
It’s no secret that Wii sales haven’t exactly met expectations. To make up the difference, AFP is reporting that several Nintendo execs are taking significant pay cuts. Click the link for details.
Olympus Stylus SP-100 with unique gun sight
Olympus’ new $400 Stylus SP-100 camera packs 50x superzoom and mid-ranged specs, but its unique “Eagle-Eye” viewfinder might make photographers feel like they’re shooting more than just photos. Click the link for more information.
AT&T is leaving subsidized phones behind
AT&T matched T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier” campaign with its so-called Next plan, and it seems to be working. Click through for more information as Engadget’s Brad Molen breaks down the future of the US wireless industry.
Underwhelming Google Glass games
In an effort to inspire developers to populate the Glass ecosystem, Google threw together some games for the headset … and they’re nothing to write home about. Click the link for details.
Filed under: Misc
Flipboard now learns from your reading habits, arranges your favorites in sections
In an effort to predict what you want to read, Flipboard is updating its Cover Stories to learn from your perusing habits. This section of the app learns how you navigate content and will feature articles from sections that you spend the most time reading — rather than displaying selections in the order they’re posted. Here, stories will also be sorted by source, social network and topic for quick scanning, and the mute function is still in play for the text you wish to hide. The outfit plans to integrate the functionality in other areas of the app too, like its curated magazine The Weekend. Android and iOS users can expect to see the new Cover Stories features soon, as the roll out has already begun.
Filed under: Software
Join the Engadget HD Podcast live on Ustream at 8:45PM ET
It’s not Tuesday and but it is time for the Engadget HD Podcast. We hope you’ll join us live when the Engadget HD podcast starts recording at 8:45PM. Tonight we cover the recent TiVo rumors, some interesting earnings, as well as other top HD news. If you’ll be joining us, take a peek at the topics after the break — then do everything else you’ll need to do in order to be ready to participate in the live chat.
TiVo reportedly lays off industrial design team, sees its future in DVR software
New Apple TV may include a revamped interface, more kinds of content
Rumors suggest Amazon’s game console project is still alive
Netflix ends 2013 with 44 million subscribers, will keep experimenting with pricing
Netflix ‘post-play’ feature that automatically jumps to the next episode is now optional
Time Warner Cable customers can now stream on-demand shows from A&E Networks
Google offers Fiber to more Provo residents, to expand coverage area throughout 2014
Samsung profits drop slightly, but it’s still seeing increased demand for phones, tablets
LG shrinks losses thanks to strong TV sales, promises new flagship phone next month
Blu-ray discs may soon get billions of colors with new encoding tech
Must See HDTV for the week of January 27th: Super Bowl XLVIII, State of the Union Address
Filed under: HD
Nintendo’s strategy to save its gaming kingdom: DS virtual console on Wii U, GamePad focus, on-demand service
It’s been tough times for Nintendo. Its Wii U console has sold, in a year, 5 million units. Sounds decent enough, until you realize that’s roughly the same number as both the PS4 and the Xbox One — both on sale for mere months. Nintendo kicked off a business strategy briefing today in Tokyo, but it won’t involve playing Nintendo titles elsewhere. The CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn’t pessimistic about the future of the company, reiterating that Nintendo would not be giving up the hardware side of the business. So what’s stopped the Wii U from succeeding so far?
Nintendo’s CEO announced at the start of the presentation that he wasn’t pessimistic about the future of the company, and that they would not be giving up on hardware
The Nintendo boss admits that recognition of the GamePad’s role has been difficult, and that many people view it as an accessory for the console. Most interestingly, however, was the mention of an on-demand gaming service across games consoles, with the service based on your Nintendo ID rather than a device you owned. Bigger news still, is that you will see Nintendo DS games appear on the Wii U, via virtual console. Iwata added that the team will seek a partner to increase exposure for games and hardware — it will even, gasp, license character rights to other companies.
When it comes to gaming on the Wii U, the CEO said they will focus on games that make the most the tablet-esque GamePad, especially titles with NFC — expect to see announcements on this at E3 2014. Mario Kart 8 will also launch in May, and will apparently make strong use of the GamePad. At the same time, Nintendo is working on ensuring a faster start time when its used without a TV.
He said that Nintendo needed to identify new markets and opportunities. According to David Gibson, senior research analyst at Macquarie Securities in Tokyo, Iwata added that it “doesn’t make sense for Nintendo to do business on smartphones.” More nebulously, the company will, however, “actively” use smart devices to connect with customers, making the approach sound more like an app than playable game demo. Nintendo’s Iwata added that simple advertising wasn’t enough, and that the company needed any smartphone presence to be fun and engaging.
Finally, the Nintendo CEO said he wants to find Nintendo’s next “blue ocean”, and thinks that it could be health. He reckons entertainment is tied to quality of life (Vitality Sensor anyone?) — the games maker will continue developing its health and fitness software, but without getting into the current scrum of wearables. No Nintendo GameBand, then.
Source: NIntendo, David Gibson (Twitter), WSJ
Motorola’s Project Ara team being integrated with Google’s Android team
The Internet is buzzing about Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility and you may be wondering what is going to happen to Motorola’s Project Ara.
We have great news for you…. the Googlely project will remain with Google. It seems that the about $3 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo does not include the Advanced Technology and Projects group led by former DARPA director Regina Dugan, whose biggest project is the Project Ara modular phone.
According to The Verge, sources familiar with the matter said that the team of just under 100 people will be moving from their current offices in Sunnyvale to Google’s Mountain View office where they will be integrated with Google’s Android team. There Dugan will report to Android/Chrome OS chief Sundar Pichai, while maintaining “a more independent role.”
Anyone think that Project Ara could potentially become a Nexus some day? Thoughts?
via The Verge
The post Motorola’s Project Ara team being integrated with Google’s Android team appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Lenovo gets Motorola, but Google gets to keep its skunkworks
Lenovo may be buying a brand to help it sell smartphones across the world, but it’s not getting everything that was under Motorola’s umbrella. In addition to the “vast majority” of Motorola’s patents, Google will also hold onto the Advanced Technology and Projects division and fold it into its Android team.
That group is responsible for some of Motorola’s more wild-eyed projects, like the authentication pills and tattoos that ATAP chief Regina Dugan showed off at AllThingsD’s D11 conference. The most eye-catching example of the group’s work was Project Ara, the modular smartphone initiative that first started turning heads in late October. Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside said the prototype phone was nearly done just over a month later, and the company planned to get the Ara module dev kit out the door this winter. It seemed like the team was making real progress, but we’ll soon see if those plans have shifted now that Motorola is leaving the building.
Justice Department searches for culprits behind Target data breach
Target is bringing in some big guns to find those who swiped its customer data — the Department of Justice has confirmed that it’s investigating the breach. It’s not clear how close officials might be to identifying suspects, but Target tells the Wall Street Journal that the thieves got in by using credentials stolen from one of its vendors. We’re not expecting the DOJ to catch the perpetrators any time soon. However, it’s good to know that the feds are directly involved in fighting a rapidly growing data theft problem.
Filed under: Internet
Via: LA Times
Source: Department of Justice, Wall Street Journal
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