South Korea shuns Huawei over fears that it spies on the US
We’ve long known that the US government has major security concerns about Huawei, despite the Chinese company’s insistence that it’s free of Communist Party influence. As a result, Huawei has been barred from taking on infrastructure contracts within the Land of the Free, but it appears this safeguard still isn’t enough: According to the Wall Street Journal, the US has now risked further diplomatic awkwardness by asking its key ally in the region, South Korea, to re-route all sensitive communications that involve the US away from any Huawei-built equipment. The State Department has partly denied this report, saying that South Korea has changed its policy out of its own volition, but it follows that there must be some degree of concern that Huawei’s systems in Korea are accessible to Chinese spies, and perhaps in turn to North Korean ones, too. The only other explanation is that the US and South Korea are holding a very public and very unfair grudge against a totally innocent company. Who knows what the truth is? Beyond throwing in the obvious pot-kettle metaphor, we’re not really qualified to comment.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: Reuters
Source: Wall Street Journal
Fujifilm’s dial-filled X-T1 is a manual shooter’s dream (hands-on)
On paper, the most significant addition to Fujifilm’s X-T1 is its weather-resistant housing. But you’ll need one of three as-of-yet-unreleased weather-sealed lenses in order to take advantage — the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 kit optic isn’t up to snuff when it comes to keeping out water, sand and snow, so if you opt for the $1,700 bundle, you’ll be out of luck. Instead, we’re quite taken with the camera’s comprehensive control layout, which includes dedicated dials for exposure compensation, shutter speed and ISO (!) mounted up top. Some lenses also include an integrated exposure dial, so you can set the full exposure manually without any need to dig through menus. There’s also a 16.3-megapixel APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor and an EXR Processor II, along with a 3-inch, 1.04M-dot tilting LCD and a really nice 2.36M-dot OLED viewfinder for framing shots.
We spent a few minutes shooting with the X-T1 at CP+ just outside Tokyo this week, and the camera performed phenomenally. The focusing system was speedy and accurate, and the optional extended grip and vertical grip accessory made shooting in either orientation quite comfortable. The UI also felt like an improvement — even reviewing images on the built-in LCD, a process which can often be unnecessarily cumbersome, was a breeze. The X-T1 is one of the only current models to be compatible with the new SDXC UHS-II format (SanDisk announced its first U3 card just this week), so images you shoot in the 8 fps burst mode should make their way off the camera’s buffer very quickly.
Overall, we’re smitten with the X-T1, and depending on where pricing falls for the weather-resistant 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6, 16-55mm f/2.8 and 50-140mm f/2.8 lenses, this may turn out to be one of the most attractive mirrorless combos on the market. Those optics may be a few months out, but if you’re willing to stick with dry conditions for the time being, you should be able to pick this camera up within a week or two for $1,300 body only or $1,700 with the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 kit lens.
Filed under: Cameras
Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola doesn’t bother LG
Following the acquisition of Motorola by Lenovo in an attempt to boost their mobile presence, Kim Jong Hoon – head of LG Mobile – took the chance to state that despite the boost in market share the acquisition gave Lenovo, LG isn’t worried.
“There are many talks over Lenovo and Motorola in the media right now and how it affects LG, but internally, we aren’t discussing much about it.”
LG has firm plans to regain third place in the smartphone market by the end of the year and they don’t see Lenovo as being a threat to that goal. Currently LG is sitting in fourth place with around five percent of the market.
With LG introducing the new LG G Pro 2 it certainly has the hardware to battle for third place. Lenovo will take some time to get their acquisition in order and get a Motorola product to the market, but should LG be worried?
Let us know in the comments below.
The post Lenovo’s acquisition of Motorola doesn’t bother LG appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple and Samsung Fail to Reach Deal Over Patent Issues in Recent Mediation Meeting [iOS Blog]
Last month, it was reported that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung Electronics CEO Oh-Hyun Kwon agreed to attend a mediation session on or before February 19 ahead of a second patent infringement lawsuit between the two companies set for next month. Now, ZDNet Korea [Google Translate] (via The Verge) is reporting that both companies met in the United States last week but failed to reach an agreement in their ongoing legal battle.
The report notes that Cook met with Samsung mobile division chief J.K. Shin to discuss a possible settlement, but did not make any significant progress towards a deal. Korean newspaper Choshun [Google Translate] states that Shin was originally expected to fly out to the United States next week before the court-imposed deadline on the meeting, but now has no plans to do so, indicating that the session has already taken place.
In late December, The Korea Times reported the two companies had resumed settlement talks in their ongoing negotiations over their patent-infringement dispute, as Samsung executive Shin Jong-Kyun was expected to meet with Cook. Previously, the Apple CEO met with former Samsung CEO Choi Gee-Sung in 2012 to discuss the subject, but talks fell through because Samsung would not accept Apple’s demand for patent royalties. The two companies also met last year in Seoul, Korea but discussions failed to progress.
Notably, Shin was quoted in November 2012 as saying that Samsung has “no such intention” in settling with Apple over patent issues, as HTC and Apple announced that they had reached a global settlement on their patent dispute earlier that month.
The second patent infringement lawsuit between Apple and Samsung is set to begin on March 31, as Apple’s Chief of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller will be among the witnesses. Samsung will only have four patents claims to bring to the upcoming trial, as Judge Koh invalidated two of its patent claims last month.
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Sniff out hard-to-find WiFi in Japan with Navitime’s hotspot locator
You’d think it’d be a no-brainer to find WiFi gratis in a nation with the world’s third most internet users, but as one of our editors put it, “Japan is terrible for free WiFi. Please say this!” Luckily mapping outfit Navitime Japan agrees, and is doing something about it with an initiative called “Free WiFi Spot Search.” Working offline, the free app uses your mobile device’s GPS to suss out the nearest signal and guide you straight there with its AR mode. Japanese carrier NTT East will aid the effort by offering its 40,000 hotspots free to tourists for two weeks if they sign up prior to arrival. Counting Buffalo’s Freespot and Starbucks locations, that’ll quench your thirst for sweet, sweet internet at more than 51,000 locations.
Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Wireless, Internet
Source: Navitime
Skype rival Viber purchased by Japanese e-commerce giant for $900 million
Japan’s answer to Amazon, Rakuten, has just got into the mobile communications business by purchasing internet calling app-maker Viber for $900 million. Viber was one of the first to introduce 3G VoIP on the iPhone, and now lets you call any land-line or mobile phone, send messages and even push-to-talk. The app is available on all major mobile and desktop platforms, and is one of Skype’s biggest rivals with over 300 million users worldwide. According to the WSJ, Viber’s global userbase helped draw Rakuten, which is trying to expand its business interests beyond Japan’s shores. It also recently purchased a huge stake in Pinterest and bought e-reader maker Kobo. Rakuten’s CEO confirmed that Viber “perfectly compliments” its goals and said the acquisition “will enable it to penetrate new markets with multiple digital content offerings.”
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Via: WSJ
Source: Rakuten
Roland revives the 808 and other classics with its AIRA line
Roland has been teasing new entries in its black-and-green AIRA series for about a month. Now, it’s pulling the wraps off of the new lineup that’s led by the new TR-8 drum machine. It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time the instrument maker has revisited the legendary 808, 909 and 303 units that debuted in the ’80s. If you’ve listened to a bit of hip-hop, dance or techno, you’ve likely heard the trademark sounds of the trio already — like the iconic snare of the 808. Building on decades of TR-808 and TR-909 use, Roland “obsessively analyzed and faithfully recreated every detail and nuance of the analog circuitry” of those machines and packed it all inside the TR-8 Rhythm Performer. There’s “full reproduction” with new Analog Circuit Behavior (ACB) tech that recreates the tone and behavior from the original pair. If you’re thinking that this sounds like the new device is all-digital, you’re correct. However, Roland says the tone and character of the analog units have been enhanced with new features like tune and decay controls on each instrument and an added scatter function. The latter feature is said to “freak and tweak” sounds with real-time adjustments and accurate sync. Needless to say, we’re anxious to try it out.
Like the 808, the TR-8 houses a 16-step sequencer that now has full-color LED lighting for visual status updates. In terms of recording, an improved version of TR-REC is also modeled here for creating patterns, while toggling between programming and performance modes can be done easily. For keeping tabs on tempo, there’s an LED display and tap functionality for quick adjustments. A USB jack allows audio and MIDI connections (which the original didn’t have) and the device can use MIDI clock info to sync with external instruments — like the other AIRA series units that we’ll examine after the break. If all of that sounds too good to pass up, the TR-8 will retail for $499 when it arrives next month.
In another look back into its archives, Roland’s System-1 harkens back to the System 100, 100M and 700 synthesizers. ACB is on board once again in order to recreate the fine details of the analog circuitry that debuted on those three machines in the ’70s. The main selling point here is Plug-Out tech that allows you to load plug-in versions of other Roland synths onto the System-1, making for a quite versatile instrument. What’s more, all of that content addition can be done without the need to tether to a computer. Inside, four oscillators handle the tones with scatter control of 10 different phrase variations and a smattering of modulators. Roland is touting this as its “most compact” synth ever, despite the unit wielding 25 regular-sized keys for playing duties. A price of $599 nets you a System-1 in Q2 2014, in all of its green-lit glory.
The TB-3 also pays homage to a classic instrument: the TB-303 bass synth. You may recognize the 303 as a popular choice for techno/house music. Here, the TB-3 Touch Bassline uses that ACB technology to model “each component and every aspect of the original TB-303 sound.” The sawtooth and square oscillator waveforms have been recreated with attack, slide and tie elements along for the ride. So what’s been added? Well, there’s now a pressure-sensitive touchpad and 134 sounds including four oscillator tones across four separate banks with that same programming/performance mode-switching that we mentioned on the TR-8 and more. As you might expect, the $299 TB-3 is also USB- and MIDI-compatible for use with a computer or other rhythm-making gadgets — starting next month.
For those looking to lend some processed vocals to their musical exploits, the VT-3 will do just that for both studio tracking and live performances. With nine different voice characters (including auto-tune and synths), the Voice Transformer serves up pitch, formant, reverb and mix balance sliders for needed adjustments alongside footswitch control for on-stage access. There are standard XLR and 1/8-inch mic jacks with stereo outputs and USB audio for recording to those previously recorded tracks. At $199, the VT-3 is the most affordable new entry into the AIRA series and it ships in March as well.
Pre-orders for the entire line are live now from Roland and select retailers.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Roland
House of Cards season two is ready for viewing on Netflix
After an all-too-long wait, the second season of House of Cards is available for streaming on Netflix. Season one (feel free to revisit it with director’s commentary if you like) wasn’t Netflix’s first foray into streaming (regionally) exclusive content, but the series has served as its highest profile jewel, winning awards — the first ever streaming exclusive nominated for a primetime Emmy — and garnering critical praise for all involved. That includes producers Beau Willimon and David Fincher, as well as stars Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright and Kate Mara. As is Netflix’s custom, the entire season is available for viewing so whether you want to watch it all in one sitting, skip directly to the last episode and work back from there, or take it one week at a time old-school style, it’s all up to you. Naturally a third season is in the works so whenever you finish, take solace in knowing that it’s not over for good — and there’s more original Netflix content on the way. Let us know how your viewing party is working out in the comments below, however as the Commander in Chief has asked — no spoilers, please.
10 minutes to go. Everyone is getting situated to flip some switches… #houseofcards pic.twitter.com/GcmCa0M22h
– Daniel Jacobson (@daniel_jacobson) February 14, 2014
Welcome back. #HouseofCards Season 2 is Now Streaming on Netflix http://t.co/Ut6TckaVYn pic.twitter.com/I8oXNCHKoG
– House of Cards (@HouseofCards) February 14, 2014
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Netflix
BBM for iOS Updated With Voice Calls, Channels, Dropbox Support [iOS Blog]
BlackBerry Messenger for iOS was today updated to version 2.0, adding a number of features to the app that have long been a part of the native BBM function on BlackBerry’s own line of phones.
Version 2 of BBM for iOS now supports direct voice calling between BBM users over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Channels, another feature new to the update, allow users to communicate in a group setting focused on a specific topic.
BBM Channels lets users chat with other BBM users about topics that interest them. Customers can join channels about a range of topics from products, hobbies and sports to entertainment, fashion, cars and more. Channels can be created by brands, businesses and BBM users alike and are a great way to communicate directly and immediately with people who share common interests in the broader BBM community. By posting to their channel, channel owners immediately reach their subscribers with a message that can spark discussions.
One-click sharing has been added to the app, making it easier for BBM users to share content like photos and voice messages. The app has gained support for Glympse, which allows users to share locations, and Dropbox support for file sharing is also available.
Finally, the app’s emoticon repository has been expanded and users now have access to 100 additional emoticons.
BlackBerry Messenger, which was previously restricted to BlackBerry devices, made its way to iOS and Android back in October of 2013 after several delays. BBM offers basic text chats, group chats, voice messaging, image sharing, and with today’s update, voice calls and channels.
BBM can be downloaded from the App Store for Free. [Direct Link]
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HTC Plans an AMA on Reddit Tomorrow
Have questions for HTC? Well tomorrow will be your chance to question the OEM. They announced that there will be a AMA (ask me anything) tomorrow on Reddit between 1:30 pm and 3:00 pm PST. I am sure many of you will have many questions about the HTC M8, or you will have questions about the future of the OEM. Well they are ready to answer them, so bookmark the page for tomorrow so you can ask those pressing questions. Let us know what you plan to ask them.
AIVAnet 