PS Vita gets more apps on its home screen and a memory card manager
With the amount of rad digitally distributed games in the PlayStation Vita’s library, your system’s home screen could be getting a little crowded. Well, after downloading the handheld’s latest firmware update, you’ll have a lot more room for all of those high-res bubbles. Another 400 of them to be exact, as software version 3.10 allows a total of 500 apps and games on the touch-based UI. What’s more, Joystiq noticed the patch adds a memory card management feature that separates saved data based on what type of content created it. Bizarrely enough, the portable PlayStation didn’t have an auto setting for daylight savings time before this either. Sony has also included a calendar app that syncs with your Google account, as well as a voice messaging system for sending quick soundbites to your Vita or PS4 owning-pals. Just try keep ‘em PG-rated, okay?
Via: Joystiq
BatteryBox portable charger promises to keep the juice flowing even after five years
A new portable battery promises to carry enough juice to charge eight iPhones and keep your MacBook Air going for 12 hours, five years after you buy it. Unlike others that lose their capacity over time, BatteryBox uses a new energy management system called BatteryOS that monitors what’s going on inside your Lithium-Ion battery and optimizes power in such a way that prevents degradation. It’s an operation that ensures the battery can handle 96% of its original capacity after 3,000 charges and discharges, almost twice as long as without the system says BatteryBox. And it does it all for $139, about what you’d pay for a competitor. BatteryBox’s 12,000mAh battery is the first implementation of the technology, but the company hopes to work with third-parties to get its system into things like electric vehicles. For now, we’re just excited to see a portable charger that can keep us churning out posts from the outlet-free wasteland of CES through 2020.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: BatteryBox
Video Depicting Demolition Progress at Apple Campus 2 Site Surfaces [Mac Blog]
A supposed internal Apple video depicting the demolition of Hewlett Packard’s former offices in preparation for Apple’s Campus 2 project has surfaced on YouTube (via 9to5Mac).
The video itself, which appears to be consistent with Apple’s production quality, shows excavators tearing through multiple buildings set to Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces”. The footage was likely shot from late last year through earlier this year, as demolition on the site began in November after Apple received unanimous approval for the project from the Cupertino City Council.
Substantial progress of the demolition was also depicted through an aerial photograph that surfaced late last month, with most of the existing buildings demolished and parking lot pavement removed. During the demolition, several sidewalks were closed, while bulldozers and other heavy equipment started clearing debris from the 176-acre parcel.
With the demolition likely complete, Apple will begin the first phase of the Apple Campus 2 construction, which will involve a 2.8 million square foot ring-shaped main building with an underground parking facility capable of holding approximately 2,400 cars. Apple will also build a 100,000 square foot fitness center and a 120,000 square foot auditorium, with some of the barren landscape being occupied by over 4,500 trees.
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Apple’s App Store Usage Numbers Suggest 85% Adoption Rate for iOS 7 [iOS Blog]
iOS 7 is now on 85% of devices connected to the App Store, according to new numbers posted on Apple’s App Store developer support page. The numbers come five months after the operating system’s original release, and just two weeks after the release iOS 7.1, which was the first major update to iOS 7 with added visual tweaks, CarPlay support, and Touch ID enhancements.
The increasing adoption rate of iOS 7 has also led to a drop in iOS 6 usage, with the older operating system now installed on just 12 percent of devices. Three percent of devices also continue to use even older versions of iOS. In early December, iOS 7 usage was at 74 percent, jumping to 78 percent later in December and then to 80 percent in late January.
Apple’s data, which comes directly from the App Store, represents the most definite iOS 7 adoption information for developers.
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Must See HDTV for the week of March 24th: The Walking Dead, Fez, Louis CK on SNL
March Madness rolls on this weekend with the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight games, but with our billion dollar brackets already destroyed, what else is there to watch? The Academy Awards Best Picture nominee march continues this week with the release of The Wolf of Wall Street on Blu-ray (how can Leo not have an Oscar?) and Continuum S2, while on TV The Walking Dead wraps up its fourth season, Helix reaches its first season finale and Louis CK brings his talents to Saturday Night Live. We’ll have to put our DVRs to work on Saturday though, since Hannibal Burress’ special is airing on Comedy Central around the same time. For games there’s no next-gen exclusive blockbusters this week, but PlayStation owners can cross buy a port of Fez across Vita, PS3 and PS4. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Blu-ray, Streaming movies & Games
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- Continuum (S2)
- Delivery Man
- The King of Comedy (30th Anniversary Edition)
- Persona (Criterion)
- Walking with Dinosaurs: the Movie
- The Freshman (Criterion)
- Fez (PS3, PS4)
- Diablo III: Reaper of Souls (PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360)
Monday
- Dancing with the Stars, ABC, 8PM
- Bones, Fox, 8PM
- Bitten, Syfy, 8PM
- How I Met Your Mother, CBS, 8PM
- Star-Crossed, CW, 8PM
- Switched at Birth (spring finale), ABC Family, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- Top Gear (season finale), BBC America, 8:30PM
- 2 Broke Girls, CBS, 8:30PM
- The Following, Fox, 9PM
- The Tomorrow People, The CW, 9PM
- The Fosters (season finale), Fox, ABC Family, 9PM
- Single Ladies (series finale), VH1, 9PM
- Dallas, TNT, 9PM
- Being Human, Syfy, 9PM
- Mike & Molly, CBS, 9PM
- Mom, CBS, 9:30PM
- Bates Motel, A&E, 10PM
- Believe, NBC, 10PM
- Archer, FX, 10PM
- Intelligence, CBS, 10PM
- Lost Girl, Syfy, 10PM
- Teen Wolf (season finale), MTV, 10PM
- Chozen, FX, 10:30PM
- Inside Comedy, Showtime, 11PM
Tuesday
- Glee, Fox, 8PM
- The Voice, NBC, 8PM
- Thunder/Mavericks, TNT, 8PM
- NCIS, CBS, 8PM
- The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama, PBC, 8PM
- From Dusk Till Dawn, El Rey Network, 9PM
- About a Boy, NBC, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- NCIS: LA, CBS, 9PM
- New Girl, Fox, 9PM
- Twisted, ABC Family, 9PM
- Supernatural, CW, 9PM
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season finale), Fox, 9:30PM
- Growing Up Fisher, NBC, 9:30PM
- Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge (series premiere), Syfy, 10PM
- Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan (season premiere), BBC america, 10PM
- Clash of the Ozarks, Discovery, 10PM
- Game of Arms, AMC, 10PM
- Mind Games, ABC, 10PM
- The Profit, CNBC, 10PM
- Person of Interest, CBS, 10PM
- Justified, FX, 10PM
- Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Cougar Town, TBS, 10PM
- Kroll Show (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
- Knicks/Lakers, TNT, 10:30PM
- Are You The One?, MTV, 11PM
Wednesday
- Arrow, CW, 8PM
- Survivor, CBS, 8PM
- Melissa & Joey, ABC Family, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 8PM
- The Middle, ABC, 8PM
- WWE Main Event, ION, 8PM
- Suburgatory, ABC, 8:30PM
- Baby Daddy, ABC Family, 8:30PM
- The 100, CW, 9PM
- Modern Family, ABC, 9PM
- Psych (series finale), USA, 9PM
- Mixology, ABC, 9:30PM
- Psych After Show, USA, 10PM
- Doll & Em, HBO, 10PM
- The Americans, FX, 10PM
- Legit, FXX, 10PM
- Workaholics, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Nashville, ABC, 10PM
- The Real World, MTV, 10PM
- Chicago PD, NBC, 10PM
- CSI, CBS, 10PM
- Deal With It, TBS, 10:30PM
- Ali G: Rezurection, FXX, 10:30PM
- Broad City (season finale), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Thursday
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: Dayton vs. Stanford, CBS, 7:15PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: Baylor vs. Wisconsin, TBS, 7:47PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: UCLA vs. Florida, CBS, 9:45PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16:San Diego State vs. Arizona, 10:17PM
- Once Upon A Time in Wonderland, ABC, 8PM
- The Vampire Diaries, CW, 8PM
- American Idol, Fox, 9PM
- Saint George, FX, 9PM
- Suits, USA, 9PM
- Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 9PM
- Reign, CW, 9PM
- Surviving Jack (series premiere), Fox, 9:30PM
- Anger Management, FX, 9:30PM
- The Crazy Ones, CBS, 9:30PM
- Review with Forrest Macneil, Comedy Central, 10PM
- Portlandia, IFC, 10PM
- Scandal, ABC, 10PM
- Vikings, History, 10PM
- Parenthood, NBC, 10PM
- Sirens, USA, 10PM
Friday
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: Tennessee vs. Michigan, CBS, 7:15PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: UCONN vs. Iowa St, TBS, 7:27PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: Kentucky vs. Louisville, CBS, 9:45PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Sweet 16: Michigan State vs. Virgina, TBS, 9:57PM
- WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
- Cold Justice (season finale), TNT, 8PM
- Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
- Whose Line Is It Anyway?, CW, 8PM
- Rake, Fox, 8PM
- The Neighbors, ABC, 8:30PM
- Hart of Dixie, CW, 9PM
- Enlisted, Fox, 9PM
- Bellator MMA Live, Spike TV, 9PM
- Raising Hope, Fox, 9:30PM
- Game of Stones, Discovery, 10PM
- Helix (season finale), Syfy, 10PM
- Save Our Business, TNT, 10PM
- Hannibal, NBC, 10PM
- Vice, HBO, 11PM
Saturday
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Elite 8, TBS, 4PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Elite 8, TBS, 7:05PM
- Zoe Gone, Lifetime, 8PM
- Ripper Street, BBC America, 9PM
- Da Vinci’s Demons, Starz, 9PM
- Saturday Night Live: Louis CK / Sam Smith, NBC, 11:30PM
- Hannibal Burress Live from Chicago, Comedy Central, 11:59PM
Sunday
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ Martinsville, Fox, 12:30PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Elite 8, CBS, 2:20PM
- NCAA Basketball Tournament Elite 8, CBS, 5:05PM
- Bob’s Burgers, Fox, 7PM
- American Dad, Fox, 7:30PM
- Dodgets/Padres, ESPN, 8PM
- The Simpsons, Fox, 8PM
- Once Upon a Time, ABC, 8PM
- The Amazing Race, CBS, 8PM
- Family Guy, Fox, 8:30PM
- Mr. Selfridge (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
- Overhaulin , Velocity, 9PM
- Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Fox, 9PM
- Naked & Afraid, Discovery, 9PM
- Believe, NBC, 9PM
- Resurrection, ABC, 9PM
- The Good Wife, CBS, 9PM
- The Walking Dead (season finale), AMC, 9PM
- Shameless, Showtime, 9PM
- Crisis, NBC, 10PM
- House of Lies, Showtime, 10PM
- The Mentalist, CBS, 10PM
- Revenge, ABC, 10PM
- Talking Dead (season finale), AMC, 10PM
- Looking, HBO, 10:30PM
- Comic Book Men (season finale), AMC, 11:59PM
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Disney buys YouTube powerhouse Maker Studios for $500 million
Even with the Marvel and Star Wars properties under Disney’s roof, there’s apparently still plenty of room within the House of Mouse’s walls. The entertainment juggernaut has just bought YouTube hit-factory Maker Studios (the outfit responsible for Epic Rap Battles of History, The Getup and PewDiePie) for a cool $500 million according to Reuters. What’s more, the final bill of sale could go as high as $950 million should Maker hit an unannounced set of performance milestones after the acquisition. While that’s still an awful lot of dough, it’s only a fraction of what the company paid for the likes of Captain America and that galaxy far, far away. Exactly what Disney will do with Maker’s reported 5.5 billion monthly views and 55,000+ channels isn’t clear yet, but the purchase should give Mickey a solid foot in another streaming-video-giant’s door.
[Image credit: Scott R. Smith/Flickr]
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Source: Reuters, Recode, MarketWatch
The All New HTC One and Original HTC One Compared in New VIdeo
HTC’s worse kept secret stars in a new video today, but this time we get a comparison to the original HTC One. It is a very well done video, and goes over every nook and cranny of the All New HTC One, and you get a good idea just how much different the new flagship is compared to its predecessor. Not that it is drastically different, but I didn’t realize how much taller the New One is. Guess that took a page out of Apple’s book when they made the iPhone 5s long instead of wider. So check out the video, and let us know how excited you are about tomorrow’s event.
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Apple Hires Privacy Counsel to Oversee Protection of Customer Data [Mac Blog]
Apple has filled a position of privacy counsel with a lawyer experienced in customer privacy, data protection, electronic surveillance, information security and more. Sabrina Ross, a former associate at both Ropes & Gray and Sidley Austin, joined Apple this month according to her LinkedIn page (via AppleInsider).
Ross is a certified privacy professional, professing expertise in Internet and information law matters including privacy and data protection. As it moves more and more into online services including iCloud, Apple is increasingly concerned with privacy matters, including national surveillance by the NSA. Apple CEO Tim Cook told ABC News that Apple executives would need to be carted out “in a box” for the company to allow governments unfettered access to its servers.
A certified privacy professional, CIPP/US, I have experience with a wide-range of Internet and information law matters involving privacy and data protection, online brand protection, electronic surveillance, defamation, information security, cloud computing, social media, locational privacy, e-commerce, and national security. I am passionate about addressing these issues with both business acumen and an eye towards litigation strategy.
My practice includes developing privacy compliance systems, creating privacy/data security training and policies, conducting risk analysis in the merger/acquisition context, and providing compliance counseling regarding the state/federal/international privacy law landscape.
Ross’ CIPP/US certification is the first professional certification to be offered in the field of information privacy, covering the U.S. legal system including federal laws for protection of personal data, privacy marketing practices, state laws covering data breach notification and other privacy implications, as well as privacy in the workplace.
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Apple Hires Former Senate Staffer as New Lobbyist in Washington
Apple has hired veteran Washington insider Amber Cottle as its new top lobbyist according to a report from Politico.
Cottle was previously the Democratic Staff Director for the Senate Finance Committee, where she also had experience as the committee’s Chief International Trade Counsel, important experience for Apple’s needs on Capitol Hill.
In her job on the Finance Committee, Cottle advised members and staff on trade and international economic issues, and was previously Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Investment.
Apple has been increasingly active in Washington DC in recent years, with Apple executives meeting with President Obama over NSA surveillance and appearing in front of a Senate committee to discuss Apple’s tax strategies. The company has repeatedly asked Congress for a discount on taxes for repatriating cash earned overseas to the United States.
The company began looking for a new VP of Worldwide Government Affairs when Catherine Ann Novelli, who held the position since 2007, left for a job at the U.S. State Department.
According to Politico, Apple spent $3.3 million on lobbying in 2013, roughly double the previous year.
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Hong Kong: International Powerhouse
Hong Kong has quickly risen in the ranks to become one of the most powerful cities in the entire world, and with good reason. One of the main reasons that Hong Kong has become such an international powerhouse is because of its technology, mainly nanotechnology and IT. If you’ve beenthinking about traveling the world or if you’re interested in getting a bigger and better idea about how international business works, then consider taking a trip to Hong Kong.
Location, Location, Location
One of the main reasons that Hong Kong is such an economic titan is because of its location. By being situated between Singapore and Japan, it has access to the largest air and shipping routes of the western Pacific. Not only that, but the existence of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) makes for a rather favorable business atmosphere, which has a lot to do with why investors from all over the world turn their attention to Hong Kong when they’re looking to invest.
Global Investment
By digging deeper into the roots of Hong Kong’s global economic power, you might find that they have a tax regime that’s one of the least bothersome and most favorable when compared to the tax regimes of other countries. For this reason, many foreign investors are more willing to invest in the nation. Something else to think about is that the city doesn’t tax foreign income, and that includes when it’s remitted to Hong Kong. Foreign investors don’t have to undergo investment approval procedures in Hong Kong either, which all makes for one of the best investment atmosphere’s in the nation and the reason why there are so many foreign investments that currently exist in the Chinese territory.
Education
In Hong Kong you’ll find no fewer than six universities that are ranked in the top 300 of the 2012/13 QS World University Rankings with four of those universities also being part of the list’s top 100 selections. Over the last 20 years, Hong Kong’s research abilities have grown substantially, which has allowed it to solve a number of problems across the globe. One example of their current research abilities is the development of a drug called BCT-100 that is designed to treat liver cancer.
If you’re thinking about internships, there’s no better location than Hong Kong. Not only will you gain invaluable experience, interning with an international company looks great on a resume when applying to businesses that are looking to go international.
All signs point to Hong Kong’s willingness to become a regional educational hub. For example, many of the restrictions that were once placed on entry visas have been greatly relaxed in recent years. Non-local graduates have also been given permission to remain in Hong Kong for employment. If you’re a graduate who’s looking for work, you’ll be allowed to stay for a full year while looking.
A Mixture of Cultures
Hong Kong has also been noted for its blend of East meets West sensibilities, which undoubtedly helps when it comes to the tourism industry. While exploring the city you’ll find towering skyscrapers alongside Colonial-era fortifications. Not only that, but the city has traditional Chinese cuisine alongside more familiar American coffee shop chains.
Hong Kong is a city with a rich history and will more than likely have an even richer future. Whether you’re looking to travel, study, or do business, be sure to make the Asian international powerhouse one of your first destinations.
Please feel free to contact Ella Gray at ella.l.gray@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.
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