Weather forecasts and user photos could be headed to Chromecast’s home screen
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Via: Gigaom
Source: Reddit
Slimmer, lighter, juicier: Sony’s revamped PS Vita hits the US on May 6th
Sony’s slimmer, brighter PlayStation Vita has been making the rounds in Japanese and European game stores for months now while we in the States had to make do with the original. Well, the wait is nearly over: Sony today confirmed that antsy Americans can lay claim to the rejiggered portable on May 6th in a bundle that includes a digital copy of Borderlands 2 and an 8GB memory card. If the lure of a lighter handheld with a more robust battery (our review unit hung in there for about 8 hours, compared to the original’s 5) wasn’t enough, you can rub that copy of Borderlands in your friends’ faces — it won’t be available to the masses until May 13. Just be warned: This redesigned model uses an LCD screen instead of the original’s OLED panel, which makes for some less vivid colors on-screen. The other potential bummer? It looks like the black model is the one getting bundled, so those of you hoping to sear some eyeballs with a jauntily colored Vita (like the one above) will just have to keep the faith for now.
Via: GamesIndustry.biz
Source: PlayStation Blog
Amazon claims it streams more instant video than Hulu or Apple
All gaming aspirations aside, Amazon says it has a good reason for building its new Fire TV set-top box: People really like its streaming video content. The company is claiming that its instant video usage has tripled year over year, surpassing both Apple’s and Hulu’s instant video numbers. So, what sparked all the growth? Amazon doesn’t say specifically, but the press release dedicates a considerable portion of text to lauding its exclusive Prime Instant Video content, its original series and its large catalog of titles available for digital purchase and rental. All well and good, but the announcement is clearly a thinly veiled advertisement for its new hardware — which is fine, but it does leave us wondering by what margin Amazon is leading its competition. After all, Netflix’s standing is conspicuously absent from the reported line-up.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Amazon
Source: Amazon
Investigator worries that UK authorities may be misusing surveillance powers
If you’ve ever argued that the British government is a little too nosy, you’ll be glad to hear that there’s some fresh evidence to back up your claims. The Interception of Communications Commissioner has published a report noting that UK police and other government agencies made 514,608 requests for communication data in 2013 — a rather hefty number that may be “too many.” The official isn’t reaching conclusions just yet (there were more requests in 2012), but he’s conducting an inquiry to make sure there isn’t a “significant institutional overuse” of surveillance demands.
Don’t expect the Commissioner to raise similar alarm bells regarding GCHQ’s snooping activities, though. He’s aware of Edward Snowden’s leaks, but he reports that the agency is operating within the law. Its spies aren’t indiscriminately looking through British information or using US intelligence to get around domestic oversight laws, he says. Prime Minister Cameron is happy to tout the report as proof that the UK doesn’t conduct “random mass intrusion,” although the findings aren’t all that comforting in light of reports that GCHQ is monitoring social media and compromising foreign networks.
[Image credit: Alberto Otero Garcia, Flickr]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Via: Reuters
Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland Finally get Google Play Gift Cards
The long slow process of global take over is one that Android users don’t like to watch. We all want Google to launch something and then let the world have it. Sadly there are rules, laws and regulations that have to be negotiated before something can make its way over the oceans to our friends in foreign lands. Today is one of those days where a few locales get to jump up and down for joy as Google Play Gift Cards are finally off the “Coming Soon” self to the “Available Now” status.
Welcome Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland to the Play Store Gift Card party! Time to revamp that birthday, anniversary and holiday wish list a little. The cards are popping up in various brick and mortar retailers in the perspective countries. The denominations come in at 15 €, 25 €, and 50 €. Where as the Swiss see them for 30 CHF, 50 CHF, and 100 CH. Gotta love varying currency.
Source: Android Police
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