Microsoft resists US government demand to seize offshore emails
Microsoft has filed a court challenge to a US government demand that it hand over emails from its data center in Ireland. That appears to be the first time a US corporation has opposed such an order, and Microsoft has been backed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and an amicus brief from Verizon. The US prosecutor heading the drug case in question said that if the objection succeeds, tech companies like Microsoft could stymie domestic cases by merely storing data overseas. However, experts say the suspect was likely abroad when he sent the emails in question — making the legal situation murkier.
According to the NYT, the case could signal the start of US tech firms like Microsoft and Google taking a stand against heavy-handed US investigative techniques. Their business prospects outside the US have dipped considerably since the Edward Snowden revelations, which showed them to be largely complicit in (possibly illegal) US surveillance overseas. That submissiveness has possibly cost the US tech industry hundreds of billions of dollars in sales in Europe, China and elsewhere, according to some estimates. Though they’ve built more server farms abroad to satisfy local authorities, the case has raised alarm bells in the European Parliament — which is not thrilled about Microsoft handing private data to US authorities. The hearing is scheduled for next month, and looks to be just the beginning of a Big Tech vs. US government battle over privacy — and money, of course.
Filed under: Internet, Microsoft
Via: WSJ
Source: US District Court
OnePlus One gets delayed over ‘security issues’
OnePlus One equals more than the number of units of this $300 smartphone that have so far been shipped to paying customers. The high-spec, low-cost Android handset was meant to launch back in May, but the manufacturer has now admitted that it’s “perfecting some final issues,” which means it can no longer be certain when the phone will be ready. In terms of what these problems are, some helpful clarification has been posted to Reddit by OnePlus’s software partner, Cyanogen.
Abhisek Devkota (aka Ciwrl) says that it’s all to do with the security vulnerabilities that were recently discovered lurking in the OpenSSL software tool (yes, that’s the very same OpenSSL package that was also at the center of the Heartbleed scare). These flaws were only made public on June 5th, and they led to a decision to pause shipping of the OnePlus One in order to create and re-certify a new, hopefully better-protected software build. If that’s really all it is, then it sounds like it could be resolved soon — which would be a good, because pretty much the only thing we could find wrong with this phone in our full review was its limited availability.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Via: AndroidCommunity
Source: Reddit
If you like vibrating jewelry, put a Ringly on it
Remember HTC’s Rhyme? That slightly patronizing “women first” smartphone came with hobbled specs and a charm indicator: an accessory that clipped to your purse strap and glowed if you received a call. Now, a former eBay designer has taken the same idea and jammed it into an enormous piece of costume jewelry called Ringly. Connecting over Bluetooth LE to your iOS or Android device, Ringly will vibrate to advise you of an incoming notification, as a side-mounted LED glows to reinforce the point. We polled our colleagues who fit the target demographic, and they weren’t particularly whelmed, especially considering the price. Still, if you’re interested in owning one, the pre-sale begins today, with the black, purple and white models available for $145. Fans of emerald-green, however, will have to stump up $180.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables, Mobile
Source: Ringly
Uber launches new taxi service to appease London’s black cab drivers
As taxi drivers in London and other big European cities prepare to blockade streets in protest of Uber, the private hire service has come up with a compromise. Accused of stealing custom from London’s black cab drivers, Uber today added a new tier to its three existing ride options that allows its vocal opponents to offer rides using its mobile tech. The tier called UberTAXI and it lets users book and pay for a black cab directly through the Uber app.
Transport for London (TfL) has already said that Uber’s app-based fare system doesn’t need to be regulated (unlike black cab taximeters), but the transport agency will call upon the High Court to issue a final decision. In order to keep its nose clean, Uber says UberTAXI will follow the same fare rates set out by authorities and will not include booking fees or additional charges for riders. Commission is also capped at 5 percent, which the company insists is the the lowest in the city. It’s a blow for services like Hailo, which recently announced plans to offer private services, as Uber is now expanding into market where it had little competition.
There’s no saying whether today’s launch will affect planned demonstrations in London or do much to quell growing discontent over Uber’s operations. Remember, UberTAXI will be just one of four ride options Uber offers in the city (UberX, EXEC and LUX make up the other three) — even if drivers migrate across, users will ultimately decide whether those with The Knowledge are worth using.
Via: Bloomberg
Source: Uber Blog
SwiftKey Goes FREE with Theme Store, Takes Care of Previous Buyers Too
SwiftKey is one heck of a replacement keyboard for your Android device. It has been around for ages. It has been on sale, it has been updated with new features and more. It hovers at 4.7 star rating and the Play Store puts it between 1 million and 5 million downloads. SwiftKey is one keyboard that many have tried and that many still use today. I am here to let you know that a pretty damn great update is hitting SwiftKey that will make many of you extremely happy, I hope.
As of today, the official paid version of the keyboard, which is usually $3.99, is shedding its price tag and going totally free. No, this isn’t the current free limited version, nor is it a promotion of any kind. As of today, SwiftKey will cost users nothing out of pocket to own the full version. Before all you guys out there that paid for the app at $3.99 get all hot and bothered and feeling cheated, there is news for you too. All current owners of the keyboard app will be given access to a 10 pack of premium themes that cost $4.99, for absolutely free. The FREE premium theme pack is only for past users who have bought the keyboard. New owners will have to pony up the pocket change for them. Personally, I think it is a very good move on SwiftKeys part to repay the ones that paid and have helped them be successful.
The move to free isn’t the only news though. The update also brings in support for over 800 Emoji’s that are directly integrated into the keyboard functionality. If that isn’t enough, there is also a new prediction feature that learns how you use Emoji’s and will predict them as you type.
SwiftKey co-founder and CTO Ben Medlock said: “With the latest version of SwiftKey Keyboard, we’re providing an even more intuitive and personalized experience for our users, which they’re increasingly expecting. We’ve expanded our design team to focus on developing creative and beautiful user experiences. Our commitment to innovation has never been stronger and we are looking forward to sharing more exciting developments in the future.”
SwiftKey co-founder and CTO Ben Medlock said: “With the latest version of SwiftKey Keyboard, we’re providing an even more intuitive and personalized experience for our users, which they’re increasingly expecting. We’ve expanded our design team to focus on developing creative and beautiful user experiences. Our commitment to innovation has never been stronger and we are looking forward to sharing more exciting developments in the future.”
The remaining particulars of what is now included in the new free and updated version of SwiftKey are as follows:
SwiftKey Store
Stocked at launch with over 30 brand new themes, the SwiftKey Store will be regularly updated with fun customizable content.
New default theme
In addition to the new themes in the Store, SwiftKey Keyboard now features a clean new default theme design, ‘Nickel’, available free to all users. Nickel was designed to be a modernization and ergonomic improvement to SwiftKey’s ever-popular Cobalt theme.
Emoji Prediction
SwiftKey’s trademark prediction technology learns and proactively suggests from more than 800 emoji which are most often used with specific words and phrases.
Number row
Due to popular demand, this latest update introduces an optional number row for quick access without switching layouts or using long-press.
Improved prediction engine
Investment in SwiftKey’s core technology is higher than ever with a host of prediction engine improvements, including better support for complex languages and multilingual typing. Capitalization has also been enhanced, as well as the technology’s overall learning ability.
New language support
Support for Belarusian, Mongolian, Tatar, Uzbek and Welsh has been added.
New and improved flow trails
This gesture-based feature has been improved for better visibility and faster, more accurate input.
*Emoji are only supported on Android versions 4.1 and above. To enable emoji prediction, go to Settings > Advanced, and select the box marked “Emoji prediction.”
So, if you have SwiftKey already, go update and be sure to grab your new 10 premium theme pack. For those of you that just couldn’t convince yourself to buy it at $3.99, or when it was on sale a dozen or more times, now is your chance to get it. Hit the link below and enjoy.
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
ITV Player comes to Roku and Now TV streaming devices from today
If we’d written Jay Z’s 99 Problems, we’d have been tempted to mention that Roku’s failure to support ITV Player was a bigger issue than being pulled over for doing 55 in a 54. Thankfully, the company has just announced that ITV’s video platform is now supported across the current range of streaming players and sticks. Thanks to Sky’s partnership with Roku, Now TV users will be able to download the app on their £10 streaming boxes too. Users will be able to watch the previous 30 days worth of The Jeremy Kyle Show episodes, assuming, of course, that they already know who won Britain’s Got Talent.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
SwiftKey’s Android keyboard is now available for free
Of the third-party keyboards available on the Google Play Store, SwiftKey is among the oldest and most well-known. And although it’s getting its iOS8 app ready for the fall, it certainly isn’t forgetting the platform that helped the $4 app get its big break. With today’s update, SwiftKey’s premium Android keyboard is now permanently free of charge. This is great news for fresh users, and the loyal folks who’ve previously purchased the app won’t be left out of the update: Legacy customers will get a $5 theme ten-pack for free. Additionally, the refresh also comes with a SwiftKey store (with 30 themes available at launch), a number row and over 800 emoji. Many of the features in this update were offered as part of a beta, so it’s refreshing to see them added into the final product.
Here’s what made Grim Fandango a legendary adventure game
When Double Fine said that it was reviving Grim Fandango for PlayStation systems, you may have been left scratching your head. Why remake a nearly 16 year old adventure game that many of today’s players would have never seen? Well, some of the original developers are more than happy to explain through a new mini documentary. They argue that the title was full of creative and technological breakthroughs. The setting was a unique fusion of Mexican folklore with film noir, and it was one of the first adventure games to embrace the possibilities of 3D. Rather than rely on an obvious point-and-click interface, it included then-novel concepts like using head tracking to point out interesting objects.
The company also had some practical reasons to push for a remake. Simply put, older disc-based games like this are increasingly unplayable; you may have to bootleg a copy and hack it just to play at all. Disney (which got the Grim Fandango license after buying Lucasfilm) wasn’t using the property, either, so there was nothing to lose by modernizing it. The retrospective may not get you to fork over cash for the PlayStation port, but it might give you a sense of why the Double Fine crew would resurrect a title that could easily have faded into history.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Sony
Source: PlayStation Blog
Apple Reportedly Launching Updated iMacs with Faster Processors Next Week
Apple is planning to update its iMac line next week with faster processors and lower prices, according to a new report from MacGeneration (Google Translate). Citing the same sources that correctly predicted the MacBook Air refresh this past April, the website also notes that Apple may also include Thunderbolt 2 ports on the new iMacs and will launch them later in the week instead of the usual Tuesday release day as done for other Apple products.
Like the MacBook Air refresh, Apple will reportedly increase the processor speed of each standard configuration by 100 MHz by using a number of just-launched processors, including the 3.3 GHZ i5-4690, the 3.5 GHz i5-4690, and 3.6 GHz i7-4790 for the 27-inch model as well as the 3.0 GHz i5-4590S and 3.2 GHz i5-4790S for the 21.5-inch model. It is also likely that Apple will cut the price of the standard iMac configurations to go along with these minor spec bumps.
KGI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted last year and earlier this year that Apple would be launching a lower-cost iMac in the near future to address growth in foregin markets.
Meanwhile, recent evidence in the OS X Yosemite developer preview has also indicated that Apple is gearing up to launch Retina Display-equipped iMacs in the near future. It is possible that Apple may then initially move to split the iMac lineup, selling the Retina models at higher price points alongside cheaper non-Retina models. A lower price point for the non-Retina models may also help address growth in critical foreign markets such as China.
iTunes Radio expands sports and news offerings with ESPN and local NPR stations
NPR came to iTunes Radio in March, but at the time it was only one national station. Now there are over 40 local stations like WBEZ in Chicago, WBUR in Boston and WNYC in New York. You can pull in the fresh streams of these local affiliates AM or FM options so you can get all your regional gems in addition to national hits like Radiolab and On the Media. Perhaps more exciting though (since you could always get the best of NPR in podcast form and through its dedicated app) is the addition of ESPN Radio. You can enjoy all the sports-talk you want and you won’t get blacked out on nationally broadcast events like the World Cup, the World Series or the Stanley Cup Finals. All you have to do is fire up the iTunes Radio app and you’ll find all the new content ready and waiting for you.
AIVAnet 