Engadget Daily: Microsoft buys ‘Minecraft’ developer Mojang, Google unveils Android One, and more!
The rumors were true: Microsoft is buying Minecraft developer Mojang for $2.5 billion. Crazy, right? That’s not all that happened today though. Go ahead and spice up your Monday with Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours. You know you want to.
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US fines over data requests would have destroyed Yahoo in a year
The US government’s threat that it would fine Yahoo $250,000 per day back in 2008 was bad enough by itself, but declassified documents show that the penalties could easily have been much, much worse. Marc Zwillinger and Jacob Sommer (who were on Yahoo’s side in the case) note that $250,000 was merely the baseline, and that the requested fines would double for every week that Yahoo refused to hand over user data. There wasn’t a ceiling, either. At that rate, holding out for any significant amount of time would have been impossible — Yahoo would have lost all of its assets, or $13.8 billion, in just over a year. As such, the fine wasn’t so much a punishment as a weapon that forced the internet firm to comply with a surveillance order it was planning to contest in court.
Not that Yahoo had much chance of success even if the fine had been down to Earth. The Director of National Intelligence put tremendous pressure on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to deny Yahoo’s call for a stay on the data requests, saying that a pause “could cause great harm” to the country. Moreover, the government denied Yahoo access to evidence that would help its defense — it couldn’t cast doubt on the demands by showing that the US scoops up incidental data about innocent Americans, for example. That Yahoo resisted at all is significant given the tall odds, but it’s clearer than ever that US companies have few viable ways of fighting requests for your online info when national security is allegedly at stake.
[Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]
Filed under: Internet
Via: Washington Post
Source: ZwillGen Blog
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PayPal Launches Ad Subtly Attacking Apple for Recent iCloud Photo Leak [iOS Blog]
Following the unveiling of Apple Pay last week, PayPal has gone on the offensive, taking out a full page ad in The New York Times that slams Apple for its recent iCloud photo leak while promoting PayPal’s own security.
“We the people want our money safer than our selfies,” reads the ad first shared by Pando Daily. “PayPal, protecting the people economy.”
The ad alludes to a recent attack on celebrity iCloud accounts, which saw hundreds of celebrity photos released on the Internet. Since the attack, Apple has gone to great lengths to point out that the leak was tied to weak usernames and passwords rather than an iCloud security breach, as the incident occurred just before plans to unveil Apple Pay.
The company released a public statement after an investigation, and then Tim Cook did an interview with The Wall Street Journal to let users know about plans to broaden the use of two-factor authentication and to send security emails when a device is restored, iCloud is accessed, or a password change is attempted.
On its Apple Pay website, Apple also goes into detail about the security of the service, pointing towards unique Device Account numbers, the iPhone’s Secure Element, and the ability to put a phone in Lost Mode if it goes missing, protecting all information including payment data.
Apple also says that all transactions are private, as the company does not store any details at all. Payment information is also directly stored on a device (within the Secure Element) and not in iCloud, making it inaccessible from a remote location.
Apple doesn’t save your transaction information. With Apple Pay, your payments are private. Apple doesn’t store the details of your transactions so they can’t be tied back to you. Your most recent purchases are kept in Passbook for your convenience, but that’s as far as it goes.
It’s no surprise that PayPal has launched an ad that subtly attacks Apple as it is facing significant competition from the company. In addition to allowing users to make purchases in retail stores with their iPhones, Apple Pay also lets users buy items in supported apps using a credit card or debit card connected with an iTunes account.
PayPal works in a very similar way, letting users attach a credit or debit card and then make purchases through the service, alleviating the need to enter credit card details. Major credit card companies, banks, and multiple retailers are also already on board with Apple Pay.
App developers have been instructed to use several different payment platforms in their APIs, including Authorize.Net, Chase Paymentech, CyberSource, First Data, Stripe, and TSYS. Noticeably absent is PayPal, though the service’s credit card processing subsidiary, Braintree, has pledged support for Apple Pay.
PayPal has had its own security issues in recent months, most recently facing a significant problem with its two-factor authentication system.
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What’s on your HDTV: ‘Godzilla’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘New Girl’
It didn’t get the best reception in theaters, but this year’s new Godzilla flick is coming home this week on Blu-ray, along with a re-release of Ghostbusters 1 & 2. We’re also getting our first taste of fall TV, as Fox lines up The Mindy Project and The New Girl (season three will be on Netflix if you haven’t seen it) on Tuesday night. If you don’t have Amazon Prime but want to watch Alpha House, the first season of that series is also on Blu-ray. Hit the gallery or just look after the break to check out each day’s highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Blu-ray, Streaming movies & Games
- Godzilla (3D)
- Ghostbusters 1 & 2
- Arrow (S2)
- Hannibal (S2)
- Sleepy Hollow (S1)
- The Roosevelts
- Grimm (S3)
- South Park (S17)
- The Big Bang Theory (S7)
- The Fault in Our Stars
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (40th Anniversary Edition)
- The Nutty Professor (50th Anniversary)
- Alpha House (S1)
- Congo
- Fibbage (PS3)
- Flockers (PC, Xbox One)
- Silver Linings Playbook, Netflix
- Beginners, Netflix
Monday
- Monday Night Football: Eagles vs. Colts, ESPN, 8:15PM
- Dancing with the Stars (season premiere), ABC, 8PM
- American Ninja Warrior, NBC, 8PM
- WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
- Terror at the Mall, HBO, 9PM
- Lotus Caves (special presentation), Syfy, 9PM
- Dallas, TNT, 9PM
- Under the Dome, CBS, 10PM
Tuesday
- New Girl (S3), Netflix
- Bones (S9), Netflix
- Alan Alda and the Actor Within You, HBO, 7:30PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Dancing with the Stars, ABC, 8PM
- The Roosevelts, PBS, 8PM
- Utopia, Fox, 8PM
- New Girl (season premiere), Fox, 9PM
- Fashion Rocks, CBS, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent, NBC, 9PM
- Inside the NFL, Showtime, 9PM
- 4th and Loud, A&E, 9PM
- Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
- Matador, El Rey, 9PM
- The Mindy Project (season premiere), Fox, 9:30PM
- Sons of Anarchy, FX, 10PM
- Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
- The Singles Project, Bravo, 10PM
- Finding Carter (season finale), MTV, 10PM
- Brickleberry (season premiere), Comedy Central, 10:30PM
Wednesday
- Penn & Teller: Fool Us, CW, 8PM
- Unsung: The Chi-lites, TV One, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- The Roosevelts, PBS, 8PM
- The Director’s Chair: Quentin Tarantino pt 2, El Rey Network, 9PM
- Red Band Society (series premiere), Fox, 9PM
- America’s Got Talent (season finale), NBC, 9PM
- Legends, TNT, 9PM
- Under the Lights, CBS, 9PM
- The League, FXX, 10PM
- Franklin & Bash, TNT, 10PM
- Extant (season finale), CBS, 10PM
- The Mysteries of Laura (series premiere), NBC, 10PM
- The Bridge, FX, 10PM
- Ali G: Rezurection, FXX, 10:30PM
- Virgin Territory, MTV, 11PM
- The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail (season finale), Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Thursday
- Buccaneers/Falcons football, CBS, 8:25PM
- The Biggest Loser, NBC, 8PM
- Haven, Syfy, 8PM
- The Roosevelts, PBS, 8PM
- Rush (season finale), USA, 9PM
- Dating Naked: Wedding Special (season finale), VH1, 9PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 9PM
- Working the Engels, NBC, 9:30PM
- Married (season finale), FX, 10PM
- Satisfaction (season finale), USA, 10PM
- Ridiculousness, MTV, 10PM
- Garfunkel & Oates, IFC, 10PM
- You’re The Worst (season finale), FX, 10:30PM
- Black Jesus, Cartoon Network, 11PM
- Seven Deadly Sins (season finale), Showtime, 11PM
- Adam Devine’s House Party, Comedy Central, 12:30AM
Friday
- Utopia, Fox, 8PM
- The Roosevelts, PBS, 8PM
- Big Brother, CBS, 8PM
- Masters of Illusion, CW, 8PM
- WWE SmackDown, Syfy, 8PM
- A Football Life: Brandon Marshall, NFL Network, 9PM
- Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO, 10PM
- Z Nation, Syfy, 10PM
- The Knick, Cinemax, 10PM
Saturday
- F1 Singapore GP, NBC Sports Network, 7:30AM
- Florida/Alabama college football, CBS, 3:30PM
- Mississippi/LSU college football, ESPN, 7PM
- Clemson/Florida State college football, ABC, 8PM
- Oregon/Washington State college football, ESPN, 10:30PM
- The Assault, Lifetime, 8PM
- The Roosevelts, PBS, 8PM
- Cedar Cove, Hallmark, 8PM
- Perfect on Paper, Hallmark, 9PM
- On the Run Tour: Beyonce and Jay-Z, HBO, 9PM
- Doctor Who, BBC America, 9PM
- Hell on Wheels, AMC, 9PM
- Outlander, Starz, 9PM
- Intruders, BBC America, 10PM
- The Chair, Starz, 11PM
Sunday
- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series @ New Hampshire, ESPN, 2PM
- 60 Minutes (season premiere), CBS, 7:30PM
- The Hazing Secret, Lifetime, 8PM
- Reds/Cardinals baseball, ESPN, 8PM
- Miss Marple (season premiere), PBS, 8PM
- Steelers / Panthers football, NBC, 8:20PM
- Madam Secretary (series premiere), CBS, 8:30PM
- Boardwalk Empire, HBO, 9PM
- Ray Donovan, Showtime, 9PM
- American Dad, Fox, 9:30PM
- The Good Wife (season premiere), CBS, 9:30PM
- Manhattan, WGN, 10PM
- The Strain, FX, 10PM
- Naked & Afraid, Discovery, 10PM
- Masters of Sex, Showtime, 10PM
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, HBO, 11PM
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Chrome for Android starts answering your questions in search suggestions
Google’s as-you-type search suggestions have only offered the tiniest bit of help so far. They can handle basic math, but they won’t answer questions that require more than a few numbers. However, that might soon change. Chrome for Android now has an experimental feature that answers some of your queries before you’ve even finished asking. Switch it on and you can get the weather, historic dates and other valuable info without ever seeing Google’s usual results page. While the feature isn’t all that vital when you have access to Google Now, it may save you the trouble of switching apps (or leaving the page you’re on) when you just want to get a small factoid. There’s also no hint as to when Google might make the feature standard on Android or bring it to the desktop, but let’s hope that an upgrade comes soon — it could save a lot of unnecessary keystrokes.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Via: Phandroid
Source: OMGChrome
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Oppo teases Oppo N3 announcement in October in Singapore
The Oppo N1 was an interesting device – the first device to have the option of the CyanogenMod operating system available out of the box and one of the first to have a swivelling camera, it never really took off despite being being affectionately known as the ‘Cyanogen Phone’ by the Android community. Still, that hasn’t stopped Oppo from developing a successor to that phone, and has teased its existence and announcement in a new teaser. According to the teaser, the device is going to be called the Oppo N3, and is going to be announced in Singapore sometime in October. While the teaser doesn’t give away too much about the device, a series of press renders appear to show what the N3 is going to look like.
If these renders are to be believed, Oppo won’t be getting rid of the swivel camera made famous by the N1, and looks to have addressed the primary concern with the N1′s camera which was the flimsiness of the swivel mechanism. It’s arguably a sleeker device, despite the camera protrusion at the top of the device, though perhaps Oppo will rethink the size of the device after the N1 shocked the market with its 5.9-inch frame.
What do you think about the Oppo N3? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Facebook, GSM Arena via Phone Arena
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U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’ Accessed Over 33 Million Times Since Start of iTunes Promotion [iOS Blog]
Six days after it began offering U2’s latest album “Songs of Innocence” for free to 500 million iTunes customers, Apple has announced (via the Associated Press) that over 33 million customers have accessed the record.
In a statement, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software and Services Eddy Cue called the numbers record-breaking, and said that the numbers include users who downloaded the album from their iTunes account, streamed it, or used iTunes Radio to listen to it.
Earlier this morning, Apple also released a tool for customers to delete the U2 album off of their iTunes accounts, as some users were upset with it being added to their devices without their knowledge.
Last Friday, it was reported that Songs of Innocence was downloaded 2 million times after three days of being made available. The album will be free for iTunes customers until October 13.
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Tim Cook Speaks on Privacy in New Interview: ‘We Try Not to Collect Data’
Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke with Charlie Rose in a two part-interview, and the second segment of the show is airing tonight. In the second half of the interview, Cook focuses on the driving force behind Apple, his own personal values, and the company’s thoughts on privacy.
Cook’s first comments are on Apple’s privacy views, and he says that the company tries to collect as little data about its users as possible and that he believes that people “have a right to privacy.”
Our view is that when we design a new service we try not to collect data. So we’re not reading your email. We’re not reading your iMessage. If the government laid a subpoena on us to get your iMessages, we can’t provide it. It’s encrypted and we don’t have a key.
Our business is based on selling [products]. Our business is not based on having information about you. You are not our product.
As he has stated previously, Cook says that no one has backdoor access to Apple’s servers. “We would never allow that to happen,” he says, repeating his prior statement on the issue. “They would have to cart us out in a box before we would do that.”
On his values, Tim Cook says that he believes in treating all people with dignity, regardless of color, religion sexual orientation, and gender. “Everyone deserves respect.” Cook goes on to say that Apple is driven by a goal to enrich people’s lives and change the world, not to be the largest company.
You know, I was at — I was at Compaq at a time where the objective was to become a $40 billion company. Well, employees don’t get excited about that. This isn’t something you wake up and you go, “I’m going to take the hill today to do 40″ — I mean, you know? It’s just not that. But changing the world? These are the things that people work for. And this pushes people. And so, this is who we are as people. And it’s the values of our company. It’s been the values of our company forever. And it’s to Steve’s credit. He put these values in the company… I know I probably said it too many times, but it’s a privilege of a lifetime to be there, because I think there’s no place like it on earth.”
The first part of the Charlie Rose interview aired on Friday, with Tim Cook speaking about Steve Jobs’ continued influence on Apple Products, the company’s thoughts on the Apple TV, and the decision to buy Beats Electronics.
During the first half of the interview, Tim Cook also said that Apple is working on products that “no one knows about” and that “haven’t been rumored about yet,” noting that some of the products may go on to be released while others will be shelved.
Tim Cook’s full commentary on Apple and privacy issues will be available when the complete second part of the interview airs later tonight on PBS.
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InfoSonics verykool s505 Spark is a dual-sim wielding phone for $200 that is worth a look [Review]
Over the years I have seen and used some pretty interesting devices. The first few years of Android was a pretty wonderful time. As the base Android OS improved, so did the hardware. It wasn’t easy and many companies tried and failed when attempting to implement a device that was low-cost and subsequently offered lower specs. Now that Android as an OS has matured, it is possible to take a step backwards in hardware and still make a product that functions. When I first heard about the InfoSonics verykool s505 Spark, I was intrigued by it. Mostly because the specs weren’t terrible, the price was attractive and the images showed a stock experience. After a series of mishaps with my more illustrious and expensive devices, I have become reliant on the verykool s505 as my daily device. As such, this review is more so of an experience over the last month than a traditional 2-weeks in hand and not a full-blown daily used device.
InfoSonics verykool s505 Spark Specs
Technology
3G HSPA+ 21 Mbps DL, 5.76 Mbps UL
Band
3G Triple Band (850/1900/2100)
Dual SIM Card Support (1 x 2FF mini SIM, 1 x 3FF micro SIM)
Operating System
Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
CPU
1.3 GHz Quadcore – Powered by MediaTek
Battery
2,000 mAh Li-ion
Talk time up to 7 hours / Standby time up to 240 hours
Size
143.50 x 71.60 x 8.25 mm
Weight
154 grams
Screen
5.0” HD IPS-LCD Capacitive Touch
720 x 1280 Pixels, 293 ppi with full lamination
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspots, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Tethering
Camera
12 Megapixel rear camera
2 Megapixel front camera
Memory
1GB RAM
4GB ROM, 2GB internal storage, external (T-Flash) up to 32GB
Extras
GPS with A-GPS, G-sensor, loudspeaker, 3.5mm audio jack, Dual SIM optional.
Ambient light sensor, Gravity and Proximity sensors, LED Torch
The spec sheet outlines a pretty low powered phone with specs that would make a high-end Android users cringe at the thought of having it in their house let alone using it. I feel your pain, but it hasn’t quite turned out as terrible as I thought it was going to be. That is a good thing actually.
Whats in the box
In the box you find the traditional necessities. A wall plug, a micro USB cable, the verykool s505 Spark, a set of ear bud (which no one seems to offer up anymore) and a spare screen protector. The device comes with one screen protector pre-installed for you.
The Looks and the Physical Goods
The external look of the s505 Spark is fairly reminiscent of the Galaxy S4. At least at first glance. It obviously losses the physical home button and capacitive keys. In the front you find your ear pierce, your sensors and your front facing camera.
On the rear you will find a 12MP camera with LED flash along with the speaker grill.
Along the right side is where you will find your power and volume buttons. On the rear is the micro USB charging port that sits off to the right side next to the mic hole. When you remove the plastic back plate you are greeted by the 2,000 mAh battery that power the device. Above it is where you find your micro SD slot, micro SIM card slot and full size SIM card slot.
In a world of 2K ultra HD displays, the Sparks 720 x 1280 resolution screen doesn’t sound spectacular. As with anything that is 720p, if you look hard enough you can find pixels. That doesn’t detract from its vibrant colors though. When looking at the screen from a variety of angles you can see a slight darkness come over the screen. Not to the degree that it makes it impossible to see the screen clearly though, it looks quite sharp from all angles.
As for how it feels, well, it fits well in my tiny little girl hands and is easy enough to use one-handed for basic operations. While the actual weight is 154 grams, it oddly feels lighter than the Galaxy S4. Just a mind trick I suppose. It does feel like $200 though. However, one can argue that the Galaxy line from Samsung feels the same and they clearly aren’t.
The Software
We know the Spark s505 runs Android 4.2 as the base. InfoSonics left it well enough alone and kept it stock Android. That is something that we just don’t see from companies all that often and probably one of the reasons the lower specs work just fine with the software.
They did add a few little changes in that were needed such as a SIM management setting so that you can easily manage both SIMs. They also added in some audio profile settings and the ability to schedule power on and off times.
The pre-installed apps are all pretty basic. InfoSonics didn’t load it up with a bunch of garbage that you can’t remove. Most everything is stock Google with Google apps. There are a few additions though, like a File Manager, WhatsApp, Skype, Wireless Input Control and SafeTREC. SafeTREC is their main selling point app for the device. I will simply let them tell you about it.
“provides a family of next-generation mobile safety technology and services. According to MobileTREC, their system is the only true platform that allows users to text to 911, offering a quick emergency response method in case of danger. In addition to one-touch response, there’s a single help button to push in case of a crisis. Other features include a family locator with GPS tracking capabilities, mobile intelligence indicating danger and safe zones before you enter and personalized safety network alerts for friends and family. Customers who purchase the s505 Spark can enjoy a free 30-day trial of MobileTREC’s safety platform to experience firsthand the many features of these important Personal Safety Services.”
While the device only sports Android 4.2 currently, InfoSonics has noted that it will be updated to Android 4.4 at some point. With much of the software being a fairly stock Android experience, there aren’t a ton of things to look at or worry about. It just works.
The Camera
The Spark features a 12MP camera that packs in HDR mode, Panorama and other feature sets you would expect from a device. Here are a few sample images for you to look over taken with the standard camera app that is provided on the device.
They look pretty good. I didn’t mess with settings at all, nor were any of those taken using HDR mode. One would expect them to be a little better since it is a 12MP camera. I didn’t edit or shop any of the above photos, but they were the best ones taken out of the bunch that I took. Many seemed a little washed out or overexposed. Again, changing some settings could help with that, but end users like to point and shoot and not think.
If you get things set up and are careful about your shots, they look pretty good. If you are going to add effects and share them on social media channels, they should be just fine. Something is just not completely right with the camera sensor though. Whether it be the sensor its self or just some software issue.
The s505 Experience
Hardware and software specs written out on paper, or the web, don’t do a product justice anymore. I recently read an article, I can’t remember from where, that talked about moving beyond data points on devices and getting back to the experience. Putting the physical data points aside and strictly going off of my experience using the device as my primary daily driver for the last month, I am very pleased. There are a few things that stand out on my overall experience.
- The battery life of the s505 is rated for 7 hours of talk time with 240 hours of standby. On a day of regular usage during the week I routinely made it through from 6:30 a.m to around 11 p.m. without needing to put t on the charger. I usually hit the hay about 11, sometimes later, but during the month of use, I never had to put it on the charger in the middle of the afternoon like I have had to do with other higher-end devices.
- While the internal storage only offers 4GB, 2GB user available, the micro SD card slot alleviates the strain. In the setting menu under storage, you can set the default install location to the SD card. You would be pretty lost without that setting. Without it, you would find yourself out of usable storage for apps rather quickly.
- Moving between screens, apps and settings on the device is pretty quick. There are no doubt some times where you will run into some lag. There were also a few times where typing on the keyboard would lag behind and take a second or two to catch up. It is a tricky thing to blame on the device its self though. I have experienced the same lag on the Xperia Z1s, HTC One M8 and on the Galaxy S4 in various apps and with various keyboards. Maybe I am just to fast for the devices. HA.
- Call quality and sound were above average. The speaker phone was extremely loud and clear. Watching videos, listening to music and other things came through loud enough to be heard without needing to bring your phone to your face to catch some words. It is considerably better than I have experienced on other similarly priced devices out there.
- Since the device is unlocked, carrier free and dual-sim, there is no need to worry about anything with T-Mobile or AT&T. Same thing goes for any carrier that uses a SIM card locally or internationally. I used a miro SIM from T-Mobile in slot 2 with no sim in slot 1. Remember, slot 1 is a full-sized SIM. It auto configured and I was online and making calls in seconds.
This particular model is a 3G device with HSPA+ access. I didn’t run speed tests on the data simply because where I live has less than stellar T-Mobile speeds even on top-tier handsets. I did use the device a lot outside of my house and surfed the web just fine, communicated on G+, Hangouts and streamed music from Google Play Music without a hitch.
Overall Thoughts
It is easy to dismiss a device from a company you may have not heard of that is offering a device that isn’t a top-tier $600+ phone. My experience with the InfoSonics verykool s505 Spark has been a very pleasant one. It came to my rescue after some a series of unfortunate situations. The s505 offers up enough give and take in areas to justify the price tag with the screen size, processor, camera (when tuned in good conditions) and battery. If you aren’t all about the ‘extras’ from the high-end devices and just need something to surf the web, watch some videos and listen to music all while being able to sport two SIM cards, a SD card and not be tied to a contract or one carrier, this might just be one to check out. You certainly can’t expect a Galaxy S5 out of the verykool s505, but at $200, it does its job quite nicely. Heck, if you have PayPal credit you can even make 6 monthly installments of 33.99 to buy it.
Check it out at the verykool website. Which, I am also happy to say, is here in the states in San Francisco.
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The Big Picture: Scientists pick a landing site for their historic comet probe
You’re not just looking at an unassuming piece of rock — if anything, it’s a piece of history. That’s Site J, the European Space Agency’s long-awaited choice of landing spot for Philae, the first probe built to reach a comet’s surface. Scientists chose the seemingly uneventful location because it should offer the best chances of studying the comet’s nucleus and other material without worrying about impurities. It should also guarantee that Philae both stays in touch with its Rosetta mothership and maintains just enough power to get its job done. You’ll likely have to wait until touchdown on November 11th to get a closer look, but this at least serves as a good preview.
[Image credit: ESA/Rosetta/MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA/SSO/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA]
Filed under: Science
Via: Space.com
Source: ESA
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AIVAnet 