Nintendo looking to develop mobile games
Renowned Japanese game developer, Nintendo will reportedly step into the mobile gaming market soon. This is a natural transition for the company given that customers are taking mobile gaming seriously with new gen hardware capable of taking massive workloads.
Nintendo has partnered with DeNA to bring games tailored specifically for smart devices. There was a time when mobile gaming was all about relatively small games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush. But given the sort of graphics heavy games that the developers are pushing these days, we can expect some good content from Nintendo.
The agreement signed by the two companies mentions that there will be new games developed under the partnership, so don’t expect to see repolished version of classic Nintendo games.
“To ensure the quality of game experience that consumers expect from this alliance of Nintendo and DeNA, only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created, rather than porting games created specifically for the Wii U home console or the Nintendo 3DS portable system,” the press release said.
Source: Globe Newswire
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Health insurance data breach exposes 11 million people
Unfortunately, the days of massive health care data breaches are far from over. Premera Blue Cross has revealed that hackers breached its insurance customer data starting in May 2014, potentially exposing both the financial and medical records of 11 million people — the largest such attack to date. There’s no evidence yet that the data has been “used inappropriately,” the company says, and it notes that both the FBI and security firm FireEye are already on the case.
While the practical damage appears to be limited so far, the hack is a reminder of why there’s a push for federal data protection laws. Premera didn’t learn of the breach until late January, but it took 47 days to tell clients. That’s a long time to leave people unaware that their most sensitive information is vulnerable. In theory, national rules would speed up these kinds of disclosures and give you a better chance at preventing (or at least, spotting) fraud.
[Image credit: AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez]
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
Humble PC and Android Bundle 12 lets you pay what you want for seven different titles
The newest Humble Bundle has just been released, bringing you $136 worth of games for a significant discount. All seven titles being offered this time around are available on both Android and PC, and three of the games are making their Android debut today. And if you pay $1 or more, you’ll be able to redeem all of these games on Steam, which means you can play them on any computer running Windows, OS X or Linux.
If you donate any amount of money, here are the games you’ll receive:
- VVVVVV
- The Inner World
- Titan Attacks!
- Tetrobot and Co.
To get the next two games, you’ll need to beat the average donation price. Usually the price fluctuates a bit, but it’s currently hovering around $4.27. Here’s what you’ll get if you beat the average:
- Costume Quest
- Ironclad Tactics
If you pay $10 or more, you’ll unlock:
- Shadowrun Returns
As is the case with other Humble Bundle deals, you can choose where your money goes. Divvy up your donation between the developers of each title and between two charities – the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the American Red Cross.
More games will be added in about a week, so if you don’t see any that interest you, be sure to check back in a few days. Do you see anything worth downloading in this Humble Bundle?
Soon you can hand crank your iPhone, like our ancient ancestors
Team Ampware wants to make the iPhone 5, 5s and 6 human-powered: Introducing the CrankCase.
If you truly want to get off the grid but still need to use your iPhone, check out this new Indiegogo crowd funding project called the CrankCase.
The CrankCase is a durable case for the iPhone with a built-in hand-crank charger. Crank it for five minutes and get up to three hours of life for an iPhone 5. If you can only spare one minute of time to crank, you can still add another 40 minutes of talk time to your iPhone.
Ampware doesn’t plan to start shipping the CrankCase until October, 2015, but you can pre-order now starting at $49.99 — the retail price will be $129.99 if the product makes it to market.
The developers also plan to produce a CrankBox device; it’s a more universal charging mechanism that works with any smartphone or USB-powered device that can charge up from a 500 mA output.
If you’re the sort of person that likes to get away from it all but still wants to be able to call, text or use apps in a pinch, the CrankCase and CrankBox might be really appealing. If you have any sort of repetitive strain injury on your wrists or lower arms, though, you might want to pass on this one.
CrankCase and CrankBox are really neat ideas. Hopefully they’ll be able to take it to the next step — they’ve given themselves until April 18, 2015 to raise $50,000 on Indiegogo. You can also get more info on the Ampware Web site.
Apple Pay picks up support from 39 new banks and credit unions
Apple Pay has picked up support from another batch of banks and credit unions today.
In total, today’s additions add 39 new institutions to the quickly-growing list, as the number of supported banks well exceeds 100.
Here’s the full breakdown of the newly added banks and credit unions:
- America’s Christian Credit Union
- America’s Credit Union
- Arizona Federal Credit Union
- BankPlus
- BMI Federal Credit Union
- Canton School Employees FCU
- Charles Schwab Bank
- Clearview Federal Credit Union
- First Community Bank & Trust
- First Community Credit Union
- First Credit Union
- First National Bank of Pennsylvania
- GTE Financial
- Gulf Winds FCU
- Hiway Federal Credit Union
- Independent Bank
- Jordan Credit Union
- KeyBank
- Lake Michigan Credit Union
- Langley Federal Credit Union
- Los Angeles Federal Credit Union
- Members First Credit Union
- Michigan State University Federal Credit Union
- NBT Bank
- ORLN Federal Credit Union
- Prosperity Bank
- RBC Bank
- Sacramento Credit Union
- Salem Five Bank
- San Francisco Fire Credit Union
- Sandy Spring Bank
- Schools Financial Credit Union
- Silicon Valley Bank
- TruMark Financial Credit Union
- United Nations FCU
- Vantage Credit Union
- VyStar Credit Union
- Wanigas Credit Union
- Wings Financial Credit Union
Customers of the above banks will now be able to pay for items at retailers that have also adopted support for apple pay using just their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, or Apple Watch after its release in April. Of course, there are many more banks that have added support over the last several months, a list of which you can find from Apple via the source link below.
OnePlus announces its release date for Lollipop
Since launching its first handset in early 2014, OnePlus has had its ups and downs. Among the downs has been the slow release of software updates. Today, the company announced release dates for the OnePlus One, running CyanogenMod 12S, to receive Lollipop as well as the handsets in India with OxygenOS.
On or before March 30, owners of the OnePlus One should expect to receive Lollipop in the form of a software update. Handsets with OxygenOS are told to wait for March 27 at the latest. So owners of either devices should see Lollipop arrive in about two weeks.
The company explained the software update’s delay:
We never intended to keep you waiting. Unfortunately, we ran into some unexpected roadblocks. First, there was an unforeseen OS signing issue, which has recently been resolved. Our camera module had stability issues on Lollipop, and we had to rebuild it for compatibility. Several other crucial drivers, including our Wi-Fi drivers, also needed to be updated to work flawlessly with the upgrade. Admittedly, it took a little more time than we had planned, but we only release updates that we are proud of; that means refusing to take shortcuts or deliver sub-par experiences.
Because nothing ever seems to go smoothly for OnePlus, people should be prepared for the aforementioned dates to be missed. The company does have a plan to redeem itself in the event that the deadlines are missed. Forgoing either one of those deadlines will launch a contest for consumers to win one of five OnePlus One devices. To enter, merely comment in the announcement post below.
Source: OnePlus
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Facebook announces money transferring for Messenger
Soon, Facebook Messenger will expand to a messaging service that allows money transferring. The social network announced today that users will be able to conveniently and securely send or receive money between friends. Simply add a Visa or MasterCard debit card and setup a PIN to start transferring money. Since security has become increasingly important, especially when it comes to financial items, Facebook says that login approvals can be added for another layer of authentication.
To send money:
- Start a message with a friend
- Tap the $ icon and enter the amount you want to send
- Tap Pay in the top right and add your debit card to send money
To receive money:
- Open the conversation from your friend
- Tap Add Card in the message and add your debit card to accept money for the first time
The money transferring feature will be rolled out in the United States over the coming months. It will work on web, Android, and iOS platforms.
Source: Facebook Newsroom
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The NYPD is trying a more precise gunshot detection system
Zeroing in on the precise source of gunfire is next to impossible in densely packed cities like New York City. Shots reverberate off of building facades, obscuring the shooter’s location and costing law enforcement precious response time. But with a newly installed gunshot detection system, the NYPD will know exactly where those shots are coming from.
Nearly 20 percent of all violent crimes committed in New York City in 2013 (the most recent year for which stats are available) were perpetrated with a firearm — some 4,777 incidents in all. But, according to NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, “on average 75 percent of shots fired are never called into 911.” So, as part of its ongoing effort to combat gun crime within the five boroughs, the NYPD recently installed a $1.5 million trial version of the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system in multiple designated test zones throughout the Bronx and Brooklyn. The Bronx test areas have already come online; those in Brooklyn are expected to activate in the near future.
The ShotSpotter trial system relies on 300 audio sensors distributed throughout the 15-square-mile test area. Each sensor is tuned to pick up the distinct crack of gunfire and works with other sensors nearby to triangulate the source of the shot. Once the system detects a potential gunshot, the audio feed is verified by a trained professional and then forwarded on to emergency services via the city’s Domain Awareness System (DAS).
ShotSpotter is reportedly capable of not only recognizing shots and sourcing them to within about 80 feet (roughly half a city block) but also the number of shots, direction of the shooter’s travel and even the number of firearms involved. And unlike previous gunshot detection systems that NYC has experimented with (and abandoned due to flurries of false-positives), ShotSpotter accurately detects shots 80 percent of the time.
“Gunshot detection technology like ShotSpotter will add yet another tool to the NYPD’s technological crimefighting capabilities,” the commissioner said during a press conference. “It will enable us to respond to shooting incidents in a more timely manner, and provide us with the ability to help victims, solve crimes and apprehend dangerous suspects more quickly.”
Should the ShotSpotter system work as advertised, the NYPD said it will integrate the system integrate the system into the city’s overarching Domain Awareness surveillance scheme. There, the ShotSpotter’s data would be integrated with the city’s 8,000 or so CCTV feeds, NYPD license plate readers, Homeland Security radiation sensors and even 911 reports. That way, when police respond to a 10-10 call (Possible Crime in Progress), they’ll know exactly what they’re getting into before they even reach the scene.
[Image Credit: Getty, NYC Mayor’s Office]
Via: Gothamist
Source: NYC Mayor’s Office
Google Play adds age-based ratings to games, buckles down on reviewing apps
On its Android Developers Blog, Google has chronicled two changes coming to the Play Store.
The first of these changes is a global content rating system for apps and games. Starting today, developers will need to complete a content rating questionnaire of each of their apps and games in order for them to receive ratings. The official ratings will come from the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC), the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), Australian Classification Board, Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK), and Classificação Indicativa (ClassInd).
Developers will need to sign into the Developer Console and complete the new questionnaire for their apps. Apps without a completed questionnaire risk being unrated and may be blocked in certain territories for some users. In May, all apps, whether new or existing, will need to meet this requirement.
Lastly, there is a new app review process. Starting some months ago, Google reviewed apps before they were published to Google Play. It has now added a team of experts who will be responsible for reviewing violations. Developers can view the status of their apps at any times and clearly will be able to understand why any are rejected or suspended,. They can resubmit those with minor policy violations.
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Deal: Get $50 in Google Play credit with purchase of a Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or Android Wear device
If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, tablet or wearable, the newly-announced Google Store may have a deal for you. From now until March 31st, if you purchase a Nexus 6, Nexus 9 or any Android Wear device, you’ll receive $50 in credit to be used on anything in the Google Play Store. Once you purchase your new device, you’ll get a confirmation email from Google with your promotion code, which can then be added to your Play Store balance.
There are a few rules and regulations to go over before you make your purchase, though. Just to clarify, the $50 credit can be used in the Google Play Store, not the new Google Store where you buy devices. Your $50 credit can go towards anything, whether that be new apps, games, movies, shows, music or magazines. Your Google Play credit must be added to your account by April 20th and used by September 1st.
In addition to this sweet deal, Sony’s SmartWatch 3 can also be yours for a discounted price. Right now, the SmartWatch 3 is being offered at a $50 discount ($199.99), and includes the $50 in Google Play credit. That’s not a bad deal at all!
If you’d like to take advantage of any of these deals, head to the link below to start shopping. Is anybody picking anything up?
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