New York sets rules for running Bitcoin exchange businesses
New York has finally issued an official set of rules for businesses that deal with Bitcoins. If you recall, New York Superintendent of Financial Services Benjamin M. Lawsky and his team have been writing and rewriting those regulations for the past two years, taking criticisms into account. Lawsky has announced the final list during a recent speech at the BITS Emerging Payments Forum in Washington, weeks before he steps down from his position. These rules require businesses to apply for a “BitLicense” from the Department of Financial Services if they want to operate in the Big Apple. The final version clarifies that only companies that offer financial services, such as money exchanges, are required to take out applications, though. Software developers, individuals and retailers can accept cryptocurrency payments without having to go through the process.
The rules also state that businesses won’t have to report every software update (unless it will significantly change their product/service) or to apply for BitLicense, if they already have a traditional money transmitter license. From the start, Lawsky maintained that the state wants to regulate Bitcoin-based businesses in order to avoid money laundering schemes and the like. “We simply want to make sure that we put in place guardrails that protect consumers and root out illicit activity — without stifling beneficial innovation,” he said during his speech.
While some entrepreneurs welcome the regulatory framework, as it will prove to customers that their businesses are legit, not everyone’s happy with the the final list. Jerry Brito, executive director of Bitcoin advocacy group Coin Center, told The Wall Street Journal that the BitLicense program creates “an unprecedented new state-level money laundering requirement.” He believes it’s discriminatory, as New York banks and regular money transmitters don’t have to follow a similar set of rules. His unhappiness is shared by a lot of people in the Bitcoin community, who are dismayed that Lawsky failed to address their concerns.
New York is the first state to heavily regulate Bitcoin exchanges, but other states might follow if the BitLicense turns out to be a success. If you want to know just how stringent New York’s rules are, check out this full set of regulations released by Lawsky’s department.
[Image credit: Getty/TimArbaev]
Filed under: Misc
Samsung taking potshots at iPhone again with “6 Is Greater Than 6” ads
Samsung’s rise to the top of the smartphone industry was thanks, in no small part, to very smart marketing. Especially in the United States, Samsung effectively portrayed its flagships as the hip alternatives to Apple’s boring old iPhones. The “Next Big Thing” campaign was so successful that in 2013 Apple’s marketing boss told Tim Cook a new advertising agency was needed to fend off Samsung’s attacks.
Following on the massive success of its original anti-Apple commercials, Samsung has been churning out new spots making fun of Apple ever since. The latest batch is called “6 Is Greater Than 6” and sees the Galaxy S6 Edge pitched against the iPhone 6.
Samsung focuses on the unique features of its Edge device, contrasting them to the plainness of Apple’s smartphone. “Check out the edge of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge,” reads the copy. “It displays colors when your top five contacts call. The edge of the iPhone 6 displays nothing. But it has a vibrate function,” the mocking continues.
The second ad is in the same vein, but highlights wireless charging and wide-angle selfies, two features lacking from the iPhone 6.
These ads show why Samsung has been working to add production capacity for the Galaxy S6 Edge. The dual-curved screen of the Edge is highly distinctive, and people love it. According to Counterpoint data, only supply problems kept the S6 Edge from outselling its flat sibling.
After years of the same basic designs, Samsung found a way to make its phone stand out in the crowd, and customers are gobbling it up. That’s the reason why Samsung is reportedly planning to release a larger version of the S6 Edge called Galaxy S6 Plus. With a dual-curve screen of 5.5 to 5.7 inches, the S6 Plus is expected to land sometime this summer.
Samsung is keen to offer the Edge concept in more size options, and again portray itself as the hot new thing that cool kids give up their iPhones for. But will that bring its mojo back? Let us know your thoughts.
Vodafone and Virgin Media may team up to take down BT and Sky
With BT currently in the process of acquiring EE and Sky expanding into mobile, the UK is set for media consolidation. Consumers are set to benefit as providers fight for their money, but it’s also put a lot of pressure on other providers to expand their offerings. One provider feeling the heat is Vodafone, which has suggested it will expand beyond telecoms. The operator confirmed today that it’s in the “early stages” of talks with Liberty Global, owner of Virgin Media, over the “possible exchange of selected assets between the two companies.”
Vodafone doesn’t note how a potential “transaction” would play out but it is keen to express that discussions will not focus on a merger. However, it’s highly likely that the “assets” will include Virgin Media, which was only acquired by Liberty Global in February 2013. After all, BT, TalkTalk and Sky all have established TV and internet services and Vodafone does not. “There is no certainty that any transaction will be agreed,” notes Vodafone in a press release. “Nor is there certainty with respect to which assets will ultimately be involved.” Virgin Media would be a good fit for Vodafone, even if it’s just making a return to broadband — we’ll just have to see how this plays out.
Filed under: Wireless, Internet, Mobile
Source: Vodafone
Yahoo takes the ax to Mail, Maps and Pipes features
Yahoo has published its second quarter progress report for 2015, and its theme’s pretty clear: killing features and antiquated products. Starting on June 15th, Yahoo Mail will no longer be able to sync with Apple’s stock Mail app on iOS 4 and older, so you’ll have to find alternatives if you’re still clinging to ancient iPhones and iPod Touch players. At the same time, Macs running OS X 10.7 Lion and earlier won’t be able to sync with Yahoo Contacts anymore. Yahoo is also sunsetting the maps.yahoo.com website, though it won’t completely kill its maps product, since Flickr, Search and its other properties still need it.
In addition, the company’s jettisoning market-specific homepages, such as Yahoo Music in France and Canada and Yahoo Entertainment in Singapore, in the next couple of months. Finally, Marissa Mayer and co. have decided to kill Yahoo Pipes, which gave people an easy way to build web apps and aggregate web feeds. It’s obviously no longer popular as it once was, but you can think of as IFTTT’s predecessor. You can read the full obituary updates on Tumblr, which is successful enough to escape this killing spree.
[Image credit: Associated Press]
Filed under: Misc, Mobile, Apple
Via: VentureBeat, 9to5mac
Source: Yahoo
Chrome will ‘intelligently’ pause Flash content like auto-playing ads
Few things are more annoying on the internet than auto-playing Flash ads, especially if it has audio. If you don’t already have an ad-blocker installed, then you might want to consider getting the upcoming version of Chrome. Google has announced today that it’s been working with Adobe to introduce an update to Chrome that will “intelligently pause content that aren’t central to the webpage.” That means that the browser will automatically halt auto-playing Flash content on the sidebar, for example, but will still let that Flash video in the middle — arguably the reason you’re on that webpage in the first place — play away. And just in case you do want to watch that ad for whatever reason, you can click it to enable playback.
According to Google, it’s doing this to reduce power consumption on laptops, but we can’t help but think this is pretty darn useful for anyone who wants a better surfing experience. If you want to try this out for yourself right now, you can go ahead and download the latest desktop beta of Chrome, where it’s enabled by default. But if you want to give it a go without doing that, you can actually enable it right now with your existing Chrome browser. Simply go into Settings, select “Show advanced settings,” then select the content settings for Privacy and then select “Detect and run important plugin content.”
[Image credit: AP Photo/Mark Lennihan]
Via: VentureBeat
Source: Google
IK Multimedia starts shipping iRig UA, first universal guitar interface and processor for Android
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Attention musicians and Android owners across the globe, your dreams have just come true. Well, maybe not entirely, but still, this announcement is one that I am sure many of you guys will be pleased to learn about. IK Multimedia is now shipping the iRig UA. This little device provides high-quality sound with zero-latency. In English, it produces killer sound without a time delay. Like I need to say much more to get guitarists and bassist interested, but the iRig UA is compatible with nearly every Android device that sports Android 4.2 or newer so long as OTG USB works with the device. If you happen to own a Samsung Professional Audio compatible device (Note 4, Note Edge and others) with Android 5.0, the device can also act as a recording unit as well.
If you can’t tell, I am pretty excited about this news. Previously the iRig units, and associated app, was only available to iOS users. So breaking that exclusive to include Android after 5 years is pretty stellar. To make the whole thing work correctly, you need the iRig UA device, which is shipping globally for $99.99 and the free AmpliTude UA app from the Play Store. The app is really just the effects brains and offers you access to 21 pieces of gear with in-app purchase options for 22 more pieces. You gain 9 effects: Noise Filter, Delay, Overdrive, Wah, Chorus, Flanger, Phazer and Octave (plus Distortion upon registration). Then use those with 5 amplifiers with matching cabinets: Lead, Clean, Bass, Crunch and Metal.
Feature list:
• First real-time guitar and bass mobile multi-effects app for all Android devices
• Zero latency processing on any Android device* when paired with iRig UA
• Full rig with 3 simultaneous stomp boxes, an amp with effects, a cabinet and a mic
• Comes with 9 stompbox effects, 5 amplifiers, 5 cabinets and 2 mics
• Gear library can be expanded with branded gear from Fender, Orange, Ampeg, Soldano and more
• Enhanced presets system
• Chromatic tuner included
• Can be used without iRig UA in a fully functional mode that does not allow audio-in (a dry audio demo is provided for playing purposes)
Moving right along to more technical aspects like 24-bit A/D converter with a 44.1/48kHz sampling rate and crystal clear low-noise preamp. What really has me drooling is the device offers your traditional 1/4″ jack for your guitar or bass, a micro USB to OTG cable and a 1/8″ to plug a set of headphone in. Basically you are getting a mobile amp and a slew of effects peddles that plug into your phone allowing you to rock out anywhere at anytime.
Check out the app on the Play Store and get over to the IK Multimedia iRig UA page to order your unit today.
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Massive hack compromises 4 million federal employees’ private info
A group of hackers has attacked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), stealing sensitive data on 4 million current and former American federal employees. Law enforcement sources tell Reuters that the government believes the perpetrators are from China and have penetrated not just OPM’s IT systems, but also the records it stores at the Department of the Interior’s data center. As you might know, OPM is in possession of a huge number of personnel info since it’s in charge of conducting background checks on potential federal employees. It probably looks like a goldmine for data thieves and was even targeted last year (nothing was stolen at that time, though) by a group, which the government suspects is also based in China.
Rep. Adam Schiff called this cyberattack “among the most shocking because Americans may expect that federal computer networks are maintained with state of the art defenses.” OPM’s computers are protected by the Department of Homeland Security’s intrusion detection system called EINSTEIN, just like every other federal agency’s. In fact, EINSTEIN — which monitors all federal internet traffic to identify unauthorized access — was the one that detected malicious activities in OPM’s system back in April. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that effective in this situation: the DHS concluded in early May that the agency’s data was already compromised by the time the breach was discovered. It’s still unclear why EINSTEIN failed to identity the cyberattack much earlier.
Homeland Security is now working with OPM to determine how the attack was carried out, putting the FBI in charge of the investigation. “DHS is continuing to monitor federal networks for any suspicious activity and is working aggressively with the affected agencies to conduct investigative analysis to assess the extent of this alleged intrusion,” the agency said in a statement. OPM itself will be busy sending notices to the 4 million people affected from June 8th to June 19th, offering them credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. It has also published detailed instructions on how the victims can protect themselves from identity theft.
Filed under: Misc
Source: OPM
Star Wars: Uprising is a new RPG title slated for fall release from Kabam and Disney
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Another Star Wars title is in the works. I am sure there are plenty more that we just don’t know about. However, this one we do know a little bit about. Game developers Kabam, along with Disney and LucasFilm, are working on a new RPG titled Star Wars: Uprising. The game will be a deep role-playing game (RPG) experience that will immerse players in the Star Wars universe following the fall of Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. According to their timeline, this story line will fall between Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi and before Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
As a gamer, you will be able to create your own unique character, go on missions, build up your gear and skills. Along your journey you will learn hundreds of abilities and collect iconic Star Wars gear to create the next generation of hereos: Smuggler, Bounty Hunter, Rebel Guerilla, Diplomat, Gambler or something completely different. Where things start to sound even better is that the title will have you create a crew and cartel to join in on large-scale sector-wide battles that will dictate the future of the game universe. Mix in real-time co-op with friends against the Empire and it is starting to sound like a pretty interesting title, to say the least.
You don’t have to sit around and twiddle your thumbs until Star Wars: Uprising is launch in the fall of 2015 to get involved with the game. Kabam has the official Star Wars: Uprising website up and running where you can pre-register for the title and win exclusive prizes like a storm trooper helmet, by voting for in-game content. They also mention that they are going to begin a beta testing roll out in the coming weeks in select territories too. I don’t see a way to register to get included in that, but I would assume by participating on the site you will have better odds of getting in the door.
Head over to the playstarwarsuprising.com and take a look around. Be sure to register and get involved in helping to shape the game’s universe.
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Android Wear 5.1.1 update for the Moto 360 delayed due to performance complications
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If you own a Moto 360 and you’ve been wondering where the Android Wear 5.1.1 update for the Moto 360 is, here’s your answer: Motorola has taken to its Twitter account to formally admit that the update for the Moto 360 is “not quite there yet”. The tweet seems to imply that there are some teething issues with the new update on Motorola’s hardware which the manufacturer is keen to resolve, with Google‘s help, before releasing it into the wild.
@davidcstevens_ Performance is not quite there yet. We’re working with Google to ensure the software works great on #Moto360. Thanks.
— Motorola Mobility (@Motorola) June 3, 2015
We can’t say we’re not disappointed, particularly seeing as most of the other Android Wear devices are getting their updates now. But at the same time, you have to applaud Motorola for not just rushing out the update with known issues and actually making it work first. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some progress before the end of the month.
What do you think about Motorola delaying the Android Wear 5.1.1 update for the Moto 360? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Twitter via Droid-life
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Moto X 2014 pricing gets slashed through Best Buy
Are you in the market for a new device, and want to try and find the best deal?Look no further than Best Buy, where you can pick up the 16GB Moto X 2014, for only $299.
Normally priced at $549, Best Buy has slashed the pricing for both the Verizon and AT&T variants of the 2nd Generation Moto X. Sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 Processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 5.2-inch display, 13 MP camera, and a 2300 mAh battery, the 2014 Moto X is still an extremely viable option if you’re looking for a new device.
Of course, you won’t be able to customize the Moto X through Moto Maker, but for less than $300, that’s a deal that’s just tough to beat. If you want to go ahead and customize your own Moto X through Moto Maker, you can still do so through Motorola’s official website. Remember, you’ll be paying an extra $100 dollars, at $399.
It should be mentioned that even though this is such a substantial price cut, that doesn’t necessarily mean a new Moto X is around the corner. Even though the rumor mill seems to be churning things out left and right.
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AIVAnet 