Quicken to Double Mac Engineering Team to Finally Improve OS X Version

Intuit announced last week that it has sold Quicken to private equity firm H.I.G. Capital, which plans to double the personal finance tool’s Mac engineering team in an effort to improve the 33-year-old software. The investment group aims to bring Quicken for Mac closer in line with the Windows version.

“On the Mac team, we’re bringing in a new product manager starting this coming Monday,” said Quicken head Eric Dunn. “We have plans within the calendar year to double the engineering team, so we can do the work we need to do to bring Mac closer to the feature set of Windows over the next quarters and years.”

Quicken is the most popular personal finance software in the United States, but the Mac version has historically been lacking compared to its Windows counterpart. Dunn is confident that the software “will thrive with increased investment” and “become great again” under the new investment group’s leadership.

My team and I know you count on Quicken to help you stay on top of your finances, and we are committed to continuing to improve your experience with Quicken. We’ve already started the journey with the new Quicken 2016 products that launched in November with new features to help consumers stay on top of their bills. In the last six months, we’ve also increased our investment in U.S.-based phone support.

Quicken 2016 for Mac, the latest version of the software, is available as a one-time purchase for $74.99.

Tags: Intuit, Quicken, Mac apps
Discuss this article in our forums

Apple to Pay $450 Million E-Book Settlement After Supreme Court Declines to Hear Appeal

Apple will have to pay a $450 million settlement in the protracted e-books antitrust case, which saw the company found guilty of conspiring with publishers to inflate the prices of e-books back in 2014 (via Bloomberg).

In October, Apple submitted an appeal to overturn the guilty ruling, but today the United States Supreme Court declined to question the verdict, meaning Apple must now comply with that 2014 settlement.

Specifically, the amount will be broken down to have $400 million paid out to e-book customers, $20 million to the states, and $30 million in the form of legal fees. The case saw Apple fighting an accusation that in 2010 it colluded with five publishers — HarperCollins, Simon and Schuster, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and Penguin — to fix the prices of e-books in order to become a dominant presence in a market overshadowed by companies like Amazon.

Apple has maintained its innocence throughout the initial trial and subsequent appeals, arguing that its deals helped introduce a healthy degree of competition to a market that had been bordering on a monopoly controlled by Amazon. A group of authors submitted an amicus brief supporting such a statement back in December.

At the Supreme Court, Apple argued that its actions enhanced competition by providing consumers with a new e-book platform. The company said overall e-book prices have fallen in the years since the introduction of iBookstore.

“Following Apple’s entry, output increased, overall prices decreased, and a major new retailer began to compete in a market formerly dominated by a single firm,” the company said in its appeal.

On the publisher side, the five in question have already signed a $166 million settlement deal with the states and consumers, which have trickled down to customers in the form of refunds.

Tags: lawsuit, antitrust, e-books
Discuss this article in our forums

China irate over US export sanctions against ZTE

The US government is slapping crippling sanctions on telecom manufacturer ZTE and the Chinese government is not happy about it. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said that “China is opposed to the US citing domestic laws to place sanctions on Chinese enterprises,” according to Reuters. “We hope the US stops this erroneous action and avoids damaging Sino-US trade cooperation and bilateral relations.” The US announced the restrictions yesterday, saying the company planned to sell US-made equipment to Iran’s largest telecommunications provider in 2012, in violation of US export restrictions to the nation.

With the sanctions, US firms that work with ZTE like Intel, Microsoft and Qualcomm will be forced to apply for export licenses to ship anything to the company. Such applications will “generally be denied,” according to the US commerce department.

We hope the US stops this erroneous action and avoids damaging Sino-US trade cooperation and bilateral relations

ZTE says that it’s “highly concerned” about the sanctions, and that it has cooperated with the US since reports of trade with Iran first surfaced in 2012. The company makes not only mobile handsets like the Axon targeted at US and European consumers, but is also a significant supplier of telecom equipment around the world. An analyst told Reuters that “we believe the restrictions, if implemented, will cause significant supply problems to ZTE.”

Source: Reuters

Google had over 75 million takedown requests last month

Last month, Google processed over 75 million search takedown requests under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), or over 100,000 links per hour. That’s more than double the number of links it processed during the same period last year, and over 300 times more requests than in 2012. So why the dramatic increase? Obviously, the amount of pirated content has increased exponentially on the internet, as Torrent Freak points out. At the same time, the MPAA, RIAA and other copyright-holders are now using algorithms that spot pirated content (often incorrectly) and automatically file takedown notices to Google.

Google has said that the system is working as intended, but nobody is particularly happy about it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) successfully sued Universal Studios to force copyright owners to consider legitimate “fair use” of content more carefully. At the same time, copyright holders feel that infringing pirate sites should have their domains de-listed from Google search altogether, something that Mountain View strongly opposes. At the rate it’s going so far, Google may process a billion DMCA search requests by the end of 2016 — a number that shows that the DMCA system is seriously broken.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: Google

EU Competition Chief on Apple Tax Probe: ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’

A decision in the European Commission’s probe of Apple’s tax affairs in Ireland may not be reached soon, according to EU competition chief Margrethe Vestager (via Bloomberg).

“Don’t hold your breath,” she told reporters in Brussels on Monday about the timing of decisions targeting Apple and online shopping giant Amazon.com Inc, whose tax affairs in Luxembourg are also under intense scrutiny. “I’m just warning you.”

Apple is one of several multinational corporations, alongside Amazon, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and others, that have been targeted for possible corporate tax avoidance in Europe. Brussels launched the probe in June 2014, and it formally accused the iPhone maker of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland three months later.

If Apple’s $64.1 billion in profits generated from 2004 to 2012 are subjected to a 12.5% tax rate, compared to its current foreign tax rate of about 1.8%, the company could owe more than $8 billion in back taxes. Apple continues to deny any wrongdoing, and vows to appeal any decision that goes against the company.

Apple operates multiple subsidiaries in Ireland to pay significantly less tax outside of the U.S., where it earns up to 60% of its revenue. A decision in the tax probe was originally expected in late 2015, but the European Commission’s request for additional information has pushed the investigation into 2016.

Tags: European Union, corporate tax, European Commission, Europe, Ireland
Discuss this article in our forums

Galaxy S7, S7 edge all set to launch in India

Samsung is all set to launch the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge in India. The manufacturer has sent out invites to the media for an official launch event on Tuesday, March 8.

The devices going on sale in India will likely feature dual-SIM connectivity, and given Samsung’s commitment to local manufacturing under the government’s “Make in India” initiative, it is also possible the phones will be assembled in the country.

The Indian variants will be powered by the Exynos 8890 SoC, and unlike the U.S., Samsung is likely to offer the 64GB storage model in the country.

We’ll know more about pricing and availability tomorrow, so stay tuned to Android Central.

Samsung Galaxy S7

• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge hands-on
• Galaxy S7 and S7 edge specs
• Here are all four Galaxy S7 colors
• Details on the Galaxy S7’s camera
• The SD card is back on the GS7
• Join our Galaxy S7 forums

AT&T Sprint T-Mobile Verizon

March security patch now available for the BlackBerry Priv

The March security patch for the BlackBerry Priv is now available to download. The update, which weighs in around 17MB, brings some additional security enhancements to the phone. At this time it is not known which vulnerabilities are addressed in this update, though Google is likely to announce full details at some point in the near future.

Be sure to stay tuned, as we will provide additional information when it is made available to us. For now, you can download and install the update by heading into your Settings -> About device and checking manually for the update.

Discuss the March security update in the forums

Xiaomi’s latest 10000mAh power bank offers USB Type-C for $22

With the Mi 5 coming with USB Type-C connectivity, Xiaomi has launched a new power bank that supports the standard. The Mi Powerbank Pro has a 10000mAh battery capacity and offers fast charging across a wide variety of voltages (5V/2A 9V/2A 12V/1.5A), which means that you can charge accessories like Xiaomi’s Mi Band fitness tracker and Bluetooth in-ear headphones.

The Mi Powerbank Pro also comes with an 18W charger, which Xiaomi says will fully charge the power bank in three and a half hours. That’s twice as fast as the vendor’s current 10500mAh power bank. The Powerbank Pro is lighter and smaller too, coming in at a thickness of 12.58mm and a weight of 223g. There’s nine layers of circuit protection along with USB smart-control, which ensures that your devices aren’t fried as soon as you connect them to the power bank.

The cost? Xiaomi is selling the Mi Powerbank Pro for 149 RMB, which comes out to the equivalent of $22. No word as yet on international availability, but the power bank should make its way to global markets in due course of time.

Source: MIUI forums

$350m Nintendo Land theme park attraction to bring Mario to life

Super Mario World may soon become a real one as a Nintendo Land theme park zone begins construction.

Nintendo already granted the rights to use some of its creations to Universal Studios. Now it looks like they’re being brought into reality thanks to $350 million of investment on creating the Nintendo themed park section at Universal Studios.

Unfortunately for anyone outside of Nintendo’s home in Japan, this section of the park is being built at the Japanese Universal Studios in Tokyo.

According to Japanese news outlet Sankei we can expect the Nintendo themed park to be completed by 2020 – just in time for the Tokyo Olympics then.

We can expect this to be a serious chunk of the Universal Studios. It has been compared to the Harry Potter themed zone of Universal Studios. So we’re imagining Mario’s world, including Mario Kart, will be brought into reality. Although with rides now including virtual reality that could still be a blend of the two.

What exactly will appear in the Nintendo Universal attraction isn’t clear yet but Mario will likely play a big part. We’re hoping for a Smash Bros. section and, fingers crossed, a large chunk will get devoted to Zelda.

Just another reason to start saving for a visit to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 then.

READ: Android N: What to expect from Android 7.0

Watch the Mexico City Formula E race right here, and the last race in VR

Season two of the all-electric Formula E is almost at the halfway stage and if you can’t get near a TV to watch the action live on ITV 4 this coming weekend, you can watch the Mexico City race here or on YouTube instead.

The Formula E race will be screened live from 2pm on Saturday 12 March in the video stream below.

Free practice session one begins at 2.15pm, the second free practice session at 4.30pm, qualifying at 6pm and the race itself will start at 10pm. Fans can stream every session live for the first time online.

What’s more, the Formula E broadcast team recorded some point-of-view 360-degree footage at the previous race in Buenos Aires, which is now available to view through a VR headset, such as Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear VR. It’s presented on YouTube and below.

READ: What is Formula E? Everything you need to know and why it will change the world

Even if you don’t have a VR headset, you can still watch it on a computer, using the mouse or a finger to scroll around, or a mobile device, which you can tilt to change the viewpoint.

The highlights package includes 360-degree footage of the DS Virgin garage as Sam Bird won the race.

Formula E continues to innovate in motorsport, using technology, online and social networks to enhance the experience. It’s all something that Formula One could have its eye on for future ideas too.