PlayStation VR Core pre-orders to start March 29 for $399

If you want to get your hands on a pre-order for the PlayStation VR headset without shelling out for the bundle that includes the PlayStation camera and other accessories, Sony has announced pre-orders for the standalone headset will begin on March 29. Sony made the announcement in an update to its previous pre-order announcement post:

Thanks to everyone for sharing their feedback on PlayStation VR pre-orders! It’s clear that there’s a lot of interest from many of you to secure the PlayStation VR core system, and I’m happy to share that we’ve decided to make it available for pre-order on Tuesday, March 29, at 7:00 a.m. PT at participating retailers.

As previously announced, pre-orders for the launch bundle that includes the PS VR Headset, PlayStation Camera, 2 PlayStation Move controllers and the VR Worlds collection of games will be available starting tomorrow, March 22 for $499. Those wanting the standalone headset pre-order will have to wait another week, but will end up shelling out $100 less at $399.

PlayStation VR is set to launch in stores starting this October.

Big tech companies want to make email more secure

Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, Comcast and LinkedIn have joined forces to create a new email mechanism that makes sure the messages you send are encrypted. In the proposal they’ve submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force, these tech titans called their creation SMTP Strict Transport Security (SMTP STS). See, the underlying technology behind email has remained largely unchanged since it first became available. An encryption system was introduced some time ago — and big email providers like Gmail do use it — but it’s susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks.

For instance, a hacker could insert a fake digital certificate, and the system would recognize it as authentic. That means you could end up sending email to an unsecured server without you knowing. Further, it could continue sending your message even if it detects that the server isn’t secure.

The new system can prevent either scenario from happening. It checks if the domain you’re sending to supports SMTP STS and makes sure its encryption certificate is authentic and up to date. If everything checks out, it allows your message to go through. But if it detects something suspicious, it will stop the email from sending and will notify you of the reason.

It’s safe to say that the companies involved will incorporate the technology into their services if it gets approved — it’s their engineers’ creation, after all. In that case, the encrypted messages sent out and received by Gmail could go up from 83 to 69 percent, respectively, to a hundred percent.

Via: TheNextWeb

Source: Internet Engineers Task Force

Siri and iAd Restricted by Apple ‘Policy Czars’ to Limit Customer Data Collection

As Apple’s battle with the FBI and Department of Justice appears to have hit a crescendo, with the Tuesday hearing between the DoJ and Apple having been postponed, Reuters has published a new report outlining how a team of “policy czars” has impacted Apple’s data collection policy and restricted Siri and iAd in the process.

Unlike Google, Amazon and Facebook, Apple is loathe to use customer data to deliver targeted advertising or personalized recommendations. Indeed, any collection of Apple customer data requires sign-off from a committee of three “privacy czars” and a top executive, according to four former employees who worked on a variety of products that went through privacy vetting.

The three policy czars are Jane Horvath, a lawyer who served as global policy counsel at Google, Guy Tribble, a member of the original Macintosh team and the vice president of software technology who spends a significant amount of time on privacy, and Erik Neuenschwander, who reviews lines of engineer’s code to confirm that they’re following policy.

Product managers start collaborating with the privacy task force early, steering complicated privacy issues to senior vice presidents or Tim Cook himself when needed. Key principles behind many of the data decisions for Apple’s services and products include keeping data on the hardware rather than in the cloud and Apple’s servers an isolating data so that they cannot be used to form a profile of a customer.

However, Apple’s privacy stance has resulted in restrictions to products like Siri and iAd. Employees had wanted to use iTunes’ user base to sharpen iAd targeting, hoping to create anonymous identifiers so advertisers could figure out which users had seen its ads. The pitch was denied by the policy czars and the iAd team was only allowed to show advertisers how many people had seen an ad rather than who. “It was so watered down, it wasn’t even useful,” a former Apple employee told Reuters. Apple dismantled the in-house iAd sales team in January 2016.

Shortly after Apple purchased Siri in 2010, the company began integrating it into iOS. However, policy czars insisted that voice data from Siri be stored differently than personal identifiers for customers. The insistence meant the Siri team had to perform a “major back-end surgery” on the feature to both make it work and comply with privacy policy. Similarly, the team updating Spotlight in 2014 had to figure out a way to keep users’ search logs private while on Apple’s servers.

Apple has continually stressed how important its customers’ privacy is, and numerous reports over the past several years have suggested that, despite Apple’s enthusiasm to innovate, the company could continue to struggle with services like Siri and Maps due to its privacy and security policies.

Tags: Siri, privacy, iAd
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E! has a live daily newscast on Facebook

E!, your one-stop source for news about which vapid celeb is making out with another, or who is hanging out with another famous person’s kids, is taking its brand of journalism to Facebook. Live From E! is the network’s stab at bringing gossip and entertainment news to the world’s largest social network with a daily newscast. Variety reports that each episode will be between 15 – 20 minutes long (today’s premiere is just under 22 minutes) and that they’ll be shot entirely with an iPhone 6s Plus. The clips air each weekday at 12:30 PM Eastern / 9:30 AM Pacific and will also be available on E!’s website and mobile app.

The debut episode already has over 162,000 views, but only 256 Likes — pretty paltry numbers compared to the page’s 9 million Likes. If the network promised to bring back Jules Asner, I could guarantee exactly one additional viewer every day.

On a more serious note, the big question here is what the live viewership will look like over time. The modern viewing audience expects programming to fit its schedule, not the other way around. In case puffy gossip isn’t your thing, well, ABC has you covered with hard news on the social network.

Harry Styles and Kendall Jenner Pics Leaked, Ben Affleck Praises “Superhero Mom” Jennifer Garner & More – Live From E!

Posted by E! Online on Monday, March 21, 2016

Via: Variety

Source: E! (Facebook)

Apple wants to know how the FBI will hack its phone

This afternoon the Department of Justice asked the courts to vacate tomorrow’s hearing concerning the iPhone 5C in the custody of the FBI. The government had asked for Apple to help it circumvent the phone’s security. But at the last minute, stated that it had found another party to help it get what it wants out the of phone. Apple would like to know who that is and what they plan to do with the phone.

At approximately 2:30pm this afternoon, Apple was informed that the government wanted to vacate the hearing. The judge cancelled the event but also suspended the original motion for Apple to help the FBI get into San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone. At this point, the company is no longer under any obligation to help the agency get into the phone.

The DoJ will use an unknown third party to access the phone’s data. The government refused to name the party and Apple says it has no idea who it is or what the exploit may be. But, if the Justice Department wants to pursue the case it might have to share that information.

During a conference call with reporters, Apple attorneys indicated that they would insist on talking to the whoever is providing the exploit and wants to know about the vulnerability if the government insists on keeping the case alive. Which it probably won’t.

Apple attorneys also noted that at this point it’s impossible for the government to argue its original case that only Apple could get past of the security of the iPhone in question. If the DoJ drops the case, Apple has no legal way of asking for that information.

Whether or not the FBI discloses the vulnerability to Apple after it uses it on iPhone 5C is unknown. But you probably shouldn’t hold your breath.

What’s on your HDTV: ‘Day of the Tentacle,’ March Madness

This week Double Fine is releasing Day of the Tentacle Remastered, on PS4 and PC (OS X / Mac version arrives tomorrow), complete with updated art and new developer commentary. Beyond watching your brackets get torn to shreds, there’s also the last Hunger Games movie on Blu-ray, and the series finale of Lost Girl. Star Wars Battlefront players also have DLC to look forward to, and a new season of Stitchers gets started this week. 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 & Games & Streaming

• The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2
• Daddy’s Home
• Brighter Summer Day (Criterion)
• Bandits
• Michael Collins
• Freaks and Geeks
• Fear the Walking Dead (S1)
• Lost Girl (S5 & 6)
• Star Wars Battlefront: Outer Rim DLC (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
• Day of the Tentacle Remastered (PC, PS4,)
• The Elder Scrolls Online: The Thieves Guild DLC (Xbox One, PS4)

Monday

• 11.22.63, Hulu, 3AM
• Dancing with the Stars (season premiere), ABC, 8PM
• The Voice, NBC, 8PM
• Gotham, Fox, 8PM
• Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW, 8PM
• The Fosters, Freeform, 8PM
• WWE Raw, USA, 8PM
• American Dad, TBS, 8:30PM
• Bates Motel, A&E, 9PM
• Everything is Copy, HBO, 9PM
• Lucifer, Fox, 9PM
• The Magicians, Syfy, 9PM
• James May’s Build a Car in 24 Hours, BBC America, 9PM
• Damien, A&E, 10PM
• Blindspot, NBC, 10PM
• Better Call Saul, AMC, 10PM
• Billion Dollar Wreck, History, 10PM
• Lost Girl (series finale), Syfy, 10PM
• Bitten, Syfy, 11PM

Tuesday

• New Girl, Fox, 8PM
• Fresh Off the Boat, ABC, 8PM
• NCIS, CBS, 8PM
• Real O’Neals, ABC, 8:30PM
• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC, 9PM
• The Outsiders, WGN, 9PM
• Brooklyn Nine-nine, Fox, 9PM
• Shadowhunters, Freeform, 9PM
• Heartbeat (series premiere), NBC, 9PM
• Moonshiners, Discovery, 9PM
• NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, 9PM
• The Grinder, Fox, 9:30PM
• Stitchers (season premiere), Freeform, 10PM
• Awkward, MTV, 10PM
• Crowded, NBC, 10PM
• Limiless, CBS, 10PM
• Beyong the Tank, ABC, 10PM
• Tosh.0, Comedy Central, 10PM
• American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, FX, 10PM
• Not Safe with Nikki Glaser, Comedy Central, 10:30PM
• Faking It, MTV, 10:30PM

Wednesday

• This is Not Happening, Comedy Central, 12:30AM
• The Middle, ABC, 8PM
• Heartbeat, NBC, 10PM
• Unsung Hollywood, TV One, 8PM
• Survivor, CBS, 8PM
• Rosewood, Fox, 8PM
• Young & Hungry, Freeform, 8PM
• The Goldbergs, ABC, 8:30PM
• Baby Daddy, Freeform, 8:30PM
• Modern Family, ABC, 9PM
• Criminal Minds, CBS, 9PM
• Law & Order: SVU, NBC, 9PM
• Face Off, Syfy, 9PM
• Black-ish, ABC, 9:30PM
• The Americans, FX, 10PM
• Internet Ruined My Life, Syfy, 10PM
• The Carmichael Show, NBC, 10PM
• Hap & Leonard, Sundance, 10PM
• Catfish, MTV, 10PM
• Broad City, Comedy Central, 10PM
• CSI: Cyber, CBS, 10PM
• Nashville, ABC, 10PM
• Underground, WGN, 10PM
• MTV Suspect, 11PM

Thursday

• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semifinal, CBS, TBS 7PM
• You, Me, and the Apocalypse, NBC, 8PM
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC, 8PM
• American Idol, Fox, 8PM
• WWE SmackDown, USA, 8PM
• Scandal, ABC, 9PM
• Prey, BBC America, 9PM
• The Catch (series premiere), ABC, 10PM
• The Real World: The Big Leap, MTV, 10PM
• Baskets (season finale), FX, 10PM
• Portlandia (season finale), IFC, 10PM
• Shades of Blue, NBC, 10PM
• Nightwatch, A&E, 10PM
• Adam Devine’s House Party, Comedy Central, 12:30AM

Friday

• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Regional Semifinal, CBS, TBS 7PM
• Veggie Tales in the House, Netflix, 3AM
• Sleepy Hollow, Fox, 8PM
• Last Man Standing, ABC, 8PM
• Spring Broke, Showtime, 9PM
• Grimm, NBC, 9PM
• Second Chance (season finale), Fox, 9PM
• Shark Tank, ABC, 9PM
• Vice, HBO, 11PM
• Animals, HBO, 11:30PM

Saturday

• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Elite Eight, CBS, 6PM
• The Perfect Daughter, Lifetime 8PM
• Black Sails (season finale), Starz, 9PM
• Party Over Here, Fox, 10PM

Sunday

• NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Elite Eight, TBS, 6PM
• Madam Secretary, CBS, 8PM
• Once Upon A Time, ABC, 8PM
• Little Big Shots, NBC, 8PM
• Grantchester (season premiere), PBS, 9PM
• The Carmichael Show, NBC, 9PM
• Vinyl, HBO, 9PM
• The Walking Dead, AMC, 9PM
• Crowded, NBC, 9:30PM
• Mr. Selfridge (season premiere), PBS, 10PM
• Elementary, CBS, 10PM
• Girls, HBO, 10PM
• Talking Dead, AMC, 10PM
• Quantico ABC, 10PM
• Togetherness, HBO, 10:30PM

(All times listed are ET)

First Impressions Roundup: iPhone SE and 9.7″ iPad Pro

Apple today provided members of the press with hands-on time using the iPhone SE and 9.7″ iPad Pro, and first impressions of the new products are beginning to surface across the web. Below is a roundup of some of the more interesting observations and opinions about the new smartphone and tablet.

iPhone SE

The Verge said the iPhone SE “finally makes a small phone feel powerful,” which is unsurprising given it is essentially an iPhone 6s shrunk down into an iPhone 5s form factor. The 4-inch smartphone is powered by a 64-bit A9 chip with M9 motion co-processor, which is up to twice as fast as the iPhone 5s. Other features are outlined in our iPhone SE announcement coverage.

Usually, getting a small phone has meant getting a phone that skimps on power or on the camera (or, most likely, both). That’s absolutely not the case with the iPhone SE. It feels every bit as fast and modern as an iPhone 6S, able to move quickly through screens and web pages. Obviously we weren’t able to test the camera very extensively, but we can say that it launches quickly and takes photos just as fast.

TechnoBuffalo described the iPhone SE’s top five new features as its 4-inch screen size, $399 starting price, 4K video recording, Live Photos support, and full Apple Pay support without needing an Apple Watch.

That’s going to be a nice bump for folks with the iPhone 5s who otherwise weren’t able to use Apple Pay due to the lack of an NFC chip in the smartphone. Also, Touch ID should be much, much faster than the sensor originally included in that device.

Business Insider highlighted how Apple used more scratch resistant materials for the iPhone SE shell, meaning it should not be prone to scratches and scuffs as easily as the iPhone 5s. This includes matte-chamfered edges and a slightly different aluminum backing with a color-matching Apple logo.

The good news: The iPhone SE gives you everything great about the iPhone 6s for $250 cheaper.

The bad news: Despite all those great features, it still feels a lot like the iPhone Apple unveiled 2.5 years ago.

More: Ars Technica, Engadget, TechRadar, and SlashGear

9.7″ iPad Pro

AnandTech went hands on with the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro’s True Tone Display, which Apple says adjusts the color temperature of the display by measuring ambient light conditions. There is a toggle switch for True Tone in the iPad’s settings, as shown in the short demo video below.

It turns out that this is something that you can toggle on and off on the fly, and the result that it produces seems to be designed to make the display more consistently neutral while other Apple mobile devices tend to end up with a colder white balance in most conditions. I didn’t see a toggle for color gamut, so it’s likely that the iPad Pro 9.7” is using either color management to enable a wider gamut on the fly or just displaying a wider color gamut all the time.

CNET tested the 9.7-inch iPad Pro in a brief hands-on video that summarizes the tablet’s features and tech specs and provides a quick look at the Apple Pencil and resized Smart Keyboard. The tablet features a Smart Connector that will allow it to be paired with many other keyboards and accessories.

TechnoBuffalo was able to get a look at the new iPad Pro and has a video depicting its four speakers, rear camera, and Apple Pencil compatibility, along with a quick rundown on all of the included features.

SlashGear also received time to test the smaller iPad Pro, and declared “it’s enough to make you throw your iPad Air 2 into the trash.” The first impressions also spoke highly about the Apple Pencil.

Really, the iPad Pro 9.7 is about taking the iPad Air 2 form factor and supercharging its guts, and hopefully encouraging a wider wallet in return. On that front, it’s undoubtedly the best all-round iPad you can buy, but only time will tell if it can turn around tablet sales for Apple.

More: The Verge, Engadget, AppleInsider, CNET

Related Roundups: iPad Pro, iPhone SE
Buyer’s Guide: iPad Pro (Buy Now)
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Popular Indian mobile wallet MobiKwik goes hyperlocal with ‘Explore Nearby’

The latest update to Indian digital wallet app MobiKwik brings a new hyperlocal aspect: “Explore Nearby.” MobiKwik is one of the leading independent mobile payments networks in India, connecting 30 million users with 50,000 retailers.

This new feature enables discovery of neighborhood stores, restaurants, cafes, et al that accept digital payments. Right away, more than 10,000 MobiKwik partner retail stores — merchants such as Big Bazaar, Barista, Domino’s Pizza, WHSmith India, Archies, Sagar Ratna, and more — are now visible to the users on the Explore Nearby tab. Potential shoppers can also view existing offers at these outlets and pay via MobiKwik to redeem it.

MobiKwik users can also use Explore Nearby to locate the nearest cash-loading point for topping up their wallet balance, since many of MobiKwik’s offline retail partners (such WHSmith India and ICICI Bank) also assist the users to top up their wallet using hard cash.

The map-based Explore Nearby interface is the first implementation of online-to-offline (O2O) strategy by any mobile wallet in India as the company continues to move towards a more cashless ecosystem. MobiKwik is one of my frequently used apps/service, since they offer some unique advantages over other mobile wallets in India. Give it a whirl, and let us know how you like it.

Download MobiKwik from Google Play Store

Android N Developer Preview? It’s exciting for most of you

In last week’s poll we asked If you were excited about Android N. There are plenty of new features to explore if you opted into Google’s Android Beta Program. However, since only Nexus devices have access to the preview right now, most of us are still sitting at our computers devouring every new piece of information about Android N. That’s why we wanted to know whether you guys are excited for Android N.

In a smashing move, “Yes, I’ve read all about it” dropped into first place with a solid 38 percent of the vote. “Yes, I opted in.” crashed into second place with 22 percent. In third we saw “No, I’ll wait for Google to release it.” pick up speed with 18 percent of the vote. Just behind, in fourth place, is “No, I don’t have a compatible device” with 15 percent of the vote. In last place, with only 7 percent of the vote, was “No, I wasn’t that interested.” So overall a whopping 60 percent of voters this past week were excited for Android N, while the other 40 percent just weren’t as interested.

What do you think, is Android N worth all the hubub? Let us know in the comments below!

Android N Developer Preview

The Android N Developer Preview is just that — a developer preview. It is not intended for daily use. That doesn’t mean it’s not cool, and that you shouldn’t poke around. But know that things will break. Tread carefully. (And have fun!)

• What’s new in Android N
• All Android N news
• About the Android Beta Program
• Download system images
• Android N easter egg
• Join the Discussion

Here’s your first (unofficial) look at ‘Pokemon’ on smartphones

You no longer have to guess what Pokémon Go will look like when it finally reaches smartphones. An attendee at a SXSW panel led by Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke recorded footage of the mobile game in action, and it’s definitely not just a 3DS game writ large. You’ll see Pokémon on a map of your surroundings; tap them and you’ll zoom into an augmented reality view that plunks the critter into the real world. The clip doesn’t show fighting, alas, but it does show staples like different capture balls (up to the surefire Master Ball) and a mysterious Crystals button that might refer to an in-game currency. As for a release date, prices and other details? Those will have to wait, unfortunately, but at least you have a sense of what you’re in for.

Via: Phandroid, The Verge

Source: Eric F (YouTube)