Three years later, ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ hits 75 million shipped

Grand Theft Auto V launched over three years ago, yet it’s still a big money-maker, proving that — at least in some small way — crime does pay. The popular open-world action game has now shipped 75 million copies, publisher Take-Two Interactive revealed today during an earnings call.

That’s a number Take-Two’s other high-grossing titles can’t begin to touch. Mafia III shipped 5 million copies (4.5 million of those were during launch week), while NBA 2K17 shipped nearly 7 million and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI passed 1.5 million. GTA V’s numbers place it in the same league of blockbusters as Minecraft (over 100 million copies sold) and Wii Sports (82.79 million sold). While the number of copies shipped to stores doesn’t equal the amount sold-through to customers, it’s an indicator of how well the game is performing.

Grand Theft Auto V and its online mode, GTA Online, were great for Take-Two’s bottom line last year. The publisher’s net revenue grew 15 percent to $476.5 million, but not all of that was from game sales. Almost a quarter of it came from virtual currency, microtransactions and downloadable add-on content. Developer Rockstar has steadily supported both GTA V and GTA Online with free content since launch. Recent updates included underground motorcycle clubs, holiday-themed items and a new Tron-inspired mode called Deadline.

Via: GameSpot

Source: Take-Two Interactive

Silenced on the Senate floor, Elizabeth Warren goes to Facebook Live

On Tuesday night, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell invoked “Rule XIX,” censuring Senator Elizabeth Warren for her attempt to read a letter (PDF) critical of fellow senator and attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions. The section of the rule used says that “No Senator in debate shall, directly or indirectly, by any form of words impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator.” The New York Times reports that Warren’s fellow Democrats argue it’s being applied inconsistently, saying McConnell ignored it when Ted Cruz accused him of repeated lying, and when Tom Cotton called Harry Reid’s leadership “cancerous.”

The question appears to be whether that applies to quoted words. The letter, written by civil rights leader and wife of Martin Luther King Jr., Coretta Scott King, urged Congress to block the nomination of Sessions as a federal judge, which it did at that time. In it she says Sessions used the power of his office “in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters.” However, the Judiciary Committee chair at the time, Strom Thurmond, chose not to enter the letter into the congressional record leaving it unseen until it was published by the Washington Post in January.

Of course, now it’s not 1986, so after a vote along party lines prevented her from speaking on the Senate floor, Warren stepped outside and read the letter’s 10 pages on a Facebook live stream (not the first time we’ve seen politics cross over there). As of this writing, the video shows over 2.3 million views.

A lot of folks sharing cover sheet of Coretta Scott King letter opposing Sessions. Full thing 10 pages. All are here https://t.co/U3Gbc7eDIq

— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) February 8, 2017

Source: Elizabeth Warren (Facebook)

LuminAID introduces inflatable lantern that doubles as a phone charger

Why it matters to you

An inflatable lantern with a built-in solar panel and charging station can help serve as an important source of electricity in power-deprived areas.

LuminAID is a company that was founded on one simple idea: Provide cheap, durable, and bright lights for use in the outdoors. That philosophy led to the company’s line of inflatable lanterns, which are popular for use in developing countries, disaster zones, and remote campsites alike.

The concept behind those lights came about after company founders Andrea Sreshta and Anna Stork came up with a plan that offered earthquake victims of a source of light. That simple, yet ingenious, idea has turned into a successful business, and LuminAID lanterns are now in operation in 70 countries. Those lights even earned the two a spot on ABC’s Shark Tank.

More: Refugees need computers, and the Global Good Project ensures they get them

Now, LuminAID is preparing to launch its next product and it turned to Kickstarter to help. The latest big idea from the company isn’t just an affordable lantern, but a smartphone charger too.

The PackLite Max Phone Charger shares many of the same characteristics of LuminAID’s previous products. For instance, it is an inflatable lantern capable of putting out up to 150 lumens of light and it comes equipped with a built-in solar panel to help keep it charged. The lantern — which can also be charged via USB — folds down to a one-inch thickness when not in use and weighs 8.5 ounces. It is also waterproof to the point that it can be fully submerged in water.

But unlike the previous generations of LuminAID lanterns, the PackLite Max also has an embedded 2,000 mAh lithium-ion battery, which not only can power the light for up to 150 hours but also provides a charge for a smartphone, tablet, or other devices. That is because the lantern is also equipped with a standard 5V, 2.4 amp USB port — a first for any LuminAID product. This combination of features makes the PackLite Max a potentially game-changing product not only for outdoor enthusiasts but people living in developing parts of the world as well, which is all part of the company’s mission to provide economical sources of light in poor parts of the world.

The Kickstarter campaign recently launched, but contributions have rocketed past the company’s $15,000 goal. That means the PackLite Max should go into production in March next month. Backers who support the crowdfunding effort can expect their lanterns to arrive in April, which is when they will be available for the public to purchase at $40. Early bird contributors can get one now at a $5 discount, however.

Senstone wearable voice recorder: Our first take

If you’re going to talk to yourself, you might as well remember what you’re saying — and the Senstone wants to help you. It’s a piece of jewelry that combines form and function, serving as a 21st century note-taking device — because pen and paper are so last century.

The Senstone is a Kickstarter project that initially launched in November, but was later postponed. It’s now live again, and early bird backers will get their units in July. We managed to get our hands on a unit, but we can’t offer a final verdict yet as it’s still a prototype — there are a set of features that are expected to be in the final product that are not in the review unit.

Jewelry you may not want to wear

For a device that’s meant to sit on your wrist or neck, or be clipped onto a dress or collar, the Senstone isn’t very pretty. While design is largely subjective, the black polycarbonate panel is an incredibly glossy fingerprint magnet, and the wearable is pretty thick.

More: Despite making history, Super Bowl LI set no social media records

To be fair, the final production unit won’t use polycarbonate, but will instead feature a scratch-resistant glass screen.

Regardless, the oblong, oval shape isn’t aesthetically pleasing — especially with the pointed edges on both its sides. The necklace it comes with to allow you to wear it as a pendant is just a cheap cord — hopefully the final one is better — but at least it’s easy to slap it on and off. Place the Senstone on the holder sideways and twist. It comes with a clip, and there will be different colors available for the final version.

The strap doesn’t come with it, but it would allow you to wear the Senstone on your wrist like a watch. Keep in mind that you’d have to raise your wrist to your mouth all the time, though, as the company recommends speaking directly into the device, at a distance of at least eight inches from your mouth.

Transcribed notes and a sleek app

The Senstone pendant records voice memos, organizes them, and then translates them into text. Think of it as a hands-free digital notepad. Whether you were just struck by inspiration or need to remember to set a date, the Senstone can help.

More: Take your notes to the next level in iOS 10 with collaboration

The button to record on the prototype is a little slippery and hard to press, but it does the job. For the final production unit, you’ll only have to touch the front screen to start and stop recording. LED lights in the front panel light up in different patterns to indicate what the Senstone is doing — whether it’s actively recording, or if a session just ended.

If you’re in a relatively quiet environment, the Senstone is able to process whatever you say and transcribe it into text via the Bluetooth-connected iOS app. Support for Android is in the works.

The whole process takes about a minute or two after you stop recording (depending on how long your recording is). If your phone isn’t nearby, the device can store up to two and a half hours of recording and will sync with your phone when it’s in range. Its ability to transcribe is fairly remarkable — in quiet environments, it accurately translated long sentences to text fairly quickly with hardly any errors.

The app is well-designed and lets you edit translated text in case there are some errors. You can see the location of where you took a note, and you can play back the recording if you want to hear it again. What’s neat is that you can also use hashtags to organize your memos — just say hashtag and follow it with a single-word tag. You’ll then be able to easily search for your notes via hashtag in the app.

The battery level is indicated on the app, and the company claims it can provide about four days of average use. After making a handful of recordings in two days, our Senstone only went down 10 percent — so it really depends on how many recordings you make. The device rests on a dock to wirelessly charge.

Upcoming features

Unfortunately, in slightly noisy to loud environments, the Senstone didn’t offer text at all — just a voice recording. What should help is a second microphone, which the company plans to add into the final product to help with noise reduction. It’s hard to tell how much the second microphone would help, but in most public environments, the prototype Senstone basically turns into a voice recorder with no text-translating services.

Thankfully, you don’t necessarily have to give up your existing note-taking app — Senstone integrates with Evernote, and the company is promising to integrate more apps. The team has plans to also add in integrations with other kinds of apps like Google Docs and Trello.

Senstone will also be injected with artificial intelligence to understand your surroundings so it can remove noise if you’re in a crowd; add correct punctuation; and recognize emotions and intonation, to adapt to your speaking style and mood.

You’ll be able to snap your fingers to activate a recording session in the final product.

Availability and price

Kickstarter backers can get the the Senstone for $120 — early bird options go as low as $80 — but the final retail price will be $145. It’s a little steep, but if you find yourself forgetting to write down notes when you’re out and about, the Senstone can be a useful tool.

More: OneNote’s update for insiders makes the note-taking app even more secure

The campaign also offers some interesting ideas on other use cases, such as sending memos to your co-workers. If it works well — and if the company follows through on promised features such as emotion and intonation recognition, AI, and third-party integration — the Senstone could certainly be a compelling, modern-day Dictaphone.

The Senstone will be available for retail, if the Kickstarter is successfully funded, in the fall.

Article originally published in October. Updated on 02-07-2017 by Julian Chokkattu: Added first impressions of the Senstone.

Senstone wearable voice recorder: Our first take

If you’re going to talk to yourself, you might as well remember what you’re saying — and the Senstone wants to help you. It’s a piece of jewelry that combines form and function, serving as a 21st century note-taking device — because pen and paper are so last century.

The Senstone is a Kickstarter project that initially launched in November, but was later postponed. It’s now live again, and early bird backers will get their units in July. We managed to get our hands on a unit, but we can’t offer a final verdict yet as it’s still a prototype — there are a set of features that are expected to be in the final product that are not in the review unit.

Jewelry you may not want to wear

For a device that’s meant to sit on your wrist or neck, or be clipped onto a dress or collar, the Senstone isn’t very pretty. While design is largely subjective, the black polycarbonate panel is an incredibly glossy fingerprint magnet, and the wearable is pretty thick.

More: Despite making history, Super Bowl LI set no social media records

To be fair, the final production unit won’t use polycarbonate, but will instead feature a scratch-resistant glass screen.

Regardless, the oblong, oval shape isn’t aesthetically pleasing — especially with the pointed edges on both its sides. The necklace it comes with to allow you to wear it as a pendant is just a cheap cord — hopefully the final one is better — but at least it’s easy to slap it on and off. Place the Senstone on the holder sideways and twist. It comes with a clip, and there will be different colors available for the final version.

The strap doesn’t come with it, but it would allow you to wear the Senstone on your wrist like a watch. Keep in mind that you’d have to raise your wrist to your mouth all the time, though, as the company recommends speaking directly into the device, at a distance of at least eight inches from your mouth.

Transcribed notes and a sleek app

The Senstone pendant records voice memos, organizes them, and then translates them into text. Think of it as a hands-free digital notepad. Whether you were just struck by inspiration or need to remember to set a date, the Senstone can help.

More: Take your notes to the next level in iOS 10 with collaboration

The button to record on the prototype is a little slippery and hard to press, but it does the job. For the final production unit, you’ll only have to touch the front screen to start and stop recording. LED lights in the front panel light up in different patterns to indicate what the Senstone is doing — whether it’s actively recording, or if a session just ended.

If you’re in a relatively quiet environment, the Senstone is able to process whatever you say and transcribe it into text via the Bluetooth-connected iOS app. Support for Android is in the works.

The whole process takes about a minute or two after you stop recording (depending on how long your recording is). If your phone isn’t nearby, the device can store up to two and a half hours of recording and will sync with your phone when it’s in range. Its ability to transcribe is fairly remarkable — in quiet environments, it accurately translated long sentences to text fairly quickly with hardly any errors.

The app is well-designed and lets you edit translated text in case there are some errors. You can see the location of where you took a note, and you can play back the recording if you want to hear it again. What’s neat is that you can also use hashtags to organize your memos — just say hashtag and follow it with a single-word tag. You’ll then be able to easily search for your notes via hashtag in the app.

The battery level is indicated on the app, and the company claims it can provide about four days of average use. After making a handful of recordings in two days, our Senstone only went down 10 percent — so it really depends on how many recordings you make. The device rests on a dock to wirelessly charge.

Upcoming features

Unfortunately, in slightly noisy to loud environments, the Senstone didn’t offer text at all — just a voice recording. What should help is a second microphone, which the company plans to add into the final product to help with noise reduction. It’s hard to tell how much the second microphone would help, but in most public environments, the prototype Senstone basically turns into a voice recorder with no text-translating services.

Thankfully, you don’t necessarily have to give up your existing note-taking app — Senstone integrates with Evernote, and the company is promising to integrate more apps. The team has plans to also add in integrations with other kinds of apps like Google Docs and Trello.

Senstone will also be injected with artificial intelligence to understand your surroundings so it can remove noise if you’re in a crowd; add correct punctuation; and recognize emotions and intonation, to adapt to your speaking style and mood.

You’ll be able to snap your fingers to activate a recording session in the final product.

Availability and price

Kickstarter backers can get the the Senstone for $120 — early bird options go as low as $80 — but the final retail price will be $145. It’s a little steep, but if you find yourself forgetting to write down notes when you’re out and about, the Senstone can be a useful tool.

More: OneNote’s update for insiders makes the note-taking app even more secure

The campaign also offers some interesting ideas on other use cases, such as sending memos to your co-workers. If it works well — and if the company follows through on promised features such as emotion and intonation recognition, AI, and third-party integration — the Senstone could certainly be a compelling, modern-day Dictaphone.

The Senstone will be available for retail, if the Kickstarter is successfully funded, in the fall.

Article originally published in October. Updated on 02-07-2017 by Julian Chokkattu: Added first impressions of the Senstone.

‘Overwatch’ tests server browsing and retains CTF

Blizzard’s roster of games have all evolved from their initial versions through periodic updates tweaking rules and adding content, but only after extensive testing on the studio’s end. To let players in on the fun, some of the titles have opened up temporary beta servers called Public Test Realms to fiddle with proposed changes before they’re fully implemented into the games. Hero shooter Overwatch is finally getting its own PTR today which PC players can use to try out the new Server Browser and Capture The Flag mode, along with a few character alterations.

Unfortunately, console versions won’t get to take part in the playtesting, as they aren’t getting a PTR. As the game’s director Jeff Kaplan commented in a forum thread back in November, the consoles require content updates to pass certification before new things are added…a process so rigorous that they use the PTR to iron out the kinks, so it’s kind of a chicken-egg problem, he said.

If you’re playing on a computer, though, the PTR hosts a few fun additions and tweaks. The Server Browser shouldn’t surprise any shooter multiplayer fans from the pre-Matchmaking era: It lists games in your region and allows you to filter out maps or conditions you don’t want. The new Capture The Flag mode that launched as a temporary brawl two weeks ago for the Lunar New Year event will become a regular feature. There are a few hero tweaks, which are listed on Overwatch’s official blog. Lastly, custom games is getting developer love with new conditional changes, and they’ll finally award players XP.

As befits the studio’s “it’s done when it’s done” motto, there’s no indication how long these changes will stay in the PTR before implementation in the main game. We’ve reached out for more information and will update this post should it arrive. Happy testing, PC players.

Source: Overwatch blog

Apple hires a new boss to revamp Apple TV’s image

For further evidence that Apple is looking to revamp its TV strategy, I present exhibit A: the hiring of Timothy D. Twerdahl, previously head of Amazon’s Fire TV division. A report from Bloomberg says that Twerdahl will be the new vice president running Apple TV’s marketing wing. Whether that means there will be a different approach to how Apple tries selling the gizmo, or something else entirely remains to be seen. Something tells me Apple isn’t going to hire Gary Busey for its ads anytime soon, though.

Source: Bloomberg

Apple’s WebKit Team Proposes W3C Community Group to Strive for More Powerful Graphics on the Web

Apple’s WebKit team today proposed a new Community Group at the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) focused on discussing the future of 3D graphics on the web. The goal of the group is to lead to development of a new Web API that would better prepare web browsers to take advantage of modern, and future, GPU technologies on a variety of platforms.

On the WebKit blog, Apple’s Dean Jackson says new software APIs “better reflect” modern GPUs, but that many of the major ones — Direct3D 12 from Microsoft, Metal from Apple and Vulkan from Khronos Group — aren’t available on all platforms. While the success of the web requires common standards, Jackson argues, these platform-specific APIs make following a single API, like OpenGL, impossible in the future.

Instead, Apple’s WebKit team is proposing that a new standard is needed. The new standard needs to provide a “core set of required features,” an API that can be implemented on a variety of platforms with different system technologies, sitting on top of technologies like Direct3D, Metal and Vulkan, and the security and safety required for the Web.

While being a new open standard that’s compatible with platform-specific technologies, Apple says the new standard must also be easy to to adopt, “expose the general-purpose computational functionality of modern GPUs,” and work well with emerging standards like WebAssembly and WebVR.

Apple’s initial proposal, which it calls an experiment, is “WebGPU.” Apple says WebGPU started out as a mapping of Metal to JavaScript, and some graphics programmers are calling the proposal “Metal on the Web.” Apple says it doesn’t expect WebGPU to become the actual API in the new standard, but it does think there is “a lot of value” in its prototype.

Jackson says that WebGPU is much more object-oriented than WebGL, which is why Jackson says grants WebGPU its efficiencies. For instance, WebGPU handles “states” differently, reducing the work needed before a drawing operation.

The WebKit team will share its prototype with the Community Group, and is also inviting everyone with interest or experience in GPU web technologies to join the group.

Tags: WebKit, WebGPU, W3C
Discuss this article in our forums

The legal arguments for and against reviving Trump’s travel ban

San Francisco’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments this afternoon in the State of Washington v. Donald Trump, the lawsuit that led to the suspension of President Donald Trump’s contentious immigration ban. Leading companies in the tech world, including Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook, have spoken out and taken legal action against the ban. Today, lawyers for the Trump administration argued to lift the injunction placed on Trump’s executive order, while Washington’s solicitor general fought to keep the suspension in place.

Before diving into today’s arguments, some background: On January 27th, Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. The ban affected refugees, visa holders and US permanent residents from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen, and was implemented immediately. Authorities detained travelers from these countries at airports across the nation, and others around the world were barred from boarding their flights to the US.

The State Department estimates 60,000 visas were revoked under the ban, not including refugees. There may be an additional 64,000 admitted refugees now barred from entering the US, according to Politifact. The executive order bans refugees from Syria indefinitely, and affects refugees from the remaining countries for 120 days.

As we’ve noted, a ban on immigration is an attack on Silicon Valley. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella are from India, Google co-founder Sergey Brin is a refugee from Russia, and all large tech companies including Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon and Microsoft regularly recruit foreign talent. Following the ban, tech companies including Uber, Google and Lyft pledged to donate millions to the ACLU and pro-immigrant causes.

Trump has argued the ban is in the interest of national security. The executive order mentions the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, as an example of the US visa process failing. It’s worth noting that most of the 9/11 conspirators came from Saudi Arabia, a country not included in the travel ban. Since 9/11, no one in the US has been killed in a terrorist attack orchestrated by someone from the seven countries named in Trump’s executive order.

After the signing, protestors and lawyers looking to help travelers enter the US flooded airports across the country. More than 100 companies in the technology industry, including Google, Apple, Intel and Microsoft, filed an amicus brief in support of lawsuits against the executive order.

The order was quickly challenged in court and last week, Judge James Robart blocked it, allowing immigration to resume. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration’s attempt to overturn the stay — which brings us to today.

Audio from the hearing was streamed live on YouTube and at one point the video had more than 100,000 viewers (or listeners, in this case). Cable news networks also aired the arguments live.

In presenting his case to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Justice Department lawyer August Flentje argued the President has the authority to determine risks to national security and react with an executive order like the travel ban.

“Are you arguing the president’s decision in that regard is un-reviewable?” asked Judge Michelle Friedland, an appointee of Barack Obama.

“Yes,” Flentje responded.

The judges — Friedland, George W. Bush appointee Richard Clifton and Jimmy Carter appointee William Canby Jr. — then pressed Flentje on allegations that the Trump administration conceived of the travel ban in “bad faith.” Essentially, that it was intended to be a Muslim ban in everything but name. Flentje argued the executive order should be considered as it was written: “Any review should be confined to the four corners of the document.”

Judge Canby then pressed the limits of Flentje’s argument that the president’s judgement on national security was above review, asking, “Could the president simply say in the order, ‘We’re not going to let any Muslims in?’”

Flentje answered, “This is a far cry from that situation,” noting that the order doesn’t discriminate on the basis of religion. He continually suggested that Washington state had no legal standing to sue in this matter.

And then, the tables turned. Washington Solicitor General Noah Purcell argued for the state’s ability to sue on the basis of proprietary harms including lost tax revenue and university faculty members being stranded overseas, and parens patriae, the theory that the government is the legal protector of people who are unable to protect themselves.

During Purcell’s arguments, the judges discussed whether the order was unconstitutional on the basis of religious discrimination. Judge Clifton noted the majority of Muslims worldwide would not be affected by the travel ban, and Purcell argued he did not have to prove the order affected all or only Muslims, but that it was conceived as a tool to discriminate against Muslim people. This is the bad faith argument the judges alluded to with Flentje.

Statement on Preventing Muslim Immigration: https://t.co/HCWU16z6SR pic.twitter.com/d1dhaIs0S7

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2015

Purcell said there was “shocking evidence of intent to discriminate against Muslims” by the Trump administration, including public statements from the president and his aides.

In his rebuttal, Flentje argued the state’s case was based on newspaper articles reporting what Trump and his administration have said. Judge Clifton pressed Flentje for clarification, asking, “Do you deny that those statements were made?”

“Those are on the record,” Flentje eventually conceded. He ended his time by requesting the judges stay the injunction or limit it to Washington state alone. Judge Friedland promised the court would rule “as soon as possible.”

Apple Hires Amazon Fire TV Head to Spearhead Apple TV Business

Apple has hired Timothy D. Twerdahl, the general manager and director of Amazon’s Fire TV business, to be the vice president in charge of Apple TV product marketing, reports Bloomberg. Twerdahl joined Apple earlier this month.

Twerdahl has been in charge of Fire TV since 2013, overseeing two generations of the product and its rise as one of the more popular internet-connected set-top boxes. At Apple, Twerdahl will report to Greg Joswiak, VP of iOS and iPhone Product Marketing.

The move will allow Pete Distad, the former head of Apple TV product marketing, to concentrate on helping Apple land content deals, which are headed by Eddy Cue. Before joining Apple in 2013, Distad was senior vice president of content distribution at Hulu.

Having Distad join content negotiations is intended to shore up content for Apple TV, according to Bloomberg, as efforts to secure exclusive content deals for Apple TV have stalled in the past due to failed negotiations.

With the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple was originally aiming to provide a full a la carte television service that could replace traditional cable and satellite packages, similar to Sony’s PlayStation Vue service. However, Apple unsurprisingly saw pushback from both content and cable companies after using negotiating tactics described as “assertive” and “hard-nosed,” declining to back down from the terms the company wanted. Apple scaled back its TV ambitions in the past couple of years, though it considered both a slimmed-down subscription service and purchasing Time Warner.

In addition to leading product marketing for the Fire TV, Twerdahl was also the senior director of internet TV at Netflix and a vice president of consumer devices at Roku, according to his LinkedIn.

Related Roundups: Apple TV, tvOS 10
Buyer’s Guide: Apple TV (Don’t Buy)
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