In our article series, we're digging into AfterDawn's news archive and looking what happened exactly 20 years ago. This article series also celebrates AfterDawn's 20th anniversary.
So, we're digging into our news archive and trying to figure out what was hot and what was not, back in October, 1999 when our site was only four months old. I'd like to remind you, our readers, that back then, AfterDawn was strictly focused on digital audio and video technologies and reporting events in those genres. More generic "all about tech" arrived to our site much later.
Our first ever stories about cell phones
As said, our focus back then, was strictly with digital audio and video. But the October, 1999 marks the first time in our history that cell phones were mentioned in our news. Looking at our (and everybody else's) news coverage nowadays and it seems that smartphones and related technologies are the thing that nowadays makes the headlines. Things have changed, truly.
Well, anyway, back in October, 1999 we published a press release from a Finnish mobile phone manufacturer. No, not Nokia. But another one, called Benefon. Company had just launched the first-ever GSM phone that had a built-in GPS navigation in it. Pretty revolutionary 20 years ago. It actually took several years until GPS navigation became a commonplace with phones.
Exactly 50 years ago today, on 29th of October, 1969, the first message was sent over something that we nowadays recognize as the Internet. Basically, today marks the date when the first ever message was successfully (more about that later..) was over a long distance computer network.
On 29th of October, 1969, Leonard Kleinrock, a graduate student at the UCLA, tried to send a message to Stanforrd University, to Charley Kline ja Bill Duvall.
Kleinrock tried to send a simple word from UCLA to Stanford: LOGIN.
But as these things go, the terminals crashed before the entire message was sent out.
So, the first message ever sent over the Internet was simply LO.
The team managed to sent the entire LOGIN word about an hour later, but history nowadays remembers mostly the "LO".
After that message, the development of the Internet's predecessor, ARPANET, started taking shape over the upcoming decades, finally, in 1990s, transforming into a mainstream medium that we know as the modern Internet. Nowadays, 29th of October is widely celebrated as the Internet Day.
Apple announced their smart speaker at the WWDC in 2017 in the boom created by Amazon and later Google. However, Apple's first smart home device didn't exactly take the world by storm.
Firstly, its official release date was set for December 2017, which meant that Google managed to get a much stronger hold on the market in the wake of Amazon's Echo speakers.
Secondly, Apple didn't even manage to release it in time, and had to postpone the launch until early 2018. By that time Amazon and Google had shipped tens of millions of devices.
This would seem like one of the products Apple probably should've abandoned completely, after all Siri isn't considered the best assistant to begin with.
Since HomePod's failure, we haven't heard any real news about a successor or any other smart home products.
However, Bloomberg now suggests, that Apple is far from giving up on smart home. In fact, according to their information, Apple is building up a new smart home team altogether.
In addition to Android, Google has a couple other operating systems for different type of devices.
Google has diversified their OS portfolio since the early days of Android by introducing Chrome OS for super-portable and inexpensive laptops as well as Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) for wearables, like smartwatches.
While there are actual Chromebooks by Google, ie. Pixelbook (most recent announced earlier this month), there are no official Google wearables.
For years, in fact at least ever since Android Wear was announced in 2014, we've been waiting for a Pixel watch. Now it might actually become a reality, if new rumors are indeed correct.
According to Reuters, Google – well, Alphabet, to be technically correct – has made an offer to acquire Fitbit, the pioneer of wearable tech.
The information doesn't include acquisition price, and the anonymous source notes that it's not written in stone that the acquisition will go through.
Neither of the companies have commented on the leak.
Fitbit is the leading wearable company in world. It is among the top 5 manufacturers for wearables in addition to Apple, Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi.
There are multitude of ways that you can differentiate Google's and Apple's mobile operating systems from each other. However, there's probably no other issue that is more dramatically in Apple's favor than the software updates.
Obviously Google has a harder time making third-party manufacturers abide by its standards of releasing software updates while Apple only has to update a few smartphone models themselves.
However, it is still amazing how Apple manages to update even the oldest devices to the degree that they do it. At some point, though, you run out of support.
That time is coming for the iPhone 5. If you own the device, and you aren't on iOS 10.3.4 you are soon running out of runway.
According to Apple, on November 3rd the iPhone 5 will go defunct if it isn't updated. After the date updating the phone requires manual restore on iTunes because the App Store and even the web browser stop working.
The problems are caused by GPS time rollover transition which prohibits the the phone to access the internet entirely. The bug is fixed in the iOS 10.3.4 version.
If you are still using an iPhone 5, you've probably already seen the dialog suggesting you update the phone right away.
As anyone familiar with the President's Twitter account knows, the tweets of Donald J. Trump are as controversial as they are all-encompassing.
While the official POTUS account rarely tweets – there's plenty of retweets of Trump himself – the personal account is full of hot takes on everything under the sun.
This time around the President of the United States has decided to give his two cents on the issue of iPhones. Trump and Tim Cook have had plenty of controversy, culminating to perhaps the funniest, most memeable moment of all, Trump calling Apple CEO Tim Cook, Tim Apple.
Now he has decided to give Tim Apple some advice on iPhone user experience. According to the serial tweeter in charge of the country, Apple should bring back the Home button.
Trump's simple tweet states that the button was "FAR better" than swiping. Some people are bound to agree with the President, but it is unlikely that Apple will bring back a feature that takes huge amount of space from the screen.
One aspect about "The Button" Trump might be getting back, though, is the fingerprint sensor. Apple might be thinking of bringing an in-screen fingerprint sensor, now that the technology has advance considerably, which could allow logging in to your phone with a simple press instead of a swipe.
The term WEB-DL relates to online piracy of movies and TV shows. It indicates the original source of the pirated movie or a TV show.
WEB-DL simply means that the pirated material in distribution was originally copied from a web download source, such as from Netflix, Hulu or similar service. As such services use various video resolutions and bitrates, the term itself doesn't tell how good or bad the quality of the pirated video is.
The WEB-DL file has been typically "ripped" or copied from a online streaming service, either by capturing the video file from stream or by copying the offline download of the video, removing its copy protections. As the source material is in a digital format, the original quality is deemed good, depending of the web download resolution and bitrate.
As mentioned, the term WEB-DL itself doesn't indicate what resolution the file is in, so the term is typically associated with another acronym, telling its video resolution. Such terms include 720p and 1080p(=FullHD).
Pirated video files in WEB-DL format are distributed either in their original file format or converted to another file format, depending on person who originally copied the material and his/her preferences for the file. If the video is distributed as-is, in the same format as it was streamed or downloaded, the resulting, distributed file is lossless (compared to the original stream/download), meaning that its quality is 1:1 to the originally downloaded file.
The term HDRip is often used in online video (TV shows, movies) piracy. The term indicates the source of the pirated TV show or a movie.
Term HDRip is used to describe video that has been "ripped" from a HDTV broadcast, by one mean or another. As HDTV broadcasts vary with the used resolution, the term itself doesn't necessarily indicate what resolution the ripped video is in.
"Ripping" process itself means simply a way to copy the material, digitally. In HDRip's case, the "ripping" has been done either by a digital capture card, recording the broadcasted TV show or by, for example, copying the material from a DVR device that has stored it without copyright protection flags. This also means that a digital source has been the source material for the video, meaning that the original material is pretty good / near perfect.
HDRips, however, can be either distributed as-is (in the very same bitrate and resolution as they were ripped in) or by compressing them to another format or smaller resolution. Thus, often, the term HDRip is paired with a term indicating the resolution the video is in, like 720p or
1080p.
You should also check these commonly used acronyms for pirated video material:
Avast has detailed how it prevented a suspected supply chain attack on the popular CCleaner software product.
CCleaner had been targeted in such an attack in 2017 and led to Piriform unknowingly distributing malware with the installer for the better part of a month. Attackers had successfully breached the development environment and made malicious modifications before distribution.
Avast has confirmed that it has prevented a similar incident from occurring. It has detailed "Abiss" in a blog post; a suspected supply chain attack on the CCleaner product. The most important detail is that the attempt was unsuccessful and no users of the product were exposed to malware as a result.
The clues that something was amiss started with a false positive in the form of a MS ATA alert of a malicious replication of directory services from an internal IP belonged to Avast's VPN address range. Further analysis found the attacker was attempting to gain access to the network through the VPN as early as May 14, 2019.
The user, whose credentials were apparently compromised and associated with the IP, did not have domain admin privileges. However, the attacker managed to gain domain admin privileges through a successful privilege investigation.
Today, Elon Musk has send his first tweet using a satellite connection established by his other company, SpaceX. The satellite constellation responsible for delivering the digital messages is called Starlink.
Musk and SpaceX have been working on this literally out of this world technology for a while now. It is a promising step towards getting internet connectivity more cost-efficiently to even the most remote places on Earth.
While the tweet doesn't really say how far away we are from an actual product, it is a recognition that they are able to move data at this point.
SpaceX is planning on launching 12 000 satellites into orbit and furthermore has requested permission for another 30 000. Starlink's mission is to launch a low-cost and high-perfomance internet connectivity that reaches everywhere.
Just a few days ago we told you about an odd behavior in Google Photos, which allowed iPhone users to use the service to their heart's content, for free, a feature that isn't available even to new Google Pixel owners.
Now Google has acknowledged that it is indeed a fact that iPhone users can use Google Photos unlimited backups at original quality for free. But it is not because Google has determined that it can't improve upon the compression of iPhone's HEIC/HEIF photos.
Instead, Google says, it is because there is a bug in the system, Android Police reports. Google has also made clear that it intends to fix the problem.
They haven't, however, states how the issue is to be resolved. One has to imagine, that there's a way for Google to compress the images to save space. Likely it's just a matter of finding the sweet spot of losing detail and managing storage space.
Unfortunately for iPhone users, it is unlikely that Google will let the original quality uploads continue for much longer.
Apple's AirPads blew the wireless headphone market completely open. Truly wireless earbuds are now everywhere, and every single electronics manufacturer seems to have caught on.
Partly this is of course because of the lack of headphone jacks in our smartphones – a trend also from Apple's playbook. Whether you have a headphone jack available or not, the Bluetooth powered earbuds are convenient and they offer pretty much everything a regular pair of headphones would.
However, AirPods haven't yet managed to include quite everything under their tiny footprint. The one big omission is noise cancellation. This feature is found in some higher end wireless earbuds, including Sony's new WH-1000XM3 model.
Rumors have it that Apple fans won't have to wait long for the feature either. According to China Economic Daily, Apple is working on new AirPods Pro, which, among other adjustments, will include noise cancellation. This isn't the first case we've heard of noise-cancelling AirPods, either.
It would also suggest that Apple is likely to redo the ergonomics, since noise cancellation requires a tighter fit than what traditional AirPods offer.
Disney has released a humongous trailer earlier this week on its official YouTube channel. The consists of en estimated couple hundred movies and shows landing on Disney+ as it launches.
The three hour montage is chronologically ordered, starting from 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and ending with anticipated 2019 Star Wars show The Mandalorian.
As you might imagine there's content from Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, as well as of course Disney.
The 2019 titles alone include, in addition to already mentioned The Mandalorian, Disney's Sydney to the Max, Kim Possible, Fast Layne, Amphibia, One Day at Disney, Dumbo, Encore!, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Lost Treasures of the Maya, The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great, Apollo: Missions to the Moon, Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted, Kingdom of the White Wolf, Hostile Planet, Captain Marvel, Marvel's Hero Project, Noelle, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Lady and the Tramp.
Without further ado, here's the entire video so you can determine whether it's worth your $6.99 a month when it launches on November 12.
Google Photos is one of the most useful pieces of software the company packages with Android. Offering free cloud storage, AI tricks, and convenient UI, Android users need not look further for their photo storage needs.
Even better, if you are lucky enough to own one of the previousu Pixel phones, you might be able to store unlimited original quality photos in the cloud for zero dollars a month. Even the new Pixel 4 no longer enjoys this privilege.
While Pixel 4 doesn't get free cloud storage, iPhone users seem to be able to upload to their heart's content for free.
According to 9to5Mac this is due to the super efficient HEIC/HEIF format iPhone uses for the photos.
See, if Google tried to compress the photos, as it does with the free tier cloud service, it would increase the size of the photos from iPhones. Due to this it is cheaper for Google to let iPhone users upload their photos in the original format.
This is at least what the Reddit user discovering this suggests. Android 10 is technically able to use HEIC/HEIF as well, but so far Pixels haven't used it.
Netflix has been utterly dominating the streaming video space for years now. Even with Hulu, HBO and Amazon around, they didn't manage to cut into profits of Netflix much at all.
Things are different, though, now that Disney is in town, and perhaps even Apple TV+ made a slight difference. That's what people are saying, at least. For a moment it seemed like Netflix might have hit a true roadblock in the owner of beastly franchises including Marvel and Star Wars.
However, it seems like Netflix might have weathered the storm. While Netflix spent the summer losing customers in the United States, now they are heading back up.
The most recent quarter, July to September, proved very successful to Netflix.
In the US, subscriber numbers were on the rise slightly, but the global audience grew in an unexpected way. Netflix also reports that the trend should continue, and expects growth in the last quarter of the years as well.
The combined growth was far better than it was in third quarter last year. In fact, it seems like this is the second largest subscriber growth in Q3 ever, only 0.1 million behind the record-setting 2016.
Netflix projects that it will be slightly below the record-setting year of 2018 in terms of added subscribers but well above the previous three years, even with what seemed like a catastrophic Q2.
Google introduces its newest Pixelbook couple days ago alongside the new Pixel 4 lineup. Here's what the ultralight Chromebook has to offer in terms of specs.
There's four models ranging from Intel Core m3 to Core i7, 8 or 16 GB RAM, 64 to 256 GB SSD, Full HD and 4K displays, and of course a pricing from $649 all the way up to $1,399.
While the aforementioned details change the pricing, here's what you'll get no matter which one you choose. 13.3 inch touchscreen, stereo front-facing speakers, 2.3 to 2.4 lbs weight, 12 hour battery life, magnesium body, backlit keyboard, FHD@60fps camera, two USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
But since even that doesn't cover it all. Here's a comprehensive list of features for each version of Pixelbook Go in a more digestible way.
Google has finally announced the new Pixel phones. The devices had already largely been leaked over the months, and even the design was teased by Google themselves on the way.
However, now both Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are official, so lets take a look at what was as expected, and what wasn't.
No huge surprises in the chip department. Pixel 4 is powered by Snapdragon 855, the same chip found in most top Android smartphones this year. However, it would've been nice to see the slightly higher clocked Snapdragon 855+ inside.
Both models have now 6 GB RAM instead of last years Pixel 3 which had only four.
Display is definitely a bigger improvement, though. There's 90hz refresh rate as expected, which people are going to love, and the resolution is up to 3200x1800, which is an improvement especially to the smaller Pixel 4.
According to DisplayMate, the Pixel 4 XL display is the best smartphone display on the market, and got an A+ rating.
Camera is of course what people want to know about when we talk about Pixels. Surprisingly there is no ultrawide camera, unlike many expected.
There are dual cameras in the back, though. A 12 megapixel wide angle camera and a 16 megapixel telephoto camera. According to Google, "while ultrawide can be fun, telephoto is more important."
Blizzard has spoken publicly on this week's controversial decision to suspend a pro gamer and withhold his prize after a Hearthstone tournament.
Pro gamer Ng Wai Chung, better known as Blitzchung was banned for a year earlier this week. He had voices support for the Hong Kong protesters in an interview after the tournament, while wearing a gas mask. "Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our age," he said.
Following this decision, a boycott of Blizzard trended on social media and fans tried to delete their accounts in solidarity. J. Allen Brack, Prsident of Blizzard Entertainment, published an open letter to fans about the incident.
"Over the weekend, blitzchung used his segment to make a statement about the situation in Hong Kong--in violation of rules he acknowledged and understood, and this is why we took action," Brack writes.
"The official broadcast needs to be about the tournament and to be a place where all are welcome. In support of that, we want to keep the official channels focused on the game."
Brack also stressed that the specific views expressed by Blitzchung were not a factor in the decisions made, adding that Blizzard's relations in China has no influence on them. However, over the past few days Blizzard has received criticism and complaints from players, casters, esports fans, and employees and Brack acknowledges that the company reacted too quickly and that its process wasn't adequate.
Facebook's digital currency Libra has suffered another blow ahead of its launch as all of the payment processors backing it have pulled their support.
The decision of several companies comes after PayPal decided to drop out of the Libra Association, the group that will develop and maintain Libra. It has now been followed by MasterCard, Visa, Stripe, Ebay and Mercado Pago. "Visa has decided not to join the Libra Association at this time," the company said in a statement.
"We will continue to evaluate and our ultimate decision will be determined by a number of factors, including the Association's ability to fully satisfy all requisite regulatory expectations."
Co-creator of Libra, David Marcus took to Twitter to respond to the news.
I would caution against reading the fate of Libra into this update. Of course, it's not great news in the short term, but in a way it's liberating. Stay tuned for more very soon. Change of this magnitude is hard. You know you're on to something when so much pressure builds up.
Questions about latency arose as soon as Google announced its cloud gaming service Stadia, but Google is apparently aiming for 'negative latency' with the service.
Latency concerns are entirely understandable. It is one thing when the input from controllers travels over a wire to a PC or console, or short range wireless connection. It is an entirely different thing when the input from the controller or other devices has to travel across the Internet, and the result has to be streamed back to you. Latency seems almost inevitable.
Significant latency and lag could seriously hurt Google's platform when it launches in November. However, the company has been working on it and Majd Bakar, VP of Engineering at Stadia, has even invoked 'negative latency'.
This is a peculiar term since it conjures up thoughts of an input command being received and the result being streamed back to you before you even sent the input. However, it is likely a term that hints at how things work at the back-end. There are suggestions that what Bakar means is that the Google system will predict input controls and constantly render frames ahead of time, and then quickly determine which predictions were correct and send the appropriate frames.
An iTunes update has fixed a vulnerability in an iTunes service that a particular strain of ransomware was using to hide itself from anti-virus software.
The ransomware - identified as BitPaymer - was found to be exploiting a zero-day bug in the Bonjour update component that runs in the background in Windows. This service is installed when iTunes is installed in Windows and actually remains on the system even when iTunes is uninstalled later on.
Specifically, the ransomware exploited an "unquoted service path" vulnerability in Bonjour which let the ransomware hijack its execution path. This would launch the ransomware and would also fly under the radar of many antivirus utilities.
Remember, even if you uninstalled iTunes before, the Bonjour component remains and will be unpatched unless you install the latest iTunes. If you want to get rid of Bonjour it should be listed with all other programs in "Programs & Features" in the Control Panel in Windows.
Subscribers of YouTube TV services can gift special two week free trials to their friends and families for a limited time period.
YouTube has sent out emails to customers of its YouTube TV service. In the e-mails are codes that subscribers can send to their friends and families to redeem a special two week free trial of the service. Usually, new users to YouTube TV only get a five day free trial of the service, so if you know any YouTube TV subscribers now would be a good time to nag them to send on the code.
"So, we're giving you a special two week extended free trial code to share with friends and family who might like to try YouTube TV for the first time," the e-mail reads.
"After all, whether they're entertainment lovers or sports fans, with 70+ channels and unlimited DVR space, there's something for pretty much everyone, right?"
YouTube sets no specific limit on the number of times a code can be redeemed but reserves the right to impose its own cap. Presumably this would happen if a subscriber decides to post the code somewhere publicly for anyone to redeem. There is also a time limit on this offer.
Google's cloud gaming platform Stadia is rapidly approaching its launch and it has been confirmed that all titles available can stream in 4k at 60fps.
This even includes the older titles that will be included in the initial Stadia line-up, as Google hopes to enter the gaming world with a bang in November. Furthermore, the 4K streams coming from Stadia will be locked at 60fps, even if the original game was designed for 30fps. This has been confirmed by VP and general manager at Google, leading the Stadia product.
Yes, all games at launch support 4K. We designed Stadia to enable 4K/60 (with appropriate TV and bandwidth). We want all games to play 4K/60 but sometimes for artistic reasons a game is 4K/30 so Stadia always streams at 4K/60 via 2x encode.
All of this of course depends on available bandwidth. However, it is good to have it cleared up that 4K is a persistent option at launch. In other Stadia related news, Google hopes to alleviate concerns about latency with its cloud platform by aiming for something they call "negative latency".
Apple chief executive Tim Cook defended the company's controversial decision to remove an app used by Hong Kong protesters from the App Store.
In an e-mail sent to employees and seen and confirmed by the Reuters News Agency, Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the decision of the Cupertino firm to remove HKMap from the App Store. HKMap is an app that tracks protests and police activity with crowdsourced information in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy protesters have been active for several weeks.
According to the e-mail, Cook argues that while the information in the app is on its own benign, Apple had credible information that the app was being used for targeted violence.
He cited information from Hong Kong police and Apple users in the region in writing that the app was being used to "target individual officers for violence and to victimize individuals and property where no police are present."
"This use put the app in violation of Hong Kong law,"Cook wrote.
Amazon Music can now be enjoyed by subscribers on their Apple TV 4K or Apple TV HD devices running tvOS 12.0 or newer.
Spotify became available on Apple TV devices earlier this week and has not been followed in support on the living room set-top-box by rival Amazon Music. The Amazon Music app is now available from the App Store for Apple TV, providing access to a wide range of global playlists like Pop Culture and Rap Rotation.
"We believe that listeners should be able to stream music simply and easily on any device they choose," said Karolina Joynathsing, director of business development for Amazon Music.
"With that in mind, our aim has been to bring listeners more ways to enjoy their favorite music. We're thrilled to bring the Amazon Music app to Apple TV customers across the globe."
Listeners can browse and search for music from their favorite artists, access all purchased and imported music available in their 'My Music' library, and follow along with scrolling lyrics to their favorite music within the app (if that particular song is supported).
It is available from today in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.
An attempted attack on a synagogue in Germany was livestreamed on Twitch and watched by 2,200 users before it was removed from the service.
Police say a 27 year old man was acting alone when he killed two people in the German city of Halle on Wednesday. The man had livestreamed the incident on Twitch as he spouted antisemitic comments and began shooting at a synagogue in the city around noon. Two people were shot dead nearby after the attacker failed to enter the synagogue.
It was not promoted in Twitch's recommended feed. Instead, Twitch's own investigation suggested that people were sharing the video in messaging services before it was detected. It remained online for around 30 minutes after the incident occurred in Germany.
"Any act of violence is taken extremely seriously. We worked with urgency to remove this content and will permanently suspend any accounts found to be posting or reposting content of this abhorrent act," Twitch said. It has also shared a hash of the video with others so that it will be detected very quickly if it is uploaded elsewhere.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine is visiting the SpaceX headquarters in the suburbs of Los Angeles today and will hold a joint press conference with CEO Elon Musk.
This visit comes after the pair seemed to trade jabs following SpaceX' recent public update on the progress of its ambitious Starship project. Before Musk could enthusiastically show off their rapid progress on Starship to journalists and space travel enthusiasts, Bridenstine took to Twitter and seemed to aim criticism at SpaceX for the delays in their Crew Dragon program.
Both SpaceX and Boeing are currently working on their crew launch vehicles - Crew Dragon for SpaceX and Starliner for Boeing - and both of them have run into significant technical issues and delays. Bridenstine seemed to be displeased that SpaceX was holding a public demonstration of the Starship progress when Crew Dragon was still lagging behind.
Apple has once against changed its mind on an application used by protesters in Hong Kong, following criticism from a Chinese publication linked to the communist party.
HKMap is an application that provides information on ongoing pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, as well as documenting police activity in the region during this troubled period of time. Apple has previously decided not to list the HKMap app on its App Store but had reversed the decision only days ago.
In the meantime, China Daily - a publication owned and operated by the communist party in China - had slammed Apple's decision to allow HKMap to be listed on the App Store. It accused the Cupertino-based iPhone maker of enabling rioters to commit acts of violence by simply allowing the HKMap app to be downloaded at all.
Apple has significant operations in China where much of its gadgets are assembled, and China Daily made sure to remind Apple that it needs to think of the consequences of its decisions.
The developers behind HKMap completely reject the claim that the app aids criminal activity, saying they are not based on evidence. They go on to point out that other apps like Waze continue to be offered on the App Store. Furthermore, social networking apps like Facebook do not get delisted when criminals use the platform for nefarious activities.
A man has received a suspended prison sentence and has been fined for copyright infringement related to ebook piracy activity.
The 26-year-old Danish man has been handed a 20 day suspended sentence and received a fine for admitting to illegally selling pirated copies of textbooks through a buy-and-sell outlet in the country. The case initiated with an investigator working for Rettighedsalliancen (Rights Alliance) using Den Blå Avis (The Blue Newspaper) - Denmark's largest buy and sell outlet - to purchase a PDF copy of a textbook.
He paid through MobilePay and then received the illicit PDF copy of the textbook from a Google Drive link and then contacted the police in the country to make a complaint.
As a result, the Copenhagen based man was charged with selling 228 copies of textbooks without permission. The textbooks sold for prices ranging from $12.50 to $88.00. The prosecution sought a custodial sentence for copyright infringement.
Judge Poul Bisgaard-Frantzen at the Court of Fredericksberg instead found it appropriate to impose a 20 day suspended sentence on the accused, as well as ordering the confiscation of 27,640 kroner (just over $4,000) obtained through the activity.
After disappointing its investors when it missed its sales targets by the end of 2018, Nintendo has good news to share about the performance of the Switch console and its software sales.
Launched in 2017, the Nintendo Switch console has now sold more than 10 million units in Europe alone. A big factor in that sales milestone is the launch in September of the Nintendo Switch Lite. Overall, sales of the Switch are up more than 30 percent this year compared to the same period of 2018, and up more than 40 percent over 2017.
In the calendar year of 2019, the Japanese games maker predicts it will sell around 18 million Switch units. At the end of 2018, the total global figure for the device stood at over 32 million units.
In addition to its positive hardware sales news, Nintendo also revealed that it nine first party titles have amassed more than a million sales a piece in Europe alone. Those titles are:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!
The October update for Xbox One consoles is rolling out this week and it addresses quite a range of features on the console.
For starters, Xbox One is included in Microsoft's push for parents to more easily control the time their children can spend gaming and using apps. Parents can now set usage limits at the app or game level. So if a parent sets an hour limit per day for a game, that limit applies to every device so that switching devices won't let kids cheat on their time limits. Once parents make a setting at a game or app level, it applies to all Microsoft devices in the home that are configured.
Microsoft has also improved the Mixer experience in Xbox One. Players will no longer need to navigate to another app for Mixer streams as the October update integrates it right into the Xbox One dashboard, making it much easier and faster to find and watch a stream you want.
For user experience, several feature changes and improvements have been made. When an item on a player's Wish List gets a price discount, for example, then the user will receive a notification. The update also makes it possible for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to recommend titles to a friend via a message, or to your whole community through your activity feed or share to a club.
Many homes now have multiple media and entertainment devices spread throughout, and Google wants to make it easy to switch the device you are listening to music or watching YouTube videos on.
With updates rolling out, users of Google Home products like Chromecast, Google Home Mini, Nest Hub Max, and others will be able to easily switch music, podcasts, and YouTube videos around devices. That can be achieved either by speaking out voice commands, using the Google Home app on a smartphone, or a touchscreen on a Nest smart display.
If music playing on a device in the kitchen like the Google Home Mini, a voice command of "Hey Google, move the music to the living room speaker" will transfer the stream to the living room device.
Alternatively, if using the Google Home app, one has to tap the cast button to see all the devices in the home, and then choose one to move the streaming audio to.
YouTube videos are also supported for quick switching. Either a voice command or the cast control on the screen of the Nest Hub Max can move YouTube videos to a Chromecast-connected TV. If you have more than one Google Home and Nest smart speaker or display, you can set up a speaker group in the Home App.
Call of Duty Mobile leaves Fortnite, PUBG, and Mario Kart Tour in its wake in a wildly successful week starting on its October 1 launch day.
According to Sensor Tower, Call of Duty Mobile racked up more than 100 million downloads around the world in its first week of availability. This beats the previous record set by Mario Kart Tour, which clocked up 90 million downloads in its first week.
On the surface it dramatically outperformed both Fortnite and PUBG, which accumulated 22.5 million downloads, and 28 million downloads, respectively, in their first weeks. However, it is noteworthy that Fortnite was initially only available on the iOS platform, and PUBG rolled out more slowly by region.
Call of Duty Mobile had a wider roll-out, though it has not launched in China despite being developed by Tencent's TiMi Studio in Shenzhen.
Sensor Tower finds that Call of Duty Mobile saw 56.9 million downloads for iOS devices and 45.3 million downloads for their Android competitors. Its best performing territory is the United States with 17.3 million downloads, followed by India (13.7 million), and Brazil (7.1 million).
The ability for Spotify users to control the music app through Siri on Apple devices has not softened Spotify's criticism of Apple.
The Swedish streaming pioneer has been running its "Time to Play Fair" campaign against what it alleges are unfair business practices from Apple for a while. This week, Spotify users on Apple platforms gained the ability to control their music using Siri commands, which is a nice boost. It hasn't softened Spotify's attitude toward Apple however.
In fact, Spotify went to the trouble of modifying an animated video criticizing Apple's business practices and alleged abuses of its position. Previously, the video had scalded Apple for not allowing users to control Spotify with Siri but now acknowledges that Apple device owners finally have this ability but not to use it as their default player.
The rest of the video deals with the existing complaints Spotify has against Apple, including the so called "30 percent Apple tax" and how Apple's red tape keeps Spotify from offering promotions and features.
You may have seen most of this video before. If not, here is the modified version updated this week by Spotify.
A popular Android app used for IPTV service on devices has disappeared from the Play Store, and not for the first time.
IPTV Smarters is one of the more popular IPTV player solutions for Android devices like smartphones, tablets, TV boxes and smart televisions. It can be used with third party IPTV services and provided a good user experience through its GUI and Electronic Programming Guide and other features.
However, it has disappeared from Google's Play Store and not for the first time. According to the developer of the application, the removal is due to a false complaint.
"It's normal [to receive such complaints] and [it has] happened three times so far. We had it sorted out last time and this time. We have executed the same procedure with the help of our lawyers," Amanpreet Singh, told TorrentFreak. Singh did not reveal the source of the false complaint.
"As it's just a video player, that's why it will be back very soon," he added.
IPTV Smarters is only a software application itself. It does not provide any IPTV streams as is, and instead has to be used with another service. The developer does not endorse its use by any third party provider that violates Intellectual Property laws.
Sony's PlayStation 4 (PS4) console software updates to version 7.00 this week and brings some notable improvements for user experience.
The first thing to mention is that Remote Play is now supported on Android 5.0 (or newer) devices. All you have to do is get the Remote Play app from the Play Store. On iPhones and iPads, Remote Play can now also display the controller at all times or lock the screen orientation if the user deems either necessary.
Additionally, a DualShock 4 controller can be used for Remote Play on Android, iPhone, iPad, and Mac using Bluetooth. For that functionality you require Android 10, iOS 13, iPadOD 13 or macOS Catalina.
The software update also improves the Party experience on PlayStation 4. Once updated, the maximum number of Party users is doubled from 8 to 16, while the audio quality is also of higher quality. Connectivity issues should also be alleviated due to back-end changes made by Sony to its network infrastructure.
Accessibility is also improved for the Party feature with the inclusion of Chat Transcription. This is initially available in the United States and only in the English language. Party voice chats can be converted to text and will display on the PS4 second screen app on your smartphone or other mobile device. Furthermore, it supports speech to text so users can speak aloud and have their speech transcribed to text and sent to other Party participants.
Epic Games has settled a lawsuit with a 14 year old boy who sold cheats for Fortnite online, and demonstrated them in videos.
The boy is identified only as CBV in court documents. He was targeted by Epic Games for copyright infringement as he made cheats available for sale through an online forum. On his YouTube channel he demonstrated how the hacks work and linked his more than 14,000 subscribers to where they were made available.
Epic Games maintained that the cheats and their marketing was unfair and unlawful, and that they altered the copyrighted work of Epic and effectively resulted in a new version of the game. The dev also claimed that while CBV claimed he would cheat for fun and entertainment, and not to steal from those who work hard for what they do, he still benefited financially from the activity.
Game developers and publishers have been cracking down on cheats and on modding of games and those who sell them, as they can create a skewed experience for other players and also provides incentive for others to cheat as well.
Sony has confirmed that its next-generation PlayStation 5 will launch for the holiday season next year, and also confirmed more details about the system.
The first thing to note is that the next-generation in the console series is in fact called PlayStation 5. It will launch in time for Holiday 2020, according to Jim Ryan, President & CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment. Some other details were also spilled by Ryan today, including a big change to the controller for the PS5 console.
Ryan says that the company wanted to re-imagine how the sense of touch can add to the immersion of video games. To that end, the new PS5 controller will scrap the long-lasting "rumble" technology in the DualShock line, and replace it with haptic feedback. This means that there is a wider range of feedback from the controller, so that "crashing into a wall in a race car feels much different than making a tackle on the football field."
Another change to the PS5 controller is the incorporation of adaptive triggers. This has been incorporated into the L2 and R2 triggers on the controller and will enable developers to "program the resistance of the triggers so that you feel the tactile sensation of drawing a bow and arrow or accelerating an off-road vehicle through rocky terrain."
Sony has announced that Facebook integration is no longer supported on the PlayStation 4 system. So what does that mean for users?
From today, Facebook integration has been scrapped on the PS4 console. This means that players will no longer be able to record and then upload their gameplay clips to the social network for their friends to see. Trophy unlock activity also can no longer be shared with Facebook friends. Friend finder is also out, which was a feature that used your Facebook account information to help you find friends on Sony's network.
So all share options (screenshots, videos, music, trophy details, links, broadcasts, etc.) can no longer be shared from your PS4 console to your Facebook account and friends. Profile pictures imported from Facebook will no longer be used either, so if you imported your profile picture from Facebook you will have to set up a new one.
The support page for the change does not give any reason why Sony has abruptly ended support for Facebook integration. However, Kotaku did reach out to Facebook and it seems that the social network is hoping to restore the integration soon.
A one-of-a-kind 'Nintendo PlayStation' console - a relic of a rocky and ultimately doomed partnership between Sony and Nintendo - is up for sale.
In the 1980s, Sony and Nintendo were collaborating on games console hardware. Nintendo had partnered with Sony to produce a CD-ROM add-on that could be used for the standard SNES console. It would use a format called Super Disc with the rights retained by Sony in agreement with Nintendo. Along with the add-on for the SNES, Sony was developing its own Play Station system, which was a hybrid containing the standard cartridge port for Nintendo games and the CD-ROM drive for games on Super Disc.
Trouble started however when Nintendo realized that Sony had an upper hand in software licensing as it retained control of Super Disc, and the Japanese gaming giant then approached Philips seeking a more favorable agreement over a partnership. As a result, the 1991 consumer electronics show saw both the introduction of the hybrid Play Station system from Sony, and the surprise announcement of a new partnership between Nintendo and Philips (which Sony had no prior warning about).
Despite trying to repair their issues over the next couple of years, Nintendo and Sony ultimately went separate ways with Sony deciding to focus on a new console for the next generation of gaming which we now know as the original PlayStation. During the negotiations as many as 300 prototypes were reportedly developed of Sony / Nintendo console hardware.
A legal firm is seeking a class action lawsuit against Epic Games because its popular Fortnite game is too addictive.
Calex Légal is representing the parents of two children in arguing that Fortnite is designed to be addictive, and that Epic Games did not warn customers about the dangers. The firm, based in Montreal, is seeking authorization for a class-action lawsuit and inviting parents concerned about their children's dependence on the video game to come forward.
"We dug into it and we realized there was a strong case for it," said Alessandra Esposito Chartrand, a Calex Légal attorney, reports the CBC.
The suit cites a decision made by the Quebec Superior Court in 2015 that determined tobacco companies had not warned customers about the dangers of smoking their product. This duty to inform is what Calex Légal is focusing on. Furthermore, Chartrand claims that the game is actually made purposely to be as addictive as possible.
"Epic Games, when they created Fortnite, for years and years, hired psychologists -- they really dug into the human brain and they really made the effort to make it as addictive as possible," she said. "They knowingly put on the market a very, very addictive game which was also geared toward youth."
The creators of South Park have 'apologized' to China after the show is reportedly banned in the country and it's exactly what you expect.
It has been reported that South Park is banned on the Chinese Internet, after last week's episode "Band in China". The episode follows dimwit Randy Marsh - father of Stan, a geologist, the voice of pop sensation Lorde, and the entrepreneur behind Tegridy Weed - on a journey to China to find more customers for his product. His visit instead gets Randy sent to a work camp where he has to speak praise of the communist party.
At the same time, Randy's son Stan is trying to film a biopic for his several-weeks-old death metal band Crimson Dawn, but finds out that he has to censor topics ranging from Winnie the Pooh to the Dalai Lama in order to appease Chinese censors and make money in the country.
The episode even shows a Chinese censor in military uniform erasing things that Stan writes down, or erasing things he types on his laptop.
Apparently, the Chinese authorities didn't see the humor in the episode and reports are that South Park is now banned on the Chinese Internet. Matt Stone and Trey Parker responded to the news in a fashion we've come to expect over the years from the minds behind South Park. While it clearly makes fun of the Chinese reaction to the episode, it also takes aim at the NBA.
While the release of the OnePlus 7T is coming soon, there are already leaks regarding the OnePlus 8 series.
CashKaro and OnLeaks have published renders of the upcoming OnePlus 8 smartphone based on schematics from a source within the company. The leak shows that the OnePlus 8 will trade in the notch of the OnePlus 7T, and the pop-up selfie camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro, for a punch-hole cam in the 6.5-inch curved display itself. OnePlus 8 will be the first OnePlus non-Pro smartphone to feature a curved display.
Like the OnePlus 7T and 7 Pro, OnePlus 8 will feature three camera lenses on the back.
The bottom speaker also appears to have a smoother edge than previous OnePlus series. The overall dimensions of the smartphone are estimated at 160.2 x 72.9 x 8.1mm (9.3mm when including the bump for the rear camera lenses).
Another big detail in the leak is the support for wireless charging. OnePlus has put effort into fast charging with some of its previous models. The OnePlus 7T comes (and 7 Pro) come with a 30W (5V/6A) charger for speedy charging. However, with competitors offering wireless charging it was an expected step for OnePlus to make.
Microsoft has revealed an attempt to identify and target e-mail accounts related to the U.S. 2020 Presidential Elections by a group with suspected links to Tehran.
Tom Burt, Corporate Vice President, Customer Security & Trust at Microsoft, revealed in an article that a group he identified as Phosphorus had targeted accounts linked to an election campaign for the U.S. 2020 Presidential Election. Microsoft believes that the attack originates from Iran and is linked to the Iranian government.
During August and September, Microsoft observed more than 2,700 attempts to identify consumer e-mail accounts belonging to specific Microsoft customers. 241 of these accounts were later directly attacked and four were compromised. Microsoft would only say that the targeted accounts are associated with a U.S. presidential campaign, current and former U.S. government officials, journalists covering global politics and prominent Iranians living outside Iran.
However, sources told the Reuters news agency that U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign was specifically targeted, but the operation was unsuccessful. Responding to the report, Tim Murtaugh of the Trump campaign said it has no indication that any of its campaign infrastructure being targeted.
Apple has announced that it will repair some iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus handsets for free as they may become unusable due to a component failure.
The Cupertino giant did not specify what component is leading to the failure of some iPhone 6s series handsets to power on, but it did say that the issue is limited to units manufactured between October 2018 and August 2019. It established a homepage for its free service program where users can check if their handset is eligible for a free repair.
If you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus that suddenly won't power on then it might be caused by this component issue. To find out, visit the repair page and enter the serial number of your model and it will inform you whether or not it is eligible for a free repair.
Affected iPhone 6s models can be repaired at any Apple Authorized Service Provider, an Apple Retail Store, through Apple Support's mail-in service. Owners who previously paid to have an iPhone 6s repaired that would have been eligible for free repair can contact Apple for a refund.
The program covers affected iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices for 2 years after the first retail sale of the unit.
It should be noted that Apple may restrict or limit repair to the original country or region of purchase, which might complicate things if the handset was imported from a foreign source.
PayPal has dropped out of the Libra Association, the first financial backer to leave the group backing the Libra digital currency.
Facebook's ambitions to launch a digital currency that can be used worldwide for payments have hit constant roadblocks. PayPal has continued to this shaky start by dropping out of the Libra Association, the organization that would oversee the development and deployment of Libra and associated products.
"PayPal has made the decision to forgo further participation in the Libra Association at this time and to continue to focus on advancing our existing mission and business priorities as we strive to democratize access to financial services for underserved populations," PayPal said in a statement.
"We remain supportive of Libra's aspirations and look forward to continued dialogue on ways to work together in the future. Facebook has been a longstanding and valued strategic partner to PayPal, and we will continue to partner with and support Facebook in various capacities."
Libra has also been subjected to probes and attacks from politicians and bureaucrats the world-round, who see Libra and other digital currencies as a threat to the financial system. Facebook's chequered history on its handling of user data is another commonly cited reason for opposing the proposed digital currency.
A mother is warning about the dangers of social media 'challenges' after her 12 year old son is badly burned doing the so called 'Fire Challenge'.
Viral challenges are far from new. For years, people have essentially performed silly or stupid stunts on video and posted it online. We all remember the ALS challenge phenomenon that prompted millions of people to dump cold water over their heads and then challenge others to do the same.
Well, how about you set yourself on fire? Incredibly, a small number of people seem to have done this. It was reported this week that a 12 year old Michigan boy had suffered second degree burns after his friend set him on fire. Amazingly, the goal was to post the video of this "challenge" online.
The boy spent four days in hospital after his friend sprayed him with nail polish remover and then lit him up. His mother, Tabitha, has warned about the dangers of social media challenges.
"I just want everybody to know that these challenges, or whatever they're watching on YouTube, is not worth risking your life," she said, reports NBC News.
Rockstar Games has provided details about the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC, including that it will be a Google Stadia launch title.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is available for PC platforms from November 5, with pre-orders available from the new recently launched Rockstar Games Launcher from October 9. The PC version of the first in the Red Dead Redemption series to launch on the platforms comes with some new content and bonuses as well.
Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC features a range of graphical and technical enhancements for increased immersion along with new Bounty Hunting Missions, Gang Hideouts, Weapons and more.
Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC also includes free access to the shared living world of Red Dead Online featuring all previously released improvements and the latest content updates for the complete online experience including Frontier Pursuits and the specialist Roles of Bounty Hunter, Trader and Collector for players to progress through and earn unique rewards.
For those who choose to pre-order from October 9 to October 22 on Rockstar Games Launcher, Rockstar will also throw two free games. You can choose your two free games from Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andrea, Bully: Scholarship Edition, L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition, and Max Payne 3: The Complete Edition.
Samsung says that its expensive Galaxy Fold can handle up to 200,000 folds during its lifetime before it can be expected to break due to wear and tear. Can it?
CNET put it to the test with a device built by SquareTrade. The device folded and unfolded the Samsung device for hours until it failed. It clocked up a reported 119,380 folds - which were achieved in around 14 hours - before the screen and hinge were damaged from the folding and unfolding.
Of course, the test doesn't really reflect real-world use of a Galaxy Fold as owners who have coughed up so much money are unlikely to carelessly fold and unfold the device for hours nonstop.
Samsung says that 200,000 folds accounts for around 100 folds per day for five years. Whether or not the CNET / SquareTrade test can cast doubts on that is up to you to determine once you check out the CNET video.
Be warned, it was live-streamed for almost twelve hours.
EA Sports confirms that a bug exposed some personal information of some players signing up for FIFA 20 Global Series.
In a bizarre incident, some players who were trying to sign up for the new FIFA 20 Global Series saw that the registration form was already pre-loaded with information of other people. Some popular live-streamers reportedly had their personal information exposed due to the registration bug.
EA Sports acknowledged the bug and estimated that around 1,600 people had been directly affected by it. Exposed information included e-mail addresses and date of birth. It has since identified the cause of the issue and has patched it up.
"Player privacy and security are of the utmost importance to us, and we deeply apologize that our players encountered this issue today," EA Sports said in a statement.
It has been reported that Disney has blacklisted Netflix ads across multiple of its properties as it prepares to jump into the streaming deep end.
Disney is soon to make quite the splash with Disney+, its video streaming service that will go head to head with the big boys including Netflix, Amazon, and others. According to the Wall Street Journal, Disney had informed employees earlier this year that it would not accept any advertisements across its services for any rival streaming services.
In the meantime, it has reportedly come to a compromise with every streaming service except for one pretty significant rival: Netflix. The WSJ reports that Netflix ads are not permitted across Disney's TV networks ahead of the launch of Disney+.
Disney+ was launched in the Netherlands on September 12, and will be launched in the United States and Canada on November 12, followed by Australia and New Zealand on November 19. It focuses on film and television content (incudling original programming) from its properties, including Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox.
A study showed that people now type out text on their mobile devices almost as fast as they can with a conventional keyboard on a PC.
After years of social media interaction, people type almost as fast now on mobile devices as they do using a traditional keyboard on a PC. A study co-wrote by ETH Zurich, Cambridge University, and Aalto University in Finland gathered data from more than 37,000 people who participated in speed typing tests on smartphones and PCs.
The fastest typist on a phone maxed out at around 85 words per minute (wpm). Keyboards can enable type speeds up to 100wpm. Most people hit between 35wpm and 65wpm on devices, while those aged between 10 and 19 years old tended to be around 10wpm faster than older participants in the study.
"Such a large amount of experience transfers to the development of typing skill and explains why young people, who spend more time with social media, communicating with each other, are picking up higher speeds,"said Dr Anna Feit, researcher at ETH Zurich.
Another interesting detail is how type speed on mobile devices is helped by auto-correct, but hindered by predictive services. It seemed that participants used up noticeable time overall making sure a predicted word is correct, whereas auto-correct eliminated the need for a few thumb taps regularly enough to make a positive difference.
Microsoft's announcements yesterday can be divided into two categories: refreshes and new products. The former include the likes of Surface Laptop 3 and Surface Pro 7.
The latter was represented by the next year's Surface Duo smartphone but also a product that you don't have to wait another year.
It is the Surface Pro X, which is a slimmer and more mobile version of the Surface Pro lineup. What makes it very different from other Surface Pro devices is the CPU. This is the first Surface Pro with an ARM processor.
However, Microsoft assures that it is capable of performing like a full-fledged Windows 10 computer, a proper Surface Pro, should.
Surface Pro X features a 13-inch, 2880 by 1920 resolution display with what Microsoft calls the thinnest bezels in class.
The system-on-chip inside is a custom Qualcomm chip developed with the help of Microsoft. They call it Surface SQ1 and it's based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx that has found its way to laptops, for example in Samsung Galaxy Book S.
Perhaps the device that made Microsoft's Surface lineup what it is today, namely a success, got a revamp yesterday.
The device is of course Surface Pro 7, which was leaked ahead of launch revealing some of its most anticipated features. However, now we've got the whole story.
Surface Pro 7 features, just like the new Surface Laptop 3, finally a USB-C port, and, just like the laptop, it also still has the full-sized USB-A to go along with it.
In addition it has a microSD slot, magnetic Surface Connect charging port, a headphone jack as well as the magnetic connector for Type Cover keyboard.
In terms of design there's really nothing new here. The same sleek line has been retained with sharp edges, and color options are still black and platinum.
The display is also still the same 12.3 incher with 2736 x 1824 resolution, but processors have been updated to the new 10th gen Intel chips. You can choose from Core i3, i5, or i7.
The i3 comes with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigs of SSD storage, the i5 is available in 8GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 16GB/256GB options, and i7 as 16GB/256GB, 16GB/512GB, and the top of the line 16GB/1TB option.
Microsoft held their fall Surface event yesterday in New York City. By far the most surprising of the product announcements was the company's first smartphone since Windows Phones, but there were other interesting devices unveiled as well.
One of the most anticipated ones was the new Surface Laptop. Microsoft's competitor to MacBook got its third generation in Surface Laptop 3.
Most importantly the new laptop has finally a USB-C port, in addition to a traditional and full-sized USB-A. Other major addition was the new 15-inch version, which comes with a completely different CPU setup.
The 15-inch one is equipped with a custom Ryzen chip purpose-built for Surface devices with a little bit of extra graphics processing oomph. The 13.5 inch version still hosts a Intel chip, albeit one of the new and more powerful 10th gen CPUs.
Alcantara is now also optional depending on which model and color you choose. 15-inch model is solely metal while some color options (Platinum and Gold) of the 13.5 inch model are available in soft Alcantara.
There's not much changed in terms of design. The super sleek lines of Surface Laptop 3 make it one of the most minimalist devices available. Even the speaker grill and the lid opening slit have been removed in order to make the thing as neat a possible.
Microsoft has today unveiled their first smartphone in years. Surface Duo was announced at the company's Surface event rather surprisingly, in a very "one more thing" fashion.
The Redmond company of course has a very storied history with smartphones, and there has been rumors about an upcoming Surface Phone for years, but it's fair to say that pretty much nobody expected a smartphone announcement today.
However, Surface Duo announcement wasn't exactly a run-of-the-mill smartphone reveal. Instead, the company essentially teased a product that is still year away from launch.
According to Microsoft, Surface Duo is slated for 2020 holiday season release.
We did get some specs as well as a good look at the industrial design today though. Microsoft says that the device will feature two 5.6 inch displays that fold 360 degrees using a hinge in the middle.
Unlike all the other Surface devices, Surface Duo also runs Android, which means that Microsoft isn't ready or willing to join the mobile platform wars again with Windows.
However, you can expect Microsoft's own Windows-like experience from Surface Duo, and the company assured that it is a true Surface experience.
Current prototypes have used Snapdragon 855 chips but we can expect more up-to-date specs when launch is closer. That is pretty much all there is to say about the device so far.
Artificial intelligence has been developing in massive leaps and bounds in the recent years. This is probably most evident to customers in products like Google Assistant but there's a lot of influential work being done behind the scenes that advance the capabilities.
One of the companies working on improvements in AI is IBM. They are developing the algorithms and models that recognize speech patterns and styles. Their text-to-speech (TTS) modeling has advanced so much that it can create a nearly indiscernible and infinitely adaptable human voice from just 5 minutes of talking.
The speech synthesizer can improve itself even after this, and after 10 or especially 20 minutes of "listening" to sample speech it can reproduce the voice in whatever text very naturally.
IBM says that the trick to the impressive performance is the modular architecture of the neural speech synthesis. This means that the system detects and trains each aspect of the voice independently.
This makes the result retain the original character of the voice.
But you don't have to believe us, here you can listen to the samples (5 min, 10 min, 20 min) for different voices. You can also make them speak text of your choice here.
Microsoft is preparing a Surface event for tomorrow, and they've gotten away without leaking their devices all the way til today.
Unfortunately for the company, and perhaps luckily for us, The Verge in association with the famed leaker Evan Blass have released some photos of the upcoming devices ahead of the launch event.
The pictured devices include the likes of Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop in two sizes (13" and 15") as well as a yet unnamed new ARM based 2-in-1 device.
The pictures don't really reveal anything out of ordinary. For example, there is no Surface device with two displays present. Nor is there any folding displays.
Also, there are no specs revealed but we do get to see some of the features of the devices in the pictures. The new 2-in-1 device has at least two USB-C ports, camera in the back, and a vertical kickstand. It also supports stylus input.
The Surface Laptop's design seems fairly conservative, and perhaps reminds a little bit like a touch screen version of MacBook Air.
We can also confirm that Surface Pro 7 will still have the same USB-A and USB-C ports on the right side and same docking ports and pins.
In our article series, we're digging into AfterDawn's news archive and looking what happened exactly 20 years ago. This article series also celebrates AfterDawn's 20th anniversary.
Exactly 50 years ago today, on 29th of October, 1969, the first message was sent over something that we nowadays recognize as the Internet. Basically, today marks the date when the first ever message was successfully (more about that later..) was over a long distance computer network.
Apple announced their smart speaker at the WWDC in 2017 in the boom created by Amazon and later Google. However, Apple's first smart home device didn't exactly take the world by storm.
