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Microsoft buys digital pen technology from N-Trig for $30 million

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 03 May 2015 10:19

Microsoft buys digital pen technology from N-Trig for $30 million Although it was widely reported months ago, Microsoft has finally confirmed their acquisition of technology from digital pen tech developer N-Trig.

It had previously been reported that Microsoft was buying the entire company for $200 million, but that was false it appears, as Microsoft only acquired some technology at a price tag of $30 million.

"We can't wait to show you what we'll deliver for our Surface Fans in the future," said Stevie Bathiche of the Microsoft Surface team. "Digital pens have a ways to go to be as good as pen and paper on some dimensions, and we'll get there. But more importantly, adding the ability to capture and share the work you do with a digital pen opens up possibilities that traditional pen and paper just can't match. Today's investment is another step that will let us push that innovation forward."

N-Trig has over 100 patents and the company's digital pen has been available with the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet since last year.

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AfterDawn: News

Spotify now valued at $8 billion

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 03 May 2015 10:09

Spotify now valued at $8 billion Music streaming giant Spotify has raised another $350 million at a valuation of about $8 billion.

Reportedly, one of the largest investments came from Goldman Sachs, who was investing for its institutional clients.

Spotify has over 60 million monthly active users, 15 million of which pay for unlimited or premium subscriptions that cost $4.99 or $9.99 per month.

Free users can listen to music using the desktop app or their browser, or on mobiles but only in "radio" format similar to Pandora. All free accounts have to listen to ads every few tracks. Unlimited users get unlimited streaming with no ads, and premium subscribers get unlimited streaming, no ads, and full mobile access.

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AfterDawn: News

Uber's offices in China got raided

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 03 May 2015 9:50

Uber's offices in China got raided In their ongoing effort to crackdown on ridesharing apps, the Chinese government has raided Uber's offices in Guangzhou.

Uber, one of the largest private startups in the world, launched in 2013 in China following successful launches around the globe. Uber has infamously been on the wrong side of the law multiple times, however, and this appears to be no different. Chinese officials "inspected a company which is suspected of organizing private cars with are not qualified to provide passenger services, and of not having registered with the commercial authorities," read the reports.

During the raid, a few mobile phones were "temporarily confiscated" although it is unclear why.

The Guangzhou transport commission added that Uber's business model is a potential "illegal business activity," and that they will continue to look for "illegal operators who disrupt the transport market."

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AfterDawn: News

Lenovo's "world's lightest" LaVie Z goes on sale

Written by Matti Robinson @ 03 May 2015 9:27

Lenovo's "world's lightest" LaVie Z goes on sale In January, Lenovo unveiled its super-light LaVie Z laptop. Weighing only 777 grams or 1.7 lbs its more lightweight than the new MacBook. Now the miracle laptop Lenovo calls the world's lightest 13-incher is available to purchase via Lenovo's website.

On the website there's one version of LaVie Z and one version of its touchscreen-equipped sibling (with Yoga-like hinge) LaVie Z 360. Both of them feature a 13-inch QHD (2650x1440) display, 8 gigabytes of RAM, 256 GB SSD, and a Core i7 processor. LaVie Z is on sale for $1499 (original price $1699) and LaVie Z 360 for $1699 (original price $1849).

When revealing the product Lenovo said that the starting price will be $1299, exactly what the new MacBook starts at. This Core i5 version is yet to be added to the online store but I will provide a much better performance in a lighter body thanks to the Core i5 processor. MacBook however is slimmer and the Core M processor provides a much better battery life.




AfterDawn: News

Windows Phone fans rejoice: Two high-end devices are coming this year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 03 May 2015 9:19

Windows Phone fans rejoice: Two high-end devices are coming this year After a year of pumping out cheap low-range Lumia devices to target the masses, it appears Microsoft has a couple of high-end devices waiting in the wings for power users.

First, we have the Lumia codenamed "Talkman" which has a 5.2-inch QHD display, a sexta-core 64-bit Qualcomm processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage (expandable with microSD), dual 5MP/20MP cameras and a large 3000 mAh battery. Furthermore, Microsoft wants to keep this device lighter and slimmer than the existing Lumia 930, say the sources.

Moving even higher up the spec chain is the Lumia "Cityman" which will feature a 5.7-inch QHD display, an octa-core Qualcomm processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage (expandable), the same dual 5MP/20MP cameras and a 3300mAh battery.

Both devices will run Windows 10, and both device will have triple LED flash each of which has a different tone to allow for more natural colors.

Sources say you can expect the devices around the launch time of Windows 10, which is the end of July or early August.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft discontinues Windows Media Center

Written by Matti Robinson @ 03 May 2015 9:11

Microsoft discontinues Windows Media Center Microsoft has been unveiling more about its upcoming operating system this past week at Build conference in San Francisco. The company also told to ZDNet that it will be killing off the Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center was released in 2001 as a full screen media experience for Windows XP. The development halted already in 2009 but the software has been included to this day in Windows 8. Now it seems however that the interface will not be seen on Windows 10.

The software was meant for media consumption of music, video, photos, and TV. It was designed to be intuitive with a remove controller, often provided with the Windows Media Center PCs. Even if the software will not make a return in Windows 10 the functionality largely will surely be in place – if not by Microsoft, by 3rd party developers.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft says 3.7 million users have signed up to test Windows 10

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 02 May 2015 10:56

Microsoft says 3.7 million users have signed up to test Windows 10 Microsoft has announced that 3.7 million people have signed up for the Windows Insider Program to be able to test out Windows 10 for their PCs or mobile devices.

In January, Microsoft announced 2.2 million members, so growth has been significant for consumers looking to try out the upcoming multi-platform operating system before its launch in July or August.

Earlier this week, Microsoft informed that the Windows Insider program will continue to operate even after Windows 10 launches in retail, with Microsoft letting members test new features and patches early.

In addition, Microsoft said it could add new update rings including a "ludicrous" level that will provide you with daily updates.

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AfterDawn: News

Meerkat beats Periscope to Android

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 02 May 2015 9:52

Meerkat beats Periscope to Android Meerkat, the live-streaming video app, has beaten its rival app Periscope to Android.

The move is notable as the app lets users live stream their videos to Twitter and the company managed to beat Twitter and their own Periscope to the most popular mobile operating system in the world.

Meerkat for Android beta supports Android 4.2 and newer. The app already has over 1 million installs but the reviews are not great due to the bugginess.

For the most part, Periscope has been better received by critics and users due to a cleaner interface but Meerkat was the first of its kind on the market and now the first to Android.

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AfterDawn: News

GameStop now buying and selling classic consoles and games

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 02 May 2015 8:51

GameStop now buying and selling classic consoles and games Earlier this week, major retailer GameStop began buying and selling legacy consoles and games, an interesting move that should be of note for nostalgic gamers.

For the time being, stores in Birmingham and New York City (around 250 altogether) will accept trade-ins of the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis and Sega Dreamcast, the original PlayStation and also the Nintendo 64.

By August, GameStop will begin selling the legacy consoles and games, as well.

"For hardware, we'll put it through a full triage: identify any issues, any cleaning that has to happen, any parts replacement that has to be done. On cartridges, we're gonna be cleaning, testing, and also taking a look at the batteries in there,"
GameStop senior director of pre-owned merchandising Jon Haes said.

All consoles and games will come with a 30-day warranty just like all other GameStop used merchandise. Keep in mind that many of the older consoles will require cables and inputs that your new TVs likely don't have, so be on the lookout for an adapter.

If you were in the market to relive your youth, this seems to be the best way to do it since each game and console will have to go through a strenuous testing and refurbishment and is guaranteed to work.

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AfterDawn: News

ISPs ordered to block Popcorn Time sites

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 May 2015 7:55

ISPs ordered to block Popcorn Time sites A court has ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access to websites associated with the Popcorn Time software.

Popcorn Time (and its numerous forks) is a sort of dark rival to Netflix and other legitimate, licensed content streaming services. Essentially, Popcorn Time puts a simple interface over a BitTorrent backend. Once a user picks a movie to watch (and what resolution) it will torrent the content in the background and play it as it downloads.

Now, a UK court has decided that ISPs in the union must block access to five websites associated with Popcorn Time, including popcorntime.io, flixtor.me, popcorn-time.se, and isoplex.isohunt.to.

This order applies to Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin, BT and EE, who have previously been forced to block access to a large number of BitTorrent websites. The interesting difference in this case is those sites don't offer torrents or links to any pirated content, but instead offer downloads of Popcorn Time clients.

"It is manifest that the Popcorn Time application is used in order to watch pirated content on the internet and indeed it is also manifest that that is its purpose. No-one really uses Popcorn Time in order to watch lawfully available content," Judge Birss wrote.

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AfterDawn: News

Reminder: Xbox 360 multiplayer FREE this weekend

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 May 2015 7:34

Reminder: Xbox 360 multiplayer FREE this weekend Xbox 360 owners can play multiplayer games against their friends for free this weekend, regardless of the region they reside in.

If you are looking for something to do this evening and on Sunday and have an Xbox 360, you can take advantage of free multiplayer this weekend (May 1 - May 3). Multiplayer has been "unlocked" on Xbox Live this weekend for all to enjoy, so you might as well take advantage of it if you don't have a Gold account.

Here's a video Microsoft made to amp you up!




AfterDawn: News

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: illegal streaming targeted in lawsuit

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 May 2015 7:26

Mayweather vs. Pacquiao: illegal streaming targeted in lawsuit The most hotly anticipated boxing event in years is only hours away, but legal action against those who plan to stream the fight illegally is already underway.

Boxing fans have been waiting years for this event. Tonight in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring and end this argument once and for all, earning astronomical amounts of money each in the process. This PPV event surely will be lucrative.

Not everybody is willing to pay for something they can potentially see for free, however, and earlier this week HBO and ShowTime sought to launch pre-emptive strikes against sites that were planning to stream the fight to viewers for free.

In a complaint filed in a federal court in Florida, they accuse boxinghd.net and sportship.org of advertising the fight with the intent to stream it to fans for free, whilst they profit from advertisements.

"There are no authorized online streams of the Coverage for delivery to United States audiences," the complaint reads. It sought a temporary restraining order against the sites in order to protect the parties from irreparable damage.

It seems to have worked too, as BoxingHD removed references to the event and sportship.org is unreachable at the moment.

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AfterDawn: News

YouTube turns 10; will celebrate throughout May with memorable content

Written by James Delahunty @ 02 May 2015 7:13

YouTube turns 10; will celebrate throughout May with memorable content YouTube is celebrating its tenth birthday this month, and will celebrate the milestone by dipping into its vast collection of content for some of its most memorable moments.

As a reminder that we are all rapidly ageing with no relief in sight, YouTube will blast us with an A-Z selection of memorable content uploaded to the service over the past decade.

"Every day over the next 26 days, we'll take a look back at some of the most memorable moments, from the silly to the profound, that you've shared on YouTube in the last 10 years. It's YouTube from A to Z. Literally." YouTube announced on its blog this week.

On April 23, 2005, the first ever video was uploaded to an largely-unknown private site called YouTube. The 18-second long clip showed elephants at the San Diego zoo. The next month, the little video project went into beta, and became available for use by the wider public later on that year.

Since then of course, YouTube was acquired by Google and has become a household name. It is consulted for almost all types of video content imaginable, from music videos, to comedy, to idiots faceplanting into the turf for our amusement, to conspiracy theories and almost anything else you can think of that isn't pornographic - although the latter has been known to get spammed to YouTube.

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AfterDawn: News

Windows 10 will not be ready for phones this summer

Written by Matti Robinson @ 02 May 2015 10:34

Windows 10 will not be ready for phones this summer Microsoft is readying its Windows 10 launch this summer and has been promoting its new features this week at its Build conference in San Francisco. According to The Verge the operating system will not be ready for phones quite as soon though.

Windows 10 is an operating system that by large is the same for both mobile devices as well as desktop and laptop computers. Microsoft says that much of the underlying technology is shared by all of the Windows 10 versions. However the phone OS release will have to wait until early fall.

This will also probably mean that the new Lumia hardware powered by the new version of Microsoft's operating system will be released in fall as well. The official word from Microsoft's Joe Belfiore is that phone version will arrive "after PC version". Thus no dates have been revealed as of yet.




AfterDawn: News

Sony PlayStation 4 sales reach 22 million

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 01 May 2015 12:33

Sony PlayStation 4 sales reach 22 million Sony has announced today that the company has sold 22.3 million PlayStation 4 units worldwide, having sold about 15 million of those in the last 12 months alone.

Thanks to the strong sales, Sony's Game and Network Services division saw revenues increase 33 percent year-over-year, making it easily the largest contributor of revenue for the company so far.

"This significant increase was primarily due to an increase in PS4 hardware unit sales, a significant increase in network services revenue, the impact of foreign exchange rates and an increase in PS4 software sales, partially offset by a decrease in PlayStation®3 ("PS3") hardware and PS3 software sales," read the report.

The PS3 is on its last legs, but the PS4 is more than happy to pick up the slack.

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