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AfterDawn: News

Here's all the specs of the new Pixelbook Go variants

Written by Matti Robinson @ 17 Oct 2019 11:34

Here's all the specs of the new Pixelbook Go variants 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Google unveiled the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL

Written by Matti Robinson @ 15 Oct 2019 11:37

Google unveiled the new Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL 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."

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AfterDawn: News

Hong Kong: Blizzard reduces suspension for pro gamer, will pay him prize money

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Oct 2019 6:01

Hong Kong: Blizzard reduces suspension for pro gamer, will pay him prize money 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Facebook's Libra loses backing of financial, payment companies

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Oct 2019 5:59

Facebook's Libra loses backing of financial, payment companies 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.


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AfterDawn: News

Google working on 'negative latency' for Stadia cloud-gaming platform

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Oct 2019 2:19

Google working on 'negative latency' for Stadia cloud-gaming platform 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Update iTunes to fix bug exploited by ransomware

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Oct 2019 2:16

Update iTunes to fix bug exploited by ransomware 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.

Apple has since updated the flawed Bonjour component which you can update by installing the latest version of iTunes. You can get iTunes for Windows 32-bit from here, or you can get iTunes for Windows 64-bit from here.

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.

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AfterDawn: News

YouTube TV subscribers can gift two week free trials to friends

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Oct 2019 2:12

YouTube TV subscribers can gift two week free trials to friends 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.

Codes must be redeemed by October 16, 2019.

(via 9to5google.com)




AfterDawn: News

Stadia launch titles will stream in 4K at 60fps

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Oct 2019 2:11

Stadia launch titles will stream in 4K at 60fps 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.




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".




AfterDawn: News

Tim Cook defends removal of Hong Kong protest app

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 5:02

Tim Cook defends removal of Hong Kong protest app 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Amazon Music now available for Apple TV devices

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 4:59

Amazon Music now available for Apple TV devices 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.




AfterDawn: News

Twitch confirms 2,200 watched synagogue attack video

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 4:56

Twitch confirms 2,200 watched synagogue attack video 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.

Twitch confirmed that he had livestreamed his attack on its platform and that five people had tuned in during the stream. However, around 2,200 viewed the horrific footage before it was detected and removed from Twitch.

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.

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AfterDawn: News

NASA boss to visit SpaceX headquarters after public spat with Elon Musk

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 3:09

NASA boss to visit SpaceX headquarters after public spat with Elon Musk 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.


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AfterDawn: News

Apple removes Hong Kong protest app after China backlash

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 12:36

Apple removes Hong Kong protest app after China backlash 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Ebook pirate fined and gets suspended sentence

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 12:29

Ebook pirate fined and gets suspended sentence 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.

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AfterDawn: News

Nintendo Switch passes 10 million in Europe, hardware sales jump in 2019

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Oct 2019 12:26

Nintendo Switch passes 10 million in Europe, hardware sales jump in 2019 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!
  • Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  • Splatoon 2
  • Super Mario Party
  • New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
  • 1-2-Switch





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