Team Mobile Plans

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Friday, 22 November 2013

Miss a few stories this week? We'll get you up to speed with this rundown of all the biggest and most interesting bits of tech news. Last week it was PS4, and this week Microsoft joins in the fun. The Xbox One has officially launched, and you can read our full review here. As I write this I imagine there are eager gamers all over North America running to the window every time they hear a delivery truck. But, an evening Azure outage saw Microsoft engineers running to the server closet the night before. The issues threatened to derail launch proceedings somewhat by knocking Xbox.com offline. The prospect of a non-functioning Xbox Live on release day was extra daunting given the necessity of updating the console as soon as it comes out of the box, but thankfully services were quickly restored. There was another blow ahead of the launch, with Twitch gameplay streaming pushed at the last minute to a 2014 release. In the lead up to the release, we on the media side were being told of impending updates to enable the service. But, it seems things sadly couldn't be pulled together in time. You'll have to upload and share your clips manually for now. Sony sells a million Mind you, Sony's launch last week was far from flawless. Though the system went on to sell more than a million units in its first 24 hours, some users went online to complain of systems that would fail to play games, or fail to boot at all. Their systems would just pulse a taunting blue light and go no further. Sony was quick to respond, saying that less than 0.4 percent of launch units were affected, which means something like 4,000 unhappy customers who will be getting replacement systems -- and hopefully a free game or something for their troubles. Apple v. Samsung settlement redux (Credit: CNET) The latest round of Apple versus Samsung legal drama came to a close this week, after a relatively short and drama-free trial -- though one that was not entirely without fireworks. After one of Apple's lawyers made a point of Apple being an American company during closing arguments, Samsung's legal team asked for a mistrial due to what it termed racist speech. Samsung's eagles made a similar request a day later, after one of Apple's key patents, covering pinch-zooming, was called into question by the US Patent Office. As Judge Lucy Koh shot down both attempts, the jury did its job, coming up with a new round of damages for Samsung to pay. $290,456,793 worth, to be exact. That's a fair bit less than the $380 million Apple wanted, and a lot more than then $52 million Samsung thought it owed. This figure is piled on top of the roughly $600 million Apple was awarded in the earlier trial, though still a couple hundred million dollars short of the original damages, which clocked in at over $1 billion. Enjoying these legal antics? I hope so, as we're quite sure there's more to come. Apple's new campus fully approved (Credit: Apple) In more good news for Apple, the company got final approval to begin construction on its "spaceship" campus in Cupertino. The city council unanimously approved the plan, with Apple agreeing to pay a greater sum of city taxes in the future as a sort of thank you. Rather than receiving a 50 percent refund, Apple will now take only 35 percent back. This would have meant roughly an additional $2 million in taxes last year, a number only slightly overshadowed by the figures tossed about above. Google Glass devs power up On Google's side of the fence, the company finally introduced developers to the full Glass Developers Kit. This software interface will let skilled developers properly tap into the full functionality of its Google Glass headset for the first time, writing apps that use the camera and the microphone to do things like real-time sign translation and more. This should, in theory, mean some far more compelling uses for Glass -- though with Google still saying no to facial recognition, those of us who struggle to remember names are still on our own. Google Wallet in your other wallet (Credit: Google) Google also started shipping an actual Google Wallet card, thus making one of the more popular virtual wallets somewhat more tangible. The card can be loaded up with cash online, coming from a verified bank account you've already tied to Google's services, and then used when out and about in meatspace. Think of it as a Google-branded debit card for those who want to add an additional layer of complexity and surveillance to their shopping habits. Blade Runner Aquarelle Finally, for your Friday video distraction, I'll leave you with this 35-minute version of Blade Runner composed entirely of watercolor paintings. It is obscure at times, hauntingly beautiful at others, and quite an accomplishment regardless of whether you like the movie or not. (Though shame on you if you don't.) Anders Ramsell created 12,597 tiny paintings for this project, and if he's a smart man he'll start selling them individually on eBay soon. I know I'd like one for my office, preferably one showing an origami unicorn.

Posted on 10:18 by Unknown

Miss a few stories this week? We'll get you up to speed with this rundown of all the biggest and most interesting bits of tech news.




Last week it was PS4, and this week Microsoft joins in the fun. The Xbox One has officially launched, and you can read our full review here. As I write this I imagine there are eager gamers all over North America running to the window every time they hear a delivery truck. But, an evening Azure outage saw Microsoft engineers running to the server closet the night before. The issues threatened to derail launch proceedings somewhat by knocking Xbox.com offline. The prospect of a non-functioning Xbox Live on release day was extra daunting given the necessity of updating the console as soon as it comes out of the box, but thankfully services were quickly restored.


There was another blow ahead of the launch, with Twitch gameplay streaming pushed at the last minute to a 2014 release. In the lead up to the release, we on the media side were being told of impending updates to enable the service. But, it seems things sadly couldn't be pulled together in time. You'll have to upload and share your clips manually for now.


Sony sells a million



Mind you, Sony's launch last week was far from flawless. Though the system went on to sell more than a million units in its first 24 hours, some users went online to complain of systems that would fail to play games, or fail to boot at all. Their systems would just pulse a taunting blue light and go no further. Sony was quick to respond, saying that less than 0.4 percent of launch units were affected, which means something like 4,000 unhappy customers who will be getting replacement systems -- and hopefully a free game or something for their troubles.


Apple v. Samsung settlement redux


(Credit: CNET)


The latest round of Apple versus Samsung legal drama came to a close this week, after a relatively short and drama-free trial -- though one that was not entirely without fireworks. After one of Apple's lawyers made a point of Apple being an American company during closing arguments, Samsung's legal team asked for a mistrial due to what it termed racist speech. Samsung's eagles made a similar request a day later, after one of Apple's key patents, covering pinch-zooming, was called into question by the US Patent Office.


As Judge Lucy Koh shot down both attempts, the jury did its job, coming up with a new round of damages for Samsung to pay. $290,456,793 worth, to be exact. That's a fair bit less than the $380 million Apple wanted, and a lot more than then $52 million Samsung thought it owed. This figure is piled on top of the roughly $600 million Apple was awarded in the earlier trial, though still a couple hundred million dollars short of the original damages, which clocked in at over $1 billion.


Enjoying these legal antics? I hope so, as we're quite sure there's more to come.


Apple's new campus fully approved


(Credit: Apple)


In more good news for Apple, the company got final approval to begin construction on its "spaceship" campus in Cupertino. The city council unanimously approved the plan, with Apple agreeing to pay a greater sum of city taxes in the future as a sort of thank you. Rather than receiving a 50 percent refund, Apple will now take only 35 percent back. This would have meant roughly an additional $2 million in taxes last year, a number only slightly overshadowed by the figures tossed about above.


Google Glass devs power up



On Google's side of the fence, the company finally introduced developers to the full Glass Developers Kit. This software interface will let skilled developers properly tap into the full functionality of its Google Glass headset for the first time, writing apps that use the camera and the microphone to do things like real-time sign translation and more. This should, in theory, mean some far more compelling uses for Glass -- though with Google still saying no to facial recognition, those of us who struggle to remember names are still on our own.


Google Wallet in your other wallet


(Credit: Google)


Google also started shipping an actual Google Wallet card, thus making one of the more popular virtual wallets somewhat more tangible. The card can be loaded up with cash online, coming from a verified bank account you've already tied to Google's services, and then used when out and about in meatspace. Think of it as a Google-branded debit card for those who want to add an additional layer of complexity and surveillance to their shopping habits.


Blade Runner Aquarelle


Finally, for your Friday video distraction, I'll leave you with this 35-minute version of Blade Runner composed entirely of watercolor paintings. It is obscure at times, hauntingly beautiful at others, and quite an accomplishment regardless of whether you like the movie or not. (Though shame on you if you don't.) Anders Ramsell created 12,597 tiny paintings for this project, and if he's a smart man he'll start selling them individually on eBay soon. I know I'd like one for my office, preferably one showing an origami unicorn.



Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

Categories

  • ANDROID
  • APPLE
  • BADA
  • BLACKBERRY
  • DIGITAL CAMERAS
  • Fablet
  • GALLERIES
  • JAVA
  • LAPTOPS
  • MOBILE PHONES
  • MOBILE PLATFORM
  • MP3 PLAYERS
  • NEWS
  • PORTABLE STORAGE
  • REVIEWS
  • SMART GADGETS
  • SYMBIAN
  • TABLET
  • WINDOWS

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (548)
    • ▼  November (500)
      • A Korean publication says the next generation Gala...
      • Unexplained technical issues caused the rocket lau...
      • The tech giant and its court-appointed antitrust m...
      • Just in time for Black Friday, the low-cost siblin...
      • The e-commerce giant doesn't seem too worried abou...
      • Noticed an especially full photo feed on Thanksgiv...
      • The Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, and Nexus 5 can be forc...
      • For just one week, Google is offering shoppers cre...
      • The Southeast Asian nation is serving up harsh pen...
      • The sun-grazing comet spent Thanksgiving visiting ...
      • Black Friday offers now abound across the world. E...
      • In an unusual twist that goes against its traditio...
      • In an unusual twist that goes against its traditio...
      • Somehow, the early beginning to Black Friday shopp...
      • For online shopping, smartphones are good for brow...
      • Dive into four new books that use Legos to depict ...
      • The chip giant has been working on "perceptual com...
      • A Google Glass developer with a clear vision of wh...
      • Four new books showcase some of the most important...
      • James Howells' digital currency worth hardly nothi...
      • Looking for the ultimate Black Friday deal? Pump u...
      • The deals are coming in hot and heavy, so check ba...
      • Web giant's practice of combining user data from i...
      • A Ukrainian startup launches an online service tha...
      • Judge Lucy Koh finds that plaintiffs failed to pro...
      • Another enchanting doodle from the Google factory ...
      • Towering over the Forth and Clyde canal, The Kelpi...
      • The tech giant doesn't object to the variant of th...
      • A Ukrainian startup launches an online service tha...
      • The Spanish company's new Firefox OS phone will in...
      • Indulge your inner Hobbit with the "Journey throug...
      • Google doesn't object to the variant of the open-s...
      • YouTube looks set to introduce an ad-free subscrip...
      • New reports suggest Ford's Alan Mulally and Micros...
      • What better appetizer for your Thanksgiving feast ...
      • New reports suggest Ford's Alan Mulally and Micros...
      • Why is CNET's Roger Cheng so grateful for Samsung'...
      • One of the major holiday challenges is what to giv...
      • With a shortened shopping season, many big-box ret...
      • Next spring, Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the lege...
      • The biggest shopping day of the year is gearing up...
      • Three hand-picked Android apps can help you scope ...
      • With a shortened shopping season, many big box ret...
      • One of the major holiday challenges is what to giv...
      • The 16-foot-long model is powered by four small tu...
      • Budweiser UK launches a publicity campaign around ...
      • A Seattle restaurant, the latest to ban Google Gla...
      • Spectators won't believe their eyes when you make ...
      • Many hard drives come preformatted with special ut...
      • NASA releases a short movie showing comet ISON's a...
      • Discarded holiday wrapping paper can get pretty in...
      • We took a MINI to the Col de Turini to recreate Pa...
      • An ESPN survey suggests that while women do more s...
      • The increasingly popular currency was worth about ...
      • A UK study sees a first-ever drop in sexual activi...
      • The company has created a patent-pending technolog...
      • The number of affected customers was exceedingly s...
      • Koss' budget-friendly on-ear headphone doesn't loo...
      • Batch-made plastic eyes could be much cheaper than...
      • Apple is reportedly interested in improving its ma...
      • The flash memory technology is inexpensive and ubi...
      • Several retailers have published deals exclusively...
      • The update to Nokia's popular budget smartphone ma...
      • Apple increased its orders of iPad Minis in Novemb...
      • Tablets, tablets, and more tablets, as stores slas...
      • Batch-made plastic eyes could be much cheaper than...
      • The targets' appetite for sexually explicit materi...
      • Apple has reportedly ramped up iPad Mini supply to...
      • Nokia says it's the "right tablet," touting the it...
      • An update to Nokia's popular budget smartphone mak...
      • Two new browsers have followed Firefox with suppor...
      • Muslim radicals' appetite for sexual explicit mate...
      • If Microsoft's outgoing chief executive had listen...
      • Edward Snowden's NSA leaks have caused Google, Yah...
      • Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman believes tablet-la...
      • Black versions of the Android compatible smartwatc...
      • This magnetic device lets you act like a creepy sp...
      • So what are the real deals this Black Friday? Chec...
      • Apple's tablet is, according to Microsoft, no good...
      • In-ear vs. on-ear, circumaural vs. supraaural, ope...
      • On Tuesday Google announced a new extension for Ch...
      • The NSA may have employed an old-school spy techni...
      • Fly the friendly skies with a hot-rod paper airpla...
      • The company's new C720P Chromebook, due out next m...
      • Xbox One is the loneliest number if you're trying ...
      • On today's show, we'll tell you about the battle b...
      • New Zealand design engineer Olaf Diegel has 3D-pri...
      • If you read the fine print on the Xbox One, nearly...
      • The new caching of preference settings in OS X Mav...
      • Whether you're running the kitchen on the big day ...
      • Keep your sanity in the kitchen this holiday seaso...
      • The Redmond, Wash., company's latest anti-Google a...
      • When you want to communicate a subtle sense of dre...
      • The platform is rolling out on Tuesday to those ru...
      • Boomf lets your feast on your artfully filtered In...
      • November 26, 2013 8:42 AM PST LG's Splendor is on...
      • The platform is rolling out on Tuesday to those ru...
      • San Antonio's BiblioTech, believed to be the first...
      • A leak on Twitter reveals what appears to be the t...
      • Lower prices are the main catalyst for the surge i...
      • Amazon is all decked out sell you discounted Teena...
      • The new YouTube comment system opened the door to ...
      • Which component in the new console costs the most?...
      • Developers can now purchase a Google Glass to get ...
      • CNET talks to Motorola CEO Dennis Woodside about h...
      • Not everybody likes Google's JavaScript competitor...
      • The company will offer discounted rates on some of...
      • Biel Crystal Manufactory -- which counts Apple, Sa...
      • Apple and Samsung will lead the charge but may fac...
      • When the open-source hardware makers at Adafruit b...
      • Cars are getting smarter, but they're also getting...
      • Korean electronics giant sought halt to proceeding...
      • Market researcher Forrester estimates that an all-...
      • China's official state news agency reports that th...
      • Apple partners with GN ReSound to create LiNX -- a...
      • Microsoft is responding to the "very small" subset...
      • Apple's Spotlight search offers some quick navigat...
      • The Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator is an eas...
      • In a new ad for the Nokia Lumia 2520, a man wonder...
      • 23andMe continues to sell its genetic sequencing t...
      • Chip giant planned a subscription service to deliv...
      • Word has it that the Chinese smartphone maker is p...
      • A team at the National University of Singapore has...
      • The TV anchor's move to Yahoo is part of a larger ...
      • The newcomer MVNO adds its most advanced phone yet...
      • As we move into Black Friday week, let us all keep...
      • UrtheCast is poised to offer free, near-real-time ...
      • A Microsoft official confirms the company is plann...
    • ►  April (48)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile