Tech Archives - Page 7 of 16 - Serious Startups

[Updated] Anonymous Denies Attack Yet Pirate Bay Still Downed By DDoS Attack

Down goes the ship. That’s what’s been happening over at Pirate Bay for the last couple of day. The popular torrent site has been plagued by non-stop DDoS attacks. Known to be one of the most prolific sites for illegal torrents(Simply, a torrent is data about a target file, though it contains no information about the content of the file. The only data that the torrent holds is information about the location of different pieces of the target file. Torrents work by dividing the target file into small information chunks, found on an unlimited number of different hosts. Through this method, torrents are able to download large files quickly) As well as legal torrents. However, in recent times the site has come under legal attack in Europe by forcing ISP’s to block access to the site.

In reaction to that, Anonymous has targeted multiple sites, including UK’s Virgin Media, which Pirate Bay actually condemned them for those actions. However, Anonymous has sent out multiple comments on different social sites claiming those attacks on Pirate Bay are not their doing.

Verizon Will Eventually Force All Users Into Tiered Data, Starting With 4G LTE Upgrades

Farewell, unlimited data, it was a joy having you as long as we could. These are the words that many Verizon customers will be speaking soon, according to CFO Fran Shammo. In an interview with the CFO today, Shammo made the following quote that is likely to break the hearts of plenty of Big Red’s customers:

“LTE is our anchor point for data share. So, as you come through an upgrade cycle and you upgrade in the future, you will have to go on to the data share plan. And moving away from, if you will, the unlimited world and moving everyone into a tiered structure data share plan.”

Many loyal Verizon customers have sat back laughing at those forced into tiered data plans as they were happily grandfathered in to their unlimited data plans. Users who start new contracts have had to make a choice of GB/month and keep watch over their data, while those of us enjoying unlimited have been surfing, streaming, and doing anything we want with our data without batting an eye.

Sadly, this is about to change.

Verizon’s CFO made clear that with LTE being the center of shared and tiered data, any upgrades to 4G LTE will require a switch to a shared data plan. This was where many felt the line was crossed. However, he went on to say that eventually everyone would be on a tiered data, which leads us to believe that at some point (likely a cutoff date) Verizon will force everyone into capped data, even the 3G-only subscibers. New line–crossed again. Whether this is the aforementioned cutoff date, or just a slow migration to only offering LTE devices, which would inevitable force all customers who upgrade into a new data plan, Shammo did say everyone. Many people have been up in arms over this decision, and Verizon really hasn’t answered with any type of response or even comment. Big Red is planning to make a lot of money off the combination of LTE and tiered data, and if everyone is forced over like they have planned, it shouldn’t be too hard. The more families switch to LTE phones and add lines, the more they will have to up the tiers, leaving Verizon to bathe in the heaps of cash. Let us know what you think in the comments, and be sure to check back for more updates.

Source: Verizon via Engadget

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition Has Already Sold 1 Million Copies Since Its May 9 Release

On May 9 one of the most anticipated Xbox Live Arcade games of all time hit the Marketplace: Minecraft. Minecraft has been a huge success on the PC since developers Mojang released the game on PC in 2011. After its huge PC success, and we mean huge, the game transfered to the mobile realm through Android and iOS apps. Now, Mojang has pushed Minecraft even farther by landing it on the Xbox 360 Marketplace where it has already sold a whopping 1 million copies.

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition debuted on May 9 for 1600 Microsoft Points, and easily sold 400,000 copies within 24 hours of the game’s release. Since then, players have recorded 4.2 million hours of mining coupled with 2.4 million hours of multiplayer play time. One of the biggest features that Minecraft for Xbox would be bringing was an extremely easy way to jump into game sessions with friends. The Xbox 360 version developer 4J Studios and creator Markus Persson could not have been more pleased, with Markus tweeting the following:

The PC version of Minecraft and all of its counterparts have shown no sign of slowing down, and almost everyone I know has plays, or at least has played Minecraft at one time or another. And with Mojang pushing updates and patches as frequently as possible, the fan base is only more likely to grow. Be sure to check out Minecraft for the Xbox 360, and let us know in the comments how you like the experience compared to the PC version. Until next time, happy mining.

Source: The Verge

Facebook Updates Mobile News Feeds To Display Photos Much Larger

As of late, Facebook has been avidly beginning to change a lot of things when it comes to the mobile end of their social network. Whether iOS or Android, updates have been steadily rolling out to these platforms and predicting what they contain is an almost impossible task. Facebook continues to make changes, and whether we like them or not, we are stuck with them. Unless of course, a lot of people complain, then Facebook might think of changing things back, which is exactly what happened when they tried to add those Messenger and Camera shortcuts a few weeks ago.

Facebook has updated their mobile experience yet again, however, this time it is a rollout that will happen to mobile users automatically, and it is not dependent of what device you are using. Because Facebook pulls their News Feed UI straight from their actual mobile site, all they have to do is change that coding, and it will begin to roll out to all of their apps. What they have done in their most recent rollout, is change how we view pictures in our mobile news feed. Photos that are posted now show up 3X bigger in the news feed, and they really begin to take up a lot of real-estate on your screen, depending on how often your friends post photos. Some are calling the changes a response to Google+’s new mobile update, or that it is just an obvious photography focus possibly due to the recent Instagram acquisition. The photos sort of “pop” off the news feed, breaking the edge of the posts, and also have a shadow that gives them more of a 3D presence. The changes have begun rolling out today, and should start appearing in mobile timelines everywhere very soon. Let us know in the comments if you like Facebook’s new approach to photos, and be sure to check back with Nibletz for more news and updates.

Source: CNET

New Power2U AC USB In Wall Outlet Wins Award Because It’s Great

At this day in age you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t have some kind of device that charged via a USB outlet. iPods, iPads, iPhones, Android Phones, Blackberry’s, dumb phones, digital cameras, portable game systems, tablets, even some video cameras charge off of usb. USB is a convenient way to charge because you can charge devices through your computer, a wall charger, car charger and even a power bag.

Now there’s a new way to charge your USB powered devices, and if you’re the least bit handy you’ll be able to install it yourself. The product is called the Power2U AC/USB wall outlet and as you can tell from the name (and the picture above) it’s a USB outlet that takes the place of your standard wall outlet. When you install the outlet you have access to two regular three prong AC outlets along with two USB outlets that can charge everything from a phone to an iPad and everything in between.

The Power2U AC/USB outlet is easy to install and it installs in under 20 minutes. They even have an easy to follow instructional video here. It will install in any 15 amp circuit with a 16 cubic inch electrical box. In case you were wondering, that is the typical wall outlet in your home.

The Power2U AC/USB outlet has just received the Handyman Club Member Tested and Recommended Seal of Approval.

“A 92 percent member approval rating for the Power2U outlet is an excellent test result, and Newer Technology should be very proud their innovative product scored so well,” said Ross Tanner, Product Test Editor, HANDY magazine.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that the Power2U was overwhelmingly approved and endorsed by Handyman Club of America members,” said Grant Dahlke, Brand Manager, Newer Technology, Inc. “These testers are very hands-on and demand excellence from the products they choose for their home improvement projects. As such, the typical homeowner can buy the Power2U with full assurance they can install it and enjoy it hassle-free.”

For more information on the Power2U visit this link

Plantronics Introduces Back Beat Go BlueTooth Headphones At CTIA 2012

Plantronics, a trusted name in audio headsets and devices designed to make business and communication easier, has released a new product at the CTIA 2012 show in New Orleans last week. The headphones that go by the name Back Beat Go, connect to any Bluetooth enabled device for up to 4.5 hours of listening pleasure.

With the Back Beat Go BlueTooth headphones by Plantronics there’s no wires and no hassles. They easily fit into your pocket, purse or backpack and provide full on stereo sound. Now you can listen to music, chat with your friends, and watch movies on any BlueTooth enabled device, be it your tablet, phone or computer.

In addition to the 4.5 hours of listening time the Back Beat Go headphones have up to ten days of standby time. They also give you maximum room to move allowing you the freedom to be up to 33 feet away from the BlueTooth enabled device. Best of all they go from dead to fully charged in 2.5 hours.

Other features include:

• Amazingly light, incredibly small wireless stereo earbuds with Bluetooth® technology

• Compact design easily slips into your pocket, and tangle-free cable keeps things simple

• Enjoy your favorite music or movie with up to 4.5 hours of listening and talk time

• Three sizes of cushioned eartips and optional stabilizers make the fit custom, secure, and comfortable

• Inline controls make it easy to take calls, skip tracks, and adjust volume

• Bluetooth® technology lets you connect to smartphones or tablets for music, movies, and calls

• Big sound in a small package – sound isolating buds for rich stereo

• Headset battery meter automatically shows on screen for iPhone® and iPad®

• Download the Plantronics MyHeadset™ app for a battery headset meter on Android 3.0 tablets, and Android™ 4.0 phones and tablets

Pairing the Back Beat Go BlueTooth headphones is a cinch!

For more info on the BackBeat Go headphones click here

Gear: House Of Marley Stir It Up Headphones Review

Last Month we showed you the House of Marley, Conquerer Mist Ear Buds, quite possibly the best ear buds I’ve ever listened to music with. Since then, I’ve been trying out the House of Marley “Stir It Up” over the ear headphones.

As I said in my last review, the House of Marley products aren’t just some licensing agreement with another company, they are designed, distributed, and marketed by Bob Marley’s family, spear headed by Marley’s son Rohan Marley.

Rohan Marley isn’t trying to make a quick buck off of his fathers name by plastering their family name on audio products. The House of Marley is actually a movement that brings attention to social causes around the world. The Marley family and the House of Marley volunteers use the proceeds from their audio lines to fund their outreach missions. You can also bet with the Marley’s musical background playing real instruments that the sound that comes out of the House of Marley line is exceptional.

More after the break
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LeWeb Conference Rebrands As LeWeb.co

Europe’s top technology and startup conference LeWeb has rebranded their web presence to the more trendy and recognizable LeWeb.co. LeWeb was founded by Geraldine and Loic LeMur. LeMur is also the founder of Seesmic a Twitter, and social media client with deep integration with Sales Force.

“The Internet is moving faster than ever, so we need to continuously adapt to keep up,” said Loïc Le Meur, “we switched to the .CO domain because we believe it better reflects the spirit and ethos of the LeWeb brand – which is all about looking to the future and driving creativity online.”

The new .co domain names have been widely adapted as the domain suffix of choice for recognition around the globe. Despite the fact that .net, .info and other suffixes have been available a lot longer than .co the .co has become much more popular.

Twitter for instance uses t.co and Dave McClure’s 500 startups uses 500.co.

“We’re proud to be joining innovative companies like Twitter (t.co), Angel List (Angel.co) and 500 Startups (500.co), as well as the thousands of pioneering startups from around the world who are building the future of the Internet on the .CO platform,” said Le Meur.

LeWeb has been traditionally held in the winter in Paris where LeMur is from. He spends time between Paris and San Francisco. This year the LeMur’s added a summer conference happening from June 19-20th in London. The Paris conference will be held December 4-6th.

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CTIA 2012: Video Intel Android Powered Orange “Santa Clara” Phone

Back in February at Mobile World Congress it was announced that Orange would be one of the first, if not the first, to bring an Intel powered Android device to market. Presently just Lenovo and Orange have Android phones with Intel’s Z2640 processor ready to go.

We saw the first Intel reference design in January at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and now we’re starting to see the phones emerging from that design.

Orange has been packaging phones under their own brand for years. Now they are looking to release a few smartphones under the Orange label. Orange has turned to Intel to power a new phone called the Orange “Santa Clara” smartphone.

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Foss Patents Founder Florian Mueller Taking Money From Oracle

The interwebs went wild on Friday when it was revealed that trusted patent blogger Florian Mueller is actually being paid by Oracle and may be in line for a top paying job with the company that’s embattled in a bitter patent suit with Google.

Over the past couple of years, the self proclaimed patent expert has been quoted on every site in the tech blogsphere from Engadget to Yahoo, and even the likes of The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and CNET. It was assumed with his patent rhetoric and court documents all over his site that he knew what he was talking about. No one took into consideration the fact that until just a couple of months ago his site was hosted by Blogger.com and not even his own domain name.

Mueller has received a lot of criticism for his anti-Google position, however it’s now surfaced that he has actually been paid by Oracle which explains his anti-Google position.

Mueller has recently posted an “ethics” statement of sorts on his blog which it seems that he feels relieves him from any potential backlash:

That said, as a believer in transparency I would like to inform you that Oracle has very recently become a consulting client of mine. We intend to work together for the long haul on mostly competition-related topics including, for one example, FRAND licensing terms.

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Wolfenstein 3D Free to Play Online

This is something that may make some people feel old, Wolfenstein 3D, turned 20 years old recently. To commemorate the event, Bethesda Software, has released the full version of the game as a free in-browser game, which can be found here.

Wolfenstein 3D was the brainchild of John Carmack of id Software, and is seen to many as one of the first FPS games that really brought the genre to the masses on PCs everywhere. The free in-browser game contains all three levels of the game, and all four difficulties.

While Wolfenstein was one the first hits that id Software has on its hands, it was by no means the only hit that they had. A year later John Carmack along with John Romero had another hit on their hands with DOOM.

How many people are excited to go back through the original Castle Wolfenstein and fend off the Nazi soldiers, attack dogs, and the mutant monsters?

Source: Bethesda

Sprint And Sierra Wireless Bring Nation’s First “Tri-Fi Hotspot” On May 18 For $99

The HTC Evo 4G LTE isn’t the only thing launching at Sprint on May 18. While Wi-Fi hotspotsaren’t exactly as big of news as the “true Evo successor,” this one is a little different from the rest. Sierra Wireless is launching their $99 Tri-Fi Hotspot on May 18, the first Wi-Fi hotspot ever to support 4G LTE, WiMax, and 3G. This hotspot will ensure that no matter where you live, you will still get Sprint coverage (that is, if you have Sprint coverage) like you would with your phone. The hotspot supports up to 8 different devices at one time, and also has an SD card slot for sharing documents and presentations and can even be used as a digital media server. This is definitely an ideal hotspot for a team of people looking to stay online and work together as seamlessly as possible.

Sprint and Sierra Wireless are bringing this device so people can still be productive with their hotspot after LTE gets to their area without having to go buy a brand new hardware unit. A $50 mail-in rebate is required to get to the $99 price tag, but after that is taken care of you have a pretty good deal when it comes to the hotspot itself. The plans are $35 for 3 GB of data, $50 for 6 GB of data, and $80 for 12 GB of data. With a 2-year agreement and a choice of one of these data plans, Sprint customers can pick up the world’s first Tri-Fi Hotspot on May 18 at their nearest Sprint location or online.

Microsoft Finally Announces A $99 Xbox 360 With A 2-Year Contract

Starting today, the video game industry will be changed forever. Microsoft, creator of the Xbox 360, has just announced the very first subsidized console. The Xbox 360 (Kinect included) is going for $99 with a two-year Xbox Live Gold contract at $15/month. The bundle includes the 360 itself, 4GB of memory, a controller, a wired headset, and a two-year contract to tie you into Xbox Live. Not that Xbox Live is a bad thing, I love Live, and I put many hours into playing Xbox a week. However, seeing the video game industry and the mobile phone industry become such similar environments is the worst news I have conveyed to readers in a while.

Microsoft will be using a low price tag to sucker customers into buying the hardware and signing a contract, costing a total of $459 in the end, on top of being tied into a contract. Just like mobile phone carriers, Microsoft is charging an early termination fee starting at $250 and decreasing $12 a month, which is more than the cost of just buying a 4GB 360 + Kinect bundle without a contract. Quite a pricy bargain. With Xbox Live being $60 for 12 months, users will be paying $10 more a month to use Live, but pay $100 less for the console. You do the math. Not only are you paying more money for the console and the price of Xbox Live, but you are roped into a contract with an early termination fee.

Currently this “deal” is only available at official Microsoft outlets, but it will no doubt spread to stores like Best Buy when Microsoft can get all of their contract business straightened out. We will have to wait and see how this affects the Playstation 4 and the Wii U, but if console gaming is beginning to come with contracts, things will definitely be different in the next couple of years for gaming. At this time you can still buy a 360 without a contract, and the 360 under contract is not very widespread due to retailing limitations, but this could all change quickly depending on the success of the experiment. Let us know in the comments–would you want to sign a contract to play Xbox?