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AfterDawn: News

Xiaomi's beta Mi Store launching in U.S., UK, France and Germany next week

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 May 2015 1:10

Xiaomi's beta Mi Store launching in U.S., UK, France and Germany next week Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi will launch their Mi Store outside of Asia starting on May 19th, in beta.

The store will launch in the U.S., UK, France and Germany offering accessories but not phones or tablets.

"For the 1st time ever, fans in US, UK, France and Germany can shop on mi.com (beta test) and purchase star accessories like the 5000mAh and 10400mAh Mi power banks, Mi Band and Mi Headphones! Very limited quantities will be available on 19 May, 1pm CEST (7am EST)," says the company.

Items like the power banks have been incredibly popular, especially at their cheap price points ($9.99 and $13.99) so it will be interesting to see how successful the company is in their endeavors outside of Asia.

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AfterDawn: News

CBS All Access now provides live TV feeds to 60 percent of Americans

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 May 2015 12:38

CBS All Access now provides live TV feeds to 60 percent of Americans CBS's on-demand streaming service, All Access, now offers local and live TV feeds to over 60 percent of U.S. consumers.

The service launched last October and the live feeds were limited to just 14 CBS owned and operated stations in major metros like NY, LA and Chicago.

Since then, CBS has expanded to 12 additional affiliate stations in 56 markets. Today's announcement adds an extra 13 affiliates, and the total markets are now up to 94.

The service costs $5.99 per month and offers 7000 episodes of classic and new CBS programs that can be streamed through your browser, on Roku, via Chromecast and on dedicated Android and iOS apps.

Sadly, the service does not offer live streaming for football games, which would be a huge draw in America.

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AfterDawn: News

The Oculus Rift has powerful minimum required specs

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 May 2015 11:33

The Oculus Rift has powerful minimum required specs Oculus VR has posted the minimum specs required to use the upcoming Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, specs that will guarantee a "better player experience of comfortable sustained presence."

The company does say the recommended specs configuration will hold for the lifetime of the headset meaning you won't have to keep updating your PC as each new generation of the Rift is launched.

Reads the statement: "Today, that system's specification is largely driven by the requirements of VR graphics. To start with, VR lets you see graphics like never before. Good stereo VR with positional tracking directly drives your perceptual system in a way that a flat monitor can't. As a consequence, rendering techniques and quality matter more than ever before, as things that are imperceivable on a traditional monitor suddenly make all the difference when experienced in VR. Therefore, VR increases the value of GPU performance.

At the same time, there are three key VR graphics challenges to note: raw rendering costs, real-time performance, and latency.

On the raw rendering costs: a traditional 1080p game at 60Hz requires 124 million shaded pixels per second. In contrast, the Rift runs at 2160×1200 at 90Hz split over dual displays, consuming 233 million pixels per second. At the default eye-target scale, the Rift's rendering requirements go much higher: around 400 million shaded pixels per second. This means that by raw rendering costs alone, a VR game will require approximately 3x the GPU power of 1080p rendering."

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AfterDawn: News

Leaked Apple document reveals the iPhones models becoming obsolete

Written by Matti Robinson @ 17 May 2015 6:50

Leaked Apple document reveals the iPhones models becoming obsolete In a document leaked by 9to5Mac Apple lists the products that will become obsolete (or vintage) in June this year. This means that they will lose their repair support.

Included in the devices are the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS as well as a couple of iMacs and MacBook Pro models. In most markets the status is "obsolete" but in Turkey and in California they are considered "vintage" because of the required support.

The products listed below will enter the new status in June 9, 2015. This means that repair support is no longer offered via Apple retail stores or authorized partners.

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AfterDawn: News

Special edition Iron Man-themed Galaxy S6 Edge is coming

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 11:27

Special edition Iron Man-themed Galaxy S6 Edge is coming Samsung has confirmed rumors that it is building an Iron Man-themed edition of its new flagship, the Galaxy S6 Edge.

The company has not revealed the device itself but instead teased the release box although we have seen mocks in the past weeks (see below).

Thanks to the premium metal design, the new phone makes an ideal showcase for an "Iron Man" device, building upon his own gold and red suit made of titanium and other metals.

Samsung and Marvel signed up for a cross-promotional deal last June.

Check out the mock here:

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft will provide Windows 10 updates for phones so you're not waiting on carriers

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 11:01

Microsoft will provide Windows 10 updates for phones so you're not waiting on carriers Microsoft has taken the reins in regards to future Windows Phone updates, promising that carriers will no longer be a hindrance in getting the latest update for your operating system.

Starting with the launch of Windows 10 Mobile later this year, all personal and business devices running the OS will get updates directly through Microsoft, meaning you won't have to wait weeks (or even months or years) for your carrier to approve and manipulate the update before it gets to you.

Says the company: "Here at Microsoft, we take our responsibility to keep Windows secure seriously. We ... proactively update supported devices with necessary updates to address issues. And today, we're announcing this continuous update process applies to all Windows 10 devices, including phones."

The carriers will not be left out completely, of course, as they will be part of the Insider group of testers that have input in new builds before Microsoft rolls them out.

Apple has operated their updates this way for years, which keeps fragmentation to a minimum. Android has been dogged by huge fragmentation issues since its launch, with nearly 25 percent of users still running versions of Android released in 2012 or earlier.

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AfterDawn: News

LG launches new Windows Phone device for Verizon

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 10:17

LG launches new Windows Phone device for Verizon After a year-long hiatus, LG has returned to the Windows Phone market.

The new LG Lancet is a low-end device for Verizon at a retail price of $120, marking a cautious return for the electronics giant.

Running on Windows 8.1 (should be upgradable to Windows 10), the device has a 4.5-inch LCD, a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, dual cameras 0.3MP/8MP and 8GB internal storage expandable to 128GB with microSD.

More importantly is the fact that the Lancet is XLTE-ready and is the first Windows phone to have HD Voice Calling for clearer calls.

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AfterDawn: News

Panasonic TVs running Firefox OS launch in Europe

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 10:05

Panasonic TVs running Firefox OS launch in Europe Mozilla has announced that the first Panasonic VIERA TVs running on the Firefox OS are now available for sale.

The TVs are available in Europe and will launch worldwide in the coming months.

"Through our partnership with Mozilla and the openness and flexibility of Firefox OS, we have been able to create a more user friendly and customizable TV UI. This allows us to provide a better user experience for our consumers providing a differentiator in the Smart TV market,"
said Masahiro Shinada, Director of the TV Business Division at Panasonic Corporation.

"We're happy to partner with Panasonic to bring the first Smart TVs powered by Firefox OS to the world,"
said Andreas Gal, Mozilla CTO. "With Firefox and Firefox OS powered devices, users can enjoy a custom and connected Web experience and take their favorite content (apps, videos, photos, websites) across devices without being locked into one proprietary ecosystem or brand."

There are six models running the operating system, the CR850, CR730, CX800, CX750, CX700 and CX680.

Mozilla's Smart TV operating system has a customizable UI that allows for quicker access to favorites including streaming channels, apps, websites, bookmarks and more.

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AfterDawn: News

Samsung Wallet shutting down June 30th as company moves on to Samsung Pay

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 9:25

Samsung Wallet shutting down June 30th as company moves on to Samsung Pay Korean electronics giant Samsung has announced that its Samsung Wallet service will be shutting down on June 30th as the company migrates to the upcoming Samsung Pay service.

Any reservations or ticket purchase you may have made through the app will still be available after June 30th but all other features will be discontinued.

The Wallet service was created to let Samsung phone and tablet users place all their coupons, membership cards, boarding passes and mobile payment services in one place. By all accounts, the app was moderately successful and Samsung had deals with American Express, Expedia, United Airlines and other large companies.

Samsung Pay, the company's rival to Apple Pay, is expected to launch in the Q3.

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AfterDawn: News

Alleged pirates sued after ignoring hundreds of ISP copyright notices

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 16 May 2015 8:09

Alleged pirates sued after ignoring hundreds of ISP copyright notices For a couple of alleged pirates, ignoring those ISP copyright notices could be potentially disastrous.

Anti-piracy firm Rightscorp, on behalf of Rotten Records, has sued two Comcast customers who allegedly downloaded a 1994 album from Acid Bath and a 1995 album from D.R.I.

According to the suit, both of the alleged pirates shared the albums via the BitTorrent P2P network. Rightscorp was able to connect to their IP addresses and download the albums, later verifying that the downloaded copies were identical to the original and copywritten work.

Now, it is important to note that Rightscorp didn't just send one warning notice via Comcast demanding for the defendants to stop sharing. For the Acid Bath album, the pirate received 11 separate notices. For the D.R.I. album, the pirate received a shocking 288 notices between December 14, 2014 and May 12, 2015.

The lawsuit is seeking an injunction on further online infringement and of course, the deletion of the stolen works. In addition, Rotten Records wants attorney's fees and statutory damages as high as $150,000.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft: Just kidding! Pirates will not be getting free upgrade to Windows 10

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 15 May 2015 10:57

Microsoft: Just kidding! Pirates will not be getting free upgrade to Windows 10 Microsoft has backtracked on previous announcements today, telling pirates that they will not be getting a free upgrade to Windows 10.

Earlier this year, Windows boss Terry Myerson said everyone with Windows 7 and 8.1 would get a free upgrade to Windows 10, including those without genuine copies. The statement made a lot of waves, but it seems it was for naught.

Myerson explained:

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AfterDawn: News

Rdio launches cheap $3.99 per month subscription tier

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 May 2015 10:55

Rdio launches cheap $3.99 per month subscription tier Streaming music player Rdio has launched a new $3.99 per month subscription tier, cheaper than the competition.

At the low-end tier, consumers get ad-free streaming at 320 kbps, unlimited track skipping and daily download access to 25 songs from Rdio's extensive catalog.

Most competitors offer an all-or-nothing package at $9.99 per month including unlimited ad-free streaming, track skipping, mobile access and unlimited downloads.

Rdio CEO Anthony Bay compared the new offer to flying: "We've all been flying airplanes that had business class only. There is no coach."

The service is available now on iOS and Android in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.

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AfterDawn: News

BDA announces Ultra HD Blu-ray discs with support for 4K resolution video

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 14 May 2015 1:37

BDA announces Ultra HD Blu-ray discs with support for 4K resolution video The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) has announced completed work on the new Ultra HD Blu-ray specification that will support 4K resolution video.

"For years, Blu-ray Disc has set the standard for high definition picture and audio quality in the home. Ultra HD Blu-ray will do the same for UHD home entertainment," said Victor Matsuda, chair, BDA Promotions Committee. "The technical capabilities of Blu-ray Disc, in particular its significant storage capacity and high data transfer rates, will enable the delivery of an unparalleled, consistent and repeatable UHD experience."

In addition to offering content with resolutions up to 3840x2160, the new format also "enables delivery of a significantly expanded color range and allows for the delivery of high dynamic range (HDR) and high frame rate content. Next-generation immersive, object-based sound formats will also be delivered via the Ultra HD Blu-ray specification." Ultra HD Blu-ray will have space for 66GB on dual-layer discs and 100GB on triple-layer discs.

Also of note, there will be a "digital bridge" feature that allows consumers to view their content on numerous devices around the home.

All Ultra HD Blu-ray players will also be backwards compatible with Blu-ray discs, so you don't have to re-buy your whole collection for the 20th time. Expect more availability news throughout the summer, says the BDA.




AfterDawn: News

Microsoft reveals all editions of Windows 10

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 May 2015 10:54

Microsoft reveals all editions of Windows 10 Microsoft has revealed all of the editions of Windows 10 today, giving names to the operating system that will power mobile devices, desktops, business servers, the Xbox and even ATMs and other Internet of Things devices.

The operating system will launch in late July in 111 languages in 190 different countries.

Here is the full list:

Windows 10 Home is the consumer-focused desktop edition. It offers a familiar and personal experience for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s. Windows 10 Home will help people do great things, both big and small. With it, they will be more productive and have more fun thanks to a long list of new innovations: Cortana, the world's most personal digital assistant; the new Microsoft Edge web browser; Continuum tablet mode for touch-capable devices; Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login; and right out of the box, a broad range of universal Windows apps like Photos, Maps, Mail, Calendar, Music and Video*.

We are also bringing the Xbox gaming experience to Windows 10, giving games and gamers access to the Xbox Live gaming community, enabling the capture and share of gameplay and giving Xbox One owners the ability to play their Xbox One games from any Windows 10 PC in their home.

Windows 10 Mobile
is designed to deliver the best user experience on smaller, mobile, touch-centric devices like smartphones and small tablets. It boasts the same, new universal Windows apps that are included in Windows 10 Home, as well as the new touch-optimized version of Office. Windows 10 Mobile offers great productivity, security and management capabilities for customers who use their personal devices at work. In addition, Windows 10 Mobile will enable some new devices to take advantage of Continuum for phone, so people can use their phone like a PC when connected to a larger screen.

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AfterDawn: News

Nestlé, Google rebrand KitKat candy bars as 'YouTube Break' in UK

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 May 2015 8:32

Nestlé, Google rebrand KitKat candy bars as 'YouTube Break' in UK Google and Nestlé have announced their new "YouTube My Break" campaign this week, turning 600,000 packs of KitKat candy bars into 'YouTube Break' bars.

Says Nestlé: "This forms one of 72 different types of 'breaks' to feature on more than 400 limited edition designs across 2 and 4 finger and Chunky bars as part of the campaign. More than 100 million of these specially designed packs will be produced in total over the course of the campaign."

Apparently, KitKat fans are also YouTube fans and the companies are using the campaign and "Google's voice search technology to deliver the world's most entertaining videos straight to its customers' mobiles. Searching for "KitKat YouTube my break" on their phone, users will be introduced to a KITKAT video followed by a playlist of the latest top four trending YouTube videos anytime, anywhere worldwide."

The deal follows 2013's launch of Android 4.4 KitKat, which was originally set to be codenamed Key Lime Pie before the product deal was struck.

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