AfterDawn: Tech news

Latest news

AfterDawn: News

Google will discontinue Inbox after four years

Written by James Delahunty @ 13 Sep 2018 2:20

Google will discontinue Inbox after four years Google is set to discontinue its Inbox app just four years after it launched to test new features for e-mail.

Inbox brought about new features like snoozing emails to later and AI-powered experiences like Smart Reply, Nudges and high-priority notifications. In the intervening years, Google has taken what has worked from Inbox and it has added it to its Gmail service to "help more than a billion people get more done with their emails every day."

"As we look to the future, we want to take a more focused approach that will help us bring the best email experience to everyone. As a result, we're planning to focus solely on Gmail and say goodbye to Inbox by Gmail at the end of March 2019." writes Matthew Izatt, product managGmailr GMail.

Popular Inbox features like Smart Compose were introduced to Gmail in April of this year.

Google has provided a transition guide for anyone who needs help to switch from Inbox to the newer GMail service.




AfterDawn: News

An 'Alan Wake' TV show could be coming

Written by James Delahunty @ 13 Sep 2018 2:06

An 'Alan Wake' TV show could be coming Remedy Entertainment's 2010 hit Alan Wake may soon become its own television series.

Alan Wake is an Xbox 360 exclusive that was released in 2010, developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Games. It follows protagonist Alan Wake, a best-selling author, as he investigates his wife's disappearance in the small fictional town of Bright Falls in Washington state.

While looking for his wife, Wake begins to experience supernatural occurrences and event plots from the novel he is working on. He has no prior memory of writing the material.

The title took five years to develop and was created by Sam Lake. Now, Lake has signed on as executive producer for a television adaption of the story. Additionally, Remedy Entertainment announced on Twitter that Peter Calloway (Legion, Cloak and Dagger) will also work on the project.




It is worth remembering that the show still needs to be picked up, and according to Variety, Calloway will begin shopping it around for an interested party in October.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Spotify raises song download limit significantly

Written by James Delahunty @ 13 Sep 2018 1:37

Spotify raises song download limit significantly Spotify has significantly increased the number of songs you can download to your mobile or other devices for offline listening.

The music streaming giant allows users to download songs and albums to be locally stored on devices for Offline playback. This is very useful for people who cannot stream Spotify music in certain locations, so they can still enjoy their playlist whilst paying their premium fee.

Previously, Spotify set a limit of 3,333 song downloads on each of three devices, which is quite a high limit. However, that didn't stop some users from eventually pushing up against their limit.

Spotify then quietly raised the song download limit to 10,000 songs per device and raised the device limit to 5. It isn't unlimited of course, but that should solve the problem for most users who ran up against a download limit.

"At Spotify, we're always working on improving the experience for our users. We can now confirm that we have increased the number of offline tracks per device -- from 3,333 on three devices to 10,000 tracks per device for up to five devices," a Spotify spokesperson confirmed to Rolling Stone.




AfterDawn: News

Here's the new iPhone Xs in high-res pictures

Written by Matti Robinson @ 12 Sep 2018 4:54

Here's the new iPhone Xs in high-res pictures Apple unveiled today the newest generation of iPhones. The flagship models carry the name Xs and Xs Max, and whatever you might think about the names they are beautiful craftsmanship, as you would expect.

We already went through most of the improvements on paper, but let's not kid ourselves, what matters to many is what the iPhones look like. Apple has of course released their own press photos that are aimed to show the new devices in the most glorious of lights.

The official high-resolution press photos of the new iPhone Xs and Xs Max showcase the new and improved camera, the Super Retina displays as well as some of the more important new software features.

Without further ado, here are the iPhone Xs and Xs Max in pictures.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Here's Apple's new, cheaper iPhone: iPhone Xr

Written by Matti Robinson @ 12 Sep 2018 4:17

Here's Apple's new, cheaper iPhone: iPhone Xr Apple officially unveiled today the new iPhone Xs, and the Xs Max, the new flagship smartphone. But they also had in store one more iPhone, as expected, the iPhone Xr.

This cheap, or rather cheaper, iPhone features a 6.1 inch LCD (instead of OLED in the less affordable models) display that Apple calls Liquid Retina, which, let's be honest, is probably just marketin jargon.

The resolution is a standard Retina definition at 1792 x 828 at 326 PPI which is a far cry from the 458 on the bigger brothers, and there is no 3D Touch found on the iPhone Xr. However, Apple has implemented a longer touch with haptic feedback, called the Haptic Touch, which should work fairly similarly.

The camera is neither on par with the more expensive Xs models, and offers only a single 12 megapixel camera. This camera however does feature an OIS and can even do Portrait mode thanks to some Pixel-like software trickery.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Apple unveiled the new iPhone Xs with improved cameras, displays and performance

Written by Matti Robinson @ 12 Sep 2018 3:45

Apple unveiled the new iPhone Xs with improved cameras, displays and performance Apple has today unveiled the new generation of iPhones lead by the flagship models iPhone Xs and Xs Max, as expected.

The new models offer upgrades in most respects but most significantly in display, processors and camera. The displays are 5.8 and 6.5 inches OLED panels that offer a resolution of 1125 x 2436 (Xs) or 1242 x 2688 (Xs Max) pixels and a 458 PPI pixel density.

The new displays, Apple calls them Super Retina, also support HDR in both Dolby Vision and HDR10 and include a 120hz touch sensor.

The processor side of things is upgraded by the new A12 Bionic system-on-chip that includes an improved six core big.LITTLE style CPU that provides 40 to 50 percent improvement in efficiency.

The GPU, nowadays Apple-made as well, on the other hand increases the performance up to 50%, and even the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) has been upgraded to 8 cores with improved performance.

The A12 Bionic performance was demonstrated by Bethesda and their new game, Elder Scrolls: Blades, among others.

Camera specs haven't changed much, after all its still mostly the same 12 megapixel dual camera from iPhone X, but Apple promises that the changed under the hood and to the software make it worth the upgrade.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Shot fired at Twitch user's house while he was streaming live

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Sep 2018 7:03

Shot fired at Twitch user's house while he was streaming live Twitch streamer Dr Disrespect has to abruptly end his streaming after somebody fired a shot at his house.

Guy Beahm was in the middle of streaming his gaming on the Twitch service when he abruptly walked off. He returned visibly shaken and told his viewers that he had to end the streaming for the day because somebody just shot through a window in his house.

"Somebody shot at our house, broke the f*****g upstairs window. This is the second shot. Someone shot yesterday. Someone shot yesterday at our f*****g house, and someone shot again right now," he said.

"It connected with the house upstairs, right? You're driving by, right? You pussy! I gotta stop the stream."

A message on his Twitch page days, "Doc and Family Are Safe. Proper Measures are be taken while stream is down" Meanwhile, authorities confirmed to media that they are investing the incident at his home.

This video shows his reaction (profanity warning!):

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Android box seller to pay $25 million settlement

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Sep 2018 6:28

Android box seller to pay $25 million settlement TickBox TV has reportedly agreed to pay a $25 million settlement in a lawsuit that alleged it promoted copyright infringement.

TickBox TV sells Android boxes, which are low-cost set-top boxes for televisions that run an Android operating system. Owners can install whatever they want on the boxes just like they could with a PC, including software that can allow you to stream unlicensed TV Shows and Movies.

Typically such boxes come with pre-installed software, including the Kodi media center software. Kodi itself is not developed for piracy but through third-party add-on support can be used for that purpose. Sometimes these devices are even advertised as "Kodi boxes", which forced the developers of Kodi to take some legal actions.

TickBox's website initially encouraged users to buy the devices so they could stop "wasting money with online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime." After the lawsuit was filed, the language was changed on the website.

As part of an agreement, TickBox has agreed to pay $25 million and to an injunction prohibiting it from present users with options to download add-ons that enable piracy. This does not include Android browser apps including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari or Firefox.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Video leak suggests Google's Pixelbook is getting a refresh

Written by Matti Robinson @ 11 Sep 2018 9:32

Video leak suggests Google's Pixelbook is getting a refresh If Google's upcoming Pixel event if all about the Pixel phones it'll certainly be a snooze fest for some significant part of the population. Now that Google even killed the Pixel Watch rumors, there's one less product we were expecting on October 9.

Thankfully Chrome Unboxed has come to lift our moods with some leaked footage of supposedly an upcoming Pixel product.

According to the headline of the video the device shown is either Nocturne or Atlas, both of which as codenames for different versions of Pixelbook 2 in development. If it was just this footage we might not be too hopeful about the prospects of Google unveiling such a thing in four weeks.

However, there are some pictures, including the ones pictured above, that have shown a different version of an updated Pixelbook design. Unfortunately we have no clue which one Google is preparing for the October event and which one (if any) is just a forgotten prototype.

Well, all we're left with is four weeks to wait or, better yet, try and find more evidence for Pixelbook 2. We'll keep you posted.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Terrarium TV piracy app shutting down

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Sep 2018 4:42

Terrarium TV piracy app shutting down A popular Android application for pirate TV streams will shut down completely at the end of the month, its developer has confirmed.

In a notification pushed to the users of the app, Terrarium TV developer NitroXenon explained that the service will be shutting down completely at the end of the month. It was a very popular app that used file locker services to stream TV shows to viewers.

It didn't require any significant knowhow from users to watch content on the app, as is not always the case with some other forms of streaming options.

Dear all,

It has always been a great pleasure to work on this project. However, it is time to say goodbye. I am going to shut down Terrarium TV, forever.

I know this day will come eventually. I know it would be hard to let go. But it is really time for me to move on to other projects.

Thank you for all your support through the years. Thanks to all Terrarium TV supporters and communities. Thank you, Nic, and all the people around the world who care about this project.

Please note that you will not be able to open the Terrarium TV app after the end of September as the app will close itself automatically. Please NO NOT try to click the Update button because it will not download any new version of the app.
Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Why Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't switch characters like GTA V

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Sep 2018 2:10

Why Red Dead Redemption 2 doesn't switch characters like GTA V Rockstar has explained why its upcoming Red Dead Redemption 2 does not allow you to switch between multiple protagonists like Grand Theft Auto V.

The latest in the Grand Theft Auto series, GTA V, was released in late 2013. It allows users to switch on-the-fly between three separate protagonists whose stories criss-cross throughout the campaign. GTA fans were wondering if Rockstar's hotly anticipated Western, Red Dead Redemption 2, would feature the same multi-character setup.

Josh Bass, art director at Rockstar San Diego, has poured cold water on any multiple protagonist hopes.

"Sticking with a single character felt more appropriate for the structure and narrative of a western," Bass told the Hollywood Reporter.

"Arthur lives with and fights alongside the other members of the Van der Linde gang, and they are a group of fully realized characters with relationships to each other and to Arthur, but this is Arthur's story and we are placing players firmly in Arthur's boots as he and the gang deal with a rapidly changing world,' he added. 'We think people will really love the feeling of being in the gang. It isn't like anything we've done before."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Nintendo Switch cloud saves won't work with all games

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Sep 2018 6:45

Nintendo Switch cloud saves won't work with all games The upcoming Nintendo Switch Online service won't support cloud saves for all games due to concerns about cheating.

The official page for the Splatoon 2 starter pack was found to have a message at the end saying, "this game does not support Save Data Cloud backup." Later on, more pages were found to have the same information, including FIFA 19, Dead Cells, Pokemon Let's Go! Pikachu, Pokemon Let's Go! Eevee and Dark Souls: Remastered.

Nintendo explained the lack of cloud save for some titles as follows.

"In certain games, this feature would make it possible to, for example, regain items that had been traded to other players, or revert to a higher online multiplayer ranking that had been lost," the statement reads.

As for Splatoon 2, the lack of cloud saves was "to ensure that Save Data Cloud backups cannot be used to unfairly affect online multiplayer rankings."

Nintendo Switch Online is launching this month for a monthly fee of $20. It will be the only way to backup saves for Nintendo Switch titles.

Source: GamesIndustry.biz




AfterDawn: News

Kodi Addon dev faces $2 million judgment in Dish Network lawsuit

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Sep 2018 6:28

Kodi Addon dev faces $2 million judgment in Dish Network lawsuit A Kodi Addon developer in the UK may be facing a judgment of almost $2 million in a lawsuit brought against him by U.S. satellite provider Dish Network.

The developer, Shani, had been sued by Dish because his ZemTV addon offered unauthorized streams of television channels. While Dish claimed that the addon was responsible for the unauthorized broadcast of thousands of infringing works, it focused on just thirteen for the lawsuit.

It is not seeking a default judgment of $150,000 per work, amounting to $1,950,000. The request comes as the Kodi Addon developer has given up defending himself, citing high costs.

Last week, Dish Network dismissed its lawsuit against the founder of TVAddons.

"Defendant infringed DISH's copyrights on a massive scale by retransmitting the Protected Channels without authorization on ZemTV. Defendant transmitted the Protected Channels on ZemTV for at least 16 months from February 2016 through June 2017," Dish informs the Texas federal court.

"Defendant's clear willfulness and the strong need for deterrence, as shown by ongoing infringement in the face of numerous notices of infringement and intent to operate his service on the basis of stealing others' intellectual property, justifies an award of $150,000 per work. The Court should grant this motion and hold Defendant liable for damages in the amount of $1,950,000 and enter a permanent injunction, which is necessary to protect DISH's copyrights from further infringement."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Elon Musk not being probed by Air Force for marijuana use

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Sep 2018 6:11

Elon Musk not being probed by Air Force for marijuana use Reports had suggested that the U.S. Air Force was looking into Elon Musk's marijuana use on a podcast with Joe Rogan on Thursday.

Musk is the CEO of SpaceX, which is a U.S. government contractor and has launched classified payloads for the United States government. As such, Mr. Musk has a security clearance. On Friday, news reports suggested that the U.S. Air Force was looking into Musk's marijuana smoking on Joe Rogan's podcast as its use is prohibited by those with government security clearances.

Responding to the reports of the review by Fox Business Network and CNBC, U.S. Air Force spokesperson Captain Hope Cronin denied that Musk's security clearance is being reviewed over his appearance on the podcast.

Musk joined Joe Rogan for an episode of the wildly popular Joe Rogan Experience. During the podcast, Musk drank whiskey with the host and accepted an offer to take a hit from a blunt passed to him by Rogan. "I mean, it's legal isn't it?" Musk said before smoking. In California, it is legal but the federal level is a different story.

In a quite interesting podcast, Musk and Rogan talked about the dangers of artificial intelligence, the threat of digging ancient CO2 from the Earth and putting it in the atmosphere and oceans, the violent nature of chimpanzees, boring tunnels, the unsuitability of flying cars and so much more.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Twitch Beta update being rolled out for Xbox One

Written by James Delahunty @ 10 Sep 2018 5:55

Twitch Beta update being rolled out for Xbox One A fully redesigned Twitch Beta app is being rolled out to all Xbox Insides on Xbox One.

Among the new features and improvements for the designed app are:

  • Live video previews – check out live streams while you browse
  • Better support for past broadcasts – see chat on offline videos
  • Improved stability – the Twitch app has been rebuilt from the ground up to improve your viewing experience
If you are an Xbox Insider, you can participate by launching the Xbox Insider Hub (or install the Insider Hub from the Store first if you don't have it), navigate to Insider content -> Apps -> Twitch Beta. Select Join. Once the registration process finishes you will be redirected to the Store page to install the Twitch Beta.





  Newer entries Older entries  

News archive