This morning ECS officially announced its upcoming line of Intel 8-Series motherboards designed around the new 4th generation Intel Core processors. The new motherboard line will come in three flavors: Pro, Deluxe and Essentials.

The Pro series will be optimized for power computing, while the Deluxe line will be geared towards home and office use. The Essentials series will be better suited towards the home theatre or media center crowd who needs the power, but not necessarily the larger footprint of more feature rich boards.

All boards will feature ECS's new Durathon durability technology, which features triple density PCBs, solid capacitors and extreme testing. Additional features include ECS's exclusive Hyper Alloy Choke technology, Sound Blaster Cinema technology, 4-way video output (DVI, HDMI, Display Port and D-Sub VGA), EZ quick charger, Motherboard Intelligent BIOS III, 4K video output, ECS EZ Bios and ECS ADS (Anti-Dust Shield).

IDC just published its numbers on smartphone marketshare and it appears that Android has beaten out all others by orders of magnitude. Google's Android mobile operating system was shipped on over 162.1 million smartphones in the first three months of 2013, giving the open source platform a worldwide market share of 75-percent.

In the same timeframe, Apple managed to squeeze out just 37.4 million (17.3-percent market share) iPhone's, which is four times less than the stellar numbers coveted by Android. Microsoft stumbled into third place with a whopping seven million Windows phones being shipped, which amounts to a mere 3.2-percent market share.

It should be noted that Apple is selling a single model, and there are hundreds of different Android models being sold on the market currently. One could point out that Android is by definition, the dominant smartphone operating system on the market. While some analyst point out that selling 34 million units of a single phone is impressive, it still stands that more people are using Android than iOS.

This morning we are waking up to the news that NASA's Kepler Space Telescope may have just came to an early end of mission due to a faulty piece of orientation hardware. The fault falls within one of the wheels that stabilize and help keep the spacecraft pointed in the right direction.

When Kepler needs to be repositioned or stabilized for image capturing, three wheels are spun up to take advantage of centripetal force. Kepler needs three of its wheels running at all times to ensure a stable orientation. On Wednesday NASA officials announced that one of those three wheels had stopped functioning, which put the telescope into "safe mode."

Unfortunately, unlike the Hubble Space Telescope, Kepler is far away from our reach and was not designed to be serviceable. Plus, with the shuttle program long gone, it's not like we would have a way to get to it anyway. "Kepler's not in a place where I can go up and rescue it, or any other astronaut," said John Grunsfeld, the head of science at NASA, and the man who is famous for repairing the Hubble.

For the most part, the recent success of the Bitcoin can be attributed to Mt. Gox, the largest and most popular Bitcoin exchange on the internet. Earlier this week the Department of Homeland Security seized the Mutum Sigilum account Mt. Gox held at Wells Fargo bank.

The Mutum Sigilum account was the lifeblood of Dwolla, the PayPal like Bitcoin to US currency processor. The account was seized based on several discrepancies in the paperwork Mt. Gox owner Mark Karpeles filled when opening the account with Wells Fargo. When the application asked if Mutum Sigilum LLC was a business engaged in monetary services, Karpeles stated "No." Below is an excerpt from the actual warrant used to seize the account.

The application asks several questions; to include, "Do you deal in or exchange currency for your customer?" and "Does your business accept funds from customers and send the funds based on customers' instructions (Money Transmitter)?" Karpeles answered these questions "no," indicating that Mutum Sigilum LLC does not deal in or exchange money, and that it does not send funds based on customer instructions. Money transmitting businesses are required by 31 USC section 5330 to register as such with FinCEN. According to FinCEN records on May 6, 2013, neither Mt. Gox nor the subsidiary, Mutum Sigilum LLC, is registered as a Money Service Business.

In an attempt to gain revenue from the used games market, EA introduced a program known as Online Pass. Basically, when a person purchased a used game, they would have to buy a new online pass that would allow them to access the online multiplayer aspects of the game. New games would be distributed with a one-time use code.

This program was despised by many gamers and it appears that EA is listening to the customer in ending this program. EA confirmed that this program would no longer be utilized in future games: "Yes, we're discontinuing Online Pass. None of our new EA titles will include that feature."

Initially launched as an effort to package a full menu of online content and services, many players didn't respond to the format. We've listened to the feedback and decided to do away with it moving forward. We're still committed to creating content and services that enhance the game experience well beyond the day you first start playing.

I'm sure many of our readers will be happy to hear that this change is being made.

If you're on the lookout for a cheap Windows RT tablet, look no further. Dell has just slashed the price of its XPS 10 Windows RT tablet by $200, bringing the total price down to just $299.99. The XPS 10 was one of the original Windows RT devices to launch back in October of last year. At that time, it retailed for $499.

While Dell didn't come out and say the price cut was due to slow Windows RT sales, we can guess that this was the driving factor behind the reduction. According to Dell, the price was dropped "due to a combination of factors" including Dell's inventory of the XPS 10 and "competitive positioning and other market factors."

In other words, it wasn't selling. According to the IDC, Windows RT tablets have only managed to grad 0.4 percent market share in terms of shipments for last quarter. You can buy the XPS 10 at Dell's website.

According to PayPal's chief information security officer, the upcoming iPhone 5S will feature an integrated fingerprint scanner. This isn't the first time we've heard this rumor, but it's the first time it has come from a decently credible source.

It's widely rumored that a large technology provider in Cupertino, CA will come out with a phone later this year that has a fingerprint reader on it. There is going to be a fingerprint enabled phone on the market later this year. Not just one, but multiple.

While it remains to be seen if this will come true, Apple recently purchased AuthenTec, a company that specializes in mobile and network security. Combine that with various other pieces of data and it starts looking like the iPhone 5S will come with a scanner. However, it's a decent idea to remain somewhat skeptical for at least a while longer.

Many Xbox gamers will be excited to hear this rumor. According to The Verge's sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans, Microsoft will be doing away with Xbox Points at E3 this year. Instead, Microsoft will move to a currency-based system that utilizes local currencies and gift cards.

Microsoft would enable purchases via credit and debit cards meaning you would no longer have to go to the store to buy credit for your account. Microsoft will still offer gift cards, but they will be worth money just like Apple does with iTunes gift cards and digital purchases.

The gift card currency will be unified and work across Windows Store, Windows Phone Store, and Xbox. The launch is said to be occurring later this year, with the announcement happening at E3. As with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt.

Google I/O has certainly been good to Google's stock price. After today's opening day of Google I/O, Google's stock closed at a record high of $909.38, only to raise a further $2.81 in after-hours trading. The stock price currently sits at $918.70, the highest the stock has ever been.

It was just three months ago that Google's stock originally crossed the $800 mark. In the time between then and now, not much has happened. The company hasn't really announced anything revolutionary or new, though Glass Explorer Edition has been handed out to developers. Apple's stock, meanwhile, fell 3.38 percent.

Ubisoft continues to tease the upcoming Assassin's Creed game. Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will take place across islands and boats and will be launching on the next-generation PlayStation 4. Ubisoft has actually commented publicly about how happy they are with the PlayStation 4 and what it is allowing them to do.

Assassin's Creed 4 will also be available on current-generation consoles, which means you won't be forced to upgrade to experience the game. However, the experience will likely be much better on one of the new consoles. Let us know what you think of the trailer and if you're excited for Assassin's Creed 4 to come out.

Rovio announced that they have partnered with Sony Pictures for their upcoming Angry Birds movie. We've previously covered details of the Angry Birds movie that was originally announced back in December 2012. At that time, I asked what the movie would consist of. That question still needs to be answered.

The Angry Birds movie will be a 3-D animated comedy coming out sometime in 2016. It will be produced by John Cohen, the producer for Despicable Me. The partnership between Rovio and Sony Pictures was announced via tweet earlier today. Rovio CEO Mikael Hed said the following in a press release:

Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture.

Google is going to have a fight on its hands to make Glass a popular product. According to a survey conducted by BiTE interactive of 1,000 US adults, 45 percent of respondents said they wouldn't wear the glasses due to their aesthetics or because they thought the device would be irritating.

44 percent of those who responded saying they would wear Glass said they are most interested in the camera capabilities. 44 percent said they would wear it to take pictures, 37 percent said they'd wear Glass to take video, and a total of 39 percent said they'd want to be able to make calls with the device.

Joseph Farrell, EVP of operations at BiTE interactive:

Google Glass represents a profound social barrier for the average consumer.At best, they see a Glass user as someone who prioritizes information access over a personal connection with others. At worst, they fear social sleights of hand: researching topics, recording video or Googling a person in mid-conversation. Overall, what Glass offers is combination of high social rejection with features the average person simply doesn't value over their current smartphone.

So now my question to you: Would you wear Google Glass? If not, what would it take you to wear it. If so, why?

Microsoft announced today that Rovio has brought the classic Angry Birds Rio to the Windows Phone platform. The app has been available on iOS and Android for a long time, but it has finally jumped over to the fledgling Windows Phone platform. Microsoft needs popular iOS apps to continue coming to Windows Phone to encourage users to jump on the platform.

The price remains unchanged at $0.99, which seems to be the ultimate price point for apps and games. One bonus about the Windows Phone app: Xbox Live achievements and leaderboards. The app is available for both Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 7.5.

Apps are increasingly popular as Apple's App Store download numbers can attest to. We recently reported about a giveaway Apple was hosting to celebrate 50 billion app downloads. We can now report that the App Store has surpassed 50 billion downloads, though Apple has yet to identify the grand prize winner.

The grand prize winner will be awarded a $10,000 iTunes voucher, while 50 runners-up will each get a $500 iTunes voucher. It would have been nearly impossible to guarantee that you would download the 50 billionth app, so it all comes down to good fortune and being an active App Store user.

More than seven million adults in the UK have never used the internet, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The data was based on responses to the question: "when did you last use the internet?"

The ONS has reported that 43.5 million adults were now online; this is one million more than in the same period last year. Despite the ever-increasing number of Internet users in the UK, 7.1 million people still remain offline at present. The elderly and the disabled are some of the least likely to be connected.

Graham Walker, chief executive of digital accessibility charity Go On UK has commented that the numbers were "encouraging", but more work is needed. Mr. Walker has also mentioned that "it's not just about access to the internet. Sixteen million adults don't have the basic online skills to confidently take advantage of digital tools."

The statistics indicate that London enjoys the highest rate of web users (90%), while Northern Ireland has the lowest (79%). When the stats are segmented by age, the figures suggest that 99 percent of 16- to 24-year-olds are now online. At the opposite end of the spectrum, those aged 75 or above are most likely to be among the "disconnected." 4.2 million women and 2.8 million men in the UK have actually never used the Internet.

There are many fans of the Gran Turismo line of racing games. Gran Turismo has been around since the original PlayStation and, as the trailer brags, has 15 years of history. Gran Turismo 6 is shaping up to be quite the game, featuring over 1,200 cars and 71 different race tracks across 33 different locations.

Sony has confirmed that Gran Turismo 6 will be available on PlayStation 3. Interestingly, Sony didn't mention a version of the game being available on the upcoming PlayStation 4. It would seem silly to release it for the older PlayStation 3 when the new and much more capable PlayStation 4 will be debuting around the same time.

The new Gran Turismo 6 will feature an all-new game engine that will supposedly offer more realistic driving. Gamers will get a chance to play with the new engine in July when a demo is released. We here at TweakTown can't wait for the next Gran Turismo.

Google had a massive opening day at Google I/O. Today, the company announced that they are expanding livestreaming options by opening the platform up to more users. Now, any channel that has more than 1,000 subscribers will be able to use YouTube to livestream events.

This will cover most major channels, meaning livestreaming will be more available. However, by setting this arbitrary barrier, it will help keep out less useful or lower-quality livestreams. It will also help YouTube manage costs as livestreams cost more to produce and host than a normal YouTube video.

• You get real-time transcoding in the cloud, so you only need to send us your highest quality stream and we make it instantly available in all resolutions and device formats
• You can show multiple camera angles, add closed captions, and insert ads and slates
• Viewers can watch the live stream from any device, get the best quality constantly adjusting to their Internet connection, and can skip back and forth in the live stream

Time to report on another Google update announced today at Google I/O. Google has integrated its Wallet product into Gmail to allow people to send money with an e-mail. This makes the product competitive with PayPal, which also allows you to send money to other people. However, PayPal doesn't allow you to attach money to an e-mail.

The new attach money feature will allow you to send money to everyone, including people who don't have a Gmail account. According to Google, all transactions are stored on secure servers in encrypted form. Google monitors transactions for fraud and Wallet Purchase Protection covers 100 percent of "eligible unauthorized transactions."

It's pretty cool to be able to attach money to an e-mail just as you would attach an image or other attachment.

Another week, another Apple-related rumor. The latest rumor says the next iPad mini will be coming with numerous improvements over the original model launched last year. Rumors say that this fall will be a busy one for Apple, with a new iPad, iPad mini, and iPhone all expected to be showing up.

This rumor specifically says that the iPad mini will be coming with a Retina display capable of a resolution of 2048x1536. To push all those pixels, the iPad mini will need a more powerful processor. According to the rumor, it will the Apple A6X processor. The back camera is also said to be getting an upgrade to 8MP and the front camera to 2MP.

The thickness is expected to increase slightly to make room for a larger battery to power these higher-spec'd parts. As with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt.

Google isn't happy with Microsoft over its recently released YouTube app. The app, which was released by Microsoft just over a week ago, is a much-improved YouTube app that Google apparently didn't know was coming. According to a copy of the cease and desist letter sent to Microsoft, Google is demanding Microsoft "immediately withdraw this application from the Windows Phone Store and disable existing downloads of the application by Wednesday, May 22, 2013."

The main issue with the app, which makes use of Google's API for YouTube, is it's blocking of ads. Both YouTube and the content creators rely on Google's AdSense for revenue. Without these ads, Google can't pay for the hosting and serving of videos and content creators can't monetize their content.

Content creators make money on YouTube by monetizing their content through advertising. Unfortunately,by blocking advertising and allowing downloads of videos, your application cuts off a valuable ongoing revenue source for creators, and causes harm to the thriving content ecosystem on YouTube. In addition,your application overrides specific decisions made by some content creators to keep their content from displaying on certain types of devices, which in many cases are due to exclusive distribution arrangements those content creators have with third parties. YouTube's agreements with creators give them choices in how their content is presented and distributed, and your applicatio