Latest News - Page 2728

WhatsApp is now providing a select number of its 700 million strong users with a new voice calling function inside of its Android app. It was first spotted on Reddit, with a user based in India posting a screenshot of the new voice calling function icon.

Others began noticing the same thing, where basic functions like speakerphone, mute and other call options were found within WhatsApp for Android. This will be a small test for now, before it is rolled out into a bigger update for WhatsApp in the near future. It is being suggested that it wasn't intended for the new voice calling function to reach WhatsApp, as it is still very buggy and not ready for the public.

If you've received the voice calling function for WhatsApp, let us know!

theScore just released a new app that centers around the world of eSports, dubbed "theScore eSports" that will provide users with everything happening in the world of eSports, in the palm of their hand.

There will be more games added to theScore eSports app, but for now it includes League of Legends, DOTA 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Call of Duty, StarCraft II and Hearthstone. Major tournaments can be followed with real-time scores, standings, ladders and curated links to the live streams of the events as they're happening.

theScore says that they are "the first major sports media company to launch a dedicated mobile app for eSports" which is huge, as eSports just isn't slowing down. If you want to grab theScore eSports for Android, check it out on the Google Play Store.

Kim Kardashian is enjoying her millions of dollars earned from her game, Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, but it looks like it will soon be Katy Perry's turn to make money from a game.

Glu Mobile, the company that worked on Kim Kardashian: Hollywood, has announced it's working on an untitled game for Katy Perry. Glu Mobile said: "Katy is arguably the most recognized musician in America following her Super Bowl XLIX Halftime performance this past Sunday. She is a cultural icon and we expect to translate key elements of her success into an innovative, highly entertaining mobile experience. We anticipate that Katy's significant global audience, including more than 170 million fans on social media, will make her a strong gaming partner for Glu".

The game will launch later this year on both iOS and Android, featuring Perry's voice, likeness, and much more.

It looks like the end of an era is approaching, with news that Sony is shutting down the production facility that makes the RSX processors for the PlayStation 3 console.

Sony had recently said it would discontinue any and all operations at the factory responsible for the RSX chips in the PS3, but it looks like this is now happening. Oita TEC who was previously responsible for the memory packaging recently starting the production of advanced packaging for the CPUs that power the PlayStation consoles. The plant itself was producing the packaging of the Cell and RSX processors for the PS3, but is now being shut down keeping the "changing business landscape" in sight.

With 220 employees at the factory, usually their jobs would be lost, but this isn't the case. All of their jobs will be transferred to other plants that are used to make image sensors, or to other factories at alternate Sony Semiconductor Corporation sites.

There are going to be big shifts in manufacturing nodes this year, with Samsung reportedly making 14nm FinFET chips for the three biggest players in the industry: NVIDIA, Apple and Qualcomm.

Samsung will be capable of doing this as the company only reached an important breakthrough recently, which has allowed the South Korean giant to increase yields, and reduce costs. On top of this, TSMC has been experiencing various delays which have seen big companies having to shift over from TSMC to Samsung. Qualcomm also reportedly stopped their production of 16nm FinFET chips at TSMC just three weeks ago, jumping over to Samsung and its next-gen 14nm FinFET processors.

Apple's upcoming A9 processor will be based on its main competitors technology, with Samsung making the 14nm FinFET A9 processor. NVIDIA had originally partnered up with TSMC to make 16FF+ GPUs, but then we have the legal battle between Samsung and NVIDIA stepping in the way. We don't know if Samsung will choose to make its discrete GPUs using Samsung's next-gen 14nm node, but right now NVIDIA will be making its next-gen GPUs with TSMC on its 16FF+ process. NVIDIA will be having its Tegra processors made over at Samsung, however.

The new open beta for Battlefield Hardline has kicked off, with EA revealing the PC requirements of the game. Gamers will need 60GB of HDD space to play Battlefield Hardline, as well as a 64-bit version of Windows.

The bare minimum specifications aren't too bad, with an Intel Core i3/i5 at 2.4GHz or an AMD Athlon II/Phenom II at 2.8GHz required. 4GB of RAM is also required, with Windows Vista SP2 64-bit being the minimum OS to get it going. As for EA's recommended specifications, they are asking for a quad-core Intel, or six-core AMD processor, 8GB of RAM, 3GB of VRAM on either an AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760.

Battlefield Hardline reports for duty on March 17 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC.

The interconnected age is upon us, and the proliferation of smart devices has made them consumer accessible and easy to use. The "Internet of everything" is everywhere. Business Insider estimates that by 2018 there will be more than 18 billion connected devices in use globally, ranging from smartphones to cars and wearable tech. Creating a connected home has never been easier. Here's a look at just a few of the devices you can use to move your home into the smart age. And you don't even have to be a rocket scientist or engineer to make it happen.

The August Smart Lock lets you control your home locks from the palm of your hand, and even issue keys with various accessibility permissions. You can issue one key for a family member that allows 24/7 access and another for a cleaning person or guest who will only unlock the door at a certain time. August Smart Locks even keep a log of who entered and when, allowing you to know precisely who has been in and out of your home. August sends you reminders if the batteries in the lock are low and can even unlock the door automatically as it senses your approach.

Smart lighting is more than just being able to turn your lights on and off from your phone. Philips Hue Smart Lighting systems let you create macros and parameters for your lights. Hue can brighten gradually over time to wake you up in the morning or dim slowly to help you fall asleep. Perhaps the most impressive feat of the Hue system is the ability to re-create light parameters from photographs, such as bathing your home in the colors of your favorite sunset or even match the ambiance to events in the movie you are watching.

We've already heard that a redesigned PS4 is coming, as well as a redesigned Xbox One on AMD's new 20nm APU, but now Netflix is teasing that the redesigned consoles are coming.

Samsung has some shiny new high-density GDDR5 memory that should be baked into the redesigned PS4 Slim, while the redesigned Xbox One should feature AMD's new 20nm-based APU. Both consoles are now close to 18 months old, which is about the time the previous generation consoles saw their slimmer, faster, redesigned models. Netflix's Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt said at CES 2015 that the company is expecting a "traditional two-year refresh" which should see both consoles with 4K abilities.

We should expect thinner, cooler, hopefully more powerful consoles from the redesign. AMD's 20nm APU should provide some added performance thanks to its lower heat and power outputs, while the better GDDR5 RAM from Samsung will give Sony a boost to its PS4. Let's just hope it's not a redesign, as in a smaller/thinner console, and that we get some added performance with them, too.

It looks like Samsung is about to hit a bump in the road, with Kim Seok-pil resigning from his position as the executive in charge of the company's upcoming Galaxy S6 smartphone.

Seok-pil only joined the company in December, and was goign to take the company through the launch of the Galaxy S6, which should be unveiled on March 1. The launch of the upcoming flagship handset is being watched by many, after not-so-great things came from the Galaxy S5. December was a bad month for Samsung as it is, with multiple executives being laid off due to a planned restructuring process.

D.K. Lee left the company, with Seok-pil replacing him, but with Seok-pil now leaving the company, what happens now? For the meantime, Samsung Russia's boss, Lee Sang-chul will take over, until the South Korean giant can find a replacement.

Just how well as Grand Theft Auto V performed since its release last year? Well, on the Xbox One and PS4, retailers have received 10 million copies since it hit the now current-gen consoles around two-and-a-half months ago now.

When GTA V launched for the PS3 and Xbox 360, Rockstar sold a huge 11.2 million units in 24 hours, with a total of 45 million units being shipped since it launched. The PC version isn't even out yet, but these numbers will only increase on March 24. Don't forget the news of GTA 6 being under development, which shouldn't come as too much of a surprise, should it?

NVIDIA caught headlines last week with its VRAM issues on the Maxwell-based GeForce GTX 970, but it's a new week, with new memory-related issues. This time, it's AMD and its Radeon GPUs and a very specific game, on a very specific OS.

Radeon users are seeing memory leak problems on Battlefield 4 with Windows 8.1, with WCCFTech confirming the issue with AMD's Head of Global Technical Marketing, Robert Hallock. Hallock acknowledged the issue in Battlefield 4, of which it only affects gamers running Windows 8.1. AMD is working directly with DICE on the issue, but with the game being over a year old and many DLC packs in, and the fact that AMD were and still are heavily partnered with DICE, this shouldn't be happening.

AMD will address the memory leak issues in a new beta driver that will arrive soon.

When Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility out from under Google's nose, we didn't know what would come of it. Well, increased sales is a huge part of that, with Lenovo's new FQ3 2014/5 results showing us just how well Motorola is doing.

Motorola has sold over 10 million smartphones in the last quarter alone, which is up 118% from the same quarter of last year. We don't know the breakdown in numbers for the Moto X and Moto G, but we have to expect that those two phones have been selling rather well for the company. Lenovo is now positioning itself to launch Motorola into the Chinese market, which should see those numbers continue to climb.

Lenovo also expects Motorola to make a lot of money moving into the next four to six quarters (12-18 months), where as of this quarter the Mobile Business Group, of which Motorola operates within, posted an $89 million loss.

One of the many League of Legends tournaments being run is being operated by Garena, which operates LoL tournaments in places such as Southeast Asia, Taiwan, the Philippines and more. Well, they're hosting an all-women eSports competition, but there's just one catch.

The host has put a limit on the amount of LGBTQ people allowed to participate per team, as it would offer the team an "unfair advantage". You might think we tripped over a language barrier here, but there is only one lesbian or trans woman per team in Garena's upcoming all-women Iron Solari League tournament. The tournament will take place at the end of the month in Manilla, Philippines. Garena has talked with the competitors of the first leg of the Iron Solari competition, as well as LGBTQ members in the League of Legends community. The organizer said that it wanted to be inclusive, but adds that "there are arguments and concerns from other participants who disputes that Lesbian, Gay, Transgendered Women members may probably have some unfair advantage".

What we need to see here, is that Garena is just telling the world what it's doing, without explaining why. Kotaku brings up the question in their article: "How does being lesbian, trans, or queer in any other way confer an advantage in a video game, a virtual space where physical characteristics cease to matter?" That's right, as they're all human beings at the end of the day with a normal brain, hands, fingers and reflexes. It's great that Garena is doing an all-women League of Legends competition, but this is definitely something that should raise some questions and red flags.

Chip manufacturer ARM wants to keep powering smartphones, and expects its Cortex A-72 processor to power devices available in 2016. At least 10 companies have licensed the processor, which is reportedly at least 3.5 times faster than ARM technology sold in 2014. ARM product designs are present in more than 95 percent of smartphones available worldwide, and Cortex A-72 should help keep the company's dominant lead.

"The ARM Cortex-A72 processor sets a new standard for delivering a premium mobile experience and is expected to be the highest performing CPU technology for mobile SoCs [system-on-chips]," said Noel Hurley, GM of the CPU group at ARM.

In addition to the Cortex-A72 processor, ARM is promoting its Mali-T880 graphics chip which should also find its way into consumer devices in 2016.

The bitcoin cryptocurrency may be able to generate a large amount of buzz, but still has a major sales and marketing problem.

"Bitcoin has a sales job to getting people to trust it, which is ironic because it was set up to be a trustless system," said Paul Vigna, co-author of "The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money are Challenging the Global Economic Order, in a statement to CBS News. "It is sort of opaque and hard to understand and esoteric because it is so new."

Bitcoin won't go away any time soon, and there is around $50 million bitcoin-related transactions carried out per day. It's an extremely small figure compared to the entire financial market, but is an indicator that people remain interested.

Opposition fighters trying to overthrow the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have fallen prey to one of the oldest social engineering tactics: hackers use fake Facebook and Skype profiles of young, beautiful women to target rebels, inviting them to chat. Pictures are exchanged, though the hackers load images with malware able to copy chat logs and steal strategic information.

The tactic continues to work on oblivious Syrian fighters, continually chatting with pro-Assad hackers - and the results have been devastating. A FireEye report revealed 7.7GB of data has been compromised, along with more than 12,000 contacts and 31,000 Skype conversations.

"We are really seeing the convergence of traditional methods of espionage and Internet communication tools," said Richard Turner, EMEA VP of FireEye, told CNBC. "The evidence of that is the use of the attractive lady avatar to generate interest and open up individuals to deliver malware and compromise their communication."

This is the first time that the tablet market has seen a year-over-year shipment decline, with -3.2 percent growth - shipping 76.1 million units during Q4 2014, according to the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Tablet tracker. Despite the shipment drop during Q4, there was still 4.4 percent overall shipment growth throughout the entire year.

Apple continued its domination of the tablet market, shipping 21.4 million units and controlling 28.1 percent of the tablet market. Samsung was No. 2, (14.5 percent), Lenovo (4.8 percent), ASUS (4.0 percent), and Amazon (2.3 percent) rounded out the top five tablet hardware manufacturers.

Meanwhile, iOS controls 27 percent of the mobile tablet OS market, with Android now making up 66 percent control.

Gaming company Razer has updated its Blade gaming laptop, now including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M and Intel Core i7-4720HQ CPU.

The QHD+ Model starts with the following specifications: Intel Core i7-4720HQ Quad Core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 16GB RAM, Microsoft Windows 8.1, 128 to 512GB SSD options, and a 14" IGZO QHD+ (3200x1800) screen. Prices start at $2,199.

Meanwhile, the Full HD Model has the following specifications: Intel Core i7-4720HQ Quad Core CPU, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, and 14" IPS Full HD (1920x1080) screen. Prices start at $1,999.

While Uber continues to dominate the industry, it is still facing a very uphill battle with its various lawsuits, bans, privacy issues, bad PR and reports of even sabotaging competitors. This hasn't stopped Google from reportedly developing a competitor to Uber.

Bloomberg is reporting that Google's Chief Legal Officer David Drummond has teased that the Mountain View-based search giant could be working on its own Uber alternative. Uber executives have reportedly seen screenshots of a new ride-sharing application that Google is working on, something that is currently in use by select Google employees.

What better way to compete with Uber than with its own self-driving autonomous cars, that you could book through your smartphone? This could be the future, but there will be various legal problems Google (and other companies) will need to sort out. But for now, Google could unveil an Uber-like service, eventually replacing it with a fleet of autonomous vehicles.

We know that AMD is currently preparing the launch of the Radeon R9 300 series, but between now and then what to add-in board (AIB) partners do? Do they continue ordering Radeon R9 290X, R9 290 and other 200 series GPUs from AMD? Well, that's where we are today.

DigiTimes is reporting from a source close tro them that some of AMD's AIB partners are reducing orders for current-gen Radeon GPUs as there is growing anticipation for the next-gen from AMD, as well as citing reduced demand for Radeon R9 200 series cards. DigiTimes has said: "Since AMD is already planning to unveil its next-generation GPUs in the second half, the sources believe the GPU vendor will have a chance to regain some of its lost market share in the second half of 2015".

The bigger tease is that AMD would reportedly launch its Radeon R9 380X as early as late this month, or early March according to VideoCardz. We might not see that happen, but with less Radeon R9 200 series cards on shelves around the world, AMD could surprise NVIDIA and the world by capitalizing on the GeForce GTX 970 VRAM issues.