Latest News - Page 2746

A bigger chest, double-sized triceps and a super-sized 'package', it seems that even 'The Biebs' isn't safe when it comes to Photoshop. There have been images leaked from the recent Calvin Klein #mycalvins photo shoot, showing that Justin Bieber has received some rather extensive electronic upgrades.

The untouched photos were released by Breathe Heavy and depict Bieber looking rather flat and certainly not the picturesque model that many teenage girls worldwide picture in their heads.

Unfortunately for Breathe Heavy, their website is now down - either thanks to a crazy onslaught of hits or possibly due to a heavy pending lawsuit by Bieber's lawyers.

When Markus "Notch" Persson purchased his $70 million house not too long ago, snatching the property from the hands of Jay-Z and Beyonce, most didn't know that a housewarming would be this close - but come on, it was going to happen.

Well, Notch flew back to his new home to host a massive housewarming party, bringing in some of the biggest names in the industry. John "Daikatana" Romero and his partner Brenda were in attendance, as was Tim Schafer, ex-Infinity Ward and now Respawn Entertainment boss Vince Zampella, former Blizzard CCO Rob Pardo, and many more. Gamers were in attendance, celebrities (including Selena Gomez) and producer/DJ Zedd.

Ever been frustrated at your power nap that's turned sour? Sometimes you'll lie down for a quick 15 minute snooze and end up waking 3 hours later feeling much worse than you did previously. We've been contacted by Phase4 Mobile and they claim to have a solution.

Their Power Nap HQ iOS application can be used on Apple iPhone and iPod Touch systems and is designed to prevent you from napping for too long - said to ensure you always wake up fresh and alert. According to their latest information release, the Power Nap HQ works by using "proprietary algorithms to monitor and track your sleep, waking you up at just the right moment." There's some other cool features mentioned, like "after your nap you can view your nap profile on a graph and even compare it to your previous naps."

If you're worried about screeching alarms, this app claims to capture "the loudest sound during your nap and wakes you gently with beautiful natural sounds from around the world."

It was only a few hours ago now that we reported the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V on the PC was delayed, but it was the PC requirements that caught my eye.

The biggest point of GTA V on the PC is that it requires a huge 65GB of free HDD space. Yes, 65GB! Most will shout back that HDDs are cheap these days, but SSDs aren't. Sure, SSDs are definitely cheaper than they used to be, but they still aren't cheap enough where you can just throw 65GB installations of games - and not just one, but multiple - without worrying.

On top of that, you'll need a quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM minimum with 8GB of RAM recommended, and modest GPU requirements. The HDD space is definitely a shocker, with even the biggest game installations on PC maxing out at around 50GB these days.

International toy conglomerate Hasbro, having previously mined the 'Transformers' and 'Battleship' franchises for feature films have licensed out their 'Monopoly' property to producer Randall Emmett, who plans to move forward this year on a feature film adaptation of the classic board game.

Likened to a modern day 'Goonies', Emmett describes the film's script to Collider as a perfect analogy to what Monopoly will hopefully be. There is a treasure map... It's a family adventure film" before continuing "We really spent a lot of time on the script really trying to create family fun for everybody."

Announcements, such as the cast and a director are expected to be made next month, but the films release shouldn't be expected before 2016.

Restaurant chain TGI Fridays is deploying tablets to restaurants nationwide, allowing customers to pay with their debit or credit card directly at their table. The Dell tablets run Microsoft Windows 8.1 and the Oracle MICROS system to help servers take orders in a fast, efficient manner.

Based on a six-city pilot trial of the tablets, average per-person orders increased, along with server tips, according to the company.

"We obviously believe it's fairly crucial," said Tripp Sessions, VP and CIO of TGI Fridays, in a statement made to CNBC. "Based on results we're getting in, we think it's going to make big improvement to our bottom line."

We heard that NVIDIA were preparing for the launch of its mid-range GeForce GTX 960 last month, and just recently the rumor of a buy-it-now price of $199 was teased. Now here we are, with actual box shots of various cards from NVIDIA's add-in-board (AIB) partners, such as GIGABYTE and Inno3D.

The first one, pictured above, is of the GIGABYTE G1 Gaming 'Super Overclock' GTX 960, which uses its impressive WindForce cooling setup and 2GB of RAM.

Next up, we have two cards from Inno3D; the iChill GeForce GTX 960 Ultra, and the GeForce GTX 960 OC. The Ultra variant rocks an insane cooling setup, featuring the HerculeZ X3 cooler. We have a clock speed of 1178MHz, while the memory is at 7010MHz effective. This provides memory bandwidth of 112GB/sec, on its 2GB of frame buffer.

Microsoft has won an Emmy Award for Television Enhancement Devices, as the Xbox One captured the award during the 66th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards last week during CES. The Xbox One has a number of different apps supporting streaming video, premium content channels, and other video services.

In addition to CD, DVD and Blu-ray disc playback and apps, Microsoft included MKV and DLNA support, so downloaded videos are supported - and features an Interactive TV Guide.

"Microsoft is in good company with the likes of fellow award recipients Apple, Roku, Sony, and TiVo, and we're proud to be awarded this honor by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences," Microsoft said in a blog post.

If there anyone who likes GPU rumors, it's me. The latest reports are suggesting that AMD might make a huge leap with its new Radeon R9 300 series, which should make use of the new High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), but more interestingly, it is based on a 2.5D design, and will use up to 300W of power.

The news is coming from the LinkedIn profile of Linglan Zhang, who is currently employed by AMD as the System Architecture Manager. His profile lists that he is working on a new GPU SOC chip that uses the 2.5D design, and rocks a TDP of 300W. We should expect the new GPUs from AMD to be made on the 28nm architecture, since the 16nm and 20nm die shrinks are now at least six months or more away - from both AMD, and NVIDIA.

Comparing GDDR5 against HBM is something that people need to start really looking at, as the I/O per chip on GDDR5 is just 32-bit, while the 4-Hi HBM 'Stacked DRAM' pumps things up to a huge 1024-bit. Max bandwidth per min on GDDR5 is just 7Gbps, while HBM sits at 1GBps. The max bandwidth of GDDR5 sits at 28Gbps, while the HBM technology can scale between 64Gbps and 256Gbps.

Verizon today unveiled its Verizon Vehicle service during the North American Auto Show in Detroit, helping unconnected cars become connected. The service is available to almost 9,000 models, any vehicle from 1996 or later, available regardless of mobile service provider.

The technology works when an OBD reader is plugged into a vehicle's onboard diagnostic port, with a two-way Bluetooth speaker located inside the cab of the vehicle. Once installed, drivers have access to a mobile app that allows for emergency aid requests, diagnosing mechanical problems, and dispatching a tow truck if mechanical failure occurs.

"Verizon Vehicle is a unique and truly holistic aftermarket solution available to over 200 million vehicles on the road today," said Erik Goldman, president of Verizon Telematics, in a press release. "It affords millions of drivers the power of knowing when things aren't working well, potentially before a breakdown occurs - fostering a safer, smarter and more economical way to drive and maintain a vehicle. And while even the best technology can't prevent every breakdown, the service modernizes the traditional roadside assistance offerings which, for the most part, haven't been updated in 50 years."

The US Central Command Twitter and YouTube accounts were compromised on Monday morning, with hackers posting threatening messages and officer contact information. CENTCOM servers and classified data remained intact, and the FBI and Department of Defense (DoD) are now investigating the issue. If nothing else, this is a rather embarrassing issue for the US military, as cybersecurity protocols are being taken more seriously.

"It's embarrassing as all get-out for CENTCOM," said Matthew Aid, a cybersecurity specialist, in a statement to the USA Today. "It looks like rather low-level classified documents. They came off a protected network. Regardless of the low level of sensitivity, the fact that it was done should scare the crap out of people."

However, CENTCOM officials note that the account's username and password were compromised, but its networks were not breached in the incident: "This is little more, in our view, than a cyber-prank," said Army Col. Steve Warren, a spokesman for the Pentagon. "It's an annoyance. We wish it wouldn't happen because we have to spend our time on it. But in no way compromises our operations in any way shape or form."

Fitness trackers grabbed headlines throughout 2014, but with 42 percent of owners leaving behind their wearable devices in the first six months, smartwatches have a great opportunity to pick up the slack.

"The best way to engage athletes interested in using wearable technology is to provide them with applications and devices that target their specific, and often sophisticated needs that can be measured and used to improve performance," said Matt Powell, VP of industry analysis of sports and leisure trends at The NPD Group, in a blog post. "For example, a tennis player might want to measure lateral quickness and backhand speed, while a golfer might want to measure posture, stance and hand speed."

As wearable technology continues to evolve, and more consumers become aware of features and functionality, there are unique sales opportunities available. However, it's up to OEMs and app developers to entice owners to continue using their wearable products, otherwise it could end up being a fruitless effort.

Connected products powered by the Internet of Things (IoT) took over the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week, and that momentum will only continue, industry analysts predict.

IoT product providers will need to ensure services and connectivity to power these "things" are secure, with proper bandwidth to ensure they function normally. Looking ahead, IoT growth is expected to create upswings in Internet traffic and IP address consumption, according to Akamai Technologies.

However, it's now up to manufacturers and supporters to show why connected technology can impact the lives of consumers on a daily basis - and offer products that aren't overly difficult to use.

Storj is working to provide decentralized cloud storage in a gambit to provide a network free from censorship and monitoring. The key to this concept is for a peer-to-peer network to allow users to store their data on other people's computers in a distributed manner. This isn't exactly breaking the mold. Peer-to-peer cloud storage networks, such as Symform, have been around for years. However, Symform requires users to donate their own capacity in order to join the network, while Storj is offering to just buy spare capacity from anyone.

Storj has already raised roughly $215,000 through crowdfunding, but the donations were in Bitcoins, so that amount is subject to price variations. Renting out free drive space is purportedly easy, the person renting space simply installs software that receives files that have been split into easily digestible encrypted chunks. Data is then stored from other computers on the network, and is distributed in a parity-like scheme across multiple locations to provide access even if one user drops off the network.

Unfortunately, there are a slew of reasons to be skeptical of just renting out your free drive space. First, in order to receive payment the the HDD landlord has to cash out the payments in Storjcoin X, a digital currency similar to Bitcoin. Storjcoin's can be traded for cold hard cash, but noting the growing pains of several other digital currencies, HDD landlords may find it hard to get a reliable amount when converting the coins to cash. And thats just the tip of the storage iceberg.

President Barack Obama wants cybersecurity to have a more prominent role among companies and federal agencies, including cybersecurity information sharing. As part of the proposal, Obama wants streamlined threat intelligence sharing between the private sector and government agencies.

In addition, Obama wants to disrupt botnet operators - including the sale or rental of botnets for criminal use - to be investigated, disrupted and prosecuted by federal courts.

Obama yesterday announced an updated proposal so national data breach reporting is modified following a cyberattack and data breach. Instead of a mix of state laws, a single federal statute would be created, so businesses better understand their responsibilities while informing customers.

The PC version of Grand Theft Auto V has been delayed from January 27 until March 24, Rockstar Games confirmed on Tuesday morning. When the game finally does launch for the PC, there will be a customized GTA Online mode available, so gamers will be able to compete in online competitions against one another.

"Our apologies for the slight shift in the date but the game requires a few extra weeks of testing and polish to make it as good as can be," Rockstar Games noted in a statement. "Moving a release date is never a decision we take lightly and is a choice we make only when we know it is in the best interests of the game and our fans. Thanks everyone for your understanding and we assure you these few extra weeks will be worth it when the game does arrive in March."

The Microsoft Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game were released in September, and recently updated for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 gamers.

The number 13 is bad luck, again, as Microsoft is ending free support for Windows 7 today, the 13th of January. Speaking of bad luck, Microsoft is hoping the end of free support for Windows 7 will speed the transition to Windows 8, which has been rejected by discerning users worldwide. Thankfully for Microsoft, Windows 10 is on the horizon. Windows 10 is slated to be released later this year.

The end of free support also means that no new features will be added, so dont expect any further service packs in the future. Windows 7 sold over 100 million units in the initial six months of availability in 2009, largely due to customer dissatisfaction with the notoriously buggy Vista. Many are speculating that sales of Windows 10 will also be propelled by user distaste with Windows 8. Windows 7 has been truly successful for Microsoft, and it powers roughly half of the world's computers.

Microsoft continues to experience boom/bust cycles, with every other operating system revision appearing to be the one to buy. Microsoft's failed bid to create one operating system for all devices created a confusing environment for the majority of users. With many of the previously successful features reappearing in Windows 10, such as the start button and menus, it should be well received. Microsoft has also been offering the latest operating systems at much more reasonable price points, which should help foster widespread adoption of Windows 10.

Greenliant is introducing their new G7100 Series G-card, a high-capacity NVMe SSD that leverages an array of NANDrive SSDs in a PCIe form factor. Each NANDrive is it's own entity with its own embedded controller and ECC capability. This creates a scalable architecture that offers up to 2.75TB of storage.

The use of a distributed architecture provides built-in RAID functionality, which increases speed and improves reliability. Greenliant claims the new card offers an Uncorrectable Bit Error Rate (UBER) of 1 sector per 10E28, which is orders of magnitude higher than competing solutions. The G-card also features host power loss protection, and utilizes standard MLC NAND to deliver 10 Drive Writes Per Day (DWPD) of endurance. Speeds and feeds indicate the G-card won't set any performance records, but is geared more for reliability and an economical price point. The G-Card features 875 MB/s of sequential read speed, and 850 MB/s for sequential write. Random 4k reads weigh in at 130,000 IOPS, and random writes are 60,000 IOPS.

The card connects via the PCIe 2.0 connection at x4, and features a five-year warranty. The G-card is also bootable on multiple platforms.

What seemed to be a clever idea backfired on a man from Hong Kong. Chinese customs officials intercepted a Hong Kong man at the border with 94 iPhones, valued at over $49,000 (300,000 yuan), strapped to his body with tape and plastic. The event unfolded at the Futian crossing into Shenzhen as the man walked with two shopping bags. His labored breathing indicated he was bearing a heavy load, but after a cursory inspection officials determined there wasn't anything significant in his bags. A quick pass through a metal detector and customs officials found the culprit.

The man had a total of 94 iPhone 6 and iPhone 5S models strapped across his thighs, crotch, and body. iPhones are undoubtedly popular, many wait in line for days and pay exorbitant amounts of money for hard-to-find models around the globe. In Mainland China they also enjoy robust sales, with over 1 million iPhone and iPhone 6 units sold in six hours during the launch. This leads one to wonder just why they would be smuggling them when they are publicly available. It all boils down to taxes. Higher import taxes in Mainland China have driven a bustling electronics smuggling trade from Hong Kong. Since December alone, over 18 phone mules have been intercepted with over 282 iPhones, among other electronic goods.

There is no word on the fate of the unidentified phone mule, but he is currently being detained for questioning. It is reported that he has several smuggling incidents 'under his belt' already, so he will likely face prison time.

Although there is nothing official regarding General Motors and Google working together regarding autonomous vehicles, it's something GM would be interested in hearing more about. Google will take the stage later this week at the Detroit auto show, calling for potential automaker partners to work with.

"I'm not in charge of deciding what we will and won't do, but I'd say we'd certainly be open to having a discussion with them," said Jon Lauckner, chief technology officer of GM, speaking to Reuters. "You have to figure out how would something like that actually work? Would it be something where it would be an opportunity to work together in a joint development agreement?"

Self-driving technology, whether semi-autonomous or fully-autonomous, will only increase in upcoming years - receiving a larger amount of dedicated research.