Latest News - Page 2840

There have been rumors that Google would nix its Nexus program, replacing it with Android Silver - a premium Android lineup of devices. But, according to the Head of Android Engineering, Dave Burke, the Nexus program isn't going anywhere.

Burke said: "People have been commenting about Nexus because there is something else and they think that means the end of Nexus. That is the totally wrong conclusion to make". When it comes to the talk about Android Silver, Burke's leaps are sealed: "Android Silver is not something that we are commenting on right now. But the prospect of Silver doesn't mean that Nexus is going away".

Project Tango is one of the more impressive concept technologies that Google has shown off in the recent years, but now we know that the technology is coming to consumers, next year.

Google is working with LG on Project Tango for consumers, another team up with the South Korean giant - the makers of the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 smartphones. Google and LG haven't given an exact date as to when we should expect Project Tango next year, but it'll be interesting to see how it arrives to us, and what services and apps it will work with. Maybe we'll see it work with Google Cardboard for some uber-realistic VR and AR content.

Creative Assembly's awesomely scary Alien: Isolation is coming out for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4 and PC later this year, but the studio has announced that the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game will run at 1080p.

As for the frame rate, that will be "pretty compatible" On both consoles. Creative Assembly Lead Game Designer, Gary Napper, talked with OXM where he said: "When I think about working on the game, it's almost platform agnostic because I only think about the differences between platforms and the different mechanics we can use, like the light on the PS4 pad and the stuff with Kinect 2.0. So I think with framerate it's pretty comparable. There's no noticeable drop or change in graphics between them. Obviously there are a lot more options to tweak and scale up on the PC".

We've heard studios talking up the PC version of their games before, so I hope that Creative Assembly keep to their word and truly a truly next-generation game on PC - without watering down or gimping the graphics on the much more powerful PC platform. Alien: Isolation will be providing scares in virtual reality with Oculus Rift support, something I can't wait to try out myself.

We reported a few days ago now that Crytek was beginning to walk into some trouble, with developers not flocking to its CryEngine for game development. But now there's multiple outlets reporting that the developer behind Crysis is in a spot of bother over not paying its employees on time.

The developer hasn't been paying its employees on time for a few months now, with multiple games being cancelled, some of which were original prototypes, and even the sequel to the Xbox One exclusive, Ryse. Current and former employees of Crytek explain that the company has a tense, unstable environment which stems from poor communication and a number of high-level staff leading the company's studios in both Britain and Germany. One employee has said that over 100 people have left the company since March.

Crytek has reportedly been experiencing some issues for quite a while now - personally, ever since it shifted focus to consoles over pushing graphical boundaries with CryEngine and Crysis on PC - with multiple contracts cut from the company. Crytek is a privately owned company, so when it loses a multi-million-dollar contract, it hurts, a lot.

Allen Lockser, 21, faces 11 felony computer fraud charges after allegedly accessing student accounts, though didn't compromise any personal information. However, he reportedly submitted quizzes and deleted submitted homework assignments from the school network, first gaining access by trying random passwords until he was successful.

Lockser is accused of hacking into 20 student accounts on Canvas, the Pasco-Hernando State College online portal, which is used for submitting homework assignments and assessments. He was easy to track because he used the static IP address at his home, so sheriff's deputies were able to quickly identify him.

The school boosted security and students must now use passwords with a combination of letters, numbers and special characters. In addition to criminal charges, Lockser will also face a school disciplinary inquiry. After being arrested for his charges, Lockser was booked and later released on $1,100 bail.

We just reported about the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 launching in both 32GB and 64GB variants in September, but if you're after 128GB of on-board flash storage, you'll need to upgrade to the bigger 5.5-inch version of the iPhone 6.

Chinese site Wei Feng is reporting that the 128GB variant will only be baked onto the 5.5-inch version of the iPhone 6. This is going to be the big point between the two new iPhone 6 models, with the 4.7-inch model coming with a smaller screen and smaller on-board storage options, but for those who have a requirement of everything bigger, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will have an option of 128GB.

We should expect Apple to launch the new 5.5-inch iPhone 6 alongside the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 in a few months time.

A new project has hit Steam Greenlight, ramping up from #69 on the list to #9 very rapidly thanks to its popularity online - Rock Simulator. Yes, we're not joking - a game, about rocks.

Rock Simulator is sitting on Steam Greenlight, and according to its makers, it's "a genuine rock simulator". The introduction explains: "For a long time, there has been one game missing from the market. This simulator is a rock enthusiasts dream. You can watch beautiful rocks in any location in the world. From grass plains to salt flats, there are dozens of hand designed BEAUTIFUL environments".

You can check out Rock Simulator right here.

Web company Opera Software has teamed up with Russian Internet company Yandex and Turkish wireless carrier Avea to give away 100,000 weeks of free Internet. The summer celebration will give away one week of free mobile Internet access each, so Opera Mini users on the Avea network will be able to snag their free service.

For Internet users interested, they simply need to be an Avea subscriber, launch Opera Mini, and click on the "web pass" option in Speed Dial. Opera Web Pass gives wireless users without a data plan the opportunity to access the Internet and other Web-based products using a time-metric system instead of megabytes/gigabytes.

"This offering, 100,000 weeks of free Internet to Avea's users, is a pretty exciting way to show what Opera's new web pass technology can offer to operators and adviters," said Jan Standal, Opera Software VP for Product Partnerships, in a statement. "With Opera Web Pass, the relevant ad is associated directly with something very positive - free Internet access. The reach of consumers on Opera Mini is large, about 250 million consumers use Opera Mini every month, and Opera Software works with more than 130 operators on various projects around the world."

The Pony Loader malware has been updated to v2.0 and has nasty new tricks to help compromise users and steal bitcoins. The updated version is able to compromise a large group of different cryptocurrency wallets, including Litecoin, Namecoin, Terracoin, Goldcoin, Junkcoin, and Anoncoin.

To counter this new malware threat, it's recommend users update to the newest bitcoin client, which gives users a way to encrypt private keys with passphrases.

"Given the capability to steal stored credentials from a wide variety of software, users should consider storing their passwords and bitcoin private keys using these programs risky," said Isaac Palmer, Damballa malware reserve engineer, in a blog post.

Google I/O 2014 - There's a meme here, surely? I don't always order pizza, but when I do, it's from my smartwatch. Well, Google did just that at Google I/O when it showed off the Moto 360 smartwatch.

The Moto 360 smartwatch is powered by Google's upcoming Android Wear OS, which has some nifty tricks up its sleeve. Whenever you update an application on your smartphone, the smartwatch will update the counterpart app on your smartphone. But ordering a pizza from what your watch? Now that is something I've never seen before.

The Moto 360 will be available for sale later in the summer, but Google also took the time at the event to announce that LG's G Watch will be available to order later today from the Play Store.

Apple rumors float around the web constantly and a new one has turned up this week. This rumor claims that one of the differentiating features between the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 and the smaller version of the phone will be optical image stabilization (OIS) for the camera. The rumor comes from analysts at Pacific Crest Securities.

The cost premium for the OIS chip is said to be very small, in the area of $4 to $5, compared to a traditional autofocus solution. The smaller iPhone 6 is believed to have a 4.7-inch screen. OIS is able to reduce shake when an image is taken making the image clearer.

A number of smartphones on the market have OIS integrated into their cameras today. The analysts said: "We believe the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 smartphone camera will support optical image stabilization (OIS) and anticipate that it will represent one of several opportunities at Apple that will benefit InvenSense. In our analysis, we believe Apple chose to only include OIS camera technology in the larger iPhone 6 given that there is still a significant cost premium ($4 to $5) over standard auto focus solutions and that it provides a point of differentiation between the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the step-up model (5.5-inch)."

It looks like AMD is preparing itself a new GPU, the Hawaii XTX. Right now we have the Hawaii PRO, which is the Radeon R9 290, and the Hawaii XT, which arrives to us in the form of the high-end Radeon R9 290X.

The new Hawaii XTX will arrive in retail form as the Radeon R9 295X, and will feature the full 48 Compute Units - compared to the 40 on the R9 290 and 44 on the R9 290X. Better yet, there will be 3072 cores, this is an increase from the 2816 cores found on the already fast R9 290X. When it comes to TMUs, this will be increased from the 176 on the 290X to 192 on the 295X. The ROP count will stay at 64.

The question now sits with pricing - will AMD be competitive, because these specs will allow the company to compete directly with the GeForce GTX TITAN BLACK Edition, as well as the GTX 780 Ti. Because of the increased specs, we should expect the Radeon R9 295X to arrive with custom cooling from AMD's various partners in SAPPHIRE, MSI, and more.

Micron is planning for the near-future by preparing a 'Hybrid Memory Cube' that will provide 15 times more bandwidth compared to traditional DDR3 memory sticks that you get today. Even with the newer DDR4 implementation, like the one in Japan retail shelves, the HMC is still going to provide fives times more bandwidth.

Along with the bandwidth boost, the new memory type will also draw 70 percent lesser energy. Micron plans to achieve this by stacking memory as stacked chips using a connection type called 'Through Silicon Via'. That said, the memory will be required to be soldered on the motherboard near the CPU.

HMC will also have other features that are not present in DIMM-type DDR implementations. These include debug, more error correction features and also have logic layers.

With the Oculus Rift taking most of the VR glory right now, even before we have a consumer edition in our hands, it's hard to get noticed in the world if you're a VR headset. Well, that's not the case for BlackRock VR, which just announced the Horizon V - the "world's first true 4K virtual reality headset".

The 4K Horizon V uses dual 7-inch 4K low-persistance OLED panels, which will take up 96% of your eye's FOV, which according to BlackRock will take "over the brain's neuro-optical system". The dual 4K displays will be pumping out over 8 million pixels of content to your eyes, with a massive 629PPI for crystal clear VR.

Better yet, the Horizon V will feature dual 4K front-mounted pass-thru cameras. These two cameras are activated by pressing the one-click "X-vision" button that is found on the top of the VR HMD, allowing you to see the world in front of you in 4K 3D. The Horizon V has a 17-point motion-tracking system, a proprietary system called V-motion. This will work well with the low-persistance screen, as there will be no ghosting, motion blur or motion sickness according to BlackRock.

Wolfenstein: The New Order was a smash hit for Machine Games, and while the company hasn't announced a sequel to the first-person shooter, it is already plotting the sequel to the game.

Machines Games' Creative Director, Jens Matthies talked with Giant Bomb earlier in the week, where he said: "We would love to do a sequel. We have a very, very clear idea of what we accomplished with this game, and what we want to accomplish with a sequel". Matthies explained that the studio will focus on the pre-production side of things if it ends up working on a Wolfenstein sequel.

He continued: "[B]ecause these projects are so long in terms of development -- this was three-and-a-half years for [The New Order] -- and given how long it takes to make a game these days, this kind of game, and whenever you design in terms of preproduction, what becomes the plan for all of those years, has to be a flawlessly polished diamond," he explained. "If it isn't, you end up paying for that further down the line. You have to react to it, change, and do stuff".

Carbon Design Group, the company that helped make the Xbox 360 controller (and its transforming d-pad) and the Kinect for Microsoft, has been acquired by Oculus VR. Better yet, Oculus VR has said that it has been working with Carbon "for nearly a year on multiple unannounced projects".

Oculus VR said on its website: "We're thrilled to announce that we've agreed to acquire the Carbon Design team, one of the premier industrial design and product engineering teams in the country, with over 50 awards to their name. As part of the deal, the team will officially become a key component of the product engineering group at Oculus, operating from the Carbon studio in the Seattle area. They'll also be working closely with the Oculus R&D team based out of Redmond".

Carbon Design Group has been in business for over 20 years, and in that time has been a product design and development consultancy firm that has developed consumer, industrial and medical products for companies all across the world. Carbon hasn't just been working on video game consumer electronics, it has helped design computer mice, air purifiers, medical imaging equipment and much more.

If you don't want to know about any leaks to The Witcher 3, you've been warned. From here on out, do not read this post. Eurogamer is reporting that someone has hacked the Google Drive account of a CD Projkect Red employee, which was then shared around on the Internet on sites like 4chan and Reddit.

The hacker gained access to screenshots from the game, concept art, but most of all - design documents which go into detail about The Witcher 3's setting, story, and even its endings. CD Projekt Red talked with Eurogamer, with its Manager, Michal Platkow-Gilewski admitting that the leak took place, and "strong advised" people to not access the files if they don't want the game to be spoiled.

Platkow-Gilewski said that the leak doesn't affect the development of The Witcher 3, so we shouldn't expect any delays in its release - hopefully.

Google only just announced it was launching its Glass Explorer program in the UK, but now we have news that the Mountain View-based search giant has refreshed the hardware in its Glass headset.

Glass now features 2GB of RAM, double the RAM from its previous iteration. The company has been pushing out constant software enhancements that have been slowly increasing battery life, but the refreshed Glass headset also sports a slightly larger battery. Google says that with the blend of software enhancements and the increased battery, we should expect an additional 15% charge on Glass.

The extra RAM on the other hand, according to Glass' Product Manager, Steve Lee, "will allow for more Glassware [apps] to run in parallel and for each Glassware to start more quickly. You'll notice the device generally feels a bit faster and more reliable". The new software baked into Glass will pave the way for a voice-activated viewfinder that will help users frame photos better - something that has been needed since Glass was released.

A campaign group is seeking to turn the island of Jersey, just off the coast of Normandy, into the most welcoming location for Bitcoin in the world.

Although it's already possible to use the cryptocurrency in a smattering of places around the web and in the physical realm, it's not quite widespread yet. Now bit.coin.je, a new industry body, is hoping to turn Jersey into a "Bitcoin Isle". Jersey is famous as a hotspot for offshore banking, and in a blog post, the group said it is now working with the Channel Islands Information Security Forum to explore how the cryptocurrency can augment this.

In a statement, the CIISF's chairman Matt Palmer said: "Cryptocurrencies are much misunderstood but have the potential to revolutionize the financial system," before adding that currencies such as Bitcoin "could well underpin the future of offshore finance centers."

Almost half of public and private sector organisations in Europe are actively blocking people's access to their own personal data, which is against European law.

A study, which was part of the IRISS - Increasing Resilience in Surveillance Societies - project examined 184 public and private sector groups across 10 European countries. The requests included paper, digital and CCTV records, according to Engineering and Technology Magazine. Of the requests made, 43 percent were not fulfilled or a legitimate reason was not provided for the lack of disclosure. Over half of all cases - at 56 percent - found no legally compliant response at all over third party data sharing.

"We are selectively marketed to, our locations are tracked by CCTV and automated licence plate recognition systems and our online behavior is monitored, analysed, stored and used," said Professor Clive Norris, of the University of Sheffield. "The challenge for all of us is that our information is often kept from us, despite the law and despite our best efforts to access it."