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ReportTT: Google to announce music-streaming service at this year's I/O event

Trace Hagan | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | May 14, 2013 11:31 PM CDT

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Google will unveil a music-streaming service at this year's Google I/O. The event, which kicks off tomorrow, will reportedly focus on services instead of hardware, which would tie in nicely with a new music-streaming service.

Google already offers a music product, but it requires users upload their own music to stream or buy new songs. This new service would be more like Spotify's offering. According to people familiar with the matter, Google has already signed deals with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and Warner Music Group. These deals will allow unlimited streaming of certain libraries for a fee.

It's not clear what the fee would be, though it would have to be competitive with current offerings. This means we could expect the fee to be less than $10 for unlimited streaming on any device.

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Continue reading: ReportTT: Google to announce music-streaming service at this year's I/O event (full post)

Apple sued over iPhone 4 power button, lawsuit claims power button was defective

Trace Hagan | Business, Financial & Legal | May 14, 2013 10:31 PM CDT

Apple has been sued over allegations that the power flex cable in the iPhone 4 was defective. According to the lawsuit, Apple decided not to disclose this defect in order to sell more units. Debra Hilton has filed a class action lawsuit in San Jose, California on behalf of iPhone 4 purchasers. The lawsuit demands over $5 million from Apple.

As evidence for the lawsuit, Hilton cites posts on Apple's own forums, in which users have complained about the power button. Hilton also provides a YouTube video explaining how to repair the button and comments made by a self-described iPhone repairman that assert the power button is a common issue on the iPhone 4.

Apple has not yet commented on the lawsuit.

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Say hello to Nokia's new Lumia 925, a thinned down, aluminum clad Windows Phone 8 device

Trace Hagan | Mobile Devices | May 14, 2013 7:33 PM CDT

Nokia made the Lumia 925 official today at an event in London. The Lumia 925 is an updated Lumia 920 and is one of Nokia's first devices to feature an aluminum shell. This is a marked improvement in durability and tangible feel. Aluminum makes the device feel so much more like a premium device.

The screen is a 4.5-inch AMOLED display capable of a 1,280x768 resolution. It's covered in Gorilla Glass 2 to protect from scratches. The camera is 8.7MP, as rumors suggested it would be, and is of the OIS variety. While the Lumia 925 doesn't come with a Xenon flash, it does feature software enhancements ssuch as Smart Cam, Best Shot, Action Shot, and Motion Focus.

The CPU is a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 clocked at 1.5GHz. This is the same CPU that was used in the older Lumia 920. It's coupled with 1GB of RAM and a 2,000mAh battery, both of which remain the same as the Lumia 920. The new device is thinner than the older Lumia 920, but lacks the wireless charging capabilities of the older device.

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Continue reading: Say hello to Nokia's new Lumia 925, a thinned down, aluminum clad Windows Phone 8 device (full post)

Kaspersky security software to be preloaded on Android devices powered by Snapdragon processors

Trace Hagan | Software & Apps | May 14, 2013 6:03 PM CDT

Thanks to a licensing deal with Qualcomm, makers of the mobile Snapdragon processors, Kaspersky security software will now come pre-installed on Android systems powered by a Snapdragon processor. This will, theoretically, help with Kaspersky's market share and hopefully help Kaspersky become a household name for Android security.

By itself, Kaspersky's apps normally retail for $15 and $20 for the smartphone and tablet version, respectively. Users are gaining this software for free, though some may not like the idea of more pre-loaded apps on devices that already have limited storage space.

Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Labs:

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Continue reading: Kaspersky security software to be preloaded on Android devices powered by Snapdragon processors (full post)

ASRock's Z87 Extreme9/ac is first Intel 8 Series motherboard to receive Thunderbolt certification

Trace Hagan | Motherboards | May 14, 2013 5:03 PM CDT

ASRock has announced that their top-of-the-line Z87 Extreme9/ac is the first Intel 8 Series motherboard to be awarded Thunderbolt certification from Intel. The Z87 Extreme9/ac is ASRock's highest performance motherboard designed for Intel's upcoming Haswell CPU's.

We expect to see the Z87 Extreme9/ac at Computex during the first part of June. It, along with Intel's Haswell CPU's, should be one of the main highlights of the show.

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Continue reading: ASRock's Z87 Extreme9/ac is first Intel 8 Series motherboard to receive Thunderbolt certification (full post)

Man flies drone over neighbor's property, appears to have been spying in 3rd-story window

Trace Hagan | Drones | May 14, 2013 5:06 AM CDT

It's often said that laws can't keep up with modern technology. Interestingly enough, this phrase has been used a lot lately in conjunction with drones, specifically in regards to whether or not they should be allowed to fly over US soil. The US government apparently isn't the only interested group in using drones.

A resident in Seattle, WA tells CHS:

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Continue reading: Man flies drone over neighbor's property, appears to have been spying in 3rd-story window (full post)

Google hides Easter egg in image search, play Atari's Breakout with pictures of Breakout

Trace Hagan | Internet & Websites | May 14, 2013 1:34 AM CDT

Google is well-known for hiding Easter eggs in its search engine. For instance, typing "do a barrel" into the all-knowing Google search bar will result in the whole web page doing a barrel roll. The latest Easter egg to be discovered celebrates Atari's classic game, Breakout.

To initialize the latest Easter egg, simply do a Google Image Search for "Atari Breakout." This will cause the game to start. Simply control the platform with your mouse to bounce the ball and destroy the pictures of, you guessed it, Breakout. Successfully beating that level will result in more levels generating with random pictures.

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Continue reading: Google hides Easter egg in image search, play Atari's Breakout with pictures of Breakout (full post)

Raspberry Pi camera module coming to UK on May 14

Trace Hagan | | May 13, 2013 11:31 PM CDT

Raspberry Pi's long-awaited camera module will be coming to the UK come May 14. While the price is still unknown, the small, yet still capable, camera module will be available from CPC/Farnell come May 14. CPC/Farnell has already invited users who signed up for info on the module on the Raspberry Pi forums to preorder the device tomorrow.

If the device can be ordered tomorrow, it's likely we will also know the final price. Current estimations put the price at $25, so we'll see if that holds true. The camera is capable of taking pictures 2592x1944 in resolution, 1080p video at 30 FPS, 720p video at 60FPS and VGA at 60 or 90 FPS. One of the modules has made it into the wild and you can see the video it took embedded below.

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Continue reading: Raspberry Pi camera module coming to UK on May 14 (full post)

Charity auction for coffee with Tim Cook currently at $605,000

Trace Hagan | Current Affairs | May 13, 2013 9:03 PM CDT

Who would have thought a charity auction for coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook would be worth so much. After all, the purchaser is only guaranteed 30 minutes, though it could end up being as long as 60. In fact, coffee with Tim Cook appears set to pass the previous charity auction record set by the auctioning off of a 2013 Lamborghini Aventador.

CharityBuzz CEO Coppy Holzman:

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Continue reading: Charity auction for coffee with Tim Cook currently at $605,000 (full post)

RumorTT: More possible specifications leak out for the Galaxy S4 Mini

Trace Hagan | Mobile Devices | May 13, 2013 7:07 PM CDT

We've been hearing that Samsung plans to release several variants of the popular Galaxy S4. One of the main variants that keeps popping up is the Galaxy S4 Mini, a smaller version of the S4 that is easier on the pockets and wallet. According to documents from Samsung and Korea Investment & Securities, the S4 Mini will be released in the next few weeks.

According to the documents, the S4 Mini will feature a 1.6GHz dual-core Exynos 5210 coupled with 1GB of RAM for 3G devices and 2GB of RAM for LTE devices. It will feature 32GB of internal storage, Android 4.0, and a 4.3-inch qHD(540x960) Super AMOLED screen. The camera is said to be an 8MP sensor and battery capacity is pegged at 2,100mAh.

For now, this remains a rumor as nothing official has been confirmed. As with all rumors, take this with a grain of salt. However, the details look to be about right for the S4 Mini.

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New head of Android says Google I/O will be about services this year, not devices or operating systems

Anthony Garreffa | Trade Shows | May 13, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Sundar Pichai, the new head of Android, has said that Google will focus on "all of the kinds of things we're doing for developers" at Google I/O this year. During an interview with Wired, the head of Android, who is also at the wheel of Chrome, has said that now isn't the time that Google has "much in the way of launches of new products or a new operating system".

Pichai talked about a bunch of subjects, touching on Android updates, Google's relationship with Samsung, Facebook Home and the challenges of managing two operating systems:

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Continue reading: New head of Android says Google I/O will be about services this year, not devices or operating systems (full post)

Samsung to deploy 5G network by 2020, will be capable of 1.25GB/sec

Anthony Garreffa | Connectivity & Cloud | May 12, 2013 11:32 PM CDT

I'm not even enjoying 4G yet, and all I keep hearing is talk of a 5G network being deployed within the next decade. Samsung are behind the new talks, with an under-development wireless network to be capable of giving users the speed to stream data faster than ever dreamed before, even from current wired networks.

You might want to sit down to hear this, but Samsung's 5G network will be capable of 10 gigabits per second, giving users download speeds of around 1.25GB/sec. Considering 4G LTE provides around 75 megabits per second, or around 9.375MB/sec, it is a gigantic leap that can't be frowned upon. We're talking about downloading a Blu-ray movie in under one minute over your mobile Internet connection.

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Continue reading: Samsung to deploy 5G network by 2020, will be capable of 1.25GB/sec (full post)

Windows 8 may have 100 million licenses in the wild, but install base sits at an estimated 59 million

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | May 12, 2013 12:35 AM CDT

Microsoft may have sold 100 million licenses of Windows 8, but this doesn't mean that those licenses are all installed onto consumers' PCs. ComputerWorld talked with Patrick Moorhead, a principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, who estimates that the actual number of Windows 8 devices being used is closer to 59 million.

This is according to the most recent data from Net Applications shows that Windows 8 is being used on around 4.2% of all Windows PCs. There are over 70 million PCs in the wild still running Windows Vista, which is a number that needs to change.

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Continue reading: Windows 8 may have 100 million licenses in the wild, but install base sits at an estimated 59 million (full post)

We should expect Google Play Games to be announced at Google I/O

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | May 11, 2013 9:30 PM CDT

Google I/O is only days away, and the stream of teases isn't stopping anytime soon. Today, brings the news of Google Play Games, which has been seen in the just-updated Google Play Services that is being distributed around the place.

There's been teases of a game-related unveiling at Google I/O, but Android Police have done the detective work for us, showing off some game-related goodness. There are things such as leader boards and matchmaking services are activities that a future application can trigger, as well as achievements and invitations.

Google Play Games will intertwine with Google+, which will give it a nice social aspect, but is it enough? Can Google do it better than Apple's Game Center? Time will tell, and that time is getting shorter and shorter with Google I/O fast approaching.

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Continue reading: We should expect Google Play Games to be announced at Google I/O (full post)

Bang With Friends glitch includes link that will tell you which friends are looking for a bang

Anthony Garreffa | Software & Apps | May 10, 2013 9:37 PM CDT

There's a glitch to the discreet hookup app 'Bang With Friends', that lets you see which of your Facebook friends are looking for a bang. The big, huge, gaping hole of a problem here is that Bang With Friends is pushed as a silent, untraceable way of looking for a hookup.

Well, not for now - as there's a huge glitch letting you find out which friends are using the app. I used the glitch myself and thankfully, there's only one person on my Facebook list using the app, but there are many of you who might find this an interesting look, and maybe spread the word about the glitch so people know and can remove their accounts from BWF.

You can use this link here to find out which of your Facebook friends are using Bang With Friends. Remember, what is seen cannot be unseen.

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Continue reading: Bang With Friends glitch includes link that will tell you which friends are looking for a bang (full post)

Activision CEO warns PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 sales might start slow like Wii U

Trace Hagan | Business, Financial & Legal | May 10, 2013 7:06 PM CDT

During Activision's recent earnings call, CEO Bobby Kotick warned that the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 might suffer slow sales, much like the Wii U has been experiencing since its launch last November. Kotick adds that new competition from smartphones and tablets could play into customer demand.

It's worth noting that NVIDIA's upcoming Tegra 4 is capable of running games with graphics similar to those that the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 launched with. And with NVIDIA's Grid technology, those graphics can be improved to levels higher than the next-generation consoles are believed to be capable of.

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Continue reading: Activision CEO warns PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 sales might start slow like Wii U (full post)

Chrome and Chrome OS get Google Cloud Messaging

Trace Hagan | Software & Apps | May 10, 2013 5:01 PM CDT

Google has announced that Chrome and Chrome OS are getting Google Cloud Messaging. Cloud Messaging is Google's implementation of push notifications and allows notifications, updates, news, and other alerts to be sent to an app even when running in the background. It pushes the update rather than the app having to go out and check for updates.

Push notifications are commonplace in the mobile app world. It looks like they are finally crossing the divide and will start showing up in Chrome apps.

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Continue reading: Chrome and Chrome OS get Google Cloud Messaging (full post)

Corsair talks Haswell power supply compatibility

Trace Hagan | Cases, Cooling & PSU | May 10, 2013 2:31 PM CDT

Corsair has posted up a new blog post that discusses power supply compatibility with Intel's upcoming Haswell microarchitecture. The general gist of the blog post is that most of Corsair's power supplies are compatible, but it also delves into why certain power supplies might not be compatible.

For those readers who are interested, the list above is all of Corsair's compatible power supplies. As you can see, a large portion of Corsair's power supplies are compatible. But why is this important? Haswell's C7 sleep state drops power consumption by so much--down to as little as 0.05a--that some power supplies aren't compatible. Corsair explains:

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Continue reading: Corsair talks Haswell power supply compatibility (full post)

SpaceTT: Coolant leak on the International Space Station poses no threat to astronauts, says NASA

Charles Gantt | Science, Space, & Robotics | May 10, 2013 1:30 PM CDT

Yesterday, astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) discovered an ammonia leak in a coolant loop that cools the power system attached to one of the large solar arrays on the ISS. NASA officials say that the crew of six is in no danger and that this leak will most likely result in the array being shut down until the leak is fixed.

This same system has had leaks before, in 2007 a leak in the same spot was discovered, but was much smaller then and was such that it did not warrant an immediate repair. It was so small that the system was recharged with just eight pounds of ammonia in 2011 during a visit from the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Last November, an attempt to repair the leak was made during spacewalks made by NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and Japanese space flyer Akihiko Hoshide. The fix was only temporary though and now it has reared its ugly head again.

"It is a serious situation, but between crew and experts on the ground, it appears to have been stabilized. Tomorrow we find out for certain," space station commander Chris Hadfield of Canada wrote Thursday via Twitter, where he posts updates as @Cmdr_Hadfield.

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Continue reading: SpaceTT: Coolant leak on the International Space Station poses no threat to astronauts, says NASA (full post)

RumorTT: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom smart-camera shows up on Bluetooth SIG website

Charles Gantt | Cameras, Printers & Scanners | May 10, 2013 10:03 AM CDT

Samsung has submitted a new camera to the Bluetooth SIG group for Bluetooth 4.0 certification. Allegedly called the Galaxy S4 Zoom, it appears to be a new "smart-camera", like the previously released Galaxy Camera.

While it is listed on the Bluetooth SIG website as a "Samsung Mobile Phone", the 3G capable smart-camera focuses more on getting a good shot than making a phone call. Featuring 10x optical zoom and an imaging sensor of unknown size, it also includes a 4.3-inch qHD Super AMOLED touchscreen display.

Samsung has also packed in 8GB of internal storage and support for a micro-SD card. Despite all of the information that has been released, any images of the device have yet to surface, and there is also no information on what processor is used for image handling. If you believe the rumor mill, we should see an official launch in June.

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Continue reading: RumorTT: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom smart-camera shows up on Bluetooth SIG website (full post)

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