Plex media server app for Android gets a makeover, as well as media server capabilities

Charles Gantt | Software & Apps | Feb 12, 2013 10:38 AM CST

Plex is undisputedly one of the easiest to use media server apps available that is truly cross platform for all operating systems. Today users of Plex Media Server and its Android app will be able to upgrade to a completely overhauled UI and feature set.

Plex media server app for Android gets a makeover, as well as media server capabilities | TweakTown.com

Today a blog post by the Plex team has given us details on the new version. One minor hit, is the deletion of incompatibility for devices running Android 3.2 or earlier. Android users can expect to see a completely yet vaguely familiar UI along with some performance increases.

The new Android app also supports media server functionality, something that has been limited to Windows, OSX, Linux and NAS devices before now. This opens up a lot of opportunity to owners of Android set top boxes like the Pivos Xios DS, and even tablet owners who wish to stream their purchased movies to their TV's without the use of an HDMI cable.

Continue reading: Plex media server app for Android gets a makeover, as well as media server capabilities (full post)

Microsoft to launch premium interactive TV shows later this year

Anthony Garreffa | TV, Movies & Home Theatre | Feb 12, 2013 3:34 AM CST

It looks like we can expect premium interactive TV shows from Microsoft by the end of the year, where we'll see the new TV shows launch on their Xbox Live service. This is all according to a top executive from Microsoft during All Things Digital's Dive into Media conference, in Dana Point, California.

Microsoft to launch premium interactive TV shows later this year | TweakTown.com

Back in September 2012, Microsoft hired former CBS Network Television Entertainment Group president, Nancy Tellem, who would be responsible for a new production studio in LA and creating interactive content for the Xbox 360. We're now seeing the fruits of her labor, and the first things to grow from this seed.

We should expect the interactivity side of things to include Kinect compatibility, but it won't just be there to be 'cool', Tellem says "it has to be organic and a natural extension of what we are doing". She also declined to state just how much Microsoft are pumping into their original content, adding "we are certainly looking at a very robust content production schedule".

Continue reading: Microsoft to launch premium interactive TV shows later this year (full post)

Crytek wants to go all-in with free-to-play titles, will be there in a few years time

Anthony Garreffa | Gaming | Feb 12, 2013 1:31 AM CST

Crytek, the developer behind Crysis are no stranger to wanting to push free-to-play (F2P) titles, but it looks like we should expect the entire company to shift over to F2P titles in the next 3-5 years. Company CEO, Cevat Yerli told VentureBeat last week:

Crytek wants to go all-in with free-to-play titles, will be there in a few years time | TweakTown.com

We decided five or six years ago that we want to marry the quality of triple-A games with the business model of free-to-play, and out of that position, Gface and Warface were born. And at that time, we decided some other games, in some of our other studios, would head in this direction.

At the moment, F2P titles aren't anything to really write home about - sure, there are some great ones - but they don't compete with the likes of the big AAA games. Crytek on the other hand, is willing to throw big money at F2P titles, with production budgets of between $10 million and $30 million in order to help them actually compete on the AAA playing field.

Continue reading: Crytek wants to go all-in with free-to-play titles, will be there in a few years time (full post)

Google reportedly paying Apple $1 billion a year to be the default search engine on iOS

Anthony Garreffa | Internet & Websites | Feb 11, 2013 9:35 PM CST

Over the years, Google has forged their way into the english language, thanks to people saying "Google it" when asked a question. Well, it helps that iOS' default search engine is Google, but just how much does Google pay for this privilege?

Google reportedly paying Apple $1 billion a year to be the default search engine on iOS | TweakTown.com

Well, it looks like it could be as much as $1 billion per year. Scott Devitt from Morgan Stanley in a recent note to investors said "the next Google is Google", believing that the search giant's business has much more room to grow in expanding markets and subsidiaries such as YouTube could see as much as $20 billion generated by 2020.

Devitt estimated during the note that the Mountain View-based company could be paying Apple up to $1 billion per year to be their default search engine, with that figure set to expand over the coming years. Previous reports pegged the companies to be in a revenue sharing deal, but Devitt doesn't think this makes sense. He says that Apple would instead be much better off to do a fee per device agreement for the benefits of upfront payments and easier accounting.

Continue reading: Google reportedly paying Apple $1 billion a year to be the default search engine on iOS (full post)

Nokia is the top Windows Phone manufacturer, usage data says they have 75% of the market

Trace Hagan | Business, Financial & Legal | Feb 11, 2013 6:04 PM CST

Numbers from AdDuplex show that Nokia has roughly 75 percent of the Windows Phone market. AdDuplex's numbers are usage numbers from the company's ad network. While the numbers only come from 294 applications, which creates a fairly small and unreliable sample size, general questions, such as the top manufacturer, can be asked fairly reliably.

Nokia is the top Windows Phone manufacturer, usage data says they have 75% of the market | TweakTown.com

As you can see, Nokia holds just over 75 percent of the Windows Phone market. HTC comes in second with just over 10 percent. From there, the numbers drop off pretty significantly. It's no surprise that Nokia is leading the market; it's Lumia line of devices are solid and Nokia has worked closely with Microsoft.

We're always on the lookout for data and trends. We'll keep looking to see if we can come up with some interesting trends in the Windows Phone market.

Continue reading: Nokia is the top Windows Phone manufacturer, usage data says they have 75% of the market (full post)

ReportTT: iOS 6.1.1 being rushed out by Apple to fix 3G issues, other bugs

Trace Hagan | Software & Apps | Feb 11, 2013 3:32 PM CST

A German blog is reporting that Apple is rushing out the iOS 6.1.1 update to address issues with 3G connectivity and other bugs. iOS 6.1 has seemingly come with its fair share of issues, including a 3G data issue that has prompted carriers in Europe to suggest users not upgrade until it is fixed.

ReportTT: iOS 6.1.1 being rushed out by Apple to fix 3G issues, other bugs | TweakTown.com

Other issues include people reporting a decrease in battery life. A beta version of iOS 6.1.1 has already been pushed out to carriers and developers to test and it looks like Apple is working diligently to push out this 23MB update in a final version. The reason for this is that major companies are encouraging users not to upgrade and this makes Apple look bad.

Yahoo has had to disable the ability to manage meetings in iOS due to a possible Exchange bug present in iOS 6.1. It's also possible that Apple will push out a fix to the vulnerabilities used by the Evasi0n jailbreak tool, though they could be so focused on fixing bugs that they don't find time to patch the vulnerability.

Continue reading: ReportTT: iOS 6.1.1 being rushed out by Apple to fix 3G issues, other bugs (full post)

Australian government going after Apple & Microsoft over the "Australia Tax" that forces up pricing down under

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Feb 11, 2013 4:39 AM CST

As an Australian myself, it hurts so much to see products so over priced here versus other places in the world. The government here hates it, as they lose out because consumers purchase the goods overseas, bypassing the GST (goods & services tax) that they would normally make.

Australian government going after Apple & Microsoft over the

The Australian government are now stepping in, with the government's IT Pricing Inquiry into something that is known as the "Australia Tax", which is now going after the big boys in Microsoft and Apple. The committee has issued three summonses to appear before the inquiry today to three repeat offenders: Microsoft, Apple and Adobe.

These three companies will appear before the House Committee on March 22 at 9:30am to answer concerns raised by Choice and the ACMA in regards to the "Australia Tax" on goods sold across the country. Federal Member of Chifley, Ed Husic, said:

Continue reading: Australian government going after Apple & Microsoft over the "Australia Tax" that forces up pricing down under (full post)

RumorTT: iPhone 5S, and bigger 5-inch iPhone 6 to launch this year

We should expect to find our news here at TweakTown to be filled with more iOS-based gadgets as news of the new iPhone's begins to circulate. A Chinese media site has claimed that Apple will release both an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 this year, with the latter being a 5-inch device. Brightwire translates the news:

RumorTT: iPhone 5S, and bigger 5-inch iPhone 6 to launch this year | TweakTown.com

- A source told Chinese mobile phone information site Laoyaoba.com that he has seen the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 at Apple's suppliers. Both models may be released in 2013, according to the website's microblog on Thursday evening.

- The source noted that the iPhone 5S resembles the iPhone 5, and the five-inch iPhone 6 is lighter and thinner.

Continue reading: RumorTT: iPhone 5S, and bigger 5-inch iPhone 6 to launch this year (full post)

RumorTT: No new Radeon GPUs from AMD for most of 2013

Anthony Garreffa | Video Cards & GPUs | Feb 10, 2013 10:38 PM CST

During an interview with Japanese site 4Gamer.net, AMD's Product Manager for Desktop Graphics Products, Devon Nekechuk, revealed some startling information: that AMD won't be launching any new GPUs this year.

RumorTT: No new Radeon GPUs from AMD for most of 2013 05

AMD will instead concentrate on their already great Radeon HD 7000 series, by adjusting the price and performance increases through driver releases. A slide released to 4Gamers.net shows that AMD's Radeon HD 7900 series (high-end), HD 7800 series (performance), and HD 7700 series (mainstream), will carry on the company's mantle "throughout 2013."

It looks like we're seeing a slowing down of GPU releases, which I'm guessing is because there's hardly any games that push GPUs anymore. It's also incredibly expensive in terms of R&D for GPU makers to continue pushing new GPUs out every 6-12 months, but I think the real reason is that a $200-$300 GPU will play most games at 1080p@60 now.

Continue reading: RumorTT: No new Radeon GPUs from AMD for most of 2013 (full post)

EA's Origin gaming software comes to Mac users today in the form of Alpha testing

Charles Gantt | Gaming | Feb 8, 2013 10:14 AM CST

EA's Origin game management software (a competitor against Valve's Steam) features some of the biggest titles in PC gaming and up until now, it has been limited to Windows PC users only. That all changed today as EA officially announced Origin for Mac (Alpha).

EA's Origin gaming software comes to Mac users today in the form of Alpha testing 1

In a release this morning, Origin said "With Origin for Mac we'll be able to offer the same Origin experience and features that define our PC app - cloud storage, auto-patching, friends list, and more". While the alpha testing is open to the public, don't expect to download Battlefield 3 just yet. The game store is blocked until the official launch.

You may notice that the Origin Store tab is not yet live in this alpha trial; rest assured, the store will be live-with a great catalog of EA and partner titles-when we formally release the client. Additionally, we're not yet able to provide the same one-click streaming live to Twitch in Origin for Mac (we'll be adding this as soon as possible).

Continue reading: EA's Origin gaming software comes to Mac users today in the form of Alpha testing (full post)