Xbox One prices in India reduced, throws in a free FIFA 15 DLC
Microsoft India hyped the launch of the Xbox One in India last month, inviting media and those who have pre-ordered the console. The company signed up with Amazon India as en exclusive seller (for now) where they delivered Xbox One units to pre-ordered customers at the stroke of midnight on September 23.
However, ever since the launch of Xbox One console in India, the price of the unit has reduced within few weeks along with couple of freebies. When the console was launched, the cost was Rs. 39,990 ($652), while the units with Kinect version was priced for Rs. 45,990/- (US$ 750). This was accompanied with a Rs. 4,000 ($65) gift card.
Now, as a 'Diwali Dhamaka' offer, Amazon India is selling the Xbox One console for Rs. 35,990 ($587). Along with the console, FIFA 15 with DLC is pre-bundled and throwing in Rs. 3,000 ($49) Amazon India gift card. Xbox One consoles with Kinect are still priced for Rs. 45,990 ($750) - but is bundled with FIFA 15 with DLC and Dance Central Spotlight (also with DLC). Xbox One can be purchased from here.
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Kmart servers affected, credit and debit card details possibly stolen
Things do not look good as Sears Holding Corp said on Friday that its Kmart retail chains customer database may have been compromised last month. As a result, some of its customer's credit card and debit card details may have been stolen.
The company said on Friday that its Kmart's servers was affected by a malware. Kmart was not able to say how many customers are affected, and according to their investigation so far, no debit card pin numbers, email and phone contacts, social security number and personal information was stolen.
But, to be on the safe side, Kmart made an announcement that it will be providing a free credit-monitoring service for its customers who used a debit or a credit card during since last month until Thursday. Customers can then call Kmart customer service and report the unauthorized charges immediately. In the meantime, the company hired a security firm to look into the matter while working with its banking partners and federal authorities.
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Edward Snowden says 'get rid of Dropbox', Facebook, Google 'dangerous'
As part of his remote interview for the New Yorker Festival, Edward Snowden was asked various questions about what people can do about their privacy. His first reply was to cover the reform of government policies.
Snowden said that some people are fine with thinking along the lines of they "don't have anything to hide" but it's not about that according to the ex NSA contractor, who said "you're inverting the model of responsibility for how rights work". The full reply: "When you say, 'I have nothing to hide,' you're saying, 'I don't care about this right.' You're saying, 'I don't have this right, because I've got to the point where I have to justify it.' The way rights work is, the government has to justify its intrusion into your rights".
On an individual level, Snowden warns us all to find encrypted tools, and to stop using services that are "hostile to privacy". One of those services is Dropbox, where Snowden said "get rid of Dropbox", something that he said doesn't support encryption. Snowden did bring up Facebook and Google, both of which he said are "dangerous services". He also added to not send unencrypted text messages, but to instead of services like RedPhone and Silent Circle.
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Google is trialing video chat with doctors after Googling for symptoms
We've all been there, there's something wrong with you, you Google for symptoms, worrying that you're going to die, but don't want to call the doctor out of a variety of reasons.
But Google looks like it might be going down an interesting, and why-hasn't-it-happened-sooner path, trialing direct video chat with doctors after you Google your symptoms. Google confirmed the news with Engadget, telling the site that it is trialing a Helpouts-style feature that offers people video chats with doctors when they search for their symptoms.
There aren't many details on how exactly this works, but a search card mentions that Google is covering the costs of any video chats with doctors while in its trial phase. Virtual appointments would be the next step, but there would most likely be costs involved. I think this could be a great step for the company, who is investing and researching into health technology, allowing doctors from all corners to talk to patients who otherwise might not have contacted a doctor about their issues.
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Apple rumored to soon remove all Bose products from its retail stores
When Apple coughed up $3 billion to acquire Beats Electronics, I'm sure the executives over at Bose were wondering what would happen to their products once the acquisition was all said and done. Now that Apple has launched two new iPhones, and is preparing to launch a new iPad, iMac, and much more, the latest rumors are pegging the Cupertino iGiant to remove all of Bose's audio products from its retail stores.
A "reliable source" talked with MacRumors, who said that the removal of Bose products is most likely due to the recent Beats acquisition. Then we have the fact that Bose's new sponsorship deal with the National Football League, which has seen the league prohibiting players from wearing Beats headphones while anywhere near a TV camera, be it practice or on game days.
It was only a week ago that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick defied the ban, wearing his bright pink Beats for all to see, having him slapped with a $10,000 fine. Bose and Beats are also in a patent dispute, which has seen Bose filing suits against Beats, claiming the infringement of five patents related to noise cancellation technology.
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Final Fantasy XIII for PC locked at 60 FPS at 720p, requires 60GB
Nothing makes gamers more angry than a poorly-executed port of a game over different platforms, fixed resolution and lack of graphic options, at least for the PC gamers. Square Enix recently announced the PC port version of its fantasy-based JRPG Final Fantasy XIII, but gamers are not amused with the stifling performance of the PC variant.
The digital download via Steam requires 59GB of hard drive space, mostly due to huge cutscenes. Gamers who have already installed the game are complaining about that issue with the resolution and lack of basic graphic options that you'll usually find in a PC game.
Many gamers have started ranting and raising genuine complaints about the problems they're facing while playing the game. According to a pinned article in the Steam forums, there is no proper way to quit the game. The game apparently exits when you press the ESC button, but no pause scene with menu options provided at all. Final Fantasy XIII also doesn't provide an option to change antialiasing, anisotropic filtering, tesselation, V-sync, Shadow resolution and many such options. Though the game does come with dual audio support, many want the option to uncheck the audio file before downloading the game to reduce the download size.
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BioWare releases PC hardware requirements for Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age Inquisition is all set for release in the United States on November 18th, but Bioware just released the official PC specification requirements for the upcoming game. Previously, it was reported that BioWare and EA were giving away Dragon Age: Origins which should help them to get newer players on board their fanbase.
While Dragon Age is available for the consoles, the older and the newer generations from Sony and Microsoft, PC is where it should be interesting, assuming the game is made to please to PC master race. Along with the PC specification requirements, three screenshots of the game from its PC variant have been released.
But according to what is posted EA Origin's company's blog, the PC version is 'the real deal' since BioWare's roots are in PC gaming. EA and BioWare promises 'fine-tuned' for mouse and keyboard gameplay, along with many visual options for tweak and a support for 4K resolution and AMD Mantle support. The blog post goes on, saying that Dragon Age: Inquisition is a true testament to BioWare's love for PC gaming.
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iBUYPOWER introduces the SBX Entertainment System
iBUYPOWER introduces its newest 'ultra-simplified' entertainment center: SBX Entertainment System. The team designed this new unit to make it reflect the aesthetics and physical characteristics of a game console, but with the raw power that only high-end desktop systems can provide.
The unit is designed keeping living room computing in mind, and iBUYPOWER assures that its new system can provide 60FPS gameplay at high definition resolutions. As you'd imagine, just like any game console or any properly configured and optimized desktop rigs, this is made to provide the best out-of-the-box PC gaming and entertainment experience.
"What we really wanted to do was make an impact in the living room. We wanted to really show the world that the power of desktop gaming machine can be experienced in the living room in a totally seamless way, " said Darren Su, Co-founder and VP of iBUYPOWER. "All preconceptions of what entertainment in the living room should and can be, are out the door."
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Apple remains the No. 1 most valuable brand in the world
Apple has been awarded the most valuable brand in the world for a second consecutive year, worth an estimated $119 billion, according to the Interbrands 2014 Best Global Brands list. There are four technology companies in the top 10 this year, though tech remains extremely fickle, forcing companies to try to adapt to changing customer demands.
"A lot of our thinking about this year's report is really around the 'Age of You,'" said Alfred DuPuy, Interbrand Executive Director.
Trailing behind Apple is Google ($107.4 billion), a 15 percent increase year-over-year, and Coca-Cola round out the top three - with IBM, Microsoft, General Electric, Samsung, Toyota, McDonald's, and Mercedes-Benz round out the top 10 overall most valued brands in the world. As an honorable mention, Facebook's value increased 86 percent, and the company jumped up to No. 29 on the list - and will likely continue to rise.
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Hackers to post thousands of stolen Snapchat photos to 4chan
Hackers aren't only interested in embarrassing celebrities, as thousands of pictures and videos were stolen from Snapchat users and will be posted online. The online service was quick to confirm its servers weren't breached, however, users of third-party Snapchat apps were targeted - and will be posted online in a searchable database.
Unfortunately for the users, they believed the images were quickly purged after being sent - instead, "The Snappening" will be posted on 4chan and other websites soon enough.
"We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks," a Snapchat spokesperson recently said. "Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security. We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."
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