Author Archive
Google’s business practices to be investigated by Canadian Competition Bureau
Author: Tiffany Shoman
It appears that Canada will become the latest country to look into the business practices of search giant Google. The Financial Post reports that Canada’s Competition Bureau — a law-enforcement agency focused on ensuring competitive conditions in the marketplace — has notified Google that it will be investigating the company’s Canadian operations. It’s not clear at this time what the scope of the investigation will be, or what specific Google products and services will be targeted.
The investigation will follow a series of other Google investigations, including ones launched by the Federal Trade Commission and EU regulators. Google reached a settlement with the FTC earlier this year; the company offered to make changes to address EU…
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FCC Chair Julius Genachowski steps down today, but what will he leave behind?
Author: Tiffany Shoman
After four years in office, FCC Chair Julius Genachowski is stepping down today. Genachowski pioneered an ambitious plan for rural broadband and a shift towards net neutrality, but his leadership was also seen by some as plodding and ineffective. Regardless, in a candid interview with The New Yorker, Genachowski says he remains an optimist, though he acknowledges limits to how far he was able to change national policy during his tenure. He also touches on some of the most controversial decisions made under his leadership, from rejecting an AT&T / T-Mobile merger but approving an NBC / Comcast one to absolving Red Sox player David Ortiz for using profanity on the air during a memorial speech after the Boston Marathon bombings. After his…
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Apple TV to get first network television app with addition of CW
Author: Tiffany Shoman
The CW Network is bringing its shows to the Apple TV with a new app, reports Deadline. That makes it the first TV network to make its content directly available to viewers on the set-top box rather than through an intermediary like Netflix or Hulu. The network behind shows like 90210, Gossip Girl, and the Vampire Diaries will be launching the app sometime in the coming weeks, but no exact release date has been given.
The network announced its plans at its annual upfront ad sales event. Later, confirming the details to MacRumors, CW stated that the app would be similar to what it offers on Xbox and mobile platforms — programming would be ad-supported (i.e., no cable authentication required), and available a day after airing on TV. The…
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Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 11S, the true successor to the Yoga 13, is finally on sale
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Lenovo’s IdeaPad Yoga 13 has been one of the most popular Windows 8 machines, combining an ultrabook’s design and specs with a rotating, back-bending touchscreen. But the smaller Yoga 11 was underpowered by comparison, running Windows RT on an ARM processor. As of today, though, Lenovo is rolling out an alternative: the Yoga 11S, which replaces the 11′s Tegra chip with an Intel one and runs Windows 8. Lenovo has started accepting orders for the 11S on its site, and they’ll soon be available online at Best Buy. The base model costs $ 799.99 — about $ 250 more than the current price of its RT counterpart — and comes with an 11.6-inch 1366 x 768 display, 4GB of memory, a 128GB SSD, and a Core i3 processor, upgradeable to a Core i5 or i7….
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Google Glass From A Child’s Point Of View
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Kudos to this guy for putting his $ 1500 glasses on a tiny clumsy human.
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Google I/O 2013′s opening keynote is live tomorrow, get your liveblog right here!
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Who can forget last year’s Google I/O opening keynote? With skydivers and a plethora of extreme antics all culminating in the on-stage unveiling of Google Glass, it will go down in history as one of the most exciting product unveilings of all time. Can Google top that this year? It’s certainly going to try, and rather than hosting multiple keynotes on multiple days big G is doing it all in one shot. One three hour shot. Set your alarms and make sure you find a comfortable chair then join us at the URL below for the 9:00am PT (12:00pm ET) liveblog tomorrow, May 15th.
Google I/O 2013 opening keynote
Filed under: Google
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How To Turn A European Video Game American
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Is America ready for Metro: Last Light ? Maybe! after a few tweaks.
Last December, the game publishing giant THQ went bankrupt. The handful of THQ games that were still in development went up for auction, including the nearly complete Metro: Last Light, the anticipated sequel to 2010s Metro: 2033, by the Ukrainian development studio 4A Games. Last Light, a first person shooter that tells the story of the various factions fighting for control of the Moscow Metro system, now home to the survivors of a nuclear apocalypse, was purchased at auction by Koch Media in January and released this week to outstanding reviews.
BuzzFeed has obtained the notes of an anonymous “game doctor” from an unnamed American publisher that bid unsuccessfully on the rights to Last Light. The notes, republished below, detail the publisher’s plans to help 4A polish the game for an American audience.
What you got right.
Hello, friends,
First: congratulations on making Metro: Last Light. You’ve successfully identified the first and most important factor in breaking through here in the American game market: You made a first person shooter. Look: that's no small thing. Believe it or not, in this market for games, there are still people making role-playing games and adventure games and all manner of dollar-store crap. So take a moment to pat yourselves on the back.
Ok, moment over, and that's the last nice thing I'm going to say. Listen up. If you want this thing to sell at all in America, you will follow the advice I'm about to give you. It takes brass balls to succeed in this first person shooter market, and I've got them. This game is weird, and not in a good way like Bulletstorm, in a European way like BioShock, the success of which still boggles my mind. You need to make some changes for this thing to succeed.
My first note: that title! Fellas, listen: the only thing I would keep about that title is the colon. Pro tip: the colon is like the handgun of English. If you pull it out and point it at something, people have to pay attention. I'm working with the people at Activision to make it Call of Duty → Ghosts, but I'm not sure we're there yet, as a country. Give it time. Anyways! Metro: Last Light. It sounds like a worker bee going home at the end of a twelve-hour shift. I need a nap just saying it out loud. All the great first person shooters have names that really slap you around and won't leave you alone. Even in “Crysis”, which lacks a colon, that “y” tells me there's something just a little different about this crisis, something awesome. Suggestions, feel free to ignore: Nuke City: Russia. Blast Radius: Critical Distance. Ranger Force: God and Country. Warpocalypse. If none of these appeal, try mixing and matching.
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Leaf unveils next-gen LeafPresenter Android POS tablet for taking payments
Author: Tiffany Shoman
You’re at a coffee shop or restaurant and it’s time to pay for your sustenance. After reaching for your wallet, you’re presented with… an Android tablet? This particular scenario is taking place more and more often as small businesses are taking their point-of-sale systems mobile, and Leaf is one of the big contenders battling for market share in this industry. Its signature product, known as the LeafPresenter, is an Android-based tablet with a funky lip on the top right that allows for mag-stripe credit card transactions. While the first-gen version of the device has been out for some time, Leaf is ready to branch out later this summer with a new model that offers more functionality.
In addition to a newer forked version of Android (Leaf OS), the upcoming LeafPresenter throws in NFC, EMV and gift card support, as well as a 2MP front-facing camera, 1,280×800 display and better battery. Last but not least, the new device also includes support for a Leaf-branded third-party app store geared toward small business usage. While there’s no specific cost to the tablet itself, business owners will need to fork over $ 50 per month for the opportunity to use it. Check the press release after the break for more.
Filed under: Tablets, Wireless, Mobile
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Blue Tri-Fold Hard Shell Case with Built-in magnet for sleep/wake Functionfor Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ Tablet + Envydeal Velcro Cable Tie
Author: Tiffany Shoman
Blue Tri-Fold Hard Shell Case with Built-in magnet for sleep/wake Functionfor Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ Tablet + Envydeal Velcro Cable Tie
- None OEM Smart Cover Case for Fire HD 8.9 inch
- Made of soft PU faux leather
- Automatic sleep mode
- PC molded hard shell case perfectly fits your new device
- 3D-Folding for desktop viewing and typing
What better way to protect your brand new device than this form fit shell case that turns into stand. All orders for this Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ case are shipped with one EnvyDeal Velcro Cable Tie, a neat way to secure your guitar, mic and power cords. This fabric strip features velcro style closure to hold your coiled cables in place.
List Price: $ 29.99
Price: $ 14.99
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Fish-Bird Robotic Installation by Mari Velonaki
Author: Tiffany Shoman
An installation created by Mari Velonaki. Learn more: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/diy/what-roboticists-can-learn-from-art.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
