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Saturday, 6 December 2014

Mark Zuckerberg defends free Facebook, fires back at Apple and Ello


Mark Zuckerberg defends free Facebook, fires back at Apple and Ello

When Tim Cook published an open letter in September to address iCloud privacy and security concerns, he said free online services treat you, the consumers, as product. Even newcomer Ello, which is dubbed the anti-Facebook, has a manifesto that ends with: “You are not a product. Well, those sharp words have found their mark in Zuckerberg (pun totally intended), and it sounds like they hit him where it hurts — so much so that he’s just unleashed some biting commentary of his own, despite previously declaring his respect for Cook as a leader. In an interview with Time magazine about his plans to get the world online with Internet.org, the social media mogul irritably defended Facebook’s free / ad-supported model, against what he sees as charges that an advertising business model is fundamentally misaligned with customer’s interests. The way he sees it, if Apple were truly aligned with customers then it would charge less for all of those iThings it’s selling.

A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment with your customers. I think it’s the most ridiculous concept. What, you think because you’re paying Apple that you’re somehow in alignment with them? If you were in alignment with them, then they’d make their products a lot cheaper!


If you’re wondering, here’s what Cook said months ago in the midst of a huge celebrity photo hack scandal linked to a Find My iPhone exploit: “A few years ago, users of internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer. You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy.” While the CEO didn’t name Facebook, in particular, the sentiment’s been widely associated with the social network. ” Zuckerberg, however, is sticking to his guns, telling Time that Facebook can’t fulfill its mission to connect the world if it stops displaying ads and asks users to pay for access instead.

[Image credit: JD Lasica/Flickr]





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Hackers threaten Sony Pictures' employees and their families


Hackers threaten Sony Pictures' employees and their families

The hackers that stole sensitive data from Sony Pictures have sent out an email to the company’s employees, threatening them and their families, according to Variety. “We thought the worst was over,” a Sony source told Deadline. After all, the perpetrators calling themselves the Guardians of Peace have already released their social security numbers, along with the company’s passwords and upcoming flicks. But, as it turns out, the group isn’t done yet. “Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don’t want to suffer damage,” the person claiming to be GOP’s leader wrote in broken English. “If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger.”

In the same email, the person also vowed that Sony Pictures will collapse and insinuated (again) that the group is working with people inside the company. Folks who’ve received the email were reportedly instructed to switch their phones off, perhaps to prevent further security breach. It’s unclear what the company’s doing to ensure the safety of its employees, but the FBI has released a statement confirming that authorities are aware of this new email and that they’re continuing to investigate who’s behind the attacks. “Recent events underscore the persistence and maliciousness of harmful cyber criminals,” the agency’s statement said, “and the FBI will continue to identify and apprehend those who pose a threat in cyberspace.”

I am the head of GOP who made you worry.

Removing Sony Pictures on earth is a very tiny work for our group which is a worldwide organization. And what we have done so far is only a small part of our further plan. It’s your false if you if you think this crisis will be over after some time. All hope will leave you and Sony Pictures will collapse. This situation is only due to Sony Pictures. Sony Pictures is responsible for whatever the result is. Sony Pictures clings to what is good to nobody from the beginning. It’s silly to expect in Sony Pictures to take off us. Sony Pictures makes only useless efforts. One beside you can be our member.

Many things beyond imagination will happen at many places of the world. Our agents find themselves act in necessary places. Please sign your name to object the false of the company at the email address below if you don’t want to suffer damage. If you don’t, not only you but your family will be in danger.

Nobody can prevent us, but the only way is to follow our demand. If you want to prevent us, make your company behave wisely.


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Using the PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus (update: now with video!)


Using the PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus (update: now with video!)


The cat’s out of the bag and… uh, on our head? Okay, we can do better than that, but what we’re trying to say is that we just used Sony’s new PlayStation 4 virtual reality headset: Project Morpheus. You already know the specs and all that good stuff; we’re here to tell you what it’s like using the still-in-prototype-form virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 4. Good news: It’s pretty great! Surprise!


Join us below for a closer look.


Gallery | 20 Photos

Project Morpheus (GDC 2014)






Project Morpheus, right now, is a little uncomfortable. In so many words, it feels like a prototype still. As a demo man fit the headset on my generously sized noggin, he tightened a variety of different adjustments: one that tightened the whole unit on my head, another that brought the display portion forward toward my eyes. When you initially put it on, there’s a gap between where you’re looking and below — certainly not a great way to create immersion. Thankfully, that gap closed easily in the two different demos we tried (The Deep and The Castle — both of which were more tech demo than game).


I’d love to say it was a sweat-free experience; between gesticulating with PlayStation Move controllers as hands and being surrounded by hundreds of GDC attendees waiting for their chance to try Morpheus, I was relatively moist by the time I’d cut up the dummy model in The Castle with a virtual sword. While uncomfortable, I can get over that — the issue is that it makes the optics fog up and that’s no good at all. Part of the unit’s design is based around keeping players cool, so you should expect a better experience as Morpheus goes from prototype to reality.


Using the PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus (update: now with video!)


So, games! What’s it like using Morpheus to play games? It’s pretty neat! Well, that’s to say, “It’s a lot like playing games in the Oculus Rift headset, especially the newer versions of the Rift.” In The Deep, I took a trip to the bottom of the ocean in a metal cage; when I bent down, my in-game knees bent (as tracked by the PlayStation Camera). When I looked up, my perspective turned skyward and the lamp mounted to my virtual head followed (the lighting was perhaps the most impressive part, with cage bars occluding properly and all).


In The Castle, I picked up two PlayStation Move controllers to act as hands, which enabled me to bend over, pick up a sword and take a dummy down a few notches. If I moved back a few steps, my in-game avatar moved back a few steps. One major change in Morpheus compared with other VR headsets is full-body tracking, which does legitimately add to the immersion effect.


Using the PlayStation 4's virtual reality headset, Project Morpheus (update: now with video!)


It’s not all virtual reality rainbows and dreams, of course. There are still some pretty major issues to overcome in Project Morpheus. Vision blur, for instance, is a much bigger problem on Morpheus than on Crystal Cove/Rift DK2. The screen resolution is also clearly not as high as DK2, making everything a bit muddier, visually speaking. Right now, well ahead of launch (Sony’s not even talking about what the final product will be just yet, nonetheless giving it a launch window), Project Morpheus is both extremely promising and clearly not ready for prime time. But it’s close!


To put it frankly, we’re extremely excited to see what the next few years mean for the entire medium of VR, not to mention the efforts of major players like Sony, Valve and Oculus. Morpheus is the second major entry in the field, and, well, that’s really thrilling! In case it weren’t already clear, this is the week that virtual reality officially goes big.


Photos and video: Michael Gorman, Nicole Lee and Edgar Alvarez.









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Sony Project Morpheus





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  • Announced 2014-03-18

  • Colors White

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Showtime Anytime brings live and on-demand streaming to Apple TV


Showtime Anytime brings live and on-demand streaming to Apple TV

Showtime’s Anytime streaming portal has already been available to Xbox 360, Roku and other capable gadgets with the proper cable subscription. Now, Apple TV owners can access the network’s library of programming and the cable channel’s live feed (East and West coast) via the compact set-top box. Customers on Time Warner Cable, Comcast Xfinity, Cox, DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, Verizon FiOS, Optimum and Bright House Networks can input their credentials to start streaming the likes of Dexter, Homeland, and Masters of Sex — just to name a few. If you’ll recall, Apple TV also received apps for NFL Now, ACC Sports and WWE Network (among others) over the last few months.






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Apple Apple TV 3rd-gen





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  • Reviews • 111



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  • Type Audio / video player

  • Video services iTunes, Netflix, YouTube, Other

  • Audio services iTunes

  • Video codec support h.264 / AVC, Motion JPEG, MPEG-4, Quicktime

  • Audio codec support AAC, MP3, WAV

  • Video outputs HDMI (1 outputs)

  • Audio outputs via HDMI, TOSLINK (optical)

  • Released 2012-03-16

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8.7average user rating
  • Media support 7

  • Video quality 9.5

  • Audio quality 9.1

  • Ease of use 9.1

  • Design and form factor 9.3



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  1. Showtime Anytime brings live and on-demand streaming to Apple TV + tax & shipping Buy now

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Dish nabs A+E shows for its streaming television service


Dish nabs A+E shows for its streaming television service

If you’re a Dish customer in need of a prolonged Wahlburgers fix, well, you’re in luck. The satellite TV provider has renewed its deal with A+E Networks to keep all that kooky, faux-informational content flowing into your living rooms. That by itself isn’t much to get worked up over, but here’s the kicker: The renewal also means Dish now has the rights to stream live and on-demand shows through a “future multi-stream subscription service”… also known as the internet television service it’s been trying to get off the ground.


The deal, which also gives Dish access to content from A+E-owned channels like Lifetime and History, isn’t the first bit of wind in its streaming sails. You see, earlier this year, Dish locked up the rights to stream stuff from Disney’s massive portfolio, which includes media from ABC and ESPN. A fully fleshed-out online television service still seems like a ways off (despite a tentative summer launch date), but the proliferation of high-speed data connections and services like Netflix and Aereo means we’re more than happy spending gobs of time watching television shows away from our televisions. If the end result is as cheap as rumors suggest, Dish just may have a game changer in store for us… even if it doesn’t actually make them any money.





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CBS and Dish reach TV deal that includes Showtime streaming


CBS and Dish reach TV deal that includes Showtime streaming

That was fast. Just half a day after CBS yanked its programming from Dish Network in some large cities, the two companies have reached a deal that puts those channels back in action. They’re not revealing the financial side of things, but it’s apparent that Dish made some concessions to both get CBS back and bolster its internet streaming plans. The satellite TV provider now has numerous Showtime rights that include Anytime access, TV Everywhere and eventual “over-the-top” (read: internet-only) service, but it also has to turn off AutoHop ad skipping on CBS shows for the first week after they air. That’s not so hot if you diligently record The Good Wife on your DVR, but it’s good news if you prefer to watch Showtime on your own terms.


[Image credit: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson]






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New bill aims to curb US government backdoor spying


New bill aims to curb US government backdoor spying


While the FBI thinks that all communication tools in the US should have backdoors for law enforcement, a new Senate bill has proposed the exact opposite. The Secure Data Act, introduced by Senator Ron Wyden, would prohibit the government from forcing companies like Google and Apple to grant access to encrypted data. A different bill to curb the NSA and other agencies (the USA Freedom Act) was denuded by the House of Representatives, while a recent vote allowed the Feds to carry on with massive surveillance. However, the Secure Data Act would specifically bar US agencies from forcing private companies to “design or alter their commercial information technology products for the purpose of facilitating government surveillance.”


Wyden’s bill cites some familiar problems with backdoors that emerged with the mass of documents revealed by Edward Snowden. The main point is that such measures have the effect of weakening security overall. For instance, it cites a backdoor placed by law enforcement in Greece to monitor cellphone calls, that was later exploited by third parties to listen in on government officials. It also contends that such security exploits hurt innovation, since companies have no incentive to create new security tech if they’re forced to deliberately open holes. Finally, it cited the loss of trust by the public, both stateside and abroad, in US products and services.


New bill aims to curb US government backdoor spying


In light of recent revelations like the NSA’s AURORAGOLD, Apple, Google and others recently started encrypting mobile phone data by default. That prompted a strong reaction from FBI director James Comey, who said that law enforcement can’t keep up with the latest communication tech and apps (though he couldn’t cite any cases where encryption thwarted law enforcement). In any case, members of Congress from both parties said they’d never pass a bill giving the FBI unfettered access to encrypted data.


Such security exploits hurt innovation, since companies have no incentive to create new security tech if they’re forced to deliberately open holes.



The bill makes an exception for products and services already covered by the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), and builds on a bipartisan effort to limit NSA backdoor spying. It sounds well and good, but whether it’ll survive the House and Senate is another story — the US Freedom Act is still cooling its heels in the Senate.






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