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Video streaming service Vdio has exited its pre-release phase and is now open to users in the United States and the United Kingdom. The service, created by streaming music provider Rdio, will allow anyone in the two countries, including those not subscribed to Rdio, to access the service through the website and through its companion iPad app.
Fabrication powerhouse Stratasys and startup 3D printer manufacturer MakerBot have merged. Under the terms of the deal, the pair of companies are merging in a stock-for-stock transaction worth $604 million, with two-thirds payable immediately as stock, with the remaining third depending on MakerBot performance following the merger. The deal is expected to close in the fall.
Retailer Best Buy is recalling 5,100 third-party battery replacements for the black and white MacBooks, made by a company called ATG and sold through the retailer's Geek Squad service division or online between 2008 and mid-2012 due to the risk of overheating and fire. The US Product Safety Commission has collected 13 reports of incidents with the replacement batteries, including one where the buyer suffered a serious burn on their leg. The batteries are also sold through other retailers, but only Best Buy has initiated a recall at this point.
Following April's ruling that Microsoft need only pay several millions of dollars, rather than the billions that Motorola Mobility was seeking, Microsoft offered Motorola's council a $6.8 million dollar payment to pay off all outstanding licensing debts owed for H.264 standards essential patents used in Windows 8 and the Xbox 360. Motorola has refused this offer, and is retaining a bond paid by Microsoft, despite judicial orders not requiring a payment even close to the $100 million bond payment.
Following a lambasting by gaming press and the general public, Microsoft has elected to drop the 24-hour Internet check-in previously revealed at E3 last week. In a statement, Microsoft announced that the new change will allow users to "trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today -- There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360."
A Texas company, Bluebonnet Telecommunications, is suing Apple for patent infringement in relation to call forwarding technology. Specifically Bluebonnet says that the iPhone 4S and 5 violate US Patent No. 5,485,511, a patent that previously belonged to Siemens Rolm Communications but was picked up by Bluebonnet in June 1996. The patent describes a phone communicating with a central switch to generate a list of options, which are then displayed for the phone's user.
Despite slightly late adoption of the 802.11g standard, which had more to do with the hardware refresh product cycle than anything else, Apple has been on the forefront of wireless home networking. From the first failure-prone Airport base station with an Orinoco Gold PCMCIA card to the newest equipment with custom chipsets built for Apple, Cupertino has seen the value of Internet access not tethered by a cord. The latest effort is the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule 802.11ac model, which brings some advances to the line. Join us with this first look at the new networking peripheral from Apple.
Nokia has effectively confirmed a large number of leaks for the Lumia EOS smartphone with a high-resolution 41-megapixel rear camera. A company blog post states that an event in New York on July 11th will have "41 million reasons" to attend or watch a live stream, matching the number engraved onto a leaked metal camera faceplate.
LG Display has confirmed it is going to start mass production of flexible displays for mobile devices and industry. Executives from the company spoke about it creating flexible smartphone display panels for its largest clients from the fourth quarter this year, as well as a rapid need to create the bendable screens for display advertisements.
Cinema camera manufacturer Red has started shipping its 4K media player. Users of the Red User forum have started to receive their pre-orders of the Redray Player, which Red bills as a comprehensive media source for owners of Ultra HD televisions that is capable of playing back native 4K video, upscaled HD video, and the company's own 4K .Red file format.
Apple has issued a v5.3 update for second- and third-generation Apple TVs. The new firmware adds support for several video services, most notably HBO Go, WatchESPN, and Sky News. Also included are Crunchyroll, which concentrates on anime and other Asian content, and Qello, which hosts concerts and music documentaries.
Dish Network has halted its battle with Japanese carrier Softbank for Sprint, after failing to provide a final offer for a merger. The withdrawal now allows SoftBank to continue in its attempt to acquire Sprint, with a completion of the purchase likely to finish, thanks to Softbank upping its original $20 billion offer to $21.6 billion.
Leaked schematics -- allegedly drawn by Apple, and now in the hands of a major accessory maker -- show the dimensions of the iPhone 5S and an "iPhone Lite/Light," according to AppleInsider. The 5S appears to maintain roughly the same design as its predecessor, but with a pill-shaped flash on the back that may fit dual LEDs. The iPhone Light plans match recent rumors and case production surrounding a low-cost iPhone. That includes details like a thicker body, and rounded edges.
Apple is considering LinkedIn integration for iOS 7, beta code references suggest. In particular the references hint that LinkedIn could be supported in the same manner as Facebook and Twitter, meaning single sign-in support, and the ability to quickly post content via a share sheet or hooks in iOS apps. Some essential code strings are missing though, preventing LinkedIn options from turning on in the current iOS 7 release.
Siri is a feature that was unveiled with much fanfare during the iOS 5 launch two-years ago, bringing with it more fully featured voice actions to the iPhone. Although Siri has received a mixed reception from critics and users, Apple has continued to pursue the voice-controlled interface, giving it an all-new look and functional tweaks in the iOS 7 beta that help to refine the user experience. Has Apple done enough with the revisions in Siri to warrant a second look?
Netflix will be rolling out its streaming service to the Netherlands later this year. The new market, the first for the streaming service this year in Europe, joins already-operating versions in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, though it has yet to reveal an exact launch date, potential pricing, nor the contents of its launch catalog.
Microsoft is working on a version of its Surface RT slate computer that uses a Qualcomm processor, according to a report. The change in chip comes at the same time as Microsoft drops the price of the tablet for educational users, in what appears to be a clear-out of current Surface RT stock ahead of a device refresh.
Samsung has released another smartphone in the US, this time a budget offering through Virgin Mobile. The Galaxy Ring has a four-inch screen, which is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM, and despite being a low-cost device, it ships with Android 4.1 instead of the Android 4.0 that is usually provided.
Sony has deployed a new firmware update for the PlayStation 3 console intended to improve system stability. Reports, however, are surfacing of some users who are unable to boot the updated console after the application of the patch, and restoring the console's file system has in those cases failed to fix the problem.
Samsung Electronics today introduced the industry’s first Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled color laser printer and multi-function printers. The new Xpress C410W series allows users to print high quality photos and documents from their smartphones or from a computer wirelessly. The new printers consist of the C410W color laser printer, the C460W color laser MFPs with print, copy and scan functionality, and the C460FW color laser MFPs with print, copy, scan and fax capabilities.
Marking a sea change in the company's plan, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang has declared that his company will license new graphics processing technologies to other companies, in addition to manufacturing the chips themselves. The new move is expected to help Nvidia capitalize on the industry shift to smartphones and tablets and achieve wider market penetration of its products.
Reports have begun to surface of widespread, but not universal, issues with the Nexus 7 tablet made by Asus for Google. According to reports from early adopters, a possible combination of power-sapping software updates, the Android lack of support for the SSD TRIM command, and potentially poor-quality storage or RAM are taking a toll on some users devices prematurely.
According to reports, the chairman of Huawei's consumer business group has given some thought to a Nokia acquisition. At the launch of the Ascend P6 smartphone in London, Chairman Richard Yu noted that the topic may have been discussed internally, but there were a lot of factors to consider.
Soundfreaq has announced the Sound Step Lightning, a new speaker dock. The unit takes its name from a Lightning port compatible with the latest generation of Apple mobile devices. Significantly, though, it also accepts input via Bluetooth, a stereo cable source, or 30-pin Apple devices connected through USB. The USB port can charge any connected device. Playback is controlled with capacitive touch buttons, an IR remote, or connected hardware.
Digital games distributor Good Old Games (GOG) has added System Shock 2, called one of the most influential games in history, to its cross-platform library. In addition to the seminal first-person shooter, the company has also added 10 more titles to its library for the Macintosh, and has made dungeon crawler Torchlight free until 12:59 GMT on June 20 to kick off its "No DRM" summer sale, with daily deals of up to 85 percent off.
Peripheral maker iHome has announced three new FM radio alarm docks, all equipped with Lightning docks for later-generation Apple devices. The standard model is the iDL45, which also has a secondary USB port that can be used to play and charge older Apple devices with 30-pin connectors. Some other features include time sync, EQ controls, programmable snooze lengths, and dual alarms with custom day and time settings.
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