Archive | May, 2011
Rumor: New Xbox May Be Announced Next Month
Nintendo might not be the only company showing off a new game console at E3 in June. An anonymous source told Develop that Microsoft could announce a new Xbox console at the trade show.
The source supposedly spotted a very early build of the Xbox 360 successor at Electronic Arts’ offices, stored inside a PC shell.
“Quite often when new consoles come around they’re packaged into a PC shell, but actually what’s inside is an entirely new console,” said the source, who Develop described as “a senior, trusted, well-placed” individual who is not employed at Microsoft or EA.
(Props to Develop, by the way, for qualifying its anonymous source with a bit of detail for readers — a rarity in games and tech journalism.)
The Case for an Impending Mac Malware Problem
6. May 2011
ZDNet’s Ed Bott does a good job of explaining why Macs are definitely not impervious to hackers and might be on the verge of losing their status as the Major Computing Platform That Doesn’t Require You to Worry Much About Security.
Sir Howard Speaks Out
6. May 2011
Sony’s Chairman and CEO, Sir Howard Stringer, has released a letter to PlayStation Network users; read it after the jump. (Me, I would have edited out the “even” in the bit about making the network’s “defenses even stronger.”)
Samsung Infuse 4G Brings App Sideloading to AT&T
5. May 2011
On Thursday evening, AT&T and Samsung announced the Infuse 4G, an Android smartphone with a massive 4.5-inch screen. But several websites are reporting an even bigger development: the Samsung Infuse 4G will allow apps from outside the Android Market.
Sideloading, as it’s known in tech jargon, has been absent from all AT&T Android phones to date. Prohibiting non-Market apps “minimizes the risk of malicious apps harming customers and provides more protection to the customer’s private data stored on the phone,” AT&T explained last June.
Although AT&T hasn’t announced any policy changes, several bloggers who attended the Infuse 4G announcement on Thursday confirmed the “unknown sources” option in the phone’s settings. Users must check this box to allow non-Market apps on their phones. Samsung’s Philip Berne said his retail boxed Infuse 4G also contains the “unknown sources” option.
Mac Malware: The Bogeyman That’s Always Approaching
5. May 2011
Daring Fireball’s John Gruber did some research on Mac malware that I wish I’d been clever enough to conduct.
Breakthrough! Japanese Inventors Introduce a Remote Kissing Device
5. May 2011
I don’t know how to even start with this one, so I’ll give it to you straight — a group of researchers at the Kajimoto Laboratory at the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo have developed a “Kiss Transmission Device.” Yes boys and girls, its exactly what it sounds like: a new way to make out over the Internet.
Here’s how it works: A plastic tube projects out of a device that is connected to a motor, which is then connected to the computer. The person in turn moves the tube with his tongue, which moves the straw on the other end, and vice versa. The researchers claim that this should accurately portray the feeling of a french kiss.
Sprint’s Rumored Blackberry Playbook Delay is No Surprise
5. May 2011
More bad news for Research in Motion’s Blackberry Playbook: A leaked Sprint memo says the carrier has indefinitely delayed its plans to sell a 4G version of the tablet.
The news follows a non-committal from Verizon Wireless, which last month said it was still evaluating the Playbook. Sprint’s alleged memo gave no reason for the delay.
We shouldn’t be suprised to see this happen, but not simply because the Playbook is a critical flop so far. The real issue, I think, is tablet fatigue on the part of wireless carriers. The market’s about to be flooded with competition for Apple’s iPad, so it’s not only a buyer’s market for consumers, it’s a buyer’s market for carriers as well.
Will Over-the-Air iOS Updates Render iTunes Irrelevant?
5. May 2011
Yesterday, there was news that Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” may be delivered through the Mac App Store. That may not be the only delivery method for updates that Apple may soon be changing. 9to5Mac reports that Verizon and Apple are working to bring over-the-air updates to iOS 5 after its release this fall.
The site’s sources could not confirm if the Cupertino company was working on a similar deal with AT&T.
Given that Android already does updates in this manner, the basic idea is nothing new. But it does take iTunes further out of the equation, long a necessary evil for iPhone owners (and now, iPadders too). Once updates come over-the-air, there’s almost no reason anymore to sync.
With Tech, There are Hidden Taxes Everywhere
5. May 2011
Microsoft’s Tom Rizzo has blogged about Google Apps. The business-oriented version of Google’s online suite may have a low pricetag–$50 a year per user–but Rizzo argues that using it involves all sorts of unanticipated hassles and expenses that add up to a “Google tax.”
The post is not without its reasonable points–for instance, I still don’t understand how companies can completely standardize on Google Apps when it requires an Internet connection. But when a tech company helpfully “analyzes” its competitors for customers and prospective customers, everybody knows what the conclusions are going to be in advance. So the whole exercise seems kinda pointless.
TV on the Net: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
5. May 2011
My new TIME.com column is about TV on the Internet–and why it’s still nowhere near living up to its potential.
Wii Price Drops As Wii Sports Loses Pack-In Status
4. May 2011
The rumors were mostly right. On May 15, Nintendo will cut the price of the Wii from $200 to $150, but it’s not a straightforward price drop.
Instead, Nintendo will replace Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort with Mario Kart Wii as the pack-in game. Nintendo will also throw in one Wii wheel to enhance the kart racing experience. Wii Sports, which had been bundled with the console since the beginning, will join a handful of other games — Animal Crossing: City Folk, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Mario Super Sluggers — in a “Select” (read: budget) collection for $20 each. Wii Sports Resort will sell on its own for $40.
I’m happy to see the change for entirely selfish reasons. My Wii Sports disc went missing years ago, and it’d be nice to get a boxed copy as a replacement without spending too much money.
But for everyone else, this price cut isn’t necessarily a great deal. If you want Wii Sports and Sports Resort, you’ll pay an extra $60, bringing to total price to $210. Meanwhile, most retailers are selling the current Wii Sports and Sports Resort bundle for $170. If you’ve been eying a Wii but have no interest in Mario Kart, you might consider the current bundle while supplies last.
Or if you’re really patient, you can wait until 2012, when Nintendo will launch its next console.
Google TV Will Get a Reboot
4. May 2011
Harry’s hopes that Google TV may be salvageable might be realized: Mobilized’s Ina Fried reports that the search company has learned from its mistakes, and will make some changes. The second incarnation of the product will be targeted as an “add-on” to TV in its traditional form, not as a replacement as some thought it was intended to be.
Of course, this whole Internet-television convergence thing is still in its infancy, and there’s a lot of work to be done before somebody gets it right. New apps are on the way, as well as more powerful hardware — with a focus on what TV won’t or can’t provide.
Lion: A Disc-Free Upgrade?
4. May 2011
AppleInsider says that OS X 10.7 Lion, Apple’s upcoming operating-system upgrade, may be delivered primarily as a Mac App Store download. (Makes since–among other things, those of us with MacBook Airs don’t have built-in optical drives to install the software from DVD…)
Carriers Pull Back on Mobile Wallet Plans
4. May 2011
It appears that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon’s ambitious plans to create a mobile payment service may not happen, at least the way they’re hoping. The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the carriers may now decide to partner with credit card companies instead to make the network happen.
Originally, the service (called “Isis”) was to bypass the traditional credit card companies altogether: charges would appear directly on consumer’s cellular phone bills. The abrupt 180 may be due to ensuring Isis has any chance of success — leveraging the power of Visa and MasterCard could go a long way.
PC Annoyances–and Fixes
4. May 2011
PCs are annoying. They do unexpected things and act like little children. I know, because my computer’s always troubled — and from the e-mail I get, so’s yours.
This week: Solutions for some of the computing troubles and annoyances you’ve asked me to fix.
Sony: “Anonymous” Helped Make the Security Breach Happen
4. May 2011
If I have this straight, Sony says that “Anonymous” isn’t behind the PlayStation Network security breach–but by launching a denial-of-service attack on the company, it helped set the stage for the breach.
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