Microsoft To Shut Down Xbox Entertainment Studios

Posted on July 17, 2014 by admin

By NELLIE ANDREEVA

This morning’s announcement by Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella of one of the largest layoffs in tech history, a plan to cut 18,000 jobs, triggered a whirlwind of speculation about the future of the fledgling Xbox Entertainment Studios. In a memo, Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s Xbox division and Microsoft Studios, just confirmed that the company will close the Entertainment Studios in the coming months.

Nancy Tellem, Jordan Levin and some of the XES team will stay on for some time to shepherd original programming already in production, including the documentary series about technology Signal to Noise and the Halo game franchise extensions, digital feature Halo: Nightfall and the Halo TV series, which will continue as planned with Microsoft’s 343 Industries and Amblin. Xbox also will continue to support and deliver interactive sports content like ‘NFL on Xbox.’ XBox’s app partnerships are not impacted.

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Samsung’s Latest Galaxy Phone Is Built Like A Tank

Posted on June 9, 2014 by admin

Steve Kovach

You carry your smartphone with you just about everywhere, so there’s a decent expectation over its two-year life that you’ll drop it. Get it wet. Dribble some food on it.

Samsung’s answer to those everyday problems is the Galaxy S5 Active, a new smartphone that takes the company’s flagship Galaxy S5 phone and wraps it in a sturdy shell built to withstand drops, dings, spills, and scratches. It’s also water resistant and dustproof, meaning you can dunk it in shallow water for a few minutes and everything will still work perfectly.

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PLAYSTATION4 sales surpass 7.0 million units worldwide

Posted on April 21, 2014 by admin

PS4 Furthers Global Momentum as Gamers Embrace Its Breakthrough Gameplay and Innovative Sharing Capabilities

Tokyo, April 17, 2014 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) today announced that the PlayStation®4 (PS4™) computer entertainment system has cumulatively sold through more than 7.0 million units*1 globally as of April 6, 2014 (JST), demonstrating the rapid growth of the PS4 platform.

“The response from the global gaming community for PS4 has been overwhelming and we are truly humbled that gamers are selecting PS4 as their next generation console of choice,” said Andrew House, President and Group CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

“The PS4 journey has just begun, and although we are still facing difficulties keeping up with the strong demand worldwide, we remain steadfast in our commitment to meet the needs of our customers, and surpassing the wildest expectations of gamers by delivering new user experiences that inspire and engage. We look forward to unveiling many of these experiences to our fans in the coming months.”

The PS4 system is currently available in 72 countries and regions*7 worldwide.

Sony Press >>

Facebook to Acquire Oculus VR for $2 Billion

Posted on March 26, 2014 by admin

Transaction expected to close in Q2 of this year.

by Scott Lowe

Facebook has announced that it will acquire Oculus VR, makers of the Oculus Rift for $2 billion. Announced today, the social networking giant will acquire the Oculus VR for $400 million in cash and 23.1 million in Facebook shares.

“While the applications for virtual reality technology beyond gaming are in their nascent stages, several industries are already experimenting with the technology, and Facebook plans to extend Oculus’ existing advantage in gaming to new verticals, including communications, media and entertainment, education and other areas.” a Facebook press release read. “Given these broad potential applications, virtual reality technology is a strong candidate to emerge as the next social and communications platform.”

IGN >>

Samsung Phone With Bended Display May Come This Year

Posted on February 12, 2014 by admin

By Lisa Eadicicco

Samsung debuted the first smartphone with a curved display last year, and now it’s got its sights set on launching bent phone in 2014. A new report from The Korea Herald suggests that this angled smartphone will be part of the Samsung Galaxy line as well.

This aligns with plans that Samsung revealed during its Analyst Day event in Novemeber 2013. Samsung’s chart shows that it will begin introducing bended displays in 2014 and 2015, while fully foldable phones are expected to debut in the 2016-2017 timeframe.

There’s no telling whether or not this technology will appear on a Galaxy flagship or a new Galaxy line (i.e. the Galaxy Round), but a report from Bloomberg hints we may see a bended display on the Note 4.

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Huge leak suggests Samsung’s Galaxy S5 will outclass the iPhone 6

Posted on February 4, 2014 by admin

By Zach Epstein

There are two strings of smartphone launches this year that are obviously the most highly anticipated of 2014. The first comes from Apple, which is expected to launch an iPhone 6 with a larger display as well as a phablet-sized iPhone. Perhaps just as eagerly anticipated, however, is Samsung’s Galaxy S5 lineup. Galaxy S5 rumors have been coming hot and heavy in recent months and while there are a number of conflicting reports out there, even leaks that contradict each other may still end up panning out.

Why? Considering how many different Galaxy S4 models Samsung has debuted so far — some as recently as last week — we can probably look forward to several different Galaxy S5 versions debuting this year beginning in March or April.
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Samsung’s gorgeous new Galaxy S5 UI may offer Google Now, Metro features

Posted on January 22, 2014 by admin

By Chris Smith

Often criticized for its clunky TouchWiz user interface built on top of Android, Samsung may be working on a completely new UI for the Galaxy S5 and other upcoming phones, a fresh leak originating from @evleaks shows. The same source has recently provided similar images that suggest the South Korean Android device maker may be redesigning its smartphone UI, although the company is yet to make them official. The new leak seems to suggest that the new UI will combine a few elements from Google’s Google Now search-based virtual assistant with elements from Microsoft’s Metro UI found on top of Windows Phone devices.

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CONFIRMED: Man Interrogated By FBI For Wearing Prescription Google Glass At The Movies (GOOG)

Posted on January 22, 2014 by admin

by Jim Edwards

A man who went to the movies with his wife in Columbus, Ohio, was subjected to a terrifying hour-long interrogation by the FBI because employees at the AMC theater saw him wearing Google Glass.

They apparently thought he might be illegally taping the film and didn’t believe him when he tried to explain that the glasses were prescription, and weren’t even switched on.

The incident ought to make Glass wearers think twice about when and where they don their smart spectacles. (It also shows how feeble law enforcement’s knowledge of the new device is, too — it took them an hour before they figured out how to download the device’s content.)

AMC confirmed the incident in a statement to Business Insider:

Movie theft is something we take very seriously, and our theater managers contact the Motion Picture Association of America anytime it’s suspected that someone may be illegally recording content on screen. While we’re huge fans of technology and innovation, wearing a device that has the capability to record video is not appropriate at the movie theatre.

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Wearables are white-hot at CES 2014. So they’re doomed, right?

Posted on January 5, 2014 by admin

A look back at past hot trends at the consumer electronics mega-event reveals an awful lot of mega-fails.

by Roger Cheng

LAS VEGAS — This year’s Consumer Electronics Show will see dozens upon dozens of wearable technology products vie to become this year’s breakout device.

And most — if not all — will be forgotten in the coming months.

That’s because when all the booths are taken down, the convention lights are dimmed, and the last of the tech executives board their flights, we all finally escape the reality-distortion field that is Las Vegas and CES.

A look back at past confabs shows that the hot item at CES is a leading indicator of failure for the rest of that year. Remember how 3D televisions were supposed to be all the rage? Or when ultrabooks were a thing? Not only does garnering hype at CES not guarantee success, it’s become almost an omen of ill fortune.

Read more: http://www.cnet.com/8301-35299_1-57616550/wearables-are-white-hot-at-ces-2014-so-theyre-doomed-right/#ixzz2pWV0q9L8

Analyst predicts Apple will transform notebook market with 12-inch hybrid ‘iPad Pro’ this fall

Posted on January 4, 2014 by admin

By Neil Hughes

As part of a series of predictions for 2014, Evercore Partners analyst Patrick Wang believes Apple will show a renewed focus on the enterprise market with a new 12-inch iPad hybrid, which he believes would fundamentally change the notebook PC landscape.

Wang made his prediction in a note to investors this week, a copy of which was provided to AppleInsider. He forecasts that a new iPad model with a larger 12-inch display, powered by an Apple-built next-generation “A8” processor will launch in the fall of 2014.

The analyst sees such a device shaking up the traditional, established notebook market — an industry that Apple rival Microsoft has been trying, but thus far largely failing, to overhaul with its own hybrid laptop-tablet devices running the Windows 8 platform.

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