Apple allowing Flash-based apps into the App Store 9 Sep 2010, 9:39 am

In a surprise about-face, Apple has loosened up on the restrictions in their App Store Review Guidelines, allowing for games and apps based on Adobe Flash technology to be submitted to the iPhone/iTouch/iPad App Store.

While the decision is certainly a move in the right direction, users of "i" devices will still not be able to view Flash videos while browsing the Web, however.

Reads the statement from Apple: "We are continually trying to make the App Store even better. We have listened to our developers and taken much of their feedback to heart. Based on their input, today we are making some important changes to our iOS Developer Program license in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.9 to relax some restrictions we put in place earlier this year."

"In particular, we are relaxing all restrictions on the development tools used to create iOS apps, as long as the resulting apps do not download any code. This should give developers the flexibility they want, while preserving the security we need."

Apple's newly launched "GameCenter" will likely now be flooded with Flash-based games, and Apple's mobile advertisers are likely very excited at the prospect of being able to use Flash, as well.

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Latest DSi firmware blocks flashcart usage 9 Sep 2010, 9:09 am

Nintendo has updated the system firmware for the DSi handheld this week, blocking a number of flashcarts regularly used by gamers to run homebrew and pirated games.

The previous DSi firmware update, released a year ago, enhanced the built-in browser, added the ability to upload photos to Facebook and some subtle anti-piracy measures.

This week's update does not improve anything, as Nintendo says "This update provides behind-the-scenes improvements to system performance."

TinyCartridge says the firmware, version 1.4.1U blocks the following carts: Acekard 2i, DSTTi, iPlayer, M3i Zero and the Supercard DSTwo.

Additionally, GBAtemp is reporting that Nintendo is prepping firmware 1.4.2C, which will block any remaining carts, such as the EZ-Flash Vi, iSmart DS and Hyper R4i.

Gamers can continue to run their homebrew and games as long as they choose to lose access to the Internet until the cart makers update their respective firmwares, as well.

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LG confirms upcoming smartphones will use Nvidia Tegra 2 processors 8 Sep 2010, 9:18 pm

LG has confirmed today that it will be introducing new smartphones during the Q4 this year that will run on Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile processors.

The Tegra 2 is the world's first dual-core CPU mobile processor.

LG will introduce the phones as part of their Optimus series.

"LG is committed to making its Optimus Series smart devices the de facto standard in speed and graphics performance," says Chang Ma, Vice President of Marketing Strategy Team, LG Mobile Communications Company. "We selected NVIDIA because it is the visual computing leader and has a long history of creating amazing consumer experiences."

The CPU uses dual-1GHz chips and is the first processor to enable 1080p video recording.

Nvidia promises that the Tegra 2 will offer up to 500 percent better gaming performance and 200 percent faster Web browsing.

"The ultimate smartphones will be powered by Tegra, the world’s most advanced mobile processor," added Phil Carmack, senior vice president of NVIDIA’s mobile business. "LG is one of the most popular consumer brands, and their Optimus Series of devices with Tegra is further validation of the processor’s ability to deliver an unrivaled, turbocharged media experience."

The biggest question will be battery life.

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Apple releases iOS 4.1 update 8 Sep 2010, 8:48 pm

Apple has released the updated iOS 4.1 software today for iPhone and iPod touch owners.

The company unveiled the update, along with a new Apple TV, revamped iPods and iTunes 10 last week at their September media event.

With 4.1 comes HDR photography support, 'Game Center,' HD video uploads and TV show rentals.

Furthermore, the update will fix bugs and other issues from the original 4.1 release. iPhone 3G owners should be ecstatic as 4.1 should eliminate the excessive slowdown caused by the OS.

The update will work on the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and all iPod touch models after the first generation. All 4.1 features will be compatible with the latest iPhones and iTouches, but older models will not get all the new features.

iOS 4.1 is about 590 MB for those who may have slower Internet connections.

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Qualcomm dual-core Snapdragon chips to launch next year 8 Sep 2010, 8:28 pm

Qualcomm has confirmed that two dual-core Snapdragon CPUs will be hitting devices next year, boasting clock speeds as high as 1.5GHz.

The 1.2GHz dual-core 8260 will go into volume production during the first half of next year, and the more powerful 1.5GHz dual core 8672 processor will being hitting devices in the Q3.

Initially, CEO Paul Jacobs had said that the 8672 would ship during the first six months of the year, also, but the company later delayed the chip.

Additionally, Qualcomm will begin to ship its 800MHz 7X30 and 1GHz 8X65 chips, which boost performance from previous chips at the same clock speeds.

The current 1GHz chips have become standard in recent Android devices, and likely for upcoming Windows 7 devices, as well.

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Microsoft reveals $400 Xbox Kinect bundle 8 Sep 2010, 8:09 pm

Microsoft has announced their first Kinect bundle today, setting a November 4th release date for the U.S.

The bundle will come with a 250GB slim Xbox 360 console, the Kinect motion control system and Kinect Adventures game for $399.99.

If purchased separately, the console would cost $300, the motion system would cost $150 and the game would cost $40, so the bundle does in fact offer a decent savings.

The bundle will be released in Europe on November 10th, and later in Japan on November 22nd.

You can pre-order the bundle now from Target, Amazon, GameStop and Best Buy.

"All you have to do is play [Kinect], or watch people play it," says Takashi Sensui, head of Microsoft's home and entertainment division in Japan. "It's nothing you've seen, and it's a brand new experience that I think a lot of people will be attracted to."

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T-Mobile USA to get iPhone 3GS, but not 4? 8 Sep 2010, 7:51 pm

Thanks to the editor-in-chief of Wired, Chris Anderson, T-Mobile USA may be getting the iPhone 3GS later this year, breaking AT&T's multiple-year exclusivity on the popular smartphone.

Reads the tweet: "A T-Mobile manager casually mentioned to me that they're going to get the iPhone 3GS (but not 4, oddly) later this year. Common knowledge?"

While this is not the first rumor placing T-Mobile with iPhones, it is the first to suggest that the carrier will only get the older 3GS model.

AT&T still sells the 8GB iPhone 3GS for $99 with contract so it would be logical to assume that T-Mobile will offer the device at near the same price.

To offer an iPhone for T-Mobile, Apple would have to modify the device, as it currently does not support T-Mobile's 3G frequencies at 1700MHz and 2100MHz.

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Fort Gay, West Virginia gamer blocked on Xbox 360 8 Sep 2010, 7:37 pm

Microsoft and its chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live have issued an apology today after they blocked a Fort Gay, West Virginia resident from XBL, claiming "fort gay" was offensive and against the service's code of conduct.

Josh Moore was suspended from XBL for a few days until he could prove to the enforcement team that "fort gay WV" (as posted in the 'Location' box of his profile) wasn't a slur.

A quick Google search for the term "Fort Gay" brings up its coordinates, population and other facts about the legitimate town, which begs the question of how the enforcement team made such an error.

Fort Gay is right on the border of WV and Kentucky, and has a population under 1000.

Says Moore of the situation: "At first I thought, 'Wow, somebody's thinking I live in the gayest town in West Virginia or something.' I was mad. ... It makes me feel like they hate gay people. I'm not even gay, and it makes me feel like they were discriminating.

Continuing his story, Moore adds: "I figured, I'll explain to them, 'Look in my account. Fort Gay is a real place. I told him, Google it — 25514! (the zip code)...He said, 'I can't help you.'"

The mayor of the small town, David Thompson, tried to help Moore, but to no avail: "It was so inappropriate for them (the word 'gay'), they wouldn't even say the word. They said, 'that word.' It's beyond me. That's the name of our town! It's appalling. It's a slap in our face."

Stephen Toulouse, director of policy and enforcement for Xbox Live was quick to apologize, while also noting that the suspension had been revoked: "Someone took the phrase 'fort gay WV' and believed that the individual who had that was trying to offend, or trying to use it in a pejorative manner. Unfortunately, one of my people agreed with that. ... When it was brought to my attention, we did revoke the suspension."

"In this very, very specific case, a mistake was made," he added "and we're going to make it right."

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Online music retailer Amie Street purchased by Amazon 8 Sep 2010, 12:33 pm

Online music retailer Amie Street has confirmed today that is has been purchased by Amazon, for an undisclosed amount.

Amazon is actively looking to expand its market share in the music download market where Apple's iTunes remains the clear leader.

Amie Street said today that Amazon first invested in the company in 2006.

Separating Amie Street from other music retailers was the fact that the site allowed users to purchase songs (when they are newly released) for 1 cent, and the price continued to go up the more popular the song becomes.

Starting September 22nd, AmieStreet.com traffic will be forwarded to Amazon MP3.

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Licensing issues keeping iTunes track samples at 30 seconds, for time being 7 Sep 2010, 10:50 pm

Before Apple's much-hyped media event on the 1st, it was reported that CEO Steve Jobs was actively trying to get iTunes Store track samples extended to 60, or even 90 seconds, from the current 30.

The event came and passed, and nothing about the time lengths of the samples was discussed by Jobs or the country.

Cnet says today that licensing issues are holding up the process, but that Jobs is still in active discussions to get the samples extended to 90 seconds.

Says Hanna Pantle, a spokeswoman for BMI, one of the organizations that collects royalties for publishers and songwriters: "We are in active negotiations with Apple."

Furthermore, Apple has already received the go ahead to extend the samples, from the record labels. Their existing contract with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) also allows for 90 seconds, so it appears to be just a couple of holdouts keeping the update from occurring.

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'Big-O' packs Xbox 360 and PC into one case 7 Sep 2010, 9:26 pm

Origin has launched the ultra-high-powered Big O gaming rig today, one that packs both a high-end PC and an Xbox 360 into a single case.

The base model of the system costs a hefty $7669 but the specs are pretty intense.

Big-O, in its base configuration, has a liquid-cooled Intel Core i7 930 overclocked to 4.0GHz on a liquid-cooled ASUS Rampage III Extreme Motherboard with 6GB of Corsair Dominator 1600Mhz RAM.

Additionally, it runs a liquid-cooled Nvidia GTX 480 in SLI, dual OCZ 50GB SSD in RAID 0 with a 2TB HDD on the side. Theres also a 12x Pioneer Blu-ray burner and a Creative Fatal1ty sound card. Let's not forget the liquid cooled Xbox 360 in there, also.

if you want to spend even bigger bucks, there is a $17,000 model for sale, as well, that features dual Intel Xeon X5680 CPUs Overclocked to 4.3GHz, 12GB of Corsair GT 2000Mhz RAM and Quad SLI EVGA GTX 480 FTW GPUs.

Check it here: The Origin 'Big-O'

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Google TV to launch globally in 2011 7 Sep 2010, 8:30 pm

Google has said today that it plans to launch the Google TV platform internationally in 2011, bringing the search engine to Internet-connected HDTVs around the globe.

Showing off the technology at the IFA trade fair, Google says it wants to "bridge the gap" between TV and the Internet.

Google TV projects a search bar onto the top of the screen, giving users a chance to surf/search the Web and search live TV listings.

The product should hit the U.S. market in the next few months.

Google is currently working on bringing content to Google TV from major providers, as well as Android app support. Users will soon be able to change the channel with voice recognition.

"The Internet is creating a great Internet disruption and that disruption is changing so many things," added CEO Eric Schmidt.

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New PS3 firmware update shuts down jailbreak 7 Sep 2010, 10:26 am

Sony has released the minor firmware update version 3.42 today, which brings nothing new to the table but blocks the use of PSGroove, the open-source jailbreaking software used to allow homebrew on the console.

If you do not update to 3.42, you cannot connect to the PlayStation Network, effectively forcing most users to update.

The jailbreak method, which involves running some code from a plugged in USB dongle, has been around for just over a week.

Aside from homebrew, gamers could also copy their purchased games to the PS3 HDD and store them as ISO files, or even download the full ISOs from warez sites and play them back.

The PS3 had long been thought of as "unhackable," while rivals Wii and Xbox 360 have long been hacked, allow users to play pirated games or run other homebrew.

The cat-and-mouse game begins.

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European police target warez servers in several countries 7 Sep 2010, 6:49 am

Police have carried out anti-piracy operations in up to 14 countries across Europe. The operation, which reportedly has been in the making for the past two years, targeted top sites - or the servers at the top of the Internet piracy pyramid. The actions also appear to have left some popular file sharing websites like the Pirate Bay offline for now.

WikiLeaks host, PRQ, was also targeted by police but Swedish Prosecutor Frederick Ingblad told Swedish news outlet Expressen.se that WikiLeaks was not part of the operation. Early details indicate that raids were carried out in several European countires at the request of the Belgian authorities. Unsurprisingly, Sweden appears to have taken the lions share of the operation, with actions in Stockholm, Malmö, Umeå (at University), Eskilstuna and Solna.

"At 9:00 this morning, five policemen were here," explained PRQ's Mikael Viberg. "They were interested in who were using two IP addresses from 2009 and onwards. We have no records of our clients but we're handing over the e-mail addresses for those behind the IPs. However, it’s rare that our clients have mail addresses that are traceable."

Four people are said to be undergoing questioning currently while computers have been seized in locations in Sweden.

UPDATE: The Pirate Bay seems to load from some locations.

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Leak reveals largest Google ad purchasers 6 Sep 2010, 5:07 pm

Thanks to a new internal Google document leaked by Advertising Age, there were multiple companies that spent over $1 million in June to buy ads in Google's search results.

The largest jump came from BP, who spent $3.59 million for the month, jumping from $57,000 a month before their tragic oil spill.

At $3.6 million, BP moved into sixth place among companies spending large amounts of cash on ads through Google.

AT&T, thanks to the launch of the high profile iPhone 4, topped the list, spending $8.08 million for the month of June. Apollo Group, the company behind the University of Phoenix, came in second, spending $6.67 million for the period.

Those companies were followed by Expedia, Amazon, eBay, BP, Hotels.com, JC Penney, Living Social and ADT Security to round out the top 10.

Google did not confirm the document, but AdAge says multiple sources with "direct knowledge of spending levels" verify the data as accurate.

Overall, 47 companies spent over $1 million in June, another 71 spent between $500,000 and $1 million and another 357 spent between $100,000 and $500,000.

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