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September 27th, 2013, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has demoed a prototype gesture-controlled PC using an augmented version of its Kinect motion sensing system. The rig detects 16 gestures and can be used to navigate Windows 8. Microsoft said it wants gestures to complement what is possible using mouse and keyboard, rather than replacing them, and the system favors simple gestures made just above the keyboard, rather than more elaborate Minority Report-style gestures. '[A] window is maximized by clenching a fist to "grab" it and then opening the hand while moving towards the top of the keyboard. Performing the same series of gestures in reverse minimize the window. Repeating the gesture while moving the hand to the left or right edge of the keyboard docks the window with the left or right edge of the screen. The same series of gestures while moving the hand to the top left and right corners of the keyboard will throw the window to the left or right of screen, but not dock it with the edge. Bringing hands together in the middle of the keyboard and then moving them to the keyboard's left and right edge with palms down and fingers splayed will show the desktop. Repeating the gesture restores the original view.'
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...controlled-pcs
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September 27th, 2013, 22:27 Posted By: wraggster
Company claims new gamepad is capable of almost mouse-like precision
Valve has revealed the first pictures and details of the new Steam Controller, a gamepad the company claims will make it possible to play PC games on a game pad without much of a sacrifice.
This is the third announcement from Valve this week, all of which revolve around the company's stated goal of removing the PC from its image as a desktop-only, Windows-based platform.
SteamOS and Steam Machines promise to make it easy to play any Steam game on a TV, but not too many people have a keyboard and mouse that's convenient to use from a couch.
The Steam Controller makes use of two touchpads where traditional controllers place analogue sticks, and Valve claims this input system already approaches the fine control available from a mouse.
To compensate for the relative lack of feedback as compared to thumbsticks, the Steam Controller makes use of high-precision haptic feedback that Valve says can be used by developers to convey a variety of information to users.
The Steam controller also makes use of a touch-screen display in the center of the controller in about the same position as Sony's DualShock 4 controller.
Rather than mimicking the touch-screen controls popularized by the iPhone, the user navigates by touch, then clicks by depressing the entire screen.
The hope is that this will result in fewer accidental button presses than on current touch-interface devices, giving users greater control.
As with all three of the products revealed this week, Valve is advertising the Steam Controller as a hackable, customizable device, and encourages users to make their own modifications to see what can't be improved for future generations.
The Steam Controller is part of the Steam Machine beta test, so the 300 selected for that test will also receive a prototype gamepad. The beta version won't have the touch screen in the center though, and in its place Valve has included four additional square buttons to compensate.
The API for the Steam Controller will be made available the day the beta test prototypes ship, and to make sure the gamepad works with current Steam games Valve has included a legacy mode that makes the Steam Controller register as a keyboard and mouse.
Though there are many questions still floating around about SteamOS, Steam Machines, and the Steam Controller, Valve has promised to keep a steady stream of updates coming until launch, with detailed specifications for SteamOS due next week.
Those interested in following the latest news from Valve can check out the Steam Universe community group.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...eam-Controller
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September 27th, 2013, 00:39 Posted By: wraggster
According to a report from The Verge, Microsoft held 'internal meetings' today in which it showed the 343 Industries shooter - currently only available for Xbox 360 - running on Windows-powered phone and PC devices as part of a demonstration of a new and as-yet unnamed 'prototype' cloud technology.
 It is reported that Microsoft is working on the cloud streaming service to deliver high-end games to the family of Windows devices, including those on Windows 8 and Windows Phone operating systems.
If accurate, this new tech would be Microsoft's answer to Sony's Gaikai cloud service, planned for launch in 2014, which will instantly stream PlayStation games (PS3 and older) to a range of devices including PS4, PS3, Vita and the newly-announced Vita TV.
It could ultimately provide Microsoft with a solution to the lack of backwards compatibility in Xbox One, to which it could theoretically stream Xbox 360 games.
This could also serve as a glimmer of hope for PC gamers keen on Microsoft bringing Halo 4 to PC, as it did with earlier games in the Halo series.
The Xbox One release date has been confirmed as November 22 in 13 markets, including North America, UK and Australia.
The Xbox One price has been set at £430 / €500 / $500.
Microsoft has confirmed an Xbox One launch games line-up of more than 20 titles, including Dead Rising 3, Ryse: Son of Rome, Forza Motorsport 5 and Killer Instinct.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...claims-report/
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September 26th, 2013, 23:53 Posted By: wraggster
 A beta! Of course it’s a beta. It’s Valve, after all.The next part of Valve’s Steam in the living room announcement campaign has been revealed: a forthcoming restricted beta of Valve-designed living room computer hardware. The Steam Box is coming – but what shape it will take (and what’s in it) is still a way from being shown off.The result has been thousands of PC gamers hurriedly booting up a game in Big Picture mode in order to push themselves forward into a list of eligible beta participants. As I write this, 24 minutes after the announcement, there are 10,000 in the list already, and the Steam website’s timing out on legal disclaimer submissions. Valve will be picking just 300 for trips into Gabe Wonka’s magical hardware factory.Mania aside, Valve hasn’t pulled the curtain back on an awful lot of extra hard information on what form the Steam Box will take, but we now know for sure that it will actually comprise a variety of “powerful new category of living-room hardware”, made by a wide group of manufacturers and with different hardware configurations.So why would Valve run its own hardware beta? “As always, we believe the best way to ensure that the right products are getting made is to let people try them out and then make changes as we go,” reads the FAQ, along with the line that its machine is a “high-performance prototype that’s optimized for gaming, for the living room, and for Steam”.There’s therefore the sense that Valve’s own take on the Steam Box is the gamer’s machine, aimed at the core PC user who wants “the most control possible over their hardware” – “completely upgradable and open”. Thirdparty hardware will therefore focus on other attributes, including size, price, quietness, or other factors.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/stea...is-remarkable/
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September 26th, 2013, 23:42 Posted By: wraggster
Version 3.10 of the GNOME software collection has been released. New in this release is improved support for Wayland, the upcoming X replacement. The system status menus have been consolidated into one single menu. Many of the applications in GNOME now features header bars instead of title bars, which merges the titlebar and toolbar into a single element and allows applications to offer more dynamic user interfaces. GNOME now also includes an application for searching, browsing and installing applications called Software. Several other new applications have also been added to GNOME including Music, Photos, Notes and Maps.
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/09...e-310-released
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September 26th, 2013, 23:31 Posted By: wraggster
AMD has unveiled the Radeon R9 and R7 series of graphics cards, one of which it claims will be “much faster than [NVIDIA’s] Titan”.
The new cards include the Radeon R9 290X (pictured), R9 290, R9 280X, R9 270X, R7 260X and R7 250.
Alongside the cards a new API, ‘Mantle’, and ‘TrueAudio’ technology were also revealed.
AMD described the new API in its press release, saying: “with Mantle, games like DICE's Battlefield 4 will be empowered with the ability to speak the native language of the Graphics Core Next architecture, presenting a deeper level of hardware optimization no other graphics card manufacturer can match.”
The company also explained that Mantle should make it easier for developers to port games from PC to consoles, and vice-versa: “Mantle also assists game developers in bringing games to life on multiple platforms by leveraging the commonalities between GCN-powered PCs and consoles for a simple game development process.”
The ‘TrueAudio’ technology is said by AMD to “empower game developers with a programmable audio pipeline on the GPU,” meaning that games will more closely simulate realistic sounds, as well as directional audio and a wider range of sounds.
Discussing the series’ flagship card, the R9 290X, AMD’s product manager Devon Nekechuck told Maximum PC that compared to NVIDIA’s fellow flagship card, the Titan, the 290X would run “much faster” in Battlefield 4, when using the Mantle API.
“The card will be able to ‘ridicule’ the Titan in terms of performance,” he added.
Prices and release dates for the cards are yet to announced, but rumours are circulating that the 290X will cost roughly the same as NVIDIA’s GTX 780, which currently costs around $650 (£400). The NVIDIA Titan is $1000 (£620).
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...s-cards/032005
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September 26th, 2013, 01:18 Posted By: wraggster
Is all that pesky learning getting in the way of your school year? Boy howdy, does StarCraft 2 have a deal for you. Through September 30, grab StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm for 25 percent off and Wings of Liberty for 50 percent off, and enjoy a 100 percent XP boost all week.
During the promo, players can also unlock portraits depicting Kerrigan, Raynor and Zeratul in high school yearbook-photo style, exclusive to the back-to-school special. The portraits are unlocked with the You Got Schooled achievement, earned by winning five games in any combination of Arcade, Custom, Ranked, Training, Unranked, or Versus AI online games.
So, hit the books. No, really – just take all your textbooks and smack them or something, and then go play StarCraft 2.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/09/25/st...y-heart-of-th/
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September 25th, 2013, 22:56 Posted By: wraggster
Sorry Microsoft and Sony, but all your next-gen shininess can't outperform the power of home computers.
That's according to Nvidia's SVP of content and technology Tony Tamasi, who claimed that Xbox One and PS4 will never overtake the PC in terms of graphics capabilities.
"It's no longer possible for a console to be a better or more capable graphics platform than the PC," he told Australian magazine PC PowerPlay.
"Nvidia spends $1.5bn per year on research and development in graphics, every year, and in the course of a console's lifecycle we'll spend over $10bn dollars into graphics research.
"Sony and Microsoft simply can't afford to spend that kind of money. They just don't have the investment capacity to match the PC guys; we can do it thanks to economy of scale, as we sell hundreds of millions of chips, year after year."
The Nvidia exec added that while previous consoles initially had the edge over PC, particularly at launch, the way graphics firms now operate means that they can maintain their lead over console manufacturers.
"If you wind back the clock, a high-end graphics card [at the launch of Xbox 360 and PS3] was maybe 75W or 100W max. We weren't building chips that were on the most advanced semiconductor process and were billions of transistors," Tamasi explained.
"Now we're building GPUs at the limits of what's possible with fabrication techniques. Nobody can build anything bigger or more powerful than what is in the PC at the moment. It just isn't possible, but that wasn't the case in the last generation of consoles.
"Taken to the theoretical limits, the best any console could ever do would be to ship a console that is equal to the best PC at that time. But then a year later, it's going to be slower and it still wouldn't be possible due to power limits."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/nvidi...han-pc/0121609
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September 25th, 2013, 22:10 Posted By: wraggster
Prototype for family of living-room PCs to enter beta later this year
Valve has revealed its first prototype 'Steam Machine', which will enter public beta later this year.
This is the second product Valve has announced this week: on Monday the company lifted the lid on its Linux distribution SteamOS; and the company has promised a third bit of news to arrive on Friday.
Steam Machines are PCs designed for use with a TV in the living room, and will be able to stream games from any other hardware running Steam on the same local area network.
Valve's manufacturing partners will create their own compatible hardware, but Valve is offering 300 Steam users to get their hands on their prototype to make sure all the kinks are worked out with how the hardware and software will perform in the real world.
Users are free to build their own PCs to act as Steam Machines, but it sounds like even without the DIY option there will be a decent amount of variety between Valve and it's partners.
While the company isn't revealing hardware specs just yet, it's safe to say any prototype Steam Machine would have to be able to take advantage of SteamOS's streaming technology, so expect this box to be wireless heavy, with medium sized storage, but very upgradable.
“ The specific machine we're testing is designed for users who want the most control possible over their hardware,” reads the announcement.
“Other boxes will optimize for size, price, quietness, or other factors.”
Its interesting that Valve is offering its most customizable (and probably the most breakable) option they have, as this suggests they're willing to jeopardize stability in favor of making sure the Steam Machine is as open a platform as they've said it would be.
Not just that, they're showing a bit of swagger by not forcing beta testers to sign an NDA; the testers are not only allowed, but encouraged to go public with everything they love and hate about the first Steam Machine.
Even users not actually in the beta will be able to chime in by posting in the Steam Universe Group, so developers are free to shout loudly about what they need from Valve if they're to get on board the living room PC machine.
Valve is picking up the glove tossed by Ouya by promising that the Steam Machine will be completely hackable, and users can change any part of the hardware or software they want.
While most PC gamers prefer mouse and keyboard over other input devices, Valve is trying to get more users to consider using gamepads, and hinted that Friday's announcement is one of its prototype input peripherals.
The idea a controller is getting pride of place over hardware and an operating system – both firsts for the company and according to traditional wisdom, the bigger news – is intriguing, and suggests that Valve has something pretty unique up its sleeve for Friday.
Those interested in getting in on the beta test need to have an active Steam account with a public profile and ten Steam friends, join the Steam Universe community group, agree to the Hardware Beta Terms and Conditions, and play a game with a game pad in Big Picture mode.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...Steam-Machines
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September 25th, 2013, 01:09 Posted By: wraggster
“I wouldn't touch mobile with a ten foot pole” - we chat with several devs about the challenging mobile market
The mobile and tablet market has grown tremendously in the last several years. The number of apps on Apple's App Store and Google Play is downright mind boggling, and if you're an app developer... well, best of luck to you. As the new survey from App Developer Conference organizers revealed this week, piracy and discoverability are making it incredibly hard to succeed. Nearly half of the app developers surveyed made no profit at all.
So the question has to be asked: after years of flocking to mobile, are developers actually retreating to the PC and console space? Devs GamesIndustry Internationalspoke with were torn on this, but none would deny the massive challenges of developing apps today.
"I speak with lots of mobile devs regularly and most are moving away or at least thinking of it, either to other platforms or out of the trade completely," Paul Johnson, managing director and co-founder of Rubicon, told us. "Having to give your game away for 69 cents a throw (after Apple's and Google's cut) and then competing with 1000 new apps each day is hardly a draw for anybody. We've reached a point now where even those slow on the uptake have realized the goldrush is over. It's actually been over for a few years."
Jeffrey Lim, producer, Wicked Dog Games, agreed: "The mobile space offers certain advantages, like having the largest customer base and relatively low development costs. However, there's no doubt it is getting harder to be profitable with the ongoing piracy and discoverability issues."
"We do think developers (especially indies) are considering going back to develop for the PC - and even game consoles"
Jeffrey Lim
"So yes, we do think developers (especially indies) are considering going back to develop for the PC - and even game consoles. The cost of self-publishing on these platforms has dropped significantly, and console makers are also making their platforms more indie-friendly now," he added, alluding to efforts on next-gen systems like Sony's PS4.
Chillingo COO Ed Rumley isn't quite of the same mind as Johnson and Lim, but as a publisher, Chillingo has noticed that too many developers simply are failing to make high quality games, so it's no wonder that their titles are being ignored.
"The number of games being submitted is growing, as is the number of developers contacting us. I'm not sure if some are being scared away, but we know from experience that some developers underestimate the time and quality it takes to make it in mobile now. Consumers are a savvy bunch and spot second rate games a mile off. You can't just knock something together in your spare time, upload it and wait for the money to roll in anymore," he warned.
Michael Schade, CEO, Fishlabs Entertainment, acknowledged the big challenge in mobile, but he doesn't think developers are going to have to look elsewhere.
"Sure, mobile's not an easy market to breach into, but then again, which market really is? No matter what business you're in or what product you're trying to sell, you'll always have to work hard to gain your ground and make a name for yourself," he noted. "So that alone shouldn't scare you away from mobile, especially when you keep in mind that no other platform in the history of digital entertainment has ever evolved faster and born more potential than mobile! With more than a billion smart connected devices in use and hardware capabilities on par with current-gen gaming consoles, today's smartphones and tablets constitute by far the most widespread, frequently used and innovative gaming platform the world has ever seen."
Schade also remarked that the last few years of veteran developers getting into the mobile scene has made things more difficult. "The fact that more and more established PC and console veterans open new mobile gaming studios and more and more traditional publishers port their titles to iOS and Android, doesn't make it easier for one particular company or product to stick out. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it clearly shows that the trend goes towards mobile, rather than away from it," he said.
For every developer we spoke with, the discoverability issue reared its ugly head. There's no doubt that this is a major concern. While building a high quality game can help, it's simply not enough. In the world of apps, you cannot let the game do the talking for you.
"I think many developers have the misconception that it's simply enough to release the game and let it speak for itself. They underestimate the importance of a marketing/PR campaign leading up to the game's launch," Lim stressed. "As a result their games fail commercially; not because of the quality, but due to lack of visibility. Hence the marketing/PR campaign should be seen as an integral part of the game's development. An appropriate portion of the overall budget and effort should be allocated to increasing the game's visibility, and if developers do not have the experience or time in marketing/PR they should consider hiring professionals in this area to lend a hand."
Gree vice president of marketing Sho Masuda concurred that marketing is becoming crucial to mobile success. "They have to spend more time thinking about marketing and post-launch efforts in addition to building the the games. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools and services available for devs of all sizes to ensure that they can get the direction and support they need in these areas. Additionally, the mobile dev community is a very, very tight knit community and there is an amazing level of information sharing and support," he said. "We encourage mobile devs of all sizes to talk to their peers, take advantage of all the meet-ups and events, and get to know all the services available to help get eyeballs on their games."
A number of devs also believe that platform holders have a larger responsibility that they've been shirking so far. "For platform holders (e.g. Apple's App Store), they can start to curate apps released on their store because there are too many clones of existing games that are taking up the traffic. They could attempt something like Steam Greenlight; although it is still an imperfect system, it's better than not having any curation at all," Lim commented.
Paul Johnson agreed, telling us that he'd really like platform holders to have a much more active role, as the discoverability issue has "about reached terminal" for unknown devs.
"If Apple don't pick your game out for a feature, and you can't drum up enough interest before launch yourself, then I'd say you're pretty much screwed. It doesn't matter how good your game is if nobody ever sees it and downloads it. They can't tell their friends about something they themselves don't know about!" he stated.
 If Apple spotlights your game, you're golden
"The only thing I think the platform holders could do to help is stop allowing crap to be released. There's only so much space for features and the end users only have so much effort in them to look under all the categories all the time, so I really don't think adding more of them would help much. Maybe more apps for shorter times, but this is all a drop in the ocean really."
"The one thing I've come up with that would make a real difference is for the platform owners to charge five grand for a developer license. All the utter crap would disappear and there'd be less apps fighting for space," he continued. "And the end-users wouldn't have to waste time downloading the crap as nobody who makes stuff they don't believe in would dream of fronting that license fee. It's Draconian but it's really the only thing I can see having any noticeable effect. Anything else is just lip service."
Discoverability issues aside, another major - and possibly growing - problem for devs to contend with is piracy. The App Developer Conference survey showed that 26 percent of devs had their apps pirated and a similar amount even had in-app purchases stolen.
James Vaughan told us, "Plague Inc. has a piracy rate of about 30-35 percent, which equals millions and millions of copies, but I don't consider piracy to be a problem; it is simply a fact of life and I don't get too worked up about it. Piracy is a byproduct of success and I choose to focus on the success which has resulted in piracy rather than the piracy itself. (The best way to stop your game from being pirated is to make a crap game!) I focus on continually improving and updating Plague Inc. which makes the game even more valuable to the people who have brought it (and encourages pirates to buy it as well)."
For those devs who actually do lose sleep over piracy, there are some ways to combat it, Lim said.
"If I was starting again now from a blank slate, without an existing fan base, I wouldn't touch mobile with a ten foot pole"
Paul Johnson
"There's no question that piracy is prevalent, and I think it will continue to be so for a long time to come. In fact, with high-speed Internet access and the wide spread use of file-sharing software nowadays I think this problem is going to get worse," he observed.
"The first way to deal with piracy is to implement the appropriate business model, and I think free-to-download with micro-transactions is the right way to go. Making the game free for download can work to our advantage; it allows us to reach out a larger customer base. And if players are hooked by the game, they can be enticed to buy additional high-quality content for a minimal price."
"The second way would be to build a strong rapport with our customers - e.g. through frequent interactions on social media, events or even email. Developers of notable games (e.g. Hotline Miami and Game Dev Tycoon) have addressed piracy in this manner. By having a loyal customer base which is appreciative of our efforts in delivering quality content, they would empathize with us and be more willing to pay for the games in support of our development efforts."
The good news for iOS devs, at least according to Schade, is that Apple's store is less prone to piracy. "Having lived through the 'dark ages' of Java and made it out of there with two black eyes rather than one, piracy has been a very delicate topic for us at Fishlabs ever since. Based on our own experience, however, it is not as much of an issue on the App Store as it is on other platforms," he noted. "I guess that's mostly because Apple still has a lot of 'premium' customers willing to pay for high-quality content. Of course, we're well aware of the fact that neither the closed iOS environment nor the Free-2-Play model will ever be able to eradicate software piracy entirely, but at least they are doing a comparatively good job at containing it as good as possible."
If developers can effectively navigate the problems of discoverability and piracy, there's no doubt that the potential is massive. One look at the overwhelming success of Angry Birds, Temple Run, Clash of Clans and others proves what's possible. But for the vast, vast majority of devs, that's a pipe dream.
"From the consumer angle, it's a golden age. The amount of good quality games that can be bought for laughable prices is fantastic and there's a ton of money being spent on this platform as a result. The problem for developers is that each individual cut is tiny. This isn't even remotely sustainable and I don't know what the future is going to look like. If I was starting again now from a blank slate, without an existing fan base, I wouldn't touch mobile with a ten foot pole," said Johnson.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-of-pc-console
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September 25th, 2013, 01:05 Posted By: wraggster
Playstation game streaming service Gaikai may eventually alllow users access to content on devices outside of Sony's gaming hardware, such as smartphones, tablets, computers and televisions.
Speaking in a Dengeki Online interview translated byDualShockers, Sony Computer Entertainment's president Shuhei Yoshida explained that the company's ultimate goal is to provide consumers the ability to play Playstation games across all devices.
"We previously spoke about PlayStation going from hardware to something closer to a service, regardless of the device," Yoshida said.
"Speaking of the ultimate goal, we would like to deliver PlayStation games to all devices. So we're considering various things like PC, TVs, Blu-ray players, smartphones and tablets. We hope to continue to expand not only to Sony devices, but even to devices other than Sony's."
Yoshida added that it's unclear how the service would be properly implemented on some of the aforementioned devices, noting that the potential expansion is "still being studied."
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/sony-...evices/0121506
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September 25th, 2013, 01:02 Posted By: wraggster
The second generation of Microsoft’s Surface tablet PCs have been revealed.
Called simply Surface 2, there are two entry-level models based on an update of the now ill-fated Surface RT. The 32GB model will cost £359 and the 64GB will cost £439. Both offer a 1080p screen and Tegra 4 CPU.
Prices jump up considerably for the Surface 2 Pro models, however.
These are being billed as replacements for full PCs, offering full-spec Windows 8.1, four USB ports and the latest Intel Core i5 CPU, as well as a significant battery performance boost.
There are four models. The first offers 4GB or RAM and 64 GB of storage and costs £719. There’s also a 4GB/128GB model for £799 and an 8GB/256GB version for £1,039.
At the top of the range the 8GB/512GB model will retail for an eye-watering £1,439.
All models will arrive in the UK on October 22nd.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/micro...-1-439/0121533
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September 25th, 2013, 00:14 Posted By: wraggster
Never mind that sales of the original Surface totaled a pitiful $853 million in its first few months of release, or that the tablet failed to make Microsoft an up-and-coming player (or any kind of player, really) in the mobile-device wars: Microsoft's now rolling out Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, which feature upgraded specs and accessories but no radical adjustments to the first generation. Why would Microsoft pour good money after bad? The answer could be outgoing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who late last year released a memo suggesting that Microsoft was evolving into a 'devices and services' company. 'There will be times when we build specific devices for specific purposes, as we have chosen to do with Xbox and the recently announced Microsoft Surface,' he wrote. 'In all our work with partners and on our own devices, we will focus relentlessly on delivering delightful, seamless experiences across hardware, software and services.' That meant Surface (then on the cusp of release) was clearly a harbinger of the company's future direction — and canceling the project after the first generation would have been a stinging refutation of Ballmer's strategy. By spending the money and resources on a second device generation, Microsoft manages to save a little bit of face, albeit at considerable cost. But imagine the hilarity that'll ensue if this second generation goes down in a huge ball of flames like the first.
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...with-surface-2
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September 25th, 2013, 00:12 Posted By: wraggster
Danny Sullivan reports that in the past month, Google has quietly made a change aimed at encrypting all search activity to provide 'extra protection' for searchers, and possibly to block NSA spying activity. In October 2011, Google began encrypting searches for anyone who was logged into Google. The reason given was privacy. Now, Google has flipped on encryption for people who aren't even signed-in. In June, Google was accused of cooperating with the NSA to give the agency instant and direct access to its search data through the PRISM spying program, something the company has strongly denied. 'I suspect the increased encryption is related to Google's NSA-pushback,' writes Sullivan. 'It may also help ease pressure Google's feeling from tiny players like Duck Duck Go making a "secure search" growth pitch to the media.'"
http://tech.slashdot.org/story/13/09...yword-searches
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September 25th, 2013, 00:10 Posted By: wraggster
Real-world terrain data used to create accurate in-game landscape consisting of 22 billion blocks
The national mapping authority for Great Britain has developed a special map representing 224,000 square kilometres of the country using Ordnance Survey terrain data.
Consisting of 22 billion blocks, the map was created using Ordnance Survey terrain data in two weeks by an intern at the organisation, Joseph Braybook.
The accurate map of the country's landscape was made using OS Terrain 50, which measures the height of the landscape to visualise the terrain, and the OS VectorMap District software, which was used to extract surface features such as water and woodlands, with information from this used to modify the material of each block.
The map includes mainland Great Britain and the surrounding islands, but it does not include Northern Ireland, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.
In a post explaining the Minecraft map, the organisation suggested using the map as a geography source in schools.
A download of the map and a guide on how the world was built is available on theOrdnance Survey website.
Tools from the Ordnance Survey Developer Centre can also be found here.
Minecraft has previously been used to create real-world landscapes in the past through schemes such as the UN Block by Block initiative.
The project looks to involve young people in the planning process for urban areas to help inform decision makers how they would like to see their local area.
It is hoped Minecraft will be used to support the UN-Habitat's Sustainable Urban Development Network to improve and upgrade 300 public spaces by 2016.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...n-in-Minecraft
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September 25th, 2013, 00:06 Posted By: wraggster
The price of DDR memory looks like it will be higher than usual until the end of the year, senior sources have told PCR, following a factory fire and "panic buying".
A fire broke out at chips manufacturer Hynix SK's factory in Wuxi, China, earlier this month, pushing up prices of DRAM, with less products available in the channel.
Hynix had 30 per cent of the memory chip market in Q2 this year, and has boosted prouction in South Korea following the fire.
But a UK retail source told PCR: "Right now we're looking at about ten per cent increases, and sources are saying these will be high until December. It's fairly frustrating as Hynix stated the fire was not that bad."
One retailer said they are "having nightmares" with DDR memory due to the fire, with "panic buying and brands profiteering off the back of it".
PCR understands that Corsair and Kingston have increased their memory prices, as they are both reliant on Hynix, while other brands are said to be raising prices, too.
One memory supplier told PCR: "Our DRAM prices have risen following the fire as our stock levels have decreased. It's a very volatile market. Any shortage of product makes the price goes up."
Oh Sang Woo, analyst at Leading Investment & Securities Co, said: "Chip prices will continue to rise throughout Q4. The market previously expected the price to peak out in the fourth quarter."
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ry-fire/031978
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September 25th, 2013, 00:02 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has announced the successor to its Surface tablets, and the prices of the devices have been revealed.
Following the announcement yesterday, during which Microsoft revealed the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2, it was announced that the Surface 2 would start at £359 and the Surface Pro 2 at £719.
The breakdown of prices for both tablets, which can both be preordered from today for an October 22nd release date, is as follows:
The Surface 2 is available with either 32 or 64GB of storage, the 32GB offering the cheapest Surface 2 tablet at £359 and the 64GB costing £439.
The Surface Pro 2 starts at £719 for 64GB of storage. The next tier is a 128GB Pro 2 at £799, followed by the 256GB model, which has an increased 4GB of RAM, for £1,039 and running up to the maximum 512GB Pro 2, which has 8GB of RAM, for £1,439.
All of the Pro 2 models include Microsoft’s Surface pen accessory.
Both the Surface 2 and Pro 2 come with free Skype calling to landlines for a year, unlimited Skype Wi-Fi for a year and 200GB of free SkyDrive storage for two years.
Accessories for the Surface 2 and Pro 2 have also been priced:
The Touch Cover 2 will be available for pre-order alongside the Surface 2 and Pro 2, at an RRP of £99.99. The Type Cover 2 will instead cost £109.99.
The Docking Station for Surface Pro, which connects to an external monitor and other PC peripherals, will be released in 2014 and will cost £164.99.
Also available is a car charger with USB which is also set for release in 2014 and which will cost £44.99 and the Arc Touch Mouse Surface Edition, which connects to the tablets via Bluetooth 3.0 and which can be currently be pre-ordered in the US and Canada, costing £59.99.
Dated but not priced is the Power Cover, which will boost the tablets’ battery life, which will be released in 2014.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...-listed/031979
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September 24th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster
Adobe has announced the availability of the new versions of its number one selling photo and video-editing software.
Photoshop Elements 12's features include mobile access, pet eye correction, 64-bit support for Mac, and guided edits.
The new version of Premiere Elements comes with more than 50 soundtracks, 250 sound effects, four new film filters and motion tracking.
“Our customers have a lot of photos and videos, and they love to use their home computers to organise them and be creative, but they also want the freedom and flexibility to view, edit and share on their mobile devices,” said Lea Hickman, vice president, products, Creative Consumer Business, Adobe.
“Photoshop Elements 12 and Premiere Elements 12 will provide customers with the best of both worlds, quickly, easily and at their discretion.”
Adobe Photoshop Elements 12 and Adobe Premiere Elements 12 are both available for Mac and Windows for £78.15, with upgrading pricing of £63.49. There is also a bundle available for £117.22, with upgrade pricing of £96.71.
For more information visit www.adobe.com/uk. Education pricing is available from Adobe authorised education resellers and the Adobe Education Store.
http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ents-12/031982
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