Tech News Today 515

Tech News Today Episode 515

Tech News Today 515: A curtain for your laptop

Sony and Nintendo pitch for their survival, Computex's day of the ultrabooks, and the Napster folks revive Chatroulette

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Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Sarah Lane (@SarahLane)
  • SarahLane.com
• Ryan Shrout
• Chad Johnson (@omgchad)

News Fuse - Top 10

• Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning, the folks who brought you Napster, launched their new project today called Airtime. The Service matches people with common interests and social connections in video chat sessions. The app works in Facebook, with two screens to accommodate the user and a friend. The two can share videos and files or just talk. You can limit it to just Facebook friends or be matched with strangers who share similar hobbies, likes, or friends.

• If you hate the way Google Docs works on mobile, you may be pleased to jear that Google has purchased Quickoffice. QuickOffice makes mobile apps that can view, edit, sync, and share Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on Android and iOS devices. Alan Warren, Google's engineering director wrote in a blog post about the acquisition. Google said it will work on integrating the mobilization product into Google Apps.

• Nintendo had their E3 press conference today showing off 20 games in development for the forthcoming Wii U game console. Among the titles showed were Nintendo Land with areas devoted to Zelda, Super Mario and even Luigi's Mansion. Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition the Game Pad serves as a Bat computer. The Wii U will also have HD video from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video on Demand and YouTube. Nintendo did not announce release dates or prices but said the console is expected to ship in time for the holiday season.

• Sony had its E3 press conference last night and most people are excited about the introduction of Wonderbook. When you hold up specially created books to the PS3's camera, you get augmented reality stories. The first Wonderbook title will be Book of Spells, a Harry Potter-themed book including new writing from J.K. Rowling. You can wave the Move like a wand to cast spells.

• Expecting hardware announcements at Apple's WWDC is a recipe for heartbreak, but 9to5 Mac SWEARS that the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac lines will get upgrades. They also report either Mac Mini or Mac Pro will get updated as well. The Wall Street Journal has its own rumor to bolster, reporting that not only will Apple replace the Google Maps app in iOS6, but that it's been int the works for years and will come with turn-by-turn nav
  • Apple possibly held back by Google for years on iOS' Maps features, might bring turn-by-turn nav to WWDC

• Forget eBooks, how about Books with glass touch screens for pages? That and more curvy touch screen phones and tablets are now possible thanks to Corning's latest glass innovation. Willow Glass, launched Monday at a trade show in Boston. The glass is spun extremely thin and flexible enough to roll into two-inch radius tubes, thanks to a manufacturing process similar to that used to make newsprint.

• OnLive has lots to trumpet at E3. The service that lets you play cutting edge video games over the Internet on older hardware is coming to LG TVs. The company also announced in-browser gaming, meaning OnLive games could be embdedd in any website. Imagine playing Hitman:Absolution on Facebook. Users also will get multiview, in-game, live spectating.

• The oldest surviving BitTorrent site, Filesoup is shutting down. The site lost too many users after it was raided and two of its administrators were arrested. Both men were set free last year after their case was dismissed, but the users were long gone.

• Netflix took measures yesterday to ensure quality streams for you. The streaming video service has launched its Open Connect Network, which will be the video provider's very own content delivery system. The project will work closely with ISPs to deliver video directly or even install Netflix servers within ISPs local networks.

• Apple can't ban Samsung's Galaxy Tab in the US yet. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose, California, said yesterday that she doesn’t have jurisdiction to issue a preliminary injunction because the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington hasn’t issued a mandate yet. Apple can renew its request once the court in Washington issues its ruling.

Discussion Stories

• Sean Parker's Airtime video chat service launches
• Airtime channels Chatroulette: real-time, browser-based video chat for your social graph
• Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning’s Airtime Finally Launches Today (Interview)
  • 2 years of somewhat stealth mode, Airtime launches today, Sean Fanning/Sean Parker startup
  • Chatroulette comparisons, but focused on decency
  • must login through FB and use social graph
  • choose to chat with your friends, friends of friends, local ppl, or strangers
  • your "likes" are on display
  • dating possibilities or just video chat/conf. no more than 1-on-1, though multi-connections possible
  • can share videos, files

• E3: Playstation gets augmented reality Harry Potter book
• Why Sony's Beyond may be one of the most important games of E3 2012
• HTC: Yeah, we'll give Sony's 'PlayStation Certified' a go
• What do you think of Wonderbook? Can this save Sony? Or at least the PS3?
  • PS Vita in 'crystal white' gets - Call of Duty Black Ops: Declassified, and Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation - as well as a new title, Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale.
  • New titles for PS3
    • Beyond: Two Souls, a new supernatural title from Quantic Dream (motion capture performance from Ellen Page) "For the first time ever, players will live the life of a video game character over the course of 15 years," Cage said. "They will experience her life and help her to become who she is."
    • Ubisoft's Far Cry 3, SCE Studio's God of War 3 and Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic survival title The Last of Us.
  • What about the "PlayStation Certified" program? So far HTC has signed on….

• Nintendo gets social and connected with Wii U, but leaves out price, release date at E3
• Nintendo: two Wii U Gamepads will work on one system (update: but at a cost)
• Nintendo confirms Wii U shipping "this holiday"
• Nintendo Holds Back the Goods on Wii U Launch Date
• Wii U - What we DO know - 'holiday season'
  • Major video services in HD. Can it compete with Xbox? Does it matter?
  • Socially-connected Miiverse app accompany Facebook and Twitter connectivity, can share 'currently playing' and achievements
  • New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, and the minigame compilation NintendoLand
  • 3rd party games -- Mass Effect 3, Batman Arkham City, Assassin's Creed III, Scribblenauts, Darksiders II, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Trine 2: Director's Cut Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, Aliens Colonial Marines, SiNG, Lego City Undercover, ZombiU, Avengers: Battle for Earth, Just Dance 4, and Rayman Origins.
  • Wii Fit U - using the same Balance Board peripheral. Many of the Wii Fit U minigames look like they would have been at home on the Wii: others use the GamePad for target-practice exercises, and for remote play away from the TV
  • Can use 2 GamePads but frame rate drops to 30 fps

• Computex: Intel
• Intel invests in ultrabook touch displays
• Intel open to putting Windows Phone on its chips
• Intel: 20-plus Windows 8 tablets with Intel CPUs are in the works
• Intel's All-in-One concept PC has plug-in upgrade module, 21:9 screen
• Intel SVP of Sales and Marketing Tom Kilroy gave a keynote
  • Can Intel get its chips into phones and tablets?
  • Announced agreements with Cando, HannsTouch, TPK, and Wintek to guarantee the supply of touch displays,
  • more than 20 Windows 8 tablets with Intel innards are on the way
  • Intel, however, told ComputerWorld that the company could easily support Windows Phone on x86, and that the "hooks are already in."
  • Verge reported on an Intel concept for an all-in-one PC with 21:9 aspect ratio
  • Intel also showed its plug-in compute module, which intends to extend the life of all-in-ones by enabling speedy upgrades.

• Computex; Roundup
• Computex, day two: know your ultrabooks
• Windows RT on Snapdragon S4 hands-on and Rob Chandhok interview (update: video)
• Samsung demos Series 5 Ultra Touch and Series 5 Ultra Convertible Ultrabooks, we go hands-on
• Toshiba debuts widescreen Ultrabook
• Toshiba serves up ultra-wide-screen, budget Satellite U845W and U845 ultrabooks
• Fujitsu comes to market with a pair of ultrabooks
• Belkin's new Thunderbolt Express Dock gets USB 3.0, inflated $399.99 price tag
• Today was Ultrabook day
  • Sam Byford of the Verge rounded up some of the ultra books that caught his eye. What Ultrabooks are you seeing that impressed you?
  • Toshiba Satellite U845w - 21:9 ratio, 14.4-inch diagonal, 1792 x 768. Available July 14 starting at $999. Like a portable dual-monitor?
  • Samsung Series 5 Ultra Convertible 13-inch screen folds back 360-degrees a la the Lenovo Yoga
  • Fujitsu Lifebook U772 14-inch screen, hard-drive/solid-state caching drive storage combination, fingerprint sensor ($1149) (cheaper UH572 is $999)
  • NEC LaVie Z 2.2 pund 13-inch ultrabook
  • Dell Inspiron 14Z - Ultrabook with a DVD drive?
  • Acer Aspire S7 - thin, elegant, touch screen
• Other
  • Windows RT demoed on a Qualcomm Snapdragon, 1.5GHz dual-core APQ8060A with 2GB of RAM, Engadget saw it demoed playing Vendetta Online while multitasking.
  • Belkin Thunderbolt Express dock, 2 Thunderbolt ports (for daisy-chaining), 3 USB 3.0 ports, FireWire 800, Gigabit Ethernet, eSATA, mini display to HDMI coming in September for $400. Matrox DS1 is $150 cheaper but no daisy-chaining.
  • Computex: ASUS Mars III Dual GTX 680 Card Comes With 8GB RAM
  • Corsair Announces 'Neutron' SSD Series Driven by LAMD Controller

• Apple reportedly planning a massive Mac hardware refresh across multiple product lines at WWDC
• Apple to update most of its Mac lineup and multiple accessories at WWDC
• along w iOS 6, an updated version of iCloud, and OS X Mountain Lion, 9to5Mac reporting:
  • Mac lineup will be turned over, with the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac lines receiving updates; the report also claims that either the Mac Pro or Mac Mini line will be updated, but which one?
  • MacBook Air — the word is that both the 11-inch and 13-inch computers will be upgraded to retina displays. Sharp supposedly working on new display technology with extremely high resolutions, including a 13.5-inch screen with a 3840 x 2160 resolution
  • a new 15-inch MacBook Pro with a retina display, USB 3.0, and a thinner profile.
  • iMac, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro???
  • Mac Pro in particular hasn't gotten upgrade in a couple years. Speculation last year about its future... minority of sales. No thunderbolt
  • Apple may also be refreshing its line of accessories, including keyboards, mice, trackpads, or Airport wireless products

Randomizer

• Reconnaissance agency offers NASA two Hubble-class telescopes

• Transit of Venus

Calendar

• AT&T officially acknowledges Samsung Exhilarate's existence, will be available on June 10th for $50
• HTC One X Slated For June 10 Release At AT&T, Pre-Orders Start Now
• Glimpse: the social discovery conference, is the first conference focused on the future of social discovery. June 6 SF
• Tech Policy Summit in Napa, CA June 6-7

INCOMING

Voicemail

• Alex is mad about cheap airlines using iPads

Email

"On episode 514 Tom mentioned that the Asus PadPhone never came in to existence... here is the link to the REAL product that does indeed exist.

psych4 - Adelaide, South Australia"

• asus.com/Mobile/PadFone

"So, I was excited about the Asus Taichi after you guys were talking about it and I wanted to show my fiance about it. But, her not being a techie the first thing she asked was "What if your doing something you don't want others to see like watching porn or banking how do you know the other screen is not on?". I know it is early to ask but, still that is a very good question. - Alex Ford"

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Production Information

• Edited by: Tony
• Notes:

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