Saturday, 3 June 2017

The Morning After: Weekend Edition

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Saturday, June 03, 2017.

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

Welcome to the weekend. It’s time to prep for Apple’s next big event and carefully consider what could happen if the government legalizes "hacking back."

Tune in Monday.

What to expect from Apple at WWDC 2017

This week Apple will put on a big show for developers but, as usual, we’re also listening. That’s because we could get news about everything from an Echo-fighting Siri speaker to refreshed MacBooks and iPads. On the software side, we’re expecting to find out how Siri will keep up with its AI assistant competition, and what’s next for both iOS and MacOS.

It begins.

'Need for Speed Payback' adds higher stakes and familiar ideas

E3 is still more than a week away, but EA has already dropped off one big game announcement: a name, release date and trailer for the next Need for Speed. Payback is an open world game that seems to take a lot of hints from the Fast and Furious franchise. Ultimately, it’s about "building the perfect ride, getting behind the wheel and playing out an action driving fantasy."

A new challenger enters

The Eve V came from nowhere to challenge the Surface Pro

Could a crowdfunded convertible really take on Microsoft’s pro mobile PC? Now that we’ve spent time with the Eve V at Computex, that seems realistic. There are still reasons to be skeptical, but its sturdy aluminum frame is coming together nicely.

That was fast

'Rime' goes DRM-free after hackers crack the game in days

Publishers for the adventure/puzzle game Rime were worried that piracy could cut into first-week sales, so they applied Denuvo DRM technology to the PC version. Unfortunately, gamers report the DRM caused performance issues. The publishers promised that if the DRM were cracked, then they would release a version of the game without it, and within just a few days of its launch, that’s what happened.

Real life isn’t always like 'Mr. Robot'

Bad Password: If hacking back becomes law, what could possibly go wrong?

The Active Cyber Defense Certainty (ACDC) Act is getting closer to being put before lawmakers, but as columnist Violet Blue explains, they should think carefully before making it a law. That’s because as awesome as "hacking back" sounds, it could very easily send attacks flying both ways, with an impossible to enforce maxim that victims only mess with their stolen data. As-is, it’s like
trying to make gang warfare productive."

Take that for data.

Trump withdraws the US from Paris climate change agreement

By now you’ve heard that the President plans to initiate a withdrawal from the Paris Accords, an agreement reached to try and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. What you may not have heard, however, is the response of MIT scientists to data the president cited in his statement to claim the agreement would accomplish little. In a statement, researchers from the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change said they "find this statement to be misleading," and that "the Paris Agreement is an unprecedented and vital effort by nearly 200 countries to respond to the urgent threat of global climate change."

But wait, there's more...

1. A 3D printer gave my Nintendo Switch a real D-pad

2. Intel's Core i9 Extreme Edition CPU is an 18-core beast

3. Silk Road founder loses appeal and will serve life in prison

4. North Korea has created its own 'iPad'

5. Computer Love: The semi-nude lives of webcam stars

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Friday, 2 June 2017

The Morning After: US withdraws from Paris climate change agreement

Engadget Email Newsletter

It's Friday, June 02, 2017.

Hey, good morning!

Welcome to Friday. The biggest news you probably didn’t miss is that the US is withdrawing from the Paris Accord: an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions struck back in 2015. While that sinks in, we also have more details and a price for the Nintendo Switch's online service, and investigate the past, present and future of the more intimate side of live-streaming video.

Change.

Trump announces the US will withdraw from Paris climate change agreement

Yesterday, the President announced that the US would initiate a four-year withdrawal process from the Paris Accord. Reached under the Obama Administration in 2015, it tied 143 countries in an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases and slow global temperature increase. He called it a bad deal and indicated that it could be renegotiated -- a statement refuted by leaders of Italy, France and Germany.

In response, Elon Musk and Disney CEO Bob Iger resigned from presidential advisory councils, while Satya Nadella, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and others issued statements in support of the agreement’s principles. In local governments, 61 mayors made a pledge to uphold the agreement, while governors of California, New York and Washington formed the United States Climate Alliance to take “aggressive action” on climate change.

The first modular computing platform that might succeed.

Intel’s Compute Card could transform the world of smart devices

It doesn't take too long for your typical "smart" gadget to get dumb. After a few years, the hardware inside your TV or connected refrigerator will be hopelessly out of date. Typically, if you want to upgrade its smarts, your only choice right now is to buy a whole new device. Intel is hoping to change that with the Compute Card, a credit card-size device that packs in all of the hardware needed to make any device smart. Devindra Hardawar takes a look at some of the first experimental uses.

The new Play line of smartphones reflects a changing set of priorities.

Motorola's Z2 Play sacrifices battery life for sleekness

Motorola formally announced the Moto Z2 Play today, a $499 refresh of a phone that was almost shockingly good the first time around. Our full review is still in the works (thanks, Computex) but so far it's been a remarkably capable performer. For better or worse, though, it has the potential to shake up the Z line as we know it. Things have changed.

Weird but cheap

Nintendo Switch online features will cost $20 a year, starting in 2018

Nintendo revealed a bit more information about how Switch multiplayer will work, including its price: $20. That’s cheaper than competing offerings from PlayStation and Xbox, and will include access to multiplayer gaming, a lobby and voice chat app, plus access to a rotating “classic game selection” modded for online multiplayer. Games will include the likes of Super Mario Bros. 3, Balloon Fight and Dr. Mario.

Snap's camera-equipped Spectacles arrive in Europe

The first Spectacle-dispensing machine in Europe is at the London Eye.

The camera company that isn’t quite a camera company is exporting its Specs to Europe, and London is first. The wearables do, however, maintain all the design flourishes and colors of something made by Fisher-Price.

To succeed, the company needs to appeal to more than pure gadget lovers.

The success of Andy Rubin's Essential Phone may depend on carriers

When Android co-founder Andy Rubin left Google, we knew back then was that he reportedly wanted to strike out on his own, and that ultimately meant building a high-end phone: the Essential Phone. It looks gorgeous, has high-end components and all the hallmarks of a flagship smartphone. Except for one part: that all-important carrier support.

"Have you ever thought about how intimate your relationship is with your computer?"

The semi-nude lives of webcam stars

In this week's Computer Love, we talk to Harli Lotts. She’s part of a booming at-home workforce made up of young women -- and a few men -- who are upending the adult entertainment industry and social media at the same time. Like Instagram influencers or YouTube makers, today's webcam models need little more than a strong WiFi connection and an internet-connected camera to make a living. Services like My Free Cams, Flirt4Free, or Chaturbate are platforms like Facebook or Snapchat, just a whole lot more adult in nature. With the right tools and an ID that says they're 18 or older, these 21st-century push-button celebrities don't even have to leave their bedrooms to make a living, and they all have one woman to thank. Jennifer Ringley was just the start.

To the death of the scanner.

Adobe Scan turns documents into editable PDFs

Adobe has launched a new way to turn your physical documents into PDFs with editable text, and it's completely free. The company has released a new mobile app simply called "Scan" for both iOS and Android, and to create a digital copy of a document you merely have to point your phone's camera at it. It effortlessly makes editable copies in the process.

But wait, there's more...

1. Netflix cancels 'Sense8' after two seasons

2. AT&T's $70 wireless bundle pairs unlimited data with 60 TV channels

3. Apple's kid-friendly coding app can now bring toys to life

4. Plex Live TV and DVR launches for subscribers

5. Samsung Galaxy Book review: You're better off with a Surface Pro

6. US is now asking for visa applicants' social media handles

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Thursday, 1 June 2017

E-Commerce Minute

E-Commerce Minute: Thursday -- June 1, 2017

The E-Commerce Times -- E-Business Means Business
http://www.ecommercetimes.com
Part of the ECT News Network

Headline Scan
PCs Shine Again, but for How Long?
Facebook's Original Programming Plans Take Shape
The Subscription Economy's Maturation
Amazon Shares Hit Milestone as E-Commerce Battle Heats Up
Building a Sales Team by the Numbers
SC Ruling Signals New Era for Software Patent Enforcement
Google Brings Machine Learning to Online Marketing Assessment

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Today's Story Highlights

PCs Shine Again, but for How Long?

Just when PCs looked to be dying a slow, painful death, they became
interesting again. As expected, this week's news coming from Computex is
flush with new PCs and PC technologies, but is it enough to reinvigorate
a market that has faced declining sales since 2011? The market peaked at
just over 365 million units annually, and fell to 269 million units last
year. So, why all the excitement?
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84576.html

Facebook's Original Programming Plans Take Shape

Facebook last week signed agreements with several content firms -- among
them Vox, Buzzfeed, ATTN and Group Nine Media, according to reports. The
deals are widely viewed as part of the company's strategy to attract
millennials to its live-streaming Web content. Facebook will offer
multi-tiered programming, according to a report that cited sources
familiar with the plans.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84571.html

The Subscription Economy's Maturation

A lot happens in a decade. Bill Gates once said that we overestimate
what we can do in two years and underestimate what we can do in 10. 2017
is a particularly good time to stop paddling and look back at what's
been going on in the last decade. While we will all have our favorite
memories, there's one in CRM that stands out more than others for me.
After all, 2007 was the year of the iPhone.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84574.html

Amazon Shares Hit Milestone as E-Commerce Battle Heats Up

Amazon stock surged to more than $1,000 for the first time in early
trading on Tuesday, marking a milestone for the dominant e-commerce
retailer and leaving its closest competitors still trying to figure out
a path to closing the gap. Amazon's shares hovered near $997 in late
mid-afternoon trading after reaching $1001.20 earlier in the day, an
all-time-high for the stock.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84568.html

Building a Sales Team by the Numbers

I don't know why more subscription vendors don't do this. Subscription
companies collect mountains of data from their customers, and analyzing
the aggregations can deliver profound insights virtually for free. Yet
too often subscribers are reluctant to let their data be stripped of
identifying characteristics and used for research. Too bad, because
there's gold in that big data.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84569.html

SC Ruling Signals New Era for Software Patent Enforcement

The U.S. Supreme Court once again has changed the landscape for software
infringement litigation. In a decision released last week, the court
severely undercut the ability of plaintiffs to seek out courts that have
a track record of being "friendly" to the plaintiff's position -- a
practice called "forum shopping." Legal analysts disagree on the impact
of the decision, however.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84566.html

Google Brings Machine Learning to Online Marketing Assessment

Google earlier this week unveiled Google Attribution, a tool that uses
machine learning to measure the effectiveness of online marketing
campaigns across a variety of devices and channels. Part of a series of
new measurement tools introduced at Google Marketing Next, Google
Attribution aims to help marketers determine what is driving consumers
to make their online purchasing decisions.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/84563.html

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