Independent publishers back Apple in ebook price-fixing suit
Apple has received backing from smaller, independent publishers as it prepares to fight a lawsuit alleging it colluded to fix ebook prices.
The US Department of Justice has accused Apple of working with five of the biggest names in publishing to stop Amazon and co lowering digital book prices.
Three of the publishers have agreed to settle out of court, while Apple, Macmillan and Penguin are all set to fight the writ.
However, a victory for the DoJ would be a major blow according to smaller groups, which say Amazon presents a far bigger threat to the industry than Apple.
Don't scrap the agency model
Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, an e-book publisher and distributor said: "I hope this lawsuit fails," claiming a victory would give Amazon free reign to indulge in 'predatory pricing.'Coker spoke with the DoJ following the announcement last week, and urged them not to dismantle the 'agency model' which binds retailers to selling ebook titles at prices set by the publishers.
"My message to the DOJ was that self-published authors are benefitting from the agency model," he said.
"I told them to blame the publishers for setting prices too high, but don't blame them for the agency model. There's nothing wrong with that.
"If the DOJ dismantles the agency model then they're bringing a return to the e-book pricing war. In a situation like that only Apple and Amazon can afford to sell books at a loss over a projected time. It would quickly snuff out small, independent retailers."
Coker also accuses Amazon of being 'obsessed with competitors,' and while a price war would be good for consumers in the short term, everyone would suffer in the long run.
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Second trojan sneaks onto the Mac
Right after security engineers the world over high-fived themselves for stomping out the Flashback Trojan, which menaced more than 650,000 Mac users, a new menace rears its ugly head -- and this one is potentially even larger.
Anti-virus security firm Kaspersky Lab spotted a second Mac Trojan in the wild, this one formally known as Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a (or "SabPub" for short).
Like the Flashback Trojan, SabPub also slips onto a Mac by way of Java, infecting computers when a specific link is clicked in an email.
SabPub has specific targets
"The Flashback and the SabPub Trojans are totally different," explains Alex Gostev, Kaspersky's chief security expert."SabPub is classic backdoor Trojan, so it opens full access to a victim's system for attackers. Flashback and its known variants is downloader and clickjacking bot, which means it conducts click fraud scam by hijacking people's search engine results inside their web browsers."
There is one bit of good news: SabPub appears to be trained on specific targets rather than the unsuspecting public at large.
"It would seem that the attackers have an extremely select list of victims that is not very large," Gostev reveals.
It only takes one click
As it turns out, SabPub has been spotted before as a vulnerability in Microsoft Word that has long since been squashed.The version Kaspersky identified now is using Java -- which the recent Flashback also took advantage of -- but in a completely different way.
"The latest version of SabPub uses the Java exploit to spread infection in a more effective way because the Java exploit is delivered via a drive by download, which occurs when people click on URLs with malware via email," Gostev concludes.
Kaspersky's security expert advises Mac users to keep updated with the latest patches from Apple as a deterrent against malware such as SabPub.
Last week, the company issued a Java update to stomp out Flashback, and will likely do the same in the near future for SabPub as well.
Via: Mashable
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Sprint to sell Galaxy Nexus on April 22 for $200
Sprint announced in January that they'd soon begin selling Samsung's popular Galaxy Nexus, but it wasn't until today that they announced a date and price tag.
Sprint users can pick up the smartphone on April 22 for $199.99 with a two-year contract.
The phone will come with Google Wallet pre-loaded, and in addition to the $10 that comes in new Google Wallet accounts, Sprint customers will receive $40 more in funds for use at any MasterCard PayPass location.
The galaxy's quest
Apple recently filed a patent claim against the Galaxy Nexus, the flagship phone for Google's latest Android OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. But that hasn't quelled the phone's popularity, nor will it stop Sprint from rolling out its version.The Nexus is still among the top-selling phones on Amazon, with only three others (the Samsung Brightside, the Motorola Razr Maxx and the Nokia Lumia 900) ahead of it.
The 4G LTE blues
Sprint's Galaxy Nexus will roll out as part of the carrier's in-progress 4G LTE network, along with the LG Viper and HTC Evo 4G LTE. Like the Nexus, the Viper also drops on April 22, and the Evo 4G comes out May 7.Sprint's LTE network, on the other hand, is practically nonexistent at this point, making its functionality on these phones more a promise than a feature.
Also debuting on April 22 is Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, a small tablet that will share the Nexus's Ice Cream Sandwich OS but whose processor, ironically, will be slightly less powerful than the Nexus's 1.5GHz.
Gimme your (Google) wallet
Sprint's inclusion of Google Wallet may be a big draw for consumers looking for a new way to pay without having to carry an actual wallet. Although AT&T allows the app to be installed on their Android phones, Verizon blocked it on their service.What's more, Sprint's Nexus includes Google Wallet right off the bat with an additional $40 - giving new customers a total of $50 in funds.
Now if only they could find a way to turn a phone into car keys as well.
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Browser-based Skype app coming to take on Google+ Hangouts
Microsoft looks set to head-off the threat presented by the Google+ Hangouts video conferencing functionality, by launching a Skype web app.
In its first major maneuver since paying a whopping $8.5 billion (£5.3 billion) for the popular VoIP client last May, Microsoft has issued a job posting vowing to bring the Skype experience to web browsers.
The posting asks for applicants with HTML5 experience, suggesting that it'll be compatible with Apple's Safari browser for iOS devices.
The posting reads: "Team at Skype is looking for passionate, team-oriented and self-motivated developers to help us bring Skype experience on to the Web. You will have a chance to integrate existing Skype solutions on to the web with the support of the backend services build from the ground up using latest Microsoft technologies. Result of your work will be used by hundreds millions of thankful users worldwide."
Next step
After taking flight on smartphones, games consoles and connected TVs, since its beginnings as a desktop client, heading to the web is the next logical move for Skype.In one sense, Skype already exists on the web, thanks to its link-up with Facebook, but this appears to be a standalone web client.
The importance of a browser presence has taken on greater significance for Skype, in light of Google's huge push with the Hangouts feature on Google+ which threatens Skype's superiority as the video calling kingpin.
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Lumia 900 software update fixes data bug
Nokia issued a software update for the Lumia 900 Windows Phone to fix a data connectivity bug.
The bug caused Lumia 900 phones to drop their network data connections due to a memory management issue.
Thankfully the issue was software-based rather than lying in the phone's fundamentals, so a quick update through the Zune store will solve the problem.
Advice: ask for help or take the phone back
Nokia launched a Lumia 900 update help site to walk users through the update, or direct them to trade in the phone at an AT&T store if necessary.Nokia will also provide a $100 AT&T bill credit to existing Lumia 900 users, as well as anyone who buys the phone before April 21, when the updated software will be integrated into all new phones.
To Nokia's credit...
Nokia and Microsoft pinned a lot of their hopes on the Lumia 900, which runs Windows Phone 7.5 and comes with a large 4.3-inch AMOLED screen, to make a splash with users who may be interested in alternatives to iOS and Android enabled handsets.Considering that the Lumia 900 sells for just $99 through AT&T, the $100 credit shows how seriously Nokia is taking the phone's early adoption.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is set to come to the UK in the coming months, but launched first in the US, taking over Times Square in New York City in the process.
You can check out our early thoughts with our Hands-On: Nokia Lumia 900 review
Via Nokia
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iPad becomes a Windows 8 tablet with Testbed app
A new app lets iPad users experience a Windows 8 tablet with the Metro UI right on their Apple device.
The Win8 Metro Testbed app comes from Splashtop, who has made numerous desktop streaming apps for both iOS and Android devices.
How to test drive Windows 8 on your tablet
First, it requires a PC with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and Splashtop's free Streamer program installed.Then, the desktop's audio and video is streamed over Wi-Fi to iPads through the app at 60 frames per second.
App allow tablet to mimic Windows 8 gestures
The app recognizes the native touch screen gestures of a Windows 8 tablet, such as swiping left and right to change apps or open the Charms menu.Additionally, pulling down from the top of the screen closes an application. And swiping slowly across the screen can allow two apps to run side by side.
The Win8 Metro Testbed app does include some limitations such as the lack of iPad camera support.
It also runs at the native resolution of the iPad 2 by default - 1024 x 768 pixels - and must be adjusted to allow features like running two applications side-by-side.
With no Windows 8 tablets available until later in the year, the app is the closest we're likely to get to a Metro UI tablet for a while. The app is available now through the iTunes app store for $24.99.
Via
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Rumor: Apple may team up with Valve to make gaming hardware
Rumors about Valve getting into the hardware game have been flying around for months, and Apple CEO Tim Cook's recent visit to Valve HQ added even more fuel to the fire.
Cook was reportedly spotted visiting the company last week, and though the purpose of the meeting is totally unknown, the rumor mills have nonetheless been churning.
Valve has certainly been hinting at something, and Apple's involvement would be a major development.
The Steam Box
As a game development studio and the current king of digital distribution of PC games, Valve has a vested interest in creating their own gaming hardware. In some ways it seems like the next logical step.Valve CEO Gabe Newell said as much in an interview back in February, and the moniker "Steam Box" emerged some time afterward as a possible name for any Valve-produced hardware.
More recently, the company posted a "help wanted" ad for someone to join their "highly motivated team that's doing hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms."
"We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here – help us invent whole new gaming experiences," the job listing reads.
Apple CEO visit a day
Cook's visit to Valve could mean any number of things, but given what Valve's been hinting at, it's easy to jump to one conclusion: Apple's planning a gaming push, and Valve is on board.The next version of the Macbook Pro is due any day now, and it could be Apple's best gaming hardware since the Apple II. Retina display is a must, though whether Intel's Ivy Bridge chip will be enough to support the push is a question that won't be answered today.
And if there's one thing Apple knows better than any other, it's how to market a product. Valve's appeal is limited to hardcore gamers, but a partnership with Apple for their upcoming hardware plans could be exactly what's needed to appeal to more mainstream consumers.
With Valve's library of OSX-ready games already in place thanks to Steam, the tracks are already laid.
via Slashgear, Valve
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Facebook swooped up Instagram before Twitter could
Jack Dorsey was an Instagram investor who made an absolute killing off the Facebook acquisition. But, if rumors are to be believed, he was less than happy about the acquisition.
That's because Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter, had tried to acquire Instagram months before Facebook made a move.
If it's true, it's not hard to imagine how it came to pass - nobody in Silicon Valley has the kind of muscle and reach Facebook does. Their billion dollar purchase of the photo sharing application has been met with mixed reaction, which has largely centered around the astronomical purchase price.
It is unlikely that Dorsey would have matched that figure, though his early involvement in Instagram could have made the acquisition a personal matter.
According to The New York Times:
His company, according to several people briefed on the matter, had expressed interest in buying Instagram in recent months. Mr. Dorsey once used Instagram daily to send photos to Twitter, but he has not been back since the deal was announced, perhaps a sign that he is not happy to see it in the hands of a competitor.
Shopping sprees
Twitter recently purchased the Tumblr rival Posterous. The purchase of a dedicated blogging site may have signaled a change or progression from Twitter's infamously short-form messages. Similarly, Instagram may have been the vanguard of a change in the way Twitter handled sharing pictures.Unfortunately, we may now never know.
You can follow Jack Dorsey on Twitter (with the convenient handle @Jack) and decide for yourself what his conspicuous lack of Instagram photos means.
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Nokia's debt rating downgraded to one level above 'junk'
Nokia risks having its debt downgraded to 'junk bond' status, after its long-term credit rating plummeted with an influential investment firm.
The Finnish manufacturer now sits at Baa3 with Moody's Investors Service, that's just one level above junk.
The firm says the outlook is negative for Nokia, as it burns through cash in an attempt to turn around its business with the new Lumia line of Windows Phones.
Moody's says that Symbian sales, especially the low cost handsets, are falling at a far greater rate than Lumia sales are growing, which leaves Nokia in a difficult position.
How to get back in the black?
The disheartening downgrade follows last week's revelations that the company is expected to post large losses for the first half of 2012Stock prices have dwindled to their lowest in 15 years and Moody's grim proclamation has seen them dip to new lows on Monday.
"Nokia will continue to increase its focus on lowering the company's cost structure, improving cash flow and maintaining a strong financial position," said Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Timo Ihamuotila today.
In somewhat better news, Moody's still says it expects Nokia's Lumia range to rank second only to Android and iOS.
However, what shape will the company be in when that long road is finally complete? And will it be enough to save Nokia from extinction.
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Polaroid Android camera not coming to UK
The much talked about Polaroid Android "smart" camera looks set to remain just a concept for the UK.
C&A Marketing, the licensee responsible for bringing Polaroid producs to market since buying the rights to use the brand in 2009 has decided not to bring the SC1630 to British shores.
A spokesperson for the firm told us that there had been "no word" that the camera would be made available outside the US.
Much talked about since its official launch at CES in Las Vegas back in January, the camera featured a 3x optical zoom lens and was powered by the Android operating system, meaning apps could be added to the camera's functionality.
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Polaroid Z340 review
Since then, several manufacturers have told us that the concept is interesting and is being looked into. Samsung has denied rumours that it is about to launch its own version of a smart camera, while Panasonic has said that it has been discussed. Polaroid Z340 review Existing tech
It would make sense for an electronics giant to take on this kind of proposition, as the technology needed already exists within the portfolio. Olympus meanwhile, told us that it was wary of opening up its operating system to third parties.Here in the UK, several Polaroid products come under the C&A Licence, including the GL40, a camera with an inbuilt printer.
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Workers turn to social networking to find jobs
More than two out of three UK workers (70%) are using social networks to find out about potential opportunities according to a new report.
The "UK Social Talent Management" report from Taleo Corporation found that employees use social networks to look outside rather than inside the company. With two thirds (66%) of respondents using social networks to enhance their career prospects outside of their current company while less than half (45%) use them to look for internal opportunities.
For passive job seekers, social networks are valuable for finding out about career opportunities, and keeping an eye on social networks is seen as an easy, quick way to identify available jobs within their sector.
The survey findings show:
- 40% to research prospective employees
- 39% plan to use social networks to find new jobs
- 32% to apply for job roles
Office staff are active across a wide range of social tools for professional purposes, with 72 percent of employees using social media at least once a month. More specifically:
- 21% use LinkedIn
- 20% use Facebook
- 9% use Google+
- 8% use Twitter
Although many organisations (61%) have a social networking presence of some kind, only 10 percent of employees routinely use social networks internally to discuss work with colleagues, and just one in four think that employers leverage their social network connections.
Forming a sound social network and connecting this to a talent management strategy should be at the top of successful business agendas in 2012.
"Social networking is here to stay, so to retain top talent in the current environment, employers should leverage internal social talent practices to better engage employees and identify top performers," said Dave Wilkins, Vice President of Taleo Research.
"Employers need to focus on building a strong employer brand and incorporating social media presence into their talent acquisition strategies. At the same time, companies need to do a better job in tapping into employee networks and self-identified areas of expertise without being perceived as overstepping boundaries."
Adding, "Those businesses who can successfully use social talent practices to harness the collective wisdom and expertise of their teams while also connecting with a broader pool of external talent will be poised for success."
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One More Thing: Tupac's back
You might think today's One More Thing is for real, but it's actually just a hologram.
And you might think it's just made of words and pictures, but if you scroll down, there are sound effects. And there's an exclusive first look at the next Google Doodle that was in no way created by us in Paint. We spoil you, we really do.
What up Snoop? - If you haven't seen the incredibrill (that's the official rapper term) video of famously dead Tupac performing as a hologram at this year's Coachella festival, you're missing out. Rectify. [Duck and Roll]
Sound effect - Books, man. They've got a lot of words in. Tedious words, describing things and explaining what's going on. You know what books need? Sound. Yes, that won't devalue the writing at all. Thank goodness for Booktrack, which is for some reason building a business on adding sound effects to ebooks. Later, maybe they'll add images that move. [The Guardian]
Yankee Doodle - Sure we have snazzy job titles like "writer" and "editor" and "dogsbody" but even we dream of the day we can change our email signatures to "Kate Solomon, Doodler", even if the word does technically mean fool or simpleton. You can apply for this role as Google Doodler too if you like, but we've got to warn you, our application is pretty strong: [Google]
Hey Google, call us.
Historical rewrite - Remember when it turned out that Yahoo actually invented Facebook? Now it emerges that Microsoft invented the iPhone, but was just too tight and too scared to see it through, at least according to Nathan Myhrvold, previous Microsoft CTO turned cookbook writer. [Men's Journal]
Mother's pride – To show off their mad acceleration skills, two Smart ForTwo electric cars have been hooked up as Pong controllers. We're going to go out on a limb and say the original arcade controllers were a bit better for the purpose. [Simply Zesty]
Gee, mail – Google has finally coughed up the cash to buy the gmail.de domain and g-mail trademark in Germany instead of slogging it out in court any longer. So long, Googlemail! [Slashgear]
Game on – Like rains to the drought-ridden desert, EA titles have returned to Game. You can now buy big hitters like Mass Effect 3 and FIFA Street from Game.co.uk if you haven't already picked them up elsewhere. [CVG]
Spinning schminning - Working on the sound principle that exercising is boring and racing against plumbers is brilliant, one Canadian modder has plugged his exercise bike into Mario Kart with sensors detecting peddling speed and buttons on the handle bars. Warning: it is "a fair bit harder than it looks". Yeah, but you'll be fit as a fiddle in no time. [Kotaku]
Robocop. Literally. – In South Korea, Robo Prison Guard patrols the halls of the slammer with 3D camera and sensors galore to keep tabs on the jailbirds. How long before some modding genius is incarcerated, hacks the 'bot and leads his fellow inmates into some kind of Lord of the Flies scenario? We're already working on the screenplay. [Reuters]
Case dismissed - If you're at all concerned that you may get shot through the head while talking on your iPhone, you may want to invest in this Y52,500 ($648 or £412) case that can probably stop a 50-calibre bullet. Maybe. Actually, it isn't at all clear about whether it can or not. Best not to rely on it in life or death situations – perhaps just fake your own death and move abroad instead. [Kotaku]
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New iPad mini rumoured for Q3 release
A 7-inch iPad is set to come out in 2012, with 6 million units being readied to ship later in the year.
This is according to Chinese portal NetEase, which reckons the new, smaller Apple tablet will be in direct competition with the various Windows 8 tablets that are set to hit shops in 2012.
It's been well documented that Steve Jobs was not a fan of a smaller tablet form factor - preferring the size of the new iPad - but many analysts believe that Apple may have changed its mind after seeing the potential of the Kindle Fire and how Windows 8 has been designed with tablets in mind.
According to the site, the two production facilities that will be producing the reported 6 million units for a Q3 launch this year are Foxconn and Pegatron.
Pegatron may sound like a Transformer but it's actually a facility that's currently working on Android tablets with Google, according to the report.
Smaller tablets
Google said in its earnings call last week that it was looking into producing cheaper tablets with Android on board, with CEO Larry Page explaining that the company was "very excited about tablets" and that it wanted a unified OS experience for both tablets and phones.This is something Apple already has, so porting its OS to a smaller form factor shouldn't be much of a problem and we have already heard strong rumours that a smaller iPad is being prepped.
When it comes to price, NetEase reckons that the new iPad mini would come to market with a price tag between $250 and $300 - £150 to £200.
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Mobiles drive an 11% increase in online searches
Total retail search volumes grew 11% in the first quarter of 2012 compared with the same quarter a year earlier and the growth is all down to mobile and tablet search volumes which grew by 132% year-on-year.
According to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium during the January sales, search volumes on mobile/tablets were at their highest, peaking on the 2 January 2012. Additionally there was a noticeable peak in retail searches on mobile/tablet devices two weeks before Mother's Day - 4 March.
In the first quarter, total search volumes grew at their fastest rate for health and beauty and food and drink related items, up 21% year-on-year. For mobile, growth in search volumes was highest for food and drink, up by 172% year-on-year.
The BRC figures also highlighted the number of overseas consumers searching for UK retailers has soared 57 per cent for this quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. Internet search traffic from developing countries like Mexico and Pakistan more than doubled and could prove to be a potentially lucrative market that many businesses could exploit.
Peter Fitzgerald, Retail Director, Google commented "These statistics demonstrate the growth potential of online for UK retailers and the part retail can play in building a recovery based on exports, given the right conditions and a genuinely free-trade world market place."
Stephen Robertson, Director General, British Retail Consortium, said "Squeezed household budgets mean customers are turning more and more to the internet to research what they're buying and look for best value,"
"Being able to check competitors' goods and prices while they're in a store is a big part of the continuing boom in retail searches via mobiles and tablets. It's a sign of these tough times that this isn't restricted to major purchases — the biggest growth in mobile retail searches is on food and drink as people compare different offers. "
Fitzgerald agrees adding, "The first quarter of 2012 provided more evidence of the growing importance of mobile."
Explaining "While overall retail queries grew 11% year-on-year, mobile experienced exponential growth, growing 132% year-on-year in Q1. Mobile retail queries as a percentage of total retail queries also followed a similar trajectory, more than doubling from 8% in Q1 2011 to 17% in Q1 2012."
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In Depth: Can game developers save AI?
Can game developers save AI?
There's no stranger field than Artificial Intelligence. The science of making intelligent machines has never had greater potential - or seemed more insurmountably difficult.The more we study the human foundations of intelligence, the deeper we probe into the massively parallel processor that is the human brain, the less plausible seem our first attempts at creating artificial thought close to our own - and the more likely that we won't perceive it as real, that is human-like, intelligence.
For every human-capable task, there is a different criterion for intelligence - some tasks like number crunching convince us computers are superhuman, some like language processing that they're sub-human - but rarely is a computer consistently on our level.
Even relatively simple simulacra, designed to convince a human that they're another human, have failed singularly to do so - the $100,000 Loebner prize for passing the Turing Test remains unclaimed.
Even AI designer Dr Stephen Thaler is skeptical of programmer's efforts to generate AIs through the emergent properties of hugely powerful computers:
"Large companies and universities are catering to the public misconception that size, speed, and complexity will somehow lead to human-level machine intelligence.
Put a HAL-like voice behind an impressive database search and 90% of the population mistakenly thinks 'wow, with just a few more computers, the thing will become conscious.' Certainly, these are not the AI systems anticipated by science fiction."
There are pure AI developers out there, working in universities or for defense institutions (like Dr Thaler) or working in data-mining companies (like the team who created IBM's Watson) but the people who spent most of their time trying to convince humans that their programs have human-like intelligence are game programmers.
We caught up with a handful of them to see if they thought their work was going to produce something that might change the state of AI.
Bruce Wilcox of Telltale Games, creator of the Loebner Prize-winning chatbot Suzette, made it clear that what games do is normally very different from the mainstream emergent technique and much closer to the Turing Test technique; "Game AI" is generally not "mainstream AI". Game AI seeks to create the illusion of a competent opponent by whatever means (often smoke and mirrors).
Mainstream AI actually tries to create techniques whereby problems are solved "as though like a human" and covers a wide range of things. Every time they succeed, the technique is swallowed by mainstream computing and is no longer considered AI. Expert systems were useful and there are now autonomous fighter drones. Speech recognition is useful. Text to speech is useful. Chess is won. Jeopardy is won."
So what is gaming AI then? Guy Somberg, the Technical Director of Minion Master; "The purpose of gaming AI is to change the way that the player plays the game. Having a good AI doesn't necessarily mean making it "more intelligent". In fact, one of the challenges in game AI is to make it predictable, while still providing a challenge. What that means is different for every game."
Frank Savage, CTO of Jumala agrees; "Gaming AI is designed to provide the largest number of players with the most fun experience possible. It is generally not designed to beat them every time because it's quite easy to write that AI!"
Joel Bylos of Funcom is Lead Content Designer for The Secret World. He thinks that the simplicity of opponent AI in games has stagnated; "Not because developers cannot make better AI, but actually because players don't really want the AI to be too clever. The computer is omniscient, so scripting AI that "appears" human is the tricky part."
However, there are many other forms of AI in games, such the companion AI and NPC scheduling seen in Skyrim, but it's again limited by the way it's been designed for virtual spaces.
"Game AI tends to know everything it needs to about the spaces it lives in," explains Bylos "but real world AI (such as robots or drones) needs to map the space as it goes. It's possible to map real world spaces for real world AI to interact with, but then the space needs to remain static for the AI to be able to "keep up".
So, if we can only export mainstream game AI by making the real world more virtual, what can we use? John Warren of Minicore points to Serious Games, like Fate of the World or the health games we've looked at previously on TechRadar. "Outside of gaming, quality AI can contribute to society, but it starts with serious gaming.
Using high-quality AI in serious games for medical, military, or industrial purposes will make human labor more efficient. It's exciting stuff. We have to start taking the time to make it happen, though." Jumala's Savage agrees; "Today, these are primarily canned scenarios.
But, to really push AI forward, we should design AIs for these scenarios that do things which are much harder to anticipate. This, again, is a very difficult challenge and a great problem to solve."
At the moment, gaming AI is not immediately applicable to real-world problems, and especially doesn't seem like it will create the rich AI that our science fiction predecessors have helped us dream about. Despite this, Serious Gaming AI can provide serious benefits to human productivity - if we can work out how to make it more imaginative.
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Spotify iPad app spied in the wild
Spotify's long-awaited iPad app may be just around the corner if the latest spy shot is anything to go by.
A Swedish technology consultant posted an Instagram snap of what he claimed is the beta version of an impending Spotify iPad app, although the image has since been taken down.
The photo, which was quickly nabbed by The Verge, shows the iPad in portrait mode making good use of the overlapping panes that you may remember from such iPad apps as Twitter for iPad.
SpotifiPad
This means that you'll have quick and easy access to your regular functions (search, playlists, inbox, friends) while still enjoying the aesthetically pleasing album covers of your current playlist.
The company itself hasn't commented on the images or said anything about the iPad app that we all suspect but don't know for sure it is working on.
Meanwhile, Spotify has an event planned for this week which is expected to see it launch branded apps on the music platform.
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Sony starts rolling out Xperia Ice Cream Sandwich update
Sony has confirmed it is starting to roll out the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to its 2011 range of Xperia handsets.
The news broke on the official Sony Xperia Product Blog, where the manufacturing giant revealed the update will be coming to the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray first in Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway.
The update for these three phones will make its way to global markets in the next 4-6 weeks, so hold on tight if you're not in Scandinavia.
But wait, there's more
Sony will roll out the update to more of the Xperia range towards the end of May/start of June including; Xperia Arc, Xperia Play, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.Sony, like many manufactures, has been slow off the mark with providing the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade to customers and now the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation XE are receiving the upgrade, the pressure is on.
When Sony does get round to pushing Ice Cream Sandwich to your Xperia phone you will need to connect it to your computer to download and install – no space-age over-the-air update here.
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Google Street View Wi-Fi data swoop deemed legal
Google has been told by the courts that collecting of Wi-Fi data with its Google Street View Cars was not illegal practise but it still has to pay a fine for doing it.
It's been some two years since it came to light that Google was collecting Wi-Fi data while snapping the world's streets for its Street View service.
The US' Federal Communications Commission has decided that Google's 'accidental' trawling of this data was not actually illegal but the fact the company delayed an investigation into the affairs means that it will have to pay a $25,000 fine, which equates to around £15,000.
Considering that Google has hundreds of billions of pounds in its coffers, we're guessing the company found this in its pocket change.
Good faith
A spokesperson said of the FCC's verdict: "We worked in good faith to answer the FCC's questions throughout the inquiry, and we're pleased that they have concluded that we complied with the law."The FCC noted that Google "deliberately impeded and delayed" the investigation, explaining: "Although a world leader in digital search capability, Google took the position that searching its employees' e-mail 'would be a time-consuming and burdensome task'."
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Google Steet View Wi-Fi data swoop deemed legal
Google has been told by the courts that collecting of Wi-Fi data with its Google Street View Cars was not illegal practise but it still has to pay a fine for doing it.
It's been some two years since it came to light that Google was collecting Wi-Fi data while snapping the world's streets for its Street View service.
The US' Federal Communications Commission has decided that Google's 'accidental' trawling of this data was not actually illegal but the fact the company delayed an investigation into the affairs means that it will have to pay a $25,000 fine, which equates to around £15,000.
Considering that Google has hundreds of billions of pounds in its coffers, we're guessing the company found this in its pocket change.
Good faith
A spokesperson said of the FCC's verdict: "We worked in good faith to answer the FCC's questions throughout the inquiry, and we're pleased that they have concluded that we complied with the law."The FCC noted that Google "deliberately impeded and delayed" the investigation, explaining: "Although a world leader in digital search capability, Google took the position that searching its employees' e-mail 'would be a time-consuming and burdensome task'."
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HTC One V release date set for April 23
The HTC One V, the baby of the new 'One' range from the Taiwanese manufacturer will hit shelves in the UK on April 23.
The One V is reasonably priced, coming in lower than the more powerful One S and One X, and sees the return of the famous "chin" we saw on the HTC Legend and HTC Hero.
You can already pre-order the HTC One V today from the likes of the Carphone Warehouse, but you'll have to wait until April 23 to get your hands on the dinky device.
A chin Desperate Dan would be proud of
It can be picked up for free on contract with a variety of networks starting at the low, low price of £13.50 per month (as part of a 24 month contract).Not bad at all considering the HTC One V manages to pack Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense 4.0, a 3.7-inch screen, 5MP camera with 720p video recording, 4GB of RAM and a microSD card slot into its well-chiselled frame.
Don't forget the One V also packs the Dr. Dre inspired Beats Audio technology, which will enhance your tunes via the music player, radio, Spotify or any other music service you wish to use.
The well-appointed One V is also available on PAYG, where you'll need to lay down around £230 for the handset.
Make sure you check out our in depth HTC One V review to find out our thoughts on the third device to hit the One range, or if you're pushed for time take a gander at the video below.
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Opinion: Why PC memory no longer matters
The last couple of weeks have seen me benchmarking the bejesus out of the latest and greatest DDR3 memory kits for desktop PCs. And I can no longer deny it. Memory no longer matters.
If I'm honest, I've known it for a while. But it's taken some systematic spanking of multiple memory kits to put the notion completely beyond doubt. Admittedly, a little qualification is required. You do need to have enough memory. 8GB is plenty and can be had for as little as £35. And there are still a few dud kits out there. But that's about it.
The explanation, of course, mostly comes down to the trend towards consolidating more and more features into the CPU die. AMD and particularly Intel are bunging everything into CPUs.
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The end game is the so-called SoC or system on a chip where pretty much everything of any significance is packed into a single computer chip. Historically, SoCs have been the weapon of choice for anything that needs to be very cheap or very small. Think set top boxes and mobile phones.15 best graphics cards in the worldBest PC upgrades for gamers
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We're still a few years off achieving SoCs in PCs. But today's mainstream Intel CPUs, for instance, pack everything from a memory controller to a PCI Express bus and even a slightly shonky graphics core.
When it comes to system memory, the most significant part of that consolidation process is the memory controller. Take it off the motherboard and stick it on the CPU itself and bandwidth gets a big boost.
Even at default memory frequencies – currently 1,333MHz - there's more than enough bandwidth to feed the latest multi-core processors. That's true for the latest AMD and Intel processors with dual-channel controllers. They serve up as much as 20GB/s or more of raw bandwidth.
As for Intel's newish X79 high end platform and its quad-channel architecture, it's total overkill. In terms of desktop applications, it performs just as well in dual-channel mode as quad-channel mode.
The other change that's marginalised RAM in the performance-critical stakes is the shift from CPU buses to multipliers for overclocking. Tweaking buses had knock-on effect on memory. Increasing CPU clockspeeds via the multiplier does not. So you don't need fast memory to hit high clocks any more.
All of which makes memory kits with fancy heat spreaders, fast frequencies and exotic latencies seem rather silly. At this point, somebody will point to a benchmark somewhere on the web showing a 1.2794 per cent performance improvement when you upgrade from standard 1,333MHz RAM to some low latency 1,866MHz clobber.
And it's true, RAM can improve system performance marginally. But I would absolutely positive defy anyone to take a Pepsi blind challenge and identify which PC was running which memory. It's just not possible.
However, if all this sounds like the end of days for premium memory makers, there's hope on the horizon. Funnily enough, it takes the shape of the SoC trend, again. If modern CPUs have all the bandwidth they can eat, graphics cores are another matter. Right now, the integrated 3D cores included in some CPUs are pretty pathetic. But even they can saturate a CPU's memory bandwidth.
AMD, for instance, claims the graphics performance of its A8-3850 Fusion processor increases by as much as 20 per cent courtesy of the leap from 1,333MHz to 1,600MHz memory. When you think that the cost difference might only be a few quid, it's a no brainer.
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Facebook and Apple 'will stifle innovation' online, says Google
The restrictive rules put in place by companies like Facebook and Apple are threatening web freedom, according to Sergey Brin, one of Google's co-founders.
Speaking to The Guardian, Brin spoke of his fears for the internet as governments try to control it, militant anti-piracy measures threaten creativity and the growing trend for 'walled gardens' like those patrolled by Facebook and Apple.
"Very powerful forces… have lined up against the open internet on all sides and around the world," he said in an interview. "I am more worried than I have been in the past. It's scary."
Walls come down
Brin went on to criticise the walled gardens cultivated by networks like Facebook and proprietary systems like Apple's App Store, saying that they fly in the face of Google's openness and the standards it was built upon:"You have to play by their rules, which are really restrictive. The kind of environment that we developed Google in, the reasons that we were able to develop a search engine, is the web was so open. Once you get too many rules, that will stifle innovation."
At which point we were all "Yeah! Right on! Peace and love!' - but then he said:
"There's a lot to be lost. For example, all the information in apps – that data is not crawlable by web crawlers. You can't search it."
Ah. Right. Placards down. This seems to suggest that Google thinks web freedom is the same as web searchability, something Google just so happens to have a vested interest in. That's not quite what we had in mind.
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Chris Nolan: '3D is a misnomer'
Chris Nolan has given his reasons for the lack of 3D in The Dark Knight Rises – and the whole of his Batman trilogy – saying that there's no need for the format, as films are 3D already.
Speaking to the Director's Guild of America about his upcoming superhero opus and the rest of his career, Nolan explained why he wasn't a fan of 3D, even though the studio would have been more than happy for The Dark Knight Rises to be shot in this way.
"Warner Bros would have been very happy, but I said to the guys there that I wanted it to be stylistically consistent with the first two films and we were really going to push the IMAX thing to create a very high-quality image," said Nolan.
"I find stereoscopic imaging too small scale and intimate in its effect. 3D is a misnomer. Films are 3D. The whole point of photography is that it's three-dimensional."
3D is hard to embrace
He does note that 3D has its place but just not in movies. "The thing with stereoscopic imaging is it gives each audience member an individual perspective."It's well suited to videogames and other immersive technologies, but if you're looking for an audience experience, stereoscopic is hard to embrace. I prefer the big canvas, looking up at an enormous screen and at an image that feels larger than life."
Interestingly, Nolan admits that his style of shooting is actually complementary to the 3D experience, although it's unlikely we will see any of his films this way.
"One of the things that happened when the craze came back was various aspects of conversion. The way I shoot film is actually very conducive to converting to 3-D because I'm always thinking of the camera as a participant.
"I don't use zoom lenses, for example, so I don't reframe using the zoom. Instead, we always move the camera physically closer and put a different focal length on."
The Dark Knight Rises release date is July 18.
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HTC Golf uncovered in press shot leak
The HTC Golf has made it into the wild thanks to a leaked press shot which has appeared online as HTC looks to expand its range after the trio of "One" handsets.
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The snap was picked up by PocketNow and claims to be an official press image of HTC's upcoming entry-level device.Best Android phonesIt sports a look very similar to that of the HTC Wildfire and HTC Wildfire S – which were previous budget handsets from the Taiwanese firm.
C is for Cookie...
The HTC Golf is rumoured to run the latest flavour of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, with the Sense 4.0 overlay and pack a single-core processor, 3.5-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage and a 5MP camera. These are all very close to HTC One V, which is set to arrive later this year, chin and all.
It's also been reported that the HTC Golf will come with a host of connectivity options including a microSD slot, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a front facing camera – however the leaked press shot seems to omit the second camera.
As far as a HTC Golf release date goes we've not had anything solid, but it has been suggested it could arrive before July.
The HTC Golf may end up shipping under the name Wildfire C, and while we understand the 'Wildfire' part of the name, the 'C' does seem a bit odd. Any ideas what it may stand for? Cheap, perhaps?
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Creating a website for your business
Building a website for your business is not as complex as it once was. Today anyone who can fill in a form can build a sophisticated website, without knowing any HTML code, or learning expensive and complicated website design software.
Before you begin to build your website you should think about what your site will be designed to do. Today when consumers are looking for goods and services, their first port of call is the Internet, and at the very least you need your name and contact details on the site.
For many businesses, a single one page site is more than adequate to give them an online contact point for potential customers.
You have a number of choices when constructing a website:
- A one page website that includes your business' basic contact information can be set-up in seconds thanks to services like About Me
- Website hosting services such as those from 1&1 Internet have simple website building wizards that allow any business to build a site in just a few minutes
- If you need an e-commerce enabled website there are many platforms and types of solution to choose, from simple ecommerce packages through to sophisticated epos solutions examples include Actinic, Volusion, Cybertill and Shopify
- When more control is needed over the website's design, professional applications like Adobe Dreamweavercan be used. However, you can make the design of your site easier to set up by using a ready-made template from suppliers like Template Monsterthat you then simply customise.
- Many business that also want to speak directly to their customers start a blog that can also act as their website. The leading blogging platform is Wordpressthat now has thousands of themes that you can choose from
- Third party website construction services are also available from companies including Moonfruit, Weebly, Qapacity and Yola
How to choose your construction method
Your business has a number of decisions to make about how it will construct its website. Ask yourself these questions to help you decide whether building a website from scratch or using one of the many website construction services is more appropriate:- Does your business already contain the skills and knowledge needed to build a website from scratch?
- Will your website need specific and bespoke features built into the design?
- Do you want your website to be updated regularly by a number of different people?
- Will you need to move your website to another hosting service?
Pros and cons
The pros and cons of using DIY approach to website design, or handing the construction to a third-party designer include:Pros:
- Using website design applications like Dreamweaver gives you total control over the design of your website
- Template and hosted systems are easier to set-up and don't require any technical knowledge of website design
- Hosted services often have website construction services built into their hosting packages for no extra cost
- Many of the DIY sites also offer payment mechanisms, promotional platforms and social media support already built in
Cons:
- Building your site from scratch can be time consuming and expensive
- Template-based website design can be limiting
- Possible copyright issues over the design and pictures used with a template-based service
- If you need to move your site to another host, this can sometimes be difficult
- Bespoke components are often not available for template-based websites
Usability and design
No matter how you construct your website it must ultimately be attractive, engaging and intuitive to use. If you confuse your visitors or frustrate them with over the top design, they will simply click away to another site.There are a number of fundamental principles that have been developed over the last decade that you can use when designing a website for your business:
- Don't overly complicate your design. Never confuse or frustrate your visitors with unnecessary design elements
- Use flashing banners and other animations minimally eg to draw attention to short-lived special offers, or a one-off sale
- Always have the same navigation on each page, and ensure there is a 'home' button on each page
- Ensure that pages download quickly. Research has shown that 8 seconds is the maximum that users will wait, but you should aim for even faster downloads as that figure is reducing every year
- Use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and not tables to layout your web pages, as CSS will ensure your pages load faster
- Text should be written so it can be scanned. Most users will look for headlines and subheadings before reading the rest of the text on a page
- Make any shopping cart and checkout system you use easy to navigate. Irritated users will simply abandon their baskets, which is a lost sale.
Search engine optimisation
As over 80 per cent of websites are found via a search engine it is vital that all businesses understand how to apply SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to their websites. The key elements of good SEO include:- Good SEO begins with choosing the right keywords to use on your web pages. Use the Google Keyword Tool or Good Keywords to choose popular search words to use on your site and use tools like Keyword Tracker to then analyse their effectiveness.
- Keywords should be included in strategic places across your site including page titles, headings and subheadings and within the first 25 words of each page's text, as search engines will look at this text first
- Search engines like to reward websites that have a large number of links back to them. This shows that the site is popular. Make strategic alliances with other sites to link back to yours
- Content is king when it comes to search engines. The more relevant and engaging you can make the content on your business' web pages the higher its ranking on search engine results pages
- Optimise your website's code by ensuring your site has a map – create on using the XML Sitemap Creator application and submit it to Google Webmasters and Bing Webmaster, and always include Alt tags on all images as search engines use these as part of your page's ranking
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