Wednesday, February 24, 2016

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 25/02/2016





Sony is hosting a PlayStation VR event next month
Despite what GameStop has in mind, Sony might actually still make its promised "first half of 2016" release date for PlayStation VR. That the company has sent out invites for a special media event just ahead of the annual Game Developers Conference o...

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ASUS agrees to 20 years of audits for router security issue
Over the next two decades, ASUS' routers and their firmware will undergo an independent security audit once every two years. That's one of the conditions FTC set that ASUS had to agree to in order to settle the commission's charges. See, the FTC foun...

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Amazon is working on a comedy starring Jean-Claude Van Damme
The man who calmly did the splits between two moving semi trucks and lived to tell the tale is starring in a comedy from Amazon. Jean-Claude Van Johnson has Jean-Claude Van Damme playing a martial arts actor who ditches retirement and steps back into...

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Boston Dynamics presents the 'next generation' Atlas robot
Over the years we've watched in awe as Boston Dynamics has refined the design of its humanoid Atlas robot, and this new version is impressing us once again. Last year the Alphabet-owned group showed off a battery-powered version of the robot, and now...

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Hardcore cult hit 'Risk of Rain' lands on PS4, Vita this year
Risk of Rain is a gloriously, ridiculously challenging action game that debuted on Steam in November 2013 -- and it's headed to PlayStation 4 and Vita in early 2016. This isn't your standard pixelated, sidescrolling independent platformer; Risk of Ra...

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'Star Wars' helmets translate your words to droidspeak
Canadian electronics designer AE Innovations has created a helmet that makes it sound like you're talking in "droidspeak." Yes, that's R2D2's and BB8's beeping, whirring droid language. The helmet doesn't actually "translate" anything: its throat mic...

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Samsung printers automatically re-order ink with Amazon Dash
Amazon didn't stop at handy buttons for its Dash re-ordering tech. Back in January, the company announced a collection of devices that leverage the system to automatically order supplies when you're running low. That lineup includes a number of print...

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Microsoft's Android keyboard puts files and people within reach
When you're chatting with someone on your phone, you may be doing a lot more than punching out text. Wouldn't it be nice if you could bring up important files and info without jumping between apps? Microsoft agrees. It recently released Hub Keyboa...

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Pocket now includes 'sponsored' articles in its recommendation feed
Pocket has become perhaps the best way to save links and view them later on the go, whether on a tablet, phone or a standard PC. The company behind it has found plenty of success, but now it wants to start making more money -- to that end, Pocket is...

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'Star Wars Battlefront' adds a retro film grain option
Are you the sort of Star Wars fan who seeks out "de-specialized" versions of the original movies, and knows that Han shot first? If so, you're going to have a field day with the latest update for Star Wars Battlefront. The release adds a film grain o...

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Mighty is like an iPod Shuffle for Spotify
It's no secret that running with your phone, well, it kind of sucks. Whether it's in your hand, tucked into your waistband or strapped to you arm, toting a handset during a workout isn't super convenient. To offer a better solution, a team of Samsung...

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Samsung Gear S2 Classic with 3G reaches US carriers
You don't have to settle for plain Jane looks just to get a cellular-equipped Samsung Gear S2 in the US. Both AT&T and Verizon have started taking pre-orders for a 3G version of the Gear S2 Classic, which should you keep you online while preserv...

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The best robot vacuum
By Liam McCabe

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer's guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After running more than 30 cleaning cycles over two months with four of the top robot vacuums, we've...

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Teaching apps could do away with music instructors
The most terrifying thing about learning an instrument is the moment when you have to play in front of an examiner. It's also a moment that future generations might be spared if the new Scalebook app is any indication. The software is designed to hel...

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Google is shutting down its car insurance comparison service
Google is sending one of its lesser-known tools called Compare to the slaughterhouse. We don't blame you if you've never heard of it before -- in the email sent to the service's partners and posted by Search Engine Land, the big G said it "hasn't dri...

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Oppo promises stable photos from smaller smartphones
Numerous smartphones have image stabilization, but they're usually large, chunky or both, and for good reason: the optical (lens-based) stabilization they typically use chews up a lot of space. Oppo, however, believes it has a better way. Its new Sma...

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Bill Simmons' 'Grantland' replacement will be on Medium
High-profile writer, podcaster and Grantland founder Bill Simmons has been in the process of rebooting his career following a publicized split from ESPN last spring. He's resurrected his podcast and working with HBO on a new TV series, and now we're...

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Honda's concept nav system consists of an Android phone and free app
Plugging your phone into your car has become second nature for most drivers. After all, at this point your handset probably has more functionality than your vehicle. Plus, while your car's infotainment system might see an upgrade every three to five...

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Global carriers adopt Google's SMS standard
Google is trying to move Android from the ancient SMS messaging system over to Rich Communication Services (RCS), and last year bought a company called Jibe Mobile to speed up the process. That appears to have paid off, as numerous global operators,...

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A top Meizu phone can't hide Ubuntu's flaws
The last 12 months have been disastrous for the minor league of mobile operating systems. Jolla's Sailfish OS has started to capsize, while Blackberry has all but abandoned BlackBerry 10 for Android. Firefox OS, at least on phones, is but a few dying...

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UN group bans lithium battery shipments from passenger planes
Lithium-ion batteries, like those commonly used in laptops and smartphones, are no longer allowed to be shipped as cargo on passenger planes, the United Nation's International Civil Aviation Organization decided this week. There's no need to worry ab...

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The smart typewriter is here
Find it nigh-on impossible to focus when writing on your computer? You now have a dedicated device to help you shut out the social networks and other distractions: after more than a year's wait, Astrohaus has started taking orders for the Freewrite (...

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Activision officially owns the maker of 'Candy Crush Saga'
It's official: Activision Blizzard is committed to mobile gaming in a big way. The company has closed its $5.9 billion acquisition of King, making it the owner of Candy Crush Saga and giving it 310 million extra users. King will continue to operate i...

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US Army patents bullet that self-destructs to protect civilians
The .50 caliber bullet is one of the biggest projectiles you can fit in a rifle or machine gun. Its size and range makes it super-effective at neutralizing foes over long distances, but because it also takes a lot to stop, it can still harm or kill i...

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Snapchat lenses help you celebrate your birthday (or a pal's)
Social networks have made it way easier to remember friends' birthdays, and now they're trying to help us create less boring greetings. Facebook, for instance, just launched 15-second birthday videos, and now Snapchat has introduced a pair of "birthd...

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Available Tags:Sony , ASUS , router , security , Amazon , Samsung , Android , keyboard , iPod , Google , Activision

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