IT News Head Lines (TweakTown) 12/23/2014

Walmart is offering the PlayStation 4 for just $329 right now
Sony may be going through some trouble over its hacking scandal, but Walmart is here to the rescue offering the PlayStation 4 for just $329 - a decent $70 off the usual retail price.

Walmart is offering the PS4 for $329 as an in-store pickup only deal, but you can still order it online, it just means you have to find a store where it's in stock, and then run down and pick it up. While it's cheap by itself, Amazon is offering a PS4 bundle that includes The Last of Us Remastered and the PlayStation Camera, for $439.


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The first tease of Android 6.0 'M' starts, should arrive late 2015
We're starting to hear the first few rumbles on Android 6.0, or Android M. Before we see the next-gen version of Google's mobile OS, we'll see Android 5.1, which is something the Android team is already working on.

When should we expect Android 6.0? According to the latest rumors, Android M should arrive in October-November 2015, which is normally when Google releases the next iteration of Android. This means we'll hear about it in June at Google's annual Google I/O event, but now we have to guess what the 'M' stands for. Milky Way? Milky Bar? Marshmallow? I'm going with Marshmallow.


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Feeling sleepy? Virgin Media's DVR will auto-record when you pass out
"I've got your back bro" exclaims Virgin Media. If you're prone to falling asleep on the couch or have had a long day at work, Virgin Media has developed a new device that will auto-record your show to a connected TiVo box when you slip off to sleep.

This wristband is named be KipstR and works in conjunction with a TIVo box, designed by 15 year old Ryan Oliver and 14 year old Jonathan Kingsley - two youngsters who were commissioned by Virgin Media to develop this 3D-printed device in their Manchester Creative Studio.

We've seeing more 3D-printed devices hit the market which is awesome to see. The way this hot piece of tech works is to utilize a pulse-oximeter to closely monitor the wearers blood flow and content of oxygen located within. When your heart slows down due to you nodding off, the KipstR will sense this and start recording your session.

Powered by a lithium-polymer battery and operated through a simple push button, this simplistic device also has a sleep mode indicator and a spark core chip to process the pulse-oximeter data. Ryan Oliver can't be happier with his project, stating that "building KipstR with Virgin Media was a brilliant challenge for us but we've learnt so much and are really pleased with the end result. And to top it off I now know what to get my dad for Christmas as he is always nodding off in front of the TV!"


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The Samsung Gear S Spy Camp gave insight into their new release
On the 18th of December 2014, Samsung held their Samsung Gear S Spy Camp. This promotion was designed as a vehicle to show off their new Samsung Gear S smartwatch among other new releases to media in a hands-on environment.

The attendees were given a 'mission' designed to utilize Samsung's Galaxy Alpha smartphone, the Gear S smartwatch and the Gear Circle headset in unison - this was alongside product training and other hands-on experiences with all of Samsung's new devices.

Held in Lexis, Port Dickson, this 'camp' was designed as an alternative type of product training, seeing all involved be brandished as 'spies' - receiving their own personal Gear S and other devices. We've also seen a report that one Techarp writer was able to pair an Apple iPhone 6 to the Gear S device, something that Samsung has claimed is impossible.

Said to be quickly charging, through testing the Gear S charged from 20% to 42% in a short five minute window connected to a standard USB wall-charger.

There's a few small and interesting points noted thanks to this hands-on experience. If Samsung says their Gear S won't work with iPhone's but it does, what else can we discover?


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Sony attorney says 'The Interview' will be released, maybe via Crackle
Sony Pictures originally pulled "The Interview" from theaters, bowing to terrorist threats issued by the Guardians of Peace, but is looking for different online methods to distribute the controversial movie. It's possible Sony could release the movie on the Crackle online streaming video service, as a way for interested fans to watch the movie.

"Sony has been fighting to get this picture distributed," said David Boies, Sony attorney. "How it's going to be distributed, I don't think anybody knows quite yet. But it's going to be distributed."

The entire Sony Pictures drama has taken many peculiar turns, and CEO Michael Lynton admitted the company has struggled to find streaming or video-on-demand distribution partners. However, BitTorrent is willing to help Sony Pictures share The Interview, though sharing it on Crackle could also be extremely effective - as social media will certainly help drive viewers to the movie.


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Pres. Obama says United States not in cyberwar with North Korea
President Obama has said the United States will respond "proportionately" against North Korea for its role in attacking Sony Pictures, but said the country is not engaged in a cyberwar against North Korea. Instead, the US may reintroduce North Korea to a list of countries accused of sponsoring terrorism, and will look for other methods to retaliate against the reclusive country.

"I don't think it was an act of war," Obama recently said on CNN's State of the Union. I think it was an act of cyber vandalism that was very costly, very expensive. We take it very seriously. We will respond proportionately, as I said. We've got very clear criteria as to what it means for a state to sponsor terrorism. And we don't make those judgments just based on the news of the day. We look systematically at what's been done and based on those facts, we'll make those determinations in the future."

There aren't many things the United States can do to attack North Korea with cyberattacks, as the US has much more to lose in an ongoing battle - and the US is more interested in trying to create generational change to help better the North Korean people, rather than directly fight with the government.


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BMW interested in creating vehicle technology controlled by smartwatch
BMW and Tesla both want to create new in-vehicle technologies that can be controlled using smartwatches, with unique features available to auto buyers. The BMW i3 would allow drivers to essentially park a vehicle using a smartwatch, using a mobile app paired with the Remote Valet Parking Assistant feature in the BMW. The app is able to guide vehicles into a parking spot on its own.

The BMW Remote Valet Parking Assistant uses active laser sensors that scan the immediate vicinity to verify the vehicle won't accidentally run into anything. However, there is a "possibility of entirely collision-free driving," indicating the system still isn't exactly full-proof.

Tesla's Model S already has built-in self-driving features so vehicles can park themselves, and incorporating these features in a smartwatch could prove extremely valuable.


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BitTorrent more than happy to carry 'The Interview' for Sony Pictures
If Sony Pictures truly doesn't want to release "The Interview" into theaters, BitTorrent would be more than happy to help the studio share its controversial movie. BitTorrent says its BitTorrent Bundle service would be a legal method for the movie to be distributed, instead of releasing the film to online video sites and via pirated torrenting.

"Though we normally would not offer commentary during such a trying time for another company, the answer is yes," BitTorrent officials said in a statement. "BitTorrent Bundle is in fact the very best way for Sony to take back control of their film, to not acquiescence to terrorist threats, and to ensure a wide audience can view the film safely. It would also strike a strong note for free speech."

After Sony decided to pull the movie - a decision which it is second-guessing, while considering still releasing the movie - there has been a large amount of criticism. Pres. Obama said Sony made the wrong decision, while Hollywood actors also heavily criticized the decision.


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Report: Alcatraz prisoners could have survived escape attempt in 1962
Three Dutch researchers conducted a study using hydraulic software and 'boats' to determine the three prisoners from Alcatraz could have survived and made it to land. It's possible they could have hit the beach north of the Golden Gate Bridge if they started their terrifying voyage from 11:00 p.m. to midnight - if they left earlier, it would be almost certain that the strong current would have swept them underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and to certain death.

The bodies of John and Clarence Anglin and Frank Morris were never discovered, but FBI agents and prison officials said there was little chance they could have survived in their homemade raft consisting of rain coats.

"We didn't know exactly when the inmates launched their boats, or their precise starting point, and so we decided to release 50 'boats' every 30 minutes between 20:00 and 04:00 (11:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.) from a range of possible escape spots at Alcatraz to see where they would end up," said Fedor Baart, Deltares hydraulic engineer, in a statement. "We added a paddling effect to the 'boats,' as we assumed the prisoners would paddle as they got closer to land."


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Staples announces 1.6 million cards affected in previous data breach
Office retailer Staples recently issued an update to a data breach investigation that took place earlier in the year, targeting its retail point-of-sale (PoS) systems. The company said 115 of its stores nationwide were targeted, with 1.16 million customers affected, providing cybercriminals potential "access to some transaction data at affected stores, including cardholder names, payment card numbers, expiration dates, and card verification codes."

Retailers remain under fire from foreign cybercriminals targeting their PoS systems - and the problem likely won't suddenly go away anytime soon. Despite Staples' data breach much smaller than Target (40 million compromised) and Home Depot (56 million compromised), shows that major problems still exist.


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Apple hits back at BBC report disclosing poor working conditions
Apple executives have lashed out at the BBC Panorama report that revealed ongoing poor working conditions for employees at an Apple manufacturing facility in China. The report indicated employees were found to work up to 16 hours per shift, working many consecutive days, and living in harsh environments in their dormitories.

Apple CEO Tim Cook noted educational programs for workers in China, along with improving working conditions, in an open letter to Apple employees working in the UK.

"As you know, Apple is dedicated to the advancement of human rights and equality around the world. We are honest about the challenges we face and we work hard to make sure that people who make our products are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

This is a problem that won't go away anytime soon for Apple - as it has been accused along with other western tech companies working inside of China - of poor working conditions, inhumane treatment of employees, and other serious workplace problems.


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Microsoft donates $2M and 200 tablets to youth organizations
After the NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun teamed up with his wife Lori to donate $1 million to non-profit charity City Year recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation pushed $500,000 towards CARE in India and Napster's founder gave $24 million to Stanford for an allergy research facility - Microsoft once again put their name on this list, giving $2 million in software to NBC-supported charities.

Alongside this, the tech giant has given 200 HP Stream Windows tablets to these charities, enabling them to run Office 365 and Windows 8.1 quickly and efficiently on a 7-inch screen. Although not as impressive as $24 million in cold-hard cash, it's good to see more big-name companies get on board with charity work even if it's in the form of enabling their customers to donate through a company portal that's been established - anything is better than nothing.

Microsoft has been donating to NBC charity for the past 14 years, coining this donation as part of their "YouthSpark" program which is promoted to help 300 million youth find opportunities in education, entrepreneurship and employment worldwide.

This 300 million goal is set for completion in 2015, which 227 million young adults already affected by the project.

The 200 donated 7-inch HP stream tablets and $2 million worth of software will go a long way, we think it's cool that Microsoft will continue their charitable support.


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Amazon provides a massive update for low-selling Fire Phone
If you're one of the apparent few Fire Phone owners, Amazon have just pushed out a large update - adding lots of standard features to the phone that have been claimed as 'necessities on launch' that were, for some reason not included.

If a Fire Phone has been on your to-buy list, you may be waiting out for a 'fire sale' like most of us have, otherwise now might be a good time to pick one up for yourself. This update includes things such as VPN connectivity support, different keyboard language supports, phone number blocking, toggling for SMS character counts, custo0m ringtones, continuous scrolling for Kindle and a 'best shot' feature for the camera.

We know exactly what you're thinking - "many of these features are incredibly basic and should have been included on release". We know.

Whatever the previous blunders may be, this AT&T-only mobile has seen a massive and well-needed overhaul. However, will this alone convince you to take the plunge?


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North Korea not surprisingly shielding citizens from 'The Interview'
The North Korean government has reportedly orchestrated a major cyberattack to cripple Sony Pictures - and prevent "The Interview" from being shared - but the regular North Korean citizen likely has no idea about the data breach or movie. The North Korean government strictly regulates the Internet and media in the country, so it wouldn't be surprising if the population has no knowledge of the movie, or its contents.

"North Koreans will probably never know what this film was about," noted Leonid Petrov, from the Australian National University, as noted by BusinessWeek. "If there was a film about Kim Jong Un, it would only be explained in the most laudatory, sycophantic way. Foreigners made a film about our great leader, presenting the greatness of the great leader."

As such, trying to even get copies of the movie would be extremely difficult. There have been attempts to send balloons into North Korea with copies of movies, books and other banned materials into the country - but the balloons are routinely shot down. North Korean citizens who stumble across any of the contraband is ordered to turn it over, or they face potential torture, imprisonment, and other forms of punishment.


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Calling Tom Cruise - Boeing gets a BlackBerry self-destructing phone
BlackBerry's mission, if they choose to accept it, is apparently to develop an ultra-secure mobile for aerospace giant, Boeing.

Apparently somewhat due to the NSA's spying behavior, there has been a massive push recently into cyber and tech security for many big-name companies around the world. Just a quick look into the Sony debacle proves that not all have taken up arms against this threat, but it seems Boeing is going the extra mile.

What's the Boeing solution? Get BlackBerry on board to develop the most secure device possible, a massive move for BlackBerry who have seen a massive downturn in their business over the past few years.

Unfortunately an exploding phone is only a rumor, however BlackBerry CEO John Chen has confirmed the legitimacy of this project and the fact that it will be including their Enterprise Service 12 software into the device. This follows news that it will not be released to end-users, alongside likely being listed into the thousands of dollars per device - no general consumers are likely to purchase it either way.

But there's one thing you may have been thinking. If the image in this article is apparently 'confidential', how does Reuters, Hot Hardware and us have it on our websites? Possibly not a good start to the 'ultra-secure' project, guys.


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Addonics Sapphire Write Protect Storage Enclosure Review

When you want the utmost in data security, there are a plethora of solutions available on the market today utilizing varying levels and methods of hardware encryption. When you want to take things to an entirely new level eliminating every possibility of your data being modified, you deploy a solution like the Addonics Sapphire Write Protect we have in house today.

The Sapphire Write Protect carries the same aesthetics as previous Sapphire enclosures from Addonics. Adding to this, the Write Protect is capable of supporting SATA m.2, mSATA SSD and CFAST flash cards via the included 2.5" adapters. Compatibility of the Write Protect extends to modern operating system including Windows, Linux Kernel 2.4+ and OS X.

MSRP of the Addonics Sapphire Write Protect is set at $179.99 with a one-year warranty.

The scope of delivery for the Write Protect includes all the adapters mentioned above, including mSATA, NGFF for SATA m.2 SSDs and CFAST flash cards. Additionally, we have the power adapter and USB 3.0 cable.

Taking a closer look at the adapters, you can see the NGFF setup supports all the standard sizes from 2230 to 2280.

The front of the Sapphire houses the drive bay, along with two sets of LEDs, one in the tray for activity and one on the enclosure for power.

The rear of the unit houses the power button, power input and USB 3.0 connection.

When we powered up the Write Protect using the NGFF adapter, we went over to disk manager in Windows and noticed our drive did in fact show up as read only. With that said, it's important to note that you must have partitioned and formatted your drive previous to using it in the Sapphire Write Protect.

To test the read performance of the Sapphire Write Protect, we had to use HDTune as its one of the only benchmarks available that doesn't need to write a test file to check performance. As you can see, the Addonics peaked out at 274 MB/s sequential, while pushing around 5000 IOPS at 4K.

The Addonics Sapphire Write Protect is certainly a unique solution for those wanting a read only solution. To that point, Addonics even goes as far as to say this is the first on the market to support read only on flash media. Build quality is rather good as we have come to expect from Addonics, these units have repeatedly been built like tanks and the weight for such a small solution does add to that.

Performance of the Write Protect was quite good as well. Now we didn't break any speed barriers, but we did manage around 270 MB/s in sequential reads and around 5000 IOPS random read.

As far as usability is concerned, after setting up our SATA m.2 drive and then installing it into the Write Protect, I had no issues accessing the data. However, the Compact Flash adapter did give me fits while trying to use that with my SanDisk Extreme card.

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joinDOTA and MLG Build the World's Largest Dota 2 League
joinDOTA.com, a Freaks 4U Gaming project, proudly announces the extension of the joinDOTA League becoming bigger than ever. The league format is based on three entire seasons, each featuring a dedicated LAN final, leading top teams from around the world to the crowning moment of a peerless World Championship Event. In cooperation with MLG, joinDOTA is excited about hosting the largest Dota 2 league in the world, featuring a prizepool of guaranteed $475,000 plus $90,000 for travel support.

Taking competitive Dota 2 to the next level

With the renewal of the joinDOTA League teams from around the world will have a chance to qualify for the epic World Championship event. While teams that competed in the last jDL Division 1 will have a chance to qualify for a spot in the season finals, MLG and joinDOTA will invite several top teams to join the joinDOTA League Division 1. Furthermore joinDOTA and MLG will also be working on incorporating MLG Pro Points into the current joinDOTA League system. These steps will ensure that the upcoming league will provide an exciting viewing experience for fans from around the globe. More details about the qualifying tournaments and the MLG Pro Points system will be released in the near future.

"We have always wanted to create something big with MLG and it doesn't get much bigger than this. By linking joinDOTA League together with MLG we can create consistent LAN finals with a big grand event the scene can be proud of," says Jacob Toft-Andersen, Project Manager at joinDOTA.

"We're excited to be working with the Dota 2 community, and couldn't have found a better partner than the team from joinDOTA. Last year we designed our tournament in accordance with what the fans and competitors wanted to see, and we'll continue to honor that approach with the upcoming league," resumes Adam Apicella , EVP of MLG Properties.


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Huntkey Debuts X-Power Series Power Supply for Europe
Huntkey Enterprise Group., a well known manufacturer of high quality power supply, today unveiled its new X-Power series. With a 12cm fan, the X-Power 400 desktop power supply produces less noise than comparable products, meeting the requirements of current demands in both home and office.

It is well known that the efficiency of a power supply is important because an efficient PSU boasts better components, wastes less power, and generates less heat. With its high efficiency design, X-Power 400 can reach 85% efficiency at typical load and complies with 2014 EU regulations. "With an active power factor correction circuit inside the power supply, the X-Power 400 can also reduce power loss of AC input line," said Mr Zhong, product manager of Huntkey Enterprise Group.

Specifications:

• Model name: X-Power400
• Max. power: 400 watt
• Rated power: 300 watt
• Complies with Intel ATX12V V2.2
• Supports Intel & AMD Dual Core CPUs and Multi Core CPUs
• Active power factor correction reduces line loss and power distortion
• Provides dual +12V rails for stability and safety
• Excellent acoustic & thermal performance with Intelligent-Thermal Fan Control Technology
• Multiple protections: OCP, OVP, OPP, SCP
• 100% Burn-In tested & 100% Hi-Pot tested
• MTBF: 100,000 hours at 25°C

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EVGA X99 Motherboards and G.Skill Memory Offer Top Compatibility
EVGA is proud to announce that the EVGA X99 motherboard lineup is one of two motherboard manufacturers that offers full compatibility for high performance G.Skill memory of 3000MHz and above. EVGA was able to fine tune the memory performance, XMP support and compatibility to offer enthusiasts full support for the fastest DDR4 memory available today.

Extreme overclocker Vince "K|NPG|N" Lucido, who continues to achieve 3DMark World Records using EVGA components, had this to say about EVGA X99 motherboard support for G.Skill's 3000MHz+ memory. "The EVGA motherboard and BIOS R&D teams wanted to prove they could make a motherboard that can flawlessly run the fastest memory available on the market today, and they did exactly that."

"G.SKILL is excited that EVGA, one of the finest motherboard manufacturers in the world, is bringing further support and compatibility with our top tier of DDR4 memory available on the market today. The fine tuning of EVGA X99 motherboards opens up new options for gamers and overclockers alike to achieve the extreme performance through G.SKILL DDR4 3000MHz+ memory kits," commented Frank Hung, Product Marketing of G.SKILL.

The EVGA X99 motherboard was designed from the ground up to satisfy the needs of the hardcore enthusiast with stunning features and overclocking support. These motherboards also feature EVGA's new GUI BIOS that focuses on the best overclocking support, functionality, and are straight and to the point, the way a modern BIOS should be.

Learn more about the EVGA X99 motherboards here.

Learn more about G.Skill DDR4 memory here.


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Toshiba Launches 6TB Enterprise Capacity HDD Models
Toshiba Corporation's Semiconductor & Storage Products Company today announced the addition of 6TB SATA and SAS models to its MG04 series of 3.5-inch form factor enterprise capacity class of hard disk drives (HDD). New SAS interface models provide the benefits of 12Gbit/s transfer rate for 6TB, 5TB, 4TB and 2TB HDDs. Sample shipment will begin in CQ1 of 2015.

The new MG04 series 6TB models offer a 50 percent increase in max capacity from prior MG03 generation 4TB models and approximately 30 percent increase in sustained data rate (MG03xxx400x:165MiB/s, MG04xxx60Ex:205MiB/s). These new HDDs support both industry-standard 4K native and 512e Advanced Format sector technologies for optimum performance in the latest generation servers and storage systems as well as being suitable in legacy applications requiring 512 sector lengths using aligned-write environments.

Both the 6TB MG04ACA and MG04SCA 12Gbit/s models offer Toshiba persistent write cache technologies (PWC), designed to help protect against data loss in the event of sudden power loss. Model options supporting SAS and SATA commands to enable sanitize "instant" cryptographic erase (SIE) are also available.


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Thermalright Introduces Macho 90 and Silver Arrow ITX CPU Coolers
Right before for Christmas Thermalright presents two new CPU coolers, which have been designed especially for fans of compact Mini-ITX or Micro-ATX systems: The Macho 90 and the Silver Arrow ITX.

The Macho 90 is the newest member of our highly successful Macho Family and rounds off the series. The layout is tailored to fit the typical limitations encountered when dealing with small sized Mini-ITX motherboards. The height of just 135 mm allows the installation of the cooler in various compact PC cases. In order to avoid incompatibilities to RAM modules or motherboard components as much as possible, the nearly square heat sink has been placed directly above the CPU-socket.

Other features include the premium processing with four nickel-plated heat pipes, highly polished base and black anodized top fin. Included is a high quality 92 mm PWM fan (max. 27 dB(A)), as well as our popular screwdriver.

The Macho 90 comes with mounting material for almost all current CPU sockets - for the installation on LGA 2011/2011-3 systems a special mounting kit is available separately. The installation is very simply, a back plate is not needed.

The Silver Arrow ITX, which has been introduced by us during Computex 2014, is aimed at power users, who are looking for exceptional performance for their compact systems. The cooler comes in a stylish black nickel design.

The TY 149 has been specially designed in cooperation with ASUS to meet the color combination of the high-end "Republic of Gamers" product line. The layout of the Silver Arrow ITX is optimized to guarantee no incompatibilities to those Mini-ITX boards, so the cooler will not interfere with VGA-cards or RAM modules. The proven twin tower conception in combination with the centrally located 140 mm fan is the base for the outstanding cooling performance of the Silver Arrow ITX.

Like all our coolers the top-of-the-range ITX model relies on the proven heat pipe technology. A total of six high-end heat pipes offer the most efficient dissipation of the generated processor heat.

The fan speed of the PWM-controlled TY 149 fan varies between 300 and 1,300 rpm at a maximum noise of 24.9 dB(A). The cooler comes with mounting material for all current CPU sockets.

Both coolers are expected to be available in stores next week. The MSRP for the Macho 90 is 29.99 Euro, of the Silver Arrow ITX 59.99 Euro, all prices incl. 19% VAT.

Technical data Macho 90:

• Length w/ fan: approx. 102 mm
• Width /w fan: approx. 127 mm
• Height /w fan: approx. 135 mm
• Weight /w fan: approx. 552 Grams
• Material: Hybrid
• Heat pipes: 4 x 6 mm
• Rotation speed: 800 - 2,000 RPM
• Air Flow: 26.8 - 66.9 m³/h
• Noise level: 21 - 27 dB(a)
• Connector: 4-Pin PWM

Technical Data Silver Arrow ITX:

• Length incl. fans: ca. 154 mm
• Width incl. fans: ca. 103 mm
• Height incl. fans: ca. 165 mm
• Weight incl. fans: ca. 870 gram
• Material: Hybrid
• Heat pipes: 6 x 6 mm
• Fan speed: 300 - 1,300 U/min
• Air flow: 26.2 - 104.8 m³/h
• Noise: 17 - 24.9 dB(a)
• Connector: 4-Pin PWM

For more information, visit the product pages of the Macho 90 and Silver Arrow ITX.


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