Consumer Electronics Daily News

Google Buys Bump, The File Transfer App

Bump, the popular iOS app that allows users to touch phones together to share files, and Flock, its photo-sharing counterpart, have been bought by Google.  

In a blog post yesterday, Bump CEO David Lieb wrote about Google's recent acquisition. "Our mission at Bump has always been to build the simplest tools for sharing the information you care about with other people and devices... So we couldn’t be more thrilled to join Google, a company that shares our belief that the application of computing to difficult problems can fundamentally change the way that we interact with one another and the world," said Lieb.

According to Selena Larson at readwrite, "The terms of the deal were not disclosed. It's unclear why the tech giant scooped up the five-year-old startup, but Google could have acquired Bump for its easy-to-use file-sharing technology as a response to Apple's AirDrop, which is integrated into iOS 7."

Users of the Bump and Flock apps will not experience a major change in services just yet-- but they are advised to stay tuned. 

Black Hat Announces First Ever West Coast Trainings Event

Today, Black Hat, the world's leading family of information security events, announced the first ever West Coast Trainings. Over the course of four days, the security community's brightest researchers will unleash highly technical, hands-on Training courses to attendees in downtown Seattle, Washington. These Trainings include many of the most popular courses from Black Hat's events, as well as several new sessions on today's latest research and intelligence. The event will take place December 9 – 12, 2013, at the Washington State Convention Center. For more information and to register, please visit http://www.blackhat.com/wc-13/.

"At the core, Black Hat's mission is to encourage growth for information security enthusiasts at all levels in their professional careers," explained Trey Ford, General Manager, Black Hat. "These Trainings are not for the faint of heart and offer an unprecedented opportunity for hands-on learning with some of the best in our community."

Some highlights of the upcoming West Coast Trainings include:

• Advanced C/C++ Source-Code-Analysis: Leaf SR will teach students how to dive into large C/C++ source code projects to find exploitable memory corruption vulnerabilities armed with nothing more than a text editor.
• Advanced OSINT Target Profiling AKA OSINT Target Profiling Like a Pro: Shane MacDougall of JL Bond Consulting, will outline a gamut of tools, websites, and procedures that every penetration tester/attacker should have in their toolkit, while showing that proper profiling can yield a huge lift for the attacker, all without sending a single packet to the target network.
• Hands-On Hardware Hacking and Reverse Engineering: Joe Grand of Grand Idea Studio, Inc., will teach hardware hacking and reverse engineering techniques commonly used against hardware products, including proper use of tools, circuit board analysis, embedded security and more.
• Pentesting with Kali Linux: Offensive Security, the team behind Kali, has re-written this course from the ground up to reflect the most modern and effective techniques that all penetration testers need to know.
• The Exploit Laboratory: Red Team: Saumil Shah will provide participants a hands-on approach to exploiting modern day operating systems, bringing students up to speed on the complexities of the exploit writing required.

As with all popular Black Hat courses, the West Coast Trainings will undoubtedly fill up quickly, as they were selected due to the high demand for their content. Be sure to reserve a spot in the Training course(s) of your choice while they are still available. You can find the full list of Trainings available here. Please visit the registration page for additional information.

PRNewswire

Apple's iPhone 5S, 5C Announcement Satisfies and Excites

Today at 10:00 Cupertino Time, Apple held an intimate meeting in their 200-seat theatre at 4 Infinite Loop to introduce the new iPhone 5c, 5s, and iOS 7.

Some highlights from the announcement:

iOS 7

• Siri has “higher quality male and female voices” and a more seamless integration with twitter, Safari, and other apps.
• Safari now has a 3D tabbing interface-- similar to what iTunes did with "Album View"
• The iOS 7 Camera has built-in instagram-y filters.
• Airdrop, the P2P sharing found on iMacs, is now part of iOS 7.
• iOS 7 will be a free upgrade for existing iPhone users (4 or later), iPad (2 or later), iPad Mini, and iPod Touch (5 or later) on September 18.
• iWork comes free with iOS 7-- they are immediately downloaded with the update.

iPhone 5C

• "The entire back and sides are made from a single part, its front one glass, multi-touch surface. As close as you look, you wont see joints or seams"
  
• Each device comes with a color-matched wallpaper
• 4-inch Retina Display
• Higher-capacity battery than other iPhones and an A6 chip
• 8MP iSight Camera
• 16gb model will be $99 and 32GB for $199 on a 2-year contract
• On Sale September 20.

iPhone 5S

• Features the A7 performance chip-- the biggest and first smartphone CPU of its kind.
• Graphics are two times faster and the computing power is two times as fast with its 64-bit re-engineering. "It’s got a new 64-bit kernel, libraries, and drivers. All built-in apps have been reengineered. It’s a seamless dev transition, with full backwards compatibility."
• The M7 Motion Coprocessor continuously measures motion data, accelerometer, and gestural data. It can determinine whether you’re walking or driving.
• The battery life is even better than the iPhone 5-- it has an estimated 250 hours of standby time.
• iSight camera now has an f/2.2 aperture and a 15 percent larger active sensor area (1.5 micron pixel sensor)
• There are two flashes in the 5S-- one white LED, one amber, and the camera has auto-image stabilization.
• Videos can now record in Slo-Mo.
• TOUCH ID: The fingerprint sensor "is capacitive, 170 microns thin, has a 500 ppi resolution, scans sub-epidermal skin layers, and has 360 degree readability"
• With the Touch ID, you only need to touch the home screen and iTunes purchases can be made with the tap of a finger
• $199 for the 16GB model, $299 for 32GB, and $399 for 64GB on a 2 year contract
• On sale September 20.

For a complete blow-by-blow, check out Techcrunch's live update stream.

Facebook Announces Public Feed API and Keyword Insights API

Facebook has announced another way that it will be taking your words and applying them to media marketing. According to Jason Osofsky, VP Media Partnerships and Online Operations, "Over the past few months, we have rolled out a series of products aimed at surfacing the public conversations happening on Facebook including hashtags, embedded posts, and trending topics. We are committed to building features that improve the experience of discovering and participating in conversations about things happening in the world right now, including entertainment, sports, politics and news." Basically, a user's conversations and posts will be meshed with trending topics (not only hashtags) to create a comprehensive and enhanced ad stream alongside the facebook feed, profiles, and pages.

This will be carried out with the Public Feed API and Keyword Insights API, and they will only be available to certain news organizations, including Buzzfeed, CNN, NBC's Today Show, BSkyB, Slate, and Mass Relevance. With these tools, the news organizations can "begin to integrate Facebook conversations into their broadcasts or coverage by displaying public posts of real-time activity about any given topic. For example, CNN’s New Day can now easily incorporate what people on Facebook have to say about the latest, breaking news event during their show."

The function of these two APIs are summed up by Osofsky:

Public Feed API
The Public Feed API displays a real-time feed of public posts for a specific word. Only public posts (from Pages and Profiles of those with ‘Follow’ turned on) are available with this API.

Keyword Insights API
The Keyword Insights API aggregates the total number of posts that mention a specific term in a given time frame. It can also display anonymous, aggregated results based on gender, age and location.

It will be interesting to see how news outlets integrate these tools into their media. Will this become as obnoxious and prevalent as forced facebook logins, or will it be relatively unobtrusive like the facebook web tracker API?

Microsoft Announces Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 Event: NYC, September 23

Though Microsoft Surface sales have been slow-- resulting in a $900 million writeoff and a serious price slash-- it appears as though Microsoft is pushing ahead with the release of the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro. Yesterday Microsoft emailed the press an invitation to save the date for a September 23 Surface event in NYC.

From a series of leaks, we know that the next generation Surface tablets will share a similar silhouette. The main differences are significant: the Surface Pro 2 will feature longer battery life, up to 8GB RAM, and Intel's new Haswell Processor. The Surface 2 will have a 1080p screen and a Tegra 4 Processor. Both Surface models will have a two-stage adjustable kickstand that position the tablet in "laptop" mode and one ideal for uneven surfaces. 

In the coming days, CEDN will be reporting the leaks and rumors of this exciting new overhaul.

Sony PS Vita TV: A Surprise Innovation

Sony surprised everyone today with an announcement for the new Sony PS Vita TV. The product will initially be available in Japan and selling for $95 US, which puts it in Apple TV's price range ($99). 

The device performs the same features as the Apple TV and Roku, but also works as an extension of the PS Vita and PS4. A small slot in the front of the PS Vita TV allows for PS Vita games to be played on a big TV screen with a playstation controller. Like its counterparts, it streams TV and Movies-- the Youtube video didn't hint much at the user interface, so no word on how it stacks up to the clean and easy-to-navigate Roku. Finally-- and here's the kicker-- the PS Vita TV can wirelessly stream PS4 games to any TV in your house that has a PS Vita TV hooked up to it.

Check out the demo video below and get stoked!  

 

 

Yahoo! Rolls Out Site Redesign

Mike Kerns, SVP of Yahoo!'s  Homepage & Vertical Products, yesterday posted on the company's blog. He said, "today we’re one step closer to creating a consistent experience across our sites with the newly redesigned Yahoo! Sports, Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! Music,Yahoo! TV, Yahoo! omg!, Yahoo! Games and Yahoo! Weather. We’ve made it easier and faster to get your daily fix from Yahoo!, whether you’re on your phone, tablet, or in front of your computer."

Some of the highlights:

• Yahoo! weather takes a cue from the popular iOs and Android apps, featuring full-bleed photos from flickr against 
• Yahoo! games streamlines the homepage experience, letting users more easily play their last-played games and view the most popular games up front.
• On Yahoo! omg, Yahoo! Movies, Yahoo! Music, and Yahoo! TV, the experience is more engaging: it's easier to customize your favorite content, and videos and pictures are now larger than ever on your screen.
• Yahoo! Sports offers a customized experience similar to the other sites, putting an emphasis on the user's favorite content-- your fantasy football scores (with a seamless Yahoo! Fantasy Football integration) alongside NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR scores and more.

The sleek new redesign marks a new era of Yahoo!, ushered in by Marissa Mayer, CEO. With these aesthetic changes, coupled with the recent re-release of unused (but claimed) Yahoo! user names/e-mail addresses, things are looking up for the future success of Yahoo!.

Read more on Yahoo!'s tumblr here.

Final Fantasy Online Experience Is 'Reborn' Today

Square Enix Inc., the publisher of SQUARE ENIX® interactive entertainment products in the Americas, today announced that FINAL FANTASY® XIV: A Realm Reborn™ is now available in North America. Now, players on Windows PC and the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system can adventure together in the first FINAL FANTASY title that introduces hallmarks from the entire franchise.

The highly anticipated online role playing game takes place five years after the realm of Eorzea was ravaged by the unleashing of Bahamut, the most powerful of the god-like Primals. As players explore the world and learn more details in the epic storyline, they can hone their skills with the Armoury System. This unique gameplay feature allows characters to change their role, abilities, and skills on-the-fly, without having the need to create multiple characters.

Key Features

• All the hallmarks of the FINAL FANTASY franchise, including genre-leading graphics and real-time cut scenes, beautiful music, and an immersive story experience
• Band together with your friends to create guild-like "Free Companies" to take on the game's story-driven adventures
• High level detail and quality of graphics on both the PlayStation®3 system and Windows PC through the new graphics engine
• Flexible class system that allows players to change to any of the 19 different classes on the fly by simply changing their equipped weapon or tool. Players can also unlock 9 different jobs as they advance in level.
• New takes on classic FINAL FANTASY elements like the "Materia" and "Limit Break" systems that originally appeared inFINAL FANTASY VII
• Varied options available for leveling and growing the player's character − including class quests, main story quests, quick-action "Guildleves and Guildhests" that act as events players can tackle alone or with friends, and exciting "Instanced Dungeons" to raid in search of vast treasures
• Full Active Time Events (FATEs) − unique events that allow for dynamic open world battles and adventures with other players
• Personal companion chocobos for players to ride and fight alongside in battle

Players can also download a free companion app, FINAL FANTASY XIV: Libra Eorzea™, on their iOS devices. Upon downloading and logging in, players can view their created characters in detail, check out their friends' character info, and access several databases on the in-game items, quests, achievements, NPCs and more. FINAL FANTASY XIV: Libra Eorzeawill be coming soon for the iOS; the Android version will also be available at a later time.

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn is now available for $39.99 on the PlayStation®3 system and $29.99 for Windows PC. A free 30-day trial is included for new accounts, with monthly subscriptions starting at $12.99.

FINAL FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn is rated T (Teen). Please visit the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) website at www.esrb.org for more information about ratings.

Check out the new launch trailer on YouTube. 

PRNewswire

Maxthon Releases Next Generation Android Browser

Maxthon, a global software company that develops state-of-the-art web browsers, today released a new version of its Android browser with new features like state of the art ad blocking, full screen and free file syncing and backup-- all wrapped with superior speed and standards support, including the world's best top support for HTML 5 standards. 

"Mobile devices are increasingly becoming the first screen for the users who are accessing the internet in emerging markets," said Jeff Chen, CEO of Maxthon. "That places an even greater importance on the need for a truly mobile-optimized browser. This offers a better user experience that comes with a great 'out of the box' set of standard features plus free cloud services that make the multi-device web a pain free proposition."

Driven by user testing and feedback from around the world and in-house WebKit performance optimization, Maxthon's new Android browser makes mobile browsing faster, easier and more convenient. Features include:

• Industry's – best Android performance: Maxthon's optimized core enables faster speed along with the world's best HTML5 performance and the most comprehensive HTML5 support.
• Ad Blocker: Easy setup and a mix of global and user-created rules block annoying pop-ups, ads and promotions that get in the way.
• Full Screen Mode: Easily expand the browser to every point on the screen.  This, with Maxthon's best of industry video performance make for a great video experience.
• Optimized one-handed use: Elegant features, such as the added "push away menu," allows users to easily view content and navigate the web seamlessly.
• Personal file back up and syncing: Users can push and sync their local files from their Android device to a free, secure account in the Cloud and from there to their other Windows, Mac, iOS devices running the Maxthon Cloud Browser. The free storage is unlimited.

"The next wave of the global web is all about mobile with Android leading the way."  said Karl Mattson, VP of Maxthon's international division. "This version of our browser builds on  already strong performance and 'out of the box' experience to truly make the mobile web faster, more fun and more accessible. Whether your smart phone is your 'first,' 'second' or 'third' screen, we're confident that if you give it a try, Maxthon Android will be your last browser. "

Download Maxthon here

PRNewswire

RadioShack Offers Ultra Limited Edition Beats By Dr. Dre Studio Headphones in NYC

To celebrate its new concept stores in and around Manhattan, RadioShack introduces two custom, limited-edition New York City-inspired Beats by Dr. Dre Studio Over-Ear Headphones. Available exclusively at RadioShack, Beats designed these customized headphones in tribute to two NYC icons: the Statue of Liberty and taxicabs.

There are only 50 of each design, and they are expected to sell out fast at $199.99 each. With your purchase, you'll also receive a Beats by Dr. Dre T-Shirt.

On August 27, head to these three NYC-area RadioShack concept store locations:

• 81st & Broadway: 781 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
• Manhattan Mall: 100 W 33rd St, New York, NY ‎10001
• Southampton: 68 Main St, Southampton, NY 11968 ‎

Hurry to a participating location August 27, 2013, to get yours!