| Recording Industry Going After YouTube Downloader Site Posted: 26 Aug 2011 12:28 PM PDT  Legal battles over alleged copyright infringement are nothing new, but the recording industry may be blazing new trails with its most recent action. More than two dozen recording labels have gotten together in Japan to sue the owners of a YouTube downloader site called TubeFire. They are demanding more than $3 million in damages.
TubeFire not only allows user to download the video files for a YouTube video, but to extract the audio track as an mp3. The suit, filed on August 19, claims that this process of copying, converting, and distributing the content is an infringement. The $3 million number was arrived at by estimating the number of downloads processed by TubeFire, then working out what the licensing fee would have been. This case is unique because the content, infringing or not, is already available free on YouTube already. TubeFire says it has worked to prevent piracy, but that it will close temporarily while the case proceeds. Really, that's probably all the labels want. TubeFire is far from the only service that offers YouTube conversions. Do you think similar services are at risk as well? |
| Bad Jobs: Steve Jobs' Biggest Apple Flops Posted: 26 Aug 2011 11:34 AM PDT 
In Steve Jobs' two stints at Apple, the company made some great products. Their most amazing products. But no one's perfect. Not even Steve Jobs. And Apple produced a few pieces of total crap during his reign. Here're the worst. Lisa The Apple Lisa, named after Jobs' daughter, may have been the first computer to employ a GUI in 1983, but it cost $10000 and had a hulking, unsightly design. Few bought the thing. A year later, the cheaper Macintosh came out and rendered the Lisa largely irrelevant. iMac USB Mouse The mouse introduced with the iMac in 1998 is up there with Comic Sans and Clippy when it comes to inciting geek rage. Not only was it a single-button mouse, like all other Apple input devices before and after it, but it was round, like a hockey puck. And truth be told, it probably would have been more comfortable sliding a hockey puck around a desk all day. iPod Hi-Fi The iPod Hi-Fi wasn't a terrible device from technical standpoint. Reviewers generally praised the sound that emanated from its drivers. But it just didn't make sense for anyone at the time. Audiophiles had no use for music that came from an iPod. The average consumer didn't need a speaker that was so big. And all gadget freaks could do is look at the $350 price tag and shrug their shoulders. Introduced in February 2006, the iPod Hi-Fi line didn't last two years before being discontinued in September 2007. Apple TV (1st Generation) When the first Apple TV arrived in 2007, it had all the tools to be successful. Intel processor. 720p support via HDMI. Wi-Fi. Up to a 160 GB HDD. But then came the limitations. It could only stream H.264 or MP4 video. It could play trailers and video clips from iTunes, but you couldn't buy or rent movies or TV shows. Nor could you buy MP3s. Aside from photos, which used Flickr, streaming was facilitated entirely through iTunes on your computer. People weren't exactly going crazy to get their hands on an Apple TV, which led the company to release a revised version of the software which supported TV and Movie rentals, and even that only offered limited success. Eventually, Apple reconceptualized the Apple TV in many ways, producing the awesome little black box that still exists today. Buttonless iPod Shuffle (3rd Generation) Yes, we all get it, minimalism is great. However, there's a point when the quest for simplicity buckles back on itself and actually makes something more complicated. That's what happened with the iPod shuffle. Aside from the power/lock button, It had no buttons on it. None! You had to use headphones with a compatible in-line remote to operate the thing. You solely used the morse-code like system for flipping through tracks, which was kind of a pain in the ass. AND OH, if you wanted to use headphones that weren't Apple's terrible earbuds, you needed a special adapter. It was received with a mix of novel curiosity and mockery. The following generation of the iPod shuffle was the first time I've seen Apple so blatantly return to a former design. And they aren't shy about advertising the fact that the current one has buttons. Final Cut Pro X For years, Final Cut Pro has been a favorite among Hollywood filmmakers. The UI is clean and simple, but extremely powerful. When Apple released the revamped Final Cut Pro X, however, that love turned to hate. Unadulterated hate. Professionals hate the lack of power features and its resemblance to iMovie (which means aspiring professionals probably feel the same way). Casual hobbyists probably won't pay $300 for it. What we're left with is a program that tries to please everyone while addressing the nobody's needs. Or maybe it's trying to address everyone's needs while pleasing nobody. Who knows! Ping When Steve Jobs introduced Ping, it was supposed to be the greatest thing to happen to music discovery since radio. But not even half-baked, Ping was just raw and underdeveloped. It was a feed hiding in the most unusable section of iTunes (the music store), that let you recommend songs from the store, which only existed in the store. It also told everyone when you bought something new. No playlists from friends. No top lists. It kept the collective attention of the technorati for about 14 minutes. Eventually they "expanded" ping to let you recommend tracks from your library view, but you know what they say about pigs and lipstick. Power Mac G4 Cube One of the best things to happen during Steve Jobs' second run at Apple is that the company began to experiment with form. While the company has been firmly entrenched in a minimalist aesthetic during its most successful phase, Apple wasn't scared to play around with some weird ideas in the late 90s and early 2000s (see also: iMac G4). The Power Mac G4 Cube is an example of one of those experiments gone wrong. Often viewed as a precursor to the Mac Mini, and despite costing more than the cheapest PowerMac G4, the 8"x8"x10" Cube was positioned somewhere between iMacs and PowerMacs when it came to power and functionality. Starting at $1800 and frequently suffering from case cracks, the computer was bust, lasting only a year on store shelves. But hey, MoMA showcased it, so it wasn't all bad. I guess. iPod Photo In 2004, people wanted a video iPod. So what did Apple give them? An iPod capable of displaying low-res photos (220x176!!!). At $500, the 40 GB model cost $100 more than the regular 40 GB iPod, an eventually a 60 GB model popped up for $600. You won't see a lot of people fondly recalling the iPod Photo days like they did the Third Generation iPod (swoon). What's your least favorite Steve Jobs Apple product? 
Gizmodo is the world's most fun technology website, focused on gadgets and how they make our lives better, worse, and more absurd. |
| Google+ Adds "Ignore" For Folks Who Prefer Shunning To Banhammers Posted: 26 Aug 2011 11:21 AM PDT  Before today, if your annoying Uncle Ronnie acted like a moron on Google+ -- flooding your stream with tons of pointless posts and tagging you in every message, let's say – the only way to stop the madness was to block him entirely. And as we all know, nothing makes for an awkward Thanksgiving faster than blocking Uncle Ronnie on G+. Someone at Google must be related to Uncle Ronnie, too! Today, a kinder, gentler "Ignore" button rolled out on Google's social network.
Blocking another user results in a complete blacklisting on Google+; they're booted from your Circles (and extended Circles), you can't see their posts, and they can't respond to yours. Ignoring tones it down a bit. Olga Wichrowska, the software engineer who announced the new function, likens it more to being indifferent to a person rather than downright wanting nothing to do with them. According to Olga, the following actions occur when you ignore someone: - you won't see any of their posts in the Incoming stream
- you won't get notifications about their activities
- you won't see them on your Circles page
As opposed to a full-blow block, ignored users can still read and comment on your Stream posts. That way, Uncle Ronnie isn't out of your life entirely, but you won't have to read the oh-so-frequent status updates on his bathroom habits any longer. |
| Acer Chairman: Tablets Overrated, Ultrabooks Are The Future! Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:49 AM PDT  Ah, fads. Without those brief, yet intense, bursts of consumer excitement, the majority of us may have never heard awesome tidbits like the Pet Rock, bell-bottom pants, the Macarena, Tickle Me Elmo or Trapper Keepers. If you listen to Acer chairman JT Wang, one of our useful modern electronics is soon to join those fabled ranks. That's right, while the pundits are busy calling tablet PCs the best thing since sliced bread, Wang thinks the whole iPad deal is overblown. The future lies in Ultrabooks!
Wang told DigiTimes that the tablet craze is already starting to come back to earth, but they still seem sky-high to us. Wang (and unnamed DigiTimes sources) say that since slates are mainly used for blowing off steam, rather than actual work (cough, cough), consumers will be a lot less likely to replace them too often. So, the thinking goes, tablet sales will even out – or possibly drop off – once a certain level of market penetration is achieved. On the other hand, Ultrabooks – like the $800 model Acer plans on launching later this year – should draw in consumers like gangbusters, Wang said (although we're paraphrasing a bit). He said several surveys conducted by Acer point to a high level of customer interest in the new ultrathin, high-powered laptops. While Wang admits that Ultrabooks won't make too much of a splash in 2011, presumably due to their late launch, he expects them to account for 25 to 35 percent of all notebook shipments in 2012. Of course, Wang would have to say something like that after Acer hemorrhaged money in the second quarter. The company posted a $246 million operating loss – its first quarterly loss ever. |
| Cool Site of the Week: WhatFontIs Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:34 AM PDT  Gelett Burgess once quipped "I don't know anything about art, but I know what I like". For many of us, the same thing can be said of fonts. For a designer cranking on a client's project, an entrepreneur looking to sway her investors or a student buttressing his weak research with a little razzle-dazzle in his presentation, the right font can make all the difference--provided you know which one you're looking for. WhatFontIs exists, to help you souse out the font of your heart's desire, and it's our Cool Site of the Week.
WhatFontIs is a site that hosts a number of tools to help you find the perfect font to match to your message. If you run across a font you dig online or in a piece of print advertising, but aren't sure of what its name is, WhatFontIs can help. Simply upload a sample of the font in jpg, gif or png format or enter the url of where the font can be found. Within seconds, WhatFontIs will return with the name of your font, making it easy to look up in your rig's library or to purchase from a dealer for use. 
If you're not sure of what you're looking for, the site also offers a daunting collection of 241,940 fonts for you to peruse. If you can't find a font that works for you via WhatFontIs, chances are that in the back of your mind you were planning on using Comic Sans all along. Be sure to check back every Friday for another edition of Maximum PC's Cool Site of the Week. |
| Frozen Synapse Review Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:30 AM PDT Simple and simultaneously brilliant gaming that you can't miss For us, strategy games tend to be never-ending spirals of regret and woe. Don't get us wrong—we love the genre. But our approach to tactics usually goes something like this: "OK, now you go here and... oops. Everything we love is on fire." Put simply, mistakes happen. Frozen Synapse, however, allows us to make informed mistakes. In a nutshell, the game lets you see the outcome of your moves before you make them. It's an absolutely brilliant tweak, and—if you're a perfectionist—both a dream come true and your greatest nightmare. The not-quite-turn-based, not-quite-real-time strategy encourages you to shove your every move under the microscope, painstakingly playing out every situation you can dream up. Your opponent, however, can do the same. Obsess, tweak, rethink, rewatch—sometimes for hours. Then give your stamp of approval to a plan, hit the "f'reals this time" button, and watch it fall to pieces in mere seconds. And it's amazing. 
Lesson one of cover-taking. Incidentally, this is the only lesson.
To ensure that your poor brain doesn't overheat, Frozen Synapse's basic mechanics are actually incredibly simple. There are no tech trees, hero units, or supply lines to micromanage here. Typically, you're given a tiny squad of glowy green men, and that's it. Combat, then, is a piece of neon-colored cake. Using nothing but clicks and one drop-down menu, you tell your men where and when to move, aim, take cover, fire, and even ignore enemies. It's not brain surgery on a rocket scientist while aboard an actual rocket. Hell, your kids probably wouldn't have a problem picking it up. Mastering the game, however, is another story entirely. Staying a step ahead of your opponent is absolutely crucial, but it never ceases to feel like you're about to step off a cliff. Committing to a plan is downright nerve-wracking. After all, you've run yourself ragged testing it. Thanks to your hard work, it's airtight. Foolproof. But most of all, it's yours. Then your opponent bulldozes it with brilliant strategy, dumb luck, or (usually) some combination of the two, and you're back at square one. For reference, square one is "Oh goodness, there are a million knives against my throat, and I'm going to lose in one turn." But you find a way to survive, and it's so damn satisfying. 
Campaign missions throw in extra wrinkles—like civilians caught in the crossfire.
That balance of psychological posturing and swift, brutal chaos holds up quite well in both the single-player campaign and multiplayer. Single-player, while a bit confusing on the story side, does a great job of gradually easing you into deeper tactical waters, and multiplayer makes use of a Words With Friends–style "take as long as you want per turn" approach. Really, Frozen Synapse only thaws into ugly gray mush when its random level generator decides to commit horrific crimes against balance. Occasionally, you may find yourself in an unwinnable uphill battle because the gods of wall placement didn't smile in your favor. It's frustrating, sure, but hardly a deal-breaker. That aside, Frozen Synapse is a fantastic step outside strategy gaming's typical box—not to mention an absolute steal at $25. There's no need to test and tweak the outcome of this one: Buy it and don't look back. $25, www.frozensynapse.com, ESRB: not rated |
| Version Numbers And Rapid Releases Here To Stay For Firefox Posted: 26 Aug 2011 10:10 AM PDT  Firefox's new rapid release schedule has stolen some of the limelight away from Chrome and dumped it back in Mozilla's lap, but the attention hasn't all been good. The quick-fire pace of new launches caused enterprise sysadmins to metaphorically grab their torches and storm the castle, while a rumor that Firefox would ditch version numbers entirely led to even more consumer angst. Two key Mozilla employees tried pouring water on the flames of discontent this week.
First off, Firefox flat-out isn't getting rid of version numbers; designer Alex Faaborg said the rumor got started because of some miscommunication amongst members of the dev team. "Just in case this got lost amongst the many threads in progress: there are no plans to adjust the version number. It will remain in its current place in the about window, and we are going to continue with the current numbering scheme." Meanwhile, Mozilla chairman Mitchell Baker acknowledged the difficulties – such as enterprise issues and broken add-on compatibility – that arise with a rapid release schedule, but said that the pluses outweigh the minuses. It used to be a year or more between major Firefox releases, Baker stressed, and that sort of time frame just isn't acceptable in the fast-past modern world. "A browser is the delivery vehicle for the Internet. And the Internet moves very, very quickly," Baker said. "Philosophically, I do not believe a product that moves at the speed of traditional desktop software can be effective at enabling an Internet where things happen in real time. If we want the browser to be the interface for the Internet, we need to make it more like the Internet. " It's a compelling argument to be sure, but will it sway the hordes of upset administrators who are poised to dump Firefox and skedaddle back into Internet Explorer's slow-release arms? |
| 'Tweet' Secures Spot in Merriam-Webster Dictionary Posted: 26 Aug 2011 09:43 AM PDT  There's no way around it, "Tweet" is an official word, having now cracked its way into the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary, according to an Associate Press report. The announcement comes after "Retweet" made it into the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Tech and social media terms are having their day in the sun.
As a noun, Merriam-Webster defines tweet as "a post made on the Twitter online message service," and as a verb, it means "to post a message to the Twitter online message service." Pretty straightforward, though it speaks volumes about the impact of social media in everyday language. "Even if people had no interest or possible chance of getting a Twitter account themselves, they now have to know what 'tweet' means, and that's really why it's in the dictionary," said Peter Sokolowski, an editor with Merriam-Webster. "It's not just because the users of that service are so numerous, although they are. It's because even the non-users have to know what that word means because they'll encounter it so often in everyday use." Merriam-Webster also added "m-commerce," "fist-bump," and several other terms. |
| So What Was Razer's Big Secret? A Gaming Laptop Posted: 26 Aug 2011 09:03 AM PDT When Razer launched their pcgamingisnotdead.com teaser site last weekend, I assumed it was going to be about some new high-end peripheral--the kind of thing the company's famous for. When they went a step further, and took out a full page ad in the Wall Street Journal I started to think this must be something more. You don't normally see that kind of promotion for just another mouse or keyboard, and besides, as Maximum PC's peripheral reviewer, I probably would have heard about something like that in advance. Then, on Tuesday, I got a chance to see Razer's new product. And while I'm not sure it'll be the sole savior of PC gaming, it is something pretty unexpected. Meet the Blade, the first gaming laptop from Razer. This isn't just another gaming notebook, though--read on to find out why. 
The Razer Blade (get it?) is gaming laptop, to be sure, but at first glance you can tell that it's a breed apart from the sort of behemeth desktop replacements you expect from brands like Alienware. The Blade still packs a 17-inch screen, making it quite large, but the whole package is remarkably thin (for a gaming laptop) and light. At 0.88 inches in height and 6.9 lbs weight, the Blade is thinner and slightly heavier than the MacBook Pro 17 inch model, which it otherwise resembles. From the unibody-style shell to the recessed keyboard, it's clear that Razer took some inspiration from Apple's flagship laptop. 
The other unique feature of the Blade's construction can be found to the right of the keyboard: an auxiliary-screen-slash-trackpad and 8 bindable buttons that can be customized to display icons from whatever game you're playing. These elements seem taken directly from the Switchblade concept Razer showed off at CES this year. They look like they could be cool, but we'll have to see how the software support for them pans out before we can jump to any conclusions. 
Internally, the Blade is powered by an i7-2640M dual-core 2.8GHz CPU, 8GB of memory, and an NVIDIA 555M discrete GPU. In other words, less power than what you'd get in a similarly-priced, less-portable gaming laptop from a different brand. I watched the Blade play current titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops at high settings with a good framerate, and Razer says it'll be ready to play Battlefield 3, but I can't help but wonder how future-proof this hardware is. 
Finally, there's the price: you'll be able to buy the Blade by the end of this year for $2800. At that price, the Blade is an interesting proposition. Will gamers pay top-dollar for a laptop with a great form factor, but not top-end internals? Would you? Hit the comments and let us know. |
| Pandora Grabs 3.6 Percent Share of U.S. Radio Posted: 26 Aug 2011 08:47 AM PDT  Pandora didn't disappoint when announcing its first financial report as a publicly traded company. The popular streaming music service collected $67 million in total revenue during the second quarter, representing a 117 percent year-over-year increase. Advertising accounted for $58.3 million (118 percent year-over-year increase) and subscription revenue more than doubled as well (112 percent) to $8.7 million.
"Pandora is personalizing radio -- and consumers are enthusiastically embracing the dramatically better experience," said Joe Kennedy, President & CEO of Pandora. "At the same time, advertisers continue their adoption of Pandora's multi-platform ad solutions, resulting in our 6th consecutive quarter of year-over-year triple digit revenue growth. In addition to continued high growth in web revenue, Pandora's mobile advertising revenue for the first time comprised approximately half of total advertising revenue as we lead the way in the nascent but fast growing mobile advertising market. Pandora continues to grow our market share of U.S. radio as we fundamentally transform one of the last forms of traditional media." Towards that last point, Pandora claims its share of the total U.S. radio listening market now sits at 3.6 percent, exactly double what it was last year. That figure is based on 1.8 billion listener hours for the second quarter. |
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