PSA: The end of MobileMe is nigh, time to move on or move out

PSA The end of MobileMe is nigh

The death knell for MobileMe has been ringing for some time, but if you’ve had your hands on your ears, hoping it’d go away, sadly this isn’t the case. Tomorrow sees the service hang up its storage-boots for the last time, before being brutally put down released to pasture. If the 20GB olive branch Apple offered wasn’t enough to turn you onto iCloud, then this is your last call to pack up your virtual things, and make sure the door doesn’t hit you on the way out. And while breaking up is never easy to do, there are plenty more fish in the sea.

PSA: The end of MobileMe is nigh, time to move on or move out originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Music said to rival Spotify and iTunes, Microsoft to make a mark in music

Xbox Music said to rival Spotify, iTunes

Xbox Music is coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, that much we know. We also know that the Zune brand is dead. But whether the new service will be a simple rebadge or an entirely new beast remains a mystery. Bloomberg has it on good authority, however, that that Xbox Music will more than just a new face. Microsoft is allegedly combining all the most successful elements of its competitors — streaming, online storage, and offline syncing — into a product that will put iTunes, Spotify and Google Play squarely in its crosshairs. The company is allegedly in talks with the record labels to secure the necessary rights for a monthly subscription service and a market for purchasing tracks. It will also take a page from Google Music and allow customers to upload their own collections. If Microsoft can pull off a such a comprehensive service others in the field better watch out — few companies have the reach or budget of Redmond.

Xbox Music said to rival Spotify and iTunes, Microsoft to make a mark in music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Drive: 10 million users served

Google Drive 10 million users served

Day two of Google I/O 2012 has started, and Big G just gave us an update on the success of its cloud storage solution. Google Drive’s been accessed by over 10 million people, which comes out to about 1 million a week since its launch. Not a massive number, but it’s a pretty good start, and with the explosive growth of Android and the addition of Chrome OS and iDevice users to the Drive party, the cloud locker’s legion of users will continue to grow.

Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012’s developer conference at our event hub!

Google Drive: 10 million users served originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Drive SDK version 2 supports Android and iOS apps, common file tasks

Google Drive SDK version 2 supports Android and iOS apps, common file tasks

Virtually every corner of the Google universe is being touched at Google I/O, and that now includes Google Drive. A version 2 update to the Drive SDK gives Android and iOS developers the option of building the cloud storage into their mobile apps, whether it’s downloads, uploads or on-the-spot edits. The programming interface has likewise been expanded as a whole to handle everyday file duties, such as conversions, copying and revision handling. Web-only users are taken care of with support for embedded shares and opening Google documents in any given software that will take the exportable formats. The updated Drive SDK is ready to go, with a flood of apps either coming or already here — if you want to hop on the bandwagon, just take a peek at the source link.

Google Drive SDK version 2 supports Android and iOS apps, common file tasks originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 01:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Steve Wozniak supports Kim Dotcom in MegaUpload case

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is backing MegaUpload’s Kim Dotcom and bashing the US piracy case against him for alleged copyright infringement charges. While Dotcom still has yet to be extradited from New Zealand, his assets have been seized by US officials and they’re trying to keep him from paying for a legal defense with his funds.

Wozniak explained in a phone interview that while visiting New Zealand, he was not able to go see Dotcom due to him being put under house arrest. Sticking up for Dotcom, Wozniak said that the way they were making him live was absurd, and pointed out that MegaUpload had been used legitimately by lots people before it was shut down in January with criminal charges filed against Dotcom and others.

“You don’t just shut down the whole street because somebody is speeding,” Wozniak said in the interview. Though mentioning that he does indeed believe in paying for good content, Wozniak also made it clear that he also believes in keeping the Internet open to help boost innovation. He said that this case doesn’t belong in the criminal court and is actually a political debate between “Hollywood and new cloud storage technology.”

[via Associated Press]


Steve Wozniak supports Kim Dotcom in MegaUpload case is written by Elise Moreau & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


BitTorrent site Boxopus blocked from Dropbox APIs

Law enforcement, Hollywood, and music companies are all waging war on anyone they think may have something to do with digital piracy. Much of the focus over piracy is being placed on BitTorrent sites and on cloud-based storage sites. So far, cloud storage site Dropbox has managed to stay pretty much out of the piracy line of fire, and it wants to stay that way.

A new BitTorrent startup called Boxopus to set up shop in hoped to access the Dropbox API to allow users of the service to store files and information on the Dropbox cloud. However, before Boxopus really got started, Dropbox crushed the site by blocking access to its API over fear of being associated with piracy according to reports.

The site was blocked from accessing the Dropbox APIs after it quickly racked up more than 50,000 users. The gang at Boxopus received notification from Dropbox that some features could be “perceived as encouraging users to violate copyright” and therefore, the apps access to the API was terminated. The Boxopus team says that the termination of the API access cost them $30,000 in development costs. Dropbox had approved an alpha version of Boxopus previously.

[via TorrentFreak]


BitTorrent site Boxopus blocked from Dropbox APIs is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
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