Hasta La Gadget!

The FTC might not have been impressed with Google bypassing Safari cookie settings in the name of +1 functionality, but it’ll at least be satisfied with the outcome. A Northern District of California federal court has approved the FTC’s proposed settlement, which sees Google pay a $22.5 million penalty in addition to altering its cookie behavior to respect privacy in Apple’s browser. The fiscal punishment is a drop in the bucket for a company that might well make up that loss by the time you’re done reading this; all the same, we’ll take it if other web companies are more mindful of their behavior in the future.

Filed under: Internet, Apple, Google

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Source: FTC

If you just bought a Windows Phone 8 device like the Nokia Lumia 920 or the HTC 8x and were hoping to load it with Xbox content for the holidays — after all, they’re both from Microsoft, right? — it seems that you may be in for some disappointment. As of right now, purchases or rentals from the newly-branded Xbox Video will not sync to Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has even officially acknowledged the issue in its support page, stating: “Windows Phone 8 does not currently support playback of rented or purchased content from the Xbox Video Store.” The article goes on to say that you can go to the Windows Phone Feature Suggestions page to recommend it for future releases. Gee, thanks, Microsoft; that’s so helpful. Now we’ll actually have to talk to our families. The horror.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: WP Central

Source: Microsoft Support

Before we take in Thanksgiving and all the football it has to offer, we’ve got this week’s podcast episode. The new Wii U represents Nintendo’s official entry into the HD age, so of course we’ll discuss it, however with many of its TV-centric features arriving only recently or still awaiting their debut, we still have our doubts. Amazon and Netflix both continue to make moves in subscription streaming, and Google Fiber is finally rolling out across the land. Of course, it’s already time for a CES preview and we’re ready for the latest Ultra HD news from Samsung (and even a breaking update from Sony.) Press play to find out what’s up this week in everything from 4K to Formula 1.

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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)

Producer: Trent Wolbe

00:14:20 – Nintendo Wii U review
00:16:22 – Wii U’s Nintendo TVii, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus pushed to December
00:23:58 – Amazon stops testing monthly Prime subscriptions, leaves the results a mystery
00:24:48 – Netflix original series House of Cards gets its first trailer
00:35:17 – Vudu brings HDX 1080p streaming and downloadable movies to PCs
00:40:59 – XBMC 12 ‘Frodo’ Beta 1 appears, includes support for Android, Raspberry Pi, HD audio and more
00:41:55 – Google TV gets voice search and a quick guide to make content discovery easier than ever
00:44:00 – Dish Network’s Hopper gets an off-air digital TV tuner, software update packing new features
00:47:04 – Google Fiber installations begin, come with a larger TV channel choice in the bargain
00:48:18 – Elgato EyeTV Mobile ships to the US, brings Dyle live TV tuning to data cap-dodging iOS users
00:55:15 – Samsung bringing 85-inch ultra high definition TV to CES
00:59:29 – Initial projects from 3net Studios include the world’s first native 4K TV show
01:03:10 – Formula 1’s on-board cameras may switch to HD next season
01:06:20 – Star Trek: Enterprise Blu-ray release next year tipped as fans pick box art
01:09:22 – Must See HDTV (November 19th – 25th)

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Filed under: Podcasts, HD

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Over 60 years since the first digital computers switched on, the chances of seeing one of these pioneers in action have grown incredibly slim as time (and recycling) takes its toll. Take a visit to Britain’s National Museum of Computing in Bletchley Park as of today, however, and you’ll see one working. A finished 3-year restoration effort lets the Harwell Dekatron — at one point renamed the Wolverhampton Instrument for Teaching Computation from Harwell, or WITCH — claim the title of the world’s oldest functional digital computer still using its original design. Aside from its room-filling dimensions, the 1951-era mainframe may be worth the trip just for recalling a time when there were no hard and fast rules in computing: the Dekatron operates in its namesake decimal system, not binary, and puts most of its components on full display. The computer is part of the regular exhibit lineup and should be easy to see; the daunting part may be realizing that virtually any chip in a 2012 smartphone could outmuscle the Dekatron without breaking a sweat.

Filed under: Desktops, Misc, Alt

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Via: Slashdot

Source: National Museum of Computing

We can’t say we’re exactly surprised, but it’s still worth noting that the United States DOJ has contacted MetroPCS to ask for additional information about the company’s recently announced merger with T-Mobile. The adequately-named “Second Request” will be essential before an actual consolidation approval can be made, and MetroPCS has stated it plans on being fully cooperative so that it can “obtain the approval of the transaction as soon as possible.” Additionally, the Wireless for All carrier says it’s pretty confident on the Department of Justice’s ability to see the proposed merger is “both pro-competitive and pro-consumer.” In the end, it’s nothing more than a required hurdle before the two telcos can move on with their original plans. Official word from MetroPCS can be found inside the presser below.

Continue reading Department of Justice asks MetroPCS for more info regarding T-Mobile merger

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: Android Central

Source: MetroPCS