Section: Web 
The creators of Hurt Locker have teamed up with the U.S. Copyright Group’s money making scheme entitled 'pay up or else' to reclaim losses due to piracy. 5,000 BitTorrent users have officially been reported to court for their illegal downloads with an option to pay substantially lower charges out of court. A formal complaint was filed against these users in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Depending on the courts decision, the users’ ISP may be forced to give out personal information associated with IP addresses. As it turns out, the rights holders see 30 percent of the money from the scheme while the U.S. Copyright Group claims the other 70. So this is a great scheme to cover up for some losses, but what will the courts think when these types of cases start showing up left and right? A kid getting charged 50K for downloading a Greenday song isn’t something I’d imagine courtrooms would want to focus too heavily on. It’s like the prisoner in jail for possession of marijuana; time and resources could be spent on tackling much bigger fish. As it turns out, about 75 percent of ISP’s are cooperating with the Copyright Group while other larger companies such as Time Warner that are openly against such accusations. Either way, stay tuned for more of the latest news in the world of piracy as we’re sure this isn’t the last we’ll hear from the U.S. money hoarding Copyright Group. Via [TorrentFreak] Full Story » | Written by Tarun Kunwar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones Since the HTC EVO 4G will boast two cameras (one front facing and the other rear facing), the idea of video communication becomes a reality. Of course, the hardware is there but now all that remains necessary is a compatible software component. Fring has already introduced a service that can handle two way video communications and has received positive feedback. When the Sprint HTC EVO 4G launches on June 4, it will contain the video app service Qik. There were a few rumors circulating that it would cost $4.99 a month just to take advantage of video chat, but Qik came out with a statement today debunking that rumor. Basically, the core feature of the Qik video app is, obviously, two way video chat. That feature will be offered for free to all users; this comes as good news for Android enthusiasts, especially ones considering purchasing the Sprint HTC EVO 4G. Now, in order to take advantage of some “advanced premium features” users will have to pay the monthly subscription fee of $4.99. No word on what exactly those premium features are, but a complete set of features will be announced on June 4. Depending on the nature of the unannounced features, the $4.99 fee may be reasonable or excessive. Read [Qik] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Video, Content, HDTV, Video Providers, Web, Web Apps 
Is Apple readying an app assault on your TV? A new rumor purporting a new Apple TV suggest Apple very may well be. From the hardware to the software to the price, this could be an interesting hobby Apple’s got going. The hardware rumor suggests Apple TV will become a basically a screen-less iPhone. Engadget, who posted on the rumor, says the internals are very similar as well, featuring the very same Apple CPU: A4 . It looks like Apple is seeking a volume purchase on the A4. For software, the rumor suggests all content will stream via the cloud. Some have suggested Lala was bought for this reason to assist with the streaming and to present a big music section of Apple TV. What’s more, Apple could build on how much consumers seem to love apps. An app for your TV isn’t that far fetched, is it? I can easily see a weather app, Twitter apps, or a Netflix app. And don’t forget all the gaming. Now think of niche news (from local to lacrosse), too small to gain a cable channel- now in app form for the latest news, video, even full length shows. In fact, one could see an app version of TV changing content programming forever. Sure that’s down the line, but could it be where Apple is headed? Read: [Engadget] via [Wired] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
 Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones, Mobile, Web, Google  Sources have reported that a search deal is on the table between Apple and Microsoft to put Bing as either an option or the default or the only search option on the iPhone. About the only thing that is clear is Apple is becoming increasingly wary of one-time partner Google and following the “enemy of my enemy is my friend” logic - putting Microsoft oddly in the friend column. Google still remains popular for many services, Apple has to balance keeping users happy vs wanting to give Google a backseat role.
From Mike Arrington at TechCrunch, “Microsoft Bing will replace Google in the next version of the iPhone operating system to be released in June, we've heard from mulitple sources, including a high level source who claims to have been briefed on the matter.” The post was later updated to reflect other rumors, like this one from Kara Swisher over at All Things D, “Microsoft and Apple are in long-term talks about adding the Bing search service as a prominent option on the iPhone and not as a replacement of Google.” Still, it looks like the door is open for Bing to make some headway and give Apple the chance to downgrade Google in the process. Sound irrational to anyone? Read: [TechCrunch] and [All Things D] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »
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