Samsung Looks To Inspire People With "Launching People" Campaing

Technology has certainly inspired people to new heights over the years. We've blasted off to the moon, dove deeper into the oceans than ever before and even sent rovers to Mars. With today's advanced technology we can soar to even higher heights and Samsung wants to empower people to do so. Samsung Electronics announced its global “Launching People” campaign, a project committed to unleashing the dreams, passions and potential of individuals around the world with brilliant ideas and technology.

The “Launching People” campaign identifies and invests in the potential of inspiring individuals across the globe. Together with Samsung’s support and access to advanced technology, this potential can be actualized. “We believe that technology only begins to have meaning when you put it in the hands of a human being and when this technology collides with people’s potential, amazing things can happen” said Sue Shim, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung. “Over the next year, we’ll work with people all over the world on new and exciting projects that launch people’s potential with the assistance of technology, helping people not only explore personal passions, but also inspire others.”

Starting with the launch from France in June of 2013, Samsung’s “Launching People” campaign will turn consumers’ dreams, passions and potential into reality in 13 regions in Europe, Latin America and Middle East in 2013, and expects to expand the campaign further in 2014. Samsung will focus on providing consumers the chance to realize their potential by teaming them up with renowned mentors, startup funding and products to help them on their journey.

Samsung will activate programs across the globe over the coming months. Through real consumer stories, Samsung will spread the word about “Launching People” on Samsung.com and across all social media channels, including Facebook and YouTube – promising to invest in not only technology, but in the potential of people everywhere with dreams and passions. For more information on the campaign, visit www.samsung.com/LaunchingPeople.

Aamazon Tax Law Invalidated In New York

The Illinois Supreme Court had decided that a state law requiring online retailers, like Amazon, to collect sales tax if they have in-state Web affiliates violates federal tax regulations putting a discriminatory tax on digital sales. According to the Associated Press the court voted 6-1 to determine that the Illinois' 2011 "Main Street Fairness Act" was superseded by the federal law, which prohibits imposing a tax on "electronic commerce" and obligates collection that's not required of transactions by other means, such as print or television.

Illinois is one of several states that has imposed taxation on click-through-link or what is being called the "Amazon Tax". A legal regulation which required out-of-state retailers to collect state taxes on annual sales of more than $10,000 that involve in-state "affiliates," or website operators and bloggers, that draw consumers to the retailers' sites in exchange for a cut of each sale. Justice Anne Burke, writing for the court's majority, questioned whether there was any substantial difference between out-of-state businesses reaching Illinois consumers through a click-through-nexus approach or through other direct marketing approaches that aren't being taxed.

In her decision Burke wrote, "The click-through link makes it easier for the customer to reach the out-of-state retailer. But the link is not different in kind from advertising using promotional codes that appear, for example, in Illinois newspapers or Illinois radio broadcasts." Justice Lloyd Karmeier dissented, saying the federal law does not apply because the state statute doesn't "impose any new taxes or increase any existing taxes," but rather changes the definition of who's obligated to collect them.

The fight is far from over. The Illinois Department of Revenue, said it's considering asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Amazon.com did just that in August, when it sought a review of the New York Court of Appeals' March ruling upholding the law there. The Empire State was among the first to argue that a business with "affiliates" within its borders gives the company a physical presence there — a must if a state hopes to collect taxes from it, according to a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Amazon ended its affiliates program in several states including, California, New York and Illinois when the laws were originally adopted bypassing the some of the state requirements.

Facebook and Google Privacy Changes, What You Need To Know!

Earlier this week both Facebook and Google made several changes that will great impact your online ID and privacy. Google by way of a terms of service (TOS) change, and Facebook by means of removing a feature that once allowed users to block who can search their name when using Facebook's search bar.

Google's Shared Endorsements Can Use Your Name And Photos

Through an update to the search giants TOS Google can now share your photos and name if at some point in the past you gave a product or service a +1 on Google plus. The company revealed the changes to its Terms of Service on Friday highlighting the changes. The most important one is that Google clarified how your profile name and photo might appear in "Google products," including display ads. For customers that aren't currently 'opted out' of Google the old Google +1 Personalization settings you will now by default be opted into Shared Endorsements. Which means Google will have full use of your name, profile photo, and a personal endorsement that may appear in Google ads.

For users wishing to opt out you can do so through the Shared Endorsements settings on your Google profile. Google has also pointed users to its Ad Settings tool, for more granular control over what ads you see.

Facebook Search No Longer Blocks Search By Name

Facebook has confirmed it will be removing the "Who can look up your Timeline by name?" feature which was once used to block a users name from the site's search results. As a result any user can now be searched for using Facebook's search bar. In the blog post announcing the move Facebook also mentions the need for users wanting to keep personal details private need to keep an eye on post visibility settings. The new graph search will make more posts more visible making post privacy setting more important to users rather than search visibility.

In the coming weeks, people who are sharing posts publicly on Facebook will soon see a notice reminding them that those posts can be seen by anyone, including people they may not know. The notice reminds people how to change the audience for each post.

To quickly control who can find posts you shared in the past, visit the privacy settings page. With one click, you can limit the audience of posts you’ve shared in the past. This means any posts that were previously shared with Friends of Friends or Public will now be shared just to Friends.

Should These Changes Concern Me?

Anytime your personal privacy is involved you should be greatly concerned. The information collected and now shared via social media sites can be used against you in numerous ways. Either from people looking to do you personal harm, hackers looking to gain access to personal information to send privatized attacks or gain access to your identity or personal accounts, or just businesses looking to exploit the information they receive.

By and large these companies are over stepping their usage of your personal information for their own gains. As evidence of the recent lawsuit Facebook settled for the company's Sponsored Stories, to the tune of $20 million. Google amongst others have been on the end of a growing amount of Federal Trade Commission scrutiny. Clearly someone is taking notice out there and you should too!

Adobe Confirms Data On 2.9 million Customers Stolen In Hack

Adobe Systems confirmed on Thursday that hackers had breached several severs and databases accessing source code to the companies more popular software such as Adobe Acrobat. During the breach the hackers were also able to gain access to full user data, including credit card information on about 2.9 million customers accounts.

Adobe Chief Security Officer Brad Arkin said the company had been investigating the breach since its discovery two weeks ago and that it had no evidence of any attacks based on the theft. "Based on our findings to date, we are not aware of any specific increased risk to customers as a result of this incident," Arkin wrote on an Adobe blog.

Arkin said hackers also took information on 2.9 million Adobe customers, including their names, user identification numbers and encrypted passwords and payment card numbers.

Adobe has said it will be taking the following steps to ensure customers are aware of the attack and to prevent any further intrusions:

• As a precaution, Adobe will be resetting relevant customer passwords to help prevent unauthorized access to Adobe ID accounts. If your user ID and password were involved, you will receive an email notification from us with information on how to change your password. It is also recommended that you change your passwords on any website where you may have used the same user ID and password.

• The company is in the process of notifying customers whose credit or debit card information we believe to be involved in the incident. If your information was involved, you will receive a notification letter directly from Adobe with additional information on steps you can take to help protect yourself against potential misuse of personal information about you. Adobe is also offering customers, whose credit or debit card information was involved, the option of enrolling in a one-year complimentary credit monitoring membership where available.

• The company has worked to notify the banks processing customer payments for Adobe, so that they can work with the payment card companies and card-issuing banks to help protect customers’ accounts.

• Federal law enforcement has been contacted and the company is working closely with them assisting in their investigation.

What the Adobe Hack means to you!

Despite their steps to keep customers safe, this level of security breach should be a major concern for all those that may be impacted. We strongly suggest that anyone that has worked with Adobe's sites in the past immediately change their log-in information. Secondly anyone that has a credit card that could be on file with the company, whether you are contacted directly from Adobe or not, should be diligently monitoring their statements and transactions for any possible misuse. Third, and this can't be stated enough, be on the lookout for fake Adobe emails with malicious links. Often times hackers unassociated with the original breach will use news headlines to create phishing attacks. Sending legitimate looking emails to unsuspecting users trying to dupe them into visiting fake sites with malicious code. Always check those links, emails sources ect and never share any personal information once you are there.

Samsung Lays Best Buy Acquisition Rumors To Rest

Earlier this week rumors surfaced that Samsung may be looking to further its partnership with Best Buy. Perhaps going so far as acquiring a major stake in the company. Today Samsung has laid all those rumors to rest with a blog posting on their Samsung Tomorrow Blog.

The rumors and speculation followed a Korea Times report (which now appears to be offline) Samsung vice chairman Lee Jae-yong said that he “recently met with senior executives at Best Buy and discussed pending business issues.” Analyst firm HMC Securities quickly jumped to conclusions and claimed this includes a proposed investment deal, since it claims Samsung “has been considering increasing subsidies paid to BestBuy.”

Samsung shot that suggestion down in a brief post on its blog:

In the past few days, there have been reports that 'Samsung is considering to acquire stakes in Best Buy'. Please take note that these rumors are not true. There have been no talks whatsoever regarding stock acquisition of either company.

While it now appears that the acquisition rumors may have been false the question still stands as to what the two companies may have been in talks over. Back in April of this year Samsung announced a relationship with Best Buy that resulted in Samsung Experience Shops being installed in over 1,400 Best Buy stores. The newest speculation is leaning towards the two companies looking to build upon that relationship potentially adding in Samsung based shops for other Samsung products such as appliances, TVs, or more.

Samsung 's HomeSync Media Center Set To Debut October 6th for $299

Samsung's HomeSync, which we got our first glimpse of at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, is finally making its way to the US market starting October 6th. The media hub/cloud storage device is a Jelly Bean-powered box that allows you to turn any HDMI equipped television into a "Smart TV" capable of syncing, sharing and streaming content from either the web or a mobile device directly to your TV.

Equipped with 1TB of storage the Samsung HomeSync is more media server than a simple media center. The device can be remotely accessed by Samsung Galaxy devices equipped with Samsung Link, the company's program for connecting and sharing content remotely via network access. That includes the Galaxy S4, Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 8, the 2014 edition of the Galaxy Note 10.1, and Galaxy Camera.

Users with compatible Galaxy devices can store, sync, and stream content directly from their mobile devices to their TVs while at home or on the go. It allows customers to use their Galaxy devices as remote controls to browse content on their TV, and users can mirror the HomeSync screen directly on their Galaxy devices. HomeSync will also feature support for wired or wireless mouse and keyboard, for standalone use as well as easier access to Web browsing, YouTube, apps, games and social networking.

HomeSync will start selling in the US for $299 on Sunday at Best Buy, Amazon and several other retailers. As part of its Galaxy Perks, Samsung said, users can register their HomeSync systems and get $50 to spend on movies and TV shows through Samsung Media Hub.

More details on Samsung's HomeSync

Valve Wants To Change The Face Of Home Gaming

The popular gaming development company Valve, the brainchild behind Steam, has promised gamers three game changing announcements this week. We now have details of the first two, with the first being the new SteamOS and now the second being a new line of home gaming consoles known as Steam Machines.

Details as to what we can expect to see in the first round of Steam Machines is a bit sparse, but here’s what we know so far: The hardware beta, only includes Valve's version of the Steam Machine, there won't be options for different configurations from different manufactures at this time. All the machines will run the newly announced SteamOS.

The beta testing of the new devices will begin later this year with 300 lucky participants. To qualify for the early prototype, Steam users must complete Valve's "eligibility quest." That involves joining the Steam Universe community group; agreeing to the company's hardware beta terms and conditions; having or making at least 10 friends on Steam; creating a public Steam Community profile; and, lastly, playing a game with a gamepad using Steam's Big Picture mode.

Sign-ups have already opened and all of your steps must be done before October 25 to be eligible to receive a Steam Machine prototype and become eligible to participate in the hardware beta. Valve will choose the 300 participants, starting first with 30 individuals chosen based on past community contributions and beta participation while the rest will be random. 

As for Valve's third announcement, a new countdown kicked off just as today's expired, leaving another 48 hours before the final piece of news.

Google Explains Outages As "Dual Network Failure"

Google users may have experienced several delays with their email and possibly even other Google related services yesterday. While today things seem back to normal we now how a bit of an explanation as to what happened. Google has blamed the outage on "dual network failure", exactly what that might mean is as of yet completely unclear.

Google issued the official apology yesterday via the official Gmail Blog. The company explained that only 29% of messages were delayed by a couple of seconds, with only 1.5% of all messages being critically delayed by a couple of hours. The issue lasted for about 8 hours, starting at around 5:30 am PST. Additionally, the company went further in detail explaining what had happened, by issuing this statement:

On September 24th, many Gmail users received an unwelcome surprise: some of their messages were arriving slowly, and some of their attachments were unavailable. We’d like to start by apologizing—we realize that our users rely on Gmail to be always available and always fast, and for several hours we didn’t deliver. We have analyzed what happened, and we’ll tell you about it below. In addition, we’re taking several steps to prevent a recurrence.

The message delivery delays were triggered by a dual network failure. This is a very rare event in which two separate, redundant network paths both stop working at the same time. The two network failures were unrelated, but in combination they reduced Gmail’s capacity to deliver messages to users, and beginning at 5:54 a.m. PST messages started piling up. Google’s automated monitoring alerted the Gmail engineering team within minutes, and they began investigating immediately. Together with the networking team, the Gmail team restored some of the network capacity that was lost and worked to repurpose additional capacity, clearing much of accumulated message backlog by 1:00 p.m. PST and the remainder by shortly before 4:00 p.m. PST.

The impact on users’ Gmail experience varied widely. Most messages were unaffected—71% of messages had no delay, and of the remaining 29%, the average delivery delay was just 2.6 seconds. However, about 1.5% of messages were delayed more than two hours. Users who attempted to download large attachments on affected messages encountered errors. Throughout the event, Gmail remained otherwise available — users could log in, read messages which had been delivered, send mail, and access other features.

What’s next? Our top priority is ensuring that Gmail users get the experience they expect: fast, highly-available email, anytime they want it. We're taking steps to ensure that there is sufficient network capacity, including backup capacity for Gmail, even in the event of a rare dual network failure. We also plan to make changes to make Gmail message delivery more resilient to a network capacity shortfall in the unlikely event that one occurs in the future. Finally, we’re updating our internal practices so that we can more quickly and effectively respond to network issues. We’ll be working on all of these improvements and more over the next few weeks—even including this event, Gmail remains well above 99.9% available, and we intend to keep it that way!

For most users a Gmail outage is always a big deal, and a major concern. End users and companies alike are often affected and these delays can grind a company relying upon the service to a halt. Even though Gmail’s disruption was limited to a small portion of messages and service such as Google Docs and Google presentations – the company has confirmed there should be no loss of data, messages or otherwise and all services are now up and running smoothly.

Google Wallet Updated To Focus Less On NFC

Google has announced a newly updated version of Google Wallet is now available for 'all Android devices' running Android 2.3 or higher. The new app shows less focus on NFC dropping the previous requirements of an NFC chip with a secure element, something only Nexus devices and about 12 other, mostly Samsung phones had.

This new update makes the app compatible with the vast majority of Android handsets currently on the market and adds compatibility with several carrier devices that had all but been block. Carriers had been declaring all-out war on Google Wallet, with three of the big four (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) banning it outright from their phones in favor of ISIS, a competing solution that has yet to be released.

New App New Focus
 While Google really hasn't changed the way Wallet works. Paying for stuff at a terminal will still require you to have one of the select few phones with NFC and be using a carrier that hasn't banned it. What Google has done is add features that non-NFC equipped phones can use. You can now send money to an e-mail address, just like PayPal. There is also increased focus on the use of loyalty cards which can be scanned directly into the app. Several companies including Alaska Airlines, Belly, and Red Mango will allow you to join their program directly within the Google Wallet app. For these, and several upcoming merchants, you will be able to view your loyalty status, rewards point balance and in the coming days, Google Now will notify you when you have a saved loyalty program nearby.

Sending Money PayPal Style
Google recently announced the ability to send money in Gmail using Google Wallet. Now, with the Google Wallet app, you can easily and securely send money on the go much the same as you would with PayPal. As with PayPal it will be free to send money directly from your bank account or Google Wallet Balance, with what are promised to be low fees applied when using your linked credit or debit card.


Doing What Google Wallet Is Best At
One thing that hasn't changed much is the overall backbone of the new Google Wallet app. As mentioned you can still use NFC and a supported device (and carrier) to make payments. You can also see all your purchases made with Google Wallet in one place:

• In-store purchases: If you have one of the 29 different NFC-enabled devices, you can continue to tap and pay at hundreds of thousands of US locations, while also enjoying the new Wallet features. We also have more NFC-enabled devices on the horizon as we continue to invest in NFC with our partners.
• Online and mobile purchases: You can continue to speed through online shopping by using your Google Wallet account to pay on Google Play, select mobile websites or a growing set of Android apps.

You can download the new version of the Google Wallet app on the Google Play Store, which will begin rolling out this week in the US.

Mobile Pwn2Own Offering $300K In Prizes Money

The second annual Mobile Pwn2Own contest will take place in Tokyo Japan on Nov. 13-14, TippingPoint announced on its company blog today. This year's event will offer participants up to $300,000 in prize money for those researchers who can successfully demonstrate attacks against mobile services and browsers.

This year’s Mobile Pwn2Own contest is offering the following prizes in the following categories: 

• Short Distance/Physical Access ($50,000), either:
  • Bluetooth, or
  • Wi-Fi, or
  • Universal Serial Bus (USB), or
  • Near Field Communication (NFC)
• Mobile Web Browser ($40,000)
• Mobile Application/Operating System ($40,000)
• Messaging Services ($70,000), either:
  • Short Message Service (SMS), or
  • Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), or
  • Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS)
• Baseband ($100,000)

Contestants are allowed to select the target they wish to compromise during the pre-registration process.  The exact OS version, firmware and model numbers will be coordinated with the pre-registered contestants. The following targets are available for selection:

• Nokia Lumia 1020 running Windows Phone
• Microsoft Surface RT running Windows RT
• Samsung Galaxy S4 running Android
• Apple iPhone 5 running iOS
• Apple iPad Mini running iOS
• Google Nexus 4 running Android
• Google Nexus 7 running Android
• Google Nexus 10 running Android
• BlackBerry Z10 running BlackBerry 10

 In addition Google’s Chrome Security Team, in conjunction with the Chrome on Android team, is sponsoring a top-up reward for the Mobile Web Browser category. If a contestant successfully compromises Chrome on Android, either on Google Nexus 4 or Samsung Galaxy S4, the prize amount will be bumped by $10k to make it a total of $50,000.  There may be additional winners in the Mobile Web Browser category if the contestant is specifically targeting Chrome on Android, either on the Google Nexus 4 or Samsung Galaxy S4.

For those looking to enter the full contest rules are listed here. For those geeks that want to stay updated on the contest ZDI will be tweeting regular updates and news on Mobile Pwn2Own up to and during the contest. You can follow them at @thezdi on Twitter or search for the hash tag #pwn2own.

Facebook Settlement Finally Reached, Your $15 Check May Be In The Mail Soon

Remember a few years back when Facebook was hit with a class-action lawsuit over "sponsored stories." At the time of the lawsuit you may have been emailed a form to be a participant entitling you to a part of the cash award. After more than two years of deliberation, a U.S. federal judge in California has finally granted final approval for Facebook’s $20 million settlement, entitling those of you that didn't trash those emails to a minor monetary settlement.

The suit filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, is Angel Fraley et al., asserted that Facebook improperly used photos and names found on user profiles in Sponsored Story ads, which are created by users “liking” companies’ pages or content. The plaintiffs also argued that Facebook violated a California law that forbids companies from using people’s likenesses or names in advertisements without their consent. Finally, the suit asserted that Facebook should have received parental consent to use the names and likeness of any user under the age of 18.

Under the terms of the settlement, Facebook will pay $20 million to compensate class members, approximately $11 million of that will be doled out to the attorney's . Leaving behind roughly $9 million to be divided amongst the approximately 614,000 Facebook users who appeared in Sponsored Stories without their consent, and filed the necessary paperwork to join the class action lawsuit by the May 2, 2013 deadline. In addition to the monetary payment Facebook also promised to give users more control over how their content is shared.

See the full order of final settlement below:

Fraley v. Facebook: Order Granting Final Approval (Document 359)

Samsung Unveils New Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear and Updated Galaxy Note 10.1

At today's 2013 Unpacked event held during IFA in Berlin, Samsung "Unpacked" three new devices. The new larger, more powerful Galaxy Note 3, an updated Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and the highly anticipated Galaxy Gear Smartwatch.

Galaxy Note 3

For 2013 the Galaxy Note 3 has been upgraded with a new larger 5.7" Full HD Super AMOLED screen, large capacity 3,200mAh battery, a high performance 2.3 Ghz Quad-core CPU and 3GBs of ram all while dropping the size and weight at 8.3mm thick and just 168g. There is also an all new 13MP camera will feature 1080p recoding with some models featuring UHD 4k video capabilities. There is also an all new High CRI flash and Smart Stabilization. Powering the device will be Android 4.3.

The Note 3 will feature a new improved S-Pen with several enhancements including S-Finder to automatically search your device for keywords related to content, media, dates and location. A new Action Memo app which allows you to hand write a note and automatically execute a function, or convert handwritten information into formatted content.

Multitasking will be improved with a new multi-window feature that allows you to run multiple apps, or multiple instances of the same app in separate screens. A newly added feature dubbed Pen Window will allow you to draw, and open a new window box for your secondary apps.

The externals of the Note 3 receive a major update as well featuring a new leather bound back cover that will come in three stock color options: Jet Black, Classic White and Blush Pink. There will also be numerous case options featuring several new colors and designs.

The Note 3 will be available in 32GB or 64GB internal storage along with an additional microSD card slot, and will be launching in the U.S. later this year on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular

See more at: Samsung Tomorrow

Galaxy Gear

The new Galaxy Gear (companion device) Smartwatch will combine seamless integration with your Galaxy smartphone with features, and design of premium accessory. The device will feature several integrated apps alongside device syncing capabilities.

It notifies users of incoming messages, such as calls, texts, emails and alerts, delivers a preview of those messages and creates the opportunity for users to accept or discreetly ignore those messages. When an incoming message requires more than a quick glance, users can simply pick up their Samsung GALAXY devices and the Smart Relay feature will instantly reveal the full content on their device's screen.

The Galaxy Gear will feature a built-in speaker allowing users to conduct hands-free calls directly from the Gear and Bluetooth technology to maintain connections to their mobile device. Users can also draft messages, create new calendar entries, set alarms, and check the weather on the Galaxy Gear thanks to Samsung's S Voice.

In addition to smart device controls, the Galaxy Gear introduces several on-device features for stand alone use. There will be an integrated Memographer feature, a 1.9 Megapixel camera, capable of recording both photos and video. Extending the quick-record concept, Voice Memo lets users capture important thoughts or conversations from their wrists and save those voice recordings into texts on their compatible Samsung Galaxy devices.

The Galaxy Gear currently supports the Galaxy Note 3 with plans on updated support for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and more devices at a later date. The watch will be available in six new colors: Jet Black, Mocha Gray, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green and is launching alongside the Note 3 later this year.

See more at: Samsung Tomorrow

Galaxy Note 10.1

The new Galaxy Note 10.1, 2014 Edition, will come equipped with a 10.1" WQXGA LCD touchscreen featuring a 2560×1600 resolution. It will be powered by a 2.3GHZ Quad-core processor and 3GB RAM and will run Android 4.3. The tablet will include an updated S Pen that improves responsiveness, delivers day-to-day efficiency enhancements and produces more creative input capabilities. The tablet also includes GALAXY Note 3's updated S Pen features such as Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and S Finder.

The GALAXY Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) will come in three connectivity options: WiFi Only, WiFi and 3G, WiFi and LTE, available in 16/32/64GB + Micro SD. Comes with two color options, Jet Black and Classic White, the GALAXY Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) will be offered globally and will be available starting from Q3, 2013.

See more at: Samsung Tomorrow

Apple Promises To "Brighten Everyone's Day" With Sept. 10 iPhone Event Invites

Apple fans can officially mark their calenders for the next big Apple announcement as it has been confirmed today that the company has sent out the official press invites for a major announcement next Tuesday, September 10. While the invite doesn't provide specifics the tech world is expecting to see the next iPhone.

This year's tagline is relatively simple and a bit more elusive than years past which had at least hinted at a which devices we may see. The invite features a number of colored dots and simply states "This should brighten everyone's day." It is expected that Apple will be unveiling multiple devices on the day, including a lower-cost iPhone “5C” as it’s been dubbed in the press, as well a more expensive iPhone 5 successor, possibly called the iPhone 5S. The 5S is supposed to have an improved camera, as well as improved internals and a new gold color option, while the iPhone 5C will reportedly feature a plastic backing with internals essentially unchanged from the iPhone 5. Given the graphic depiction of multi-colored dots on the event invite speculation is that the new iPhone hardware will feature different color casings.

The event is taking place at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino Sept 10th and begins at 10 a.m. PST. Stay tuned for more details on how to watch as it is unclear at this point if Apple will be offering a live video stream of the event.

Upcoming Samsung Unpacked Event to Include New Galaxy Gear Smartwatch and Galaxy Note 3

When Samsung first announced the Sept 4th Unpacked event in August, speculation quickly began that the company would choose the date for the launch of the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 3. After-all Samsung all but confirmed it with the hint "Note the date." Rumors then quickly turned towards another device debuting at the same time. A smartwatch dubbed Galaxy Gear.

Today we have full confirmation that we'll see both device debuting at the Berlin event being held in conjunction with the IFA Consumer Electronics Fair. In an exclusive interview with The Korea Times, Lee Young-hee, executive vice president of Samsung’s mobile business confirmed the news.

"We will be introducing a new wearable device concept called Galaxy Gear at our own event in Berlin on Sept. 4," Younghee Lee, executive vice president of Samsung's mobile business, told the paper. The Galaxy Gear will have a non-flexible display, she said, adding that it "will enhance and enrich the current smart mobile experience in many ways."

Lee also confirmed that a Galaxy Note3 will make its international debut at IFA. But she declined to comment about specific details about the new phablet — a term devised by the company that means a combination of smartphone and tablet.

“Samsung opened a new smart mobile device category back in 2011 with the introduction of the first Galaxy Note. Since then, smartphones with large screens have been a mainstream trend. As the creator of this category, we will introduce our customers to enhanced key features on our Galaxy Note devices.”

For now official details about either device are fairly scarce however rumors suggest the new Note 3 will support a larger 5.9-inch OLED screen, a Qualcomm 2.3GHz Snapdragon 800 quad-core chip, 3GB of RAM, and a 13MP rear camera that may feature optical image stabilization.

For those wanting to be get the first peek at the new devices checkout the Samsung Unpacked Event Sept 4th which will be steamed live via Samsung Mobile's YouTube page.

Sony: PS4 Launching Nov.15th Priced at $399

During the Gamescom game industry convention in Cologne, Germany Sony confirmed the release date and pricing of the company's next-generation video game console, the PlayStation 4. According to their press conference the new gaming unit will ship November 15th with a starting price tag of $399.

For those gaming geeks looking to be amongst the first to own the new PS4 Walmart has already confirmed, starting Saturday, August 24, customers can visit Walmart stores nationwide to pre-order the console. "We know millions of our customers can't wait to get their hands on the Xbox One and PS4," said Laura Phillips, senior vice president of Entertainment for Walmart U.S. "As the current market share leader in video game hardware and accessories, customers can trust Walmart to have the latest gaming consoles and new releases available at a great low price."

Customers simply need to see an associate in the Electronics department and take the following steps to secure the PS4:

• Provide a 10 percent down payment – $40 for PS4.
• Make payments over time or in full when the console becomes available.
• Pick up the console on the launch date. Walmart will hold pre-ordered consoles for customers wanting more time to pay it off until December 13, 2013.

According to Sony they hope to have more than 33 titles available for PS4 by December, including NBA 2K14, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Skylanders Swap Force, Need for Speed: Rivals, Battlefield 4, Madden 25, FIFA 14, NBA Live, Killzone: Shadow Fall, #DRIVECLUB, Knack, Assassins Creed IV Black Flag, Watch_Dogs, Just Dance 2014 and Lego Marvel Super Heroes.

Sony also dropped the price of its PlayStation Vita mobile gaming console from $249 to $199, though didn't specify if the $299 PS Vita model, which also features 3G network connectivity, will have a similar price drop to the $249 Wi-Fi version.

Google Officially Working On Fix For Google Play "Package File Invalid" Error

Android users trying to update or download apps from the Google Play store may have noticed a rather annoying issue over the past week or so. An error that seemingly strikes at random shows a “Package file is invalid” or error code 497 message box. The rather nondescript error show up at random intervals no matter what app you are downloading or updating. Sometimes the error happens, sometimes it doesn’t.

While these kind of problems often are app, device or operating system specific, that does appear to be the case here. The problem seems to have to do with corrupted Play Store data, and according to Google, they are aware of the issue and looking for a permanent fix. Google Support has now put up a page for the Package File Invalid error (#10230007), which it will keep updated as it learns more and comes up with a solution.

Several of the most popular Android forums have users offering fixes, ranging from clearing app data and cache for Google Play to removing the proxy address from your APN, to using a VPN proxy but none of these suggestions seem to be a universal fix. Several users, myself included, have seen no issue at all. Confusing the situation even more.

For now it appears as though there are no real fixes at this point. So what should you do in the meantime? Our best advice is to wait a bit after receiving the error and try again. If it is an essential need there are reports that switching your connection type after encountering the error, such as going from Wi-Fi to mobile data (or vice versa) has worked. Another option would simply be searching for the Apps APK files and side-loading the application that way.

Get Your Geek On With YouTube's Geek Week August 4 - 10

Geeks rule!! Come get your geek on this week with YouTube first ever Geek Week from Aug. 4 to 10. Showcasing different genres of geek culture and hosted by a different YouTube channel, with a special video introduction and the launch of new content, Geek Week will be the ultimate celebration of the geekdom!

The event will showcase more than 100 popular channels, unveil new videos and trailers such as Marvel's "Thor: The Dark World" on Super Wednesday.

• Blockbuster Sunday: A celebration of iconic characters, movies, and shows that define geek culture, with a special spotlight placed on the best original YouTube sci-fi, fantasy, and animated videos. Hosted by FreddieW in the U.S., with new content from Tomska in the U.K.
• Global Geekery Monday: Explore geek culture from around the world with anime from Tokyo, comic book heroes from Delhi, and a celebration of the U.K.'s Doctor Who. Hosted by YOMYOMF in the U.S., with a special new episode of the British cult children's show Knightmare.
• Brainiac Tuesday: A focus on science, education, and knowledge channels that make YouTube the world's biggest platform for learning. Hosted by Veritasium and The Spangler Effect in the U.S., with an "epic" stunt from Head Squeeze and Flow in the U.K.
• Super Wednesday: Explore superheroes, the supernatural, and the super-weird. Hump Day also marks the exclusive release of the trailer for Marvel's Thor: The Dark World. Hosted by Stan Lee's World of Heroes in the U.S., with an "unbelievable" stunt from Fast Furious & Funny in the U.K.
• Gaming Thursday: A gamer's paradise filled with life play-throughs, real-life video games, game-inspired original series, and more. Hosted by Machinima and Maker Studios' Polaris in the U.S., with a Guinness World Records gaming attempt live stream from the U.K.
• Fan Friday: Sci-fi-themed cooking, cosplay, and nerd debates. Hosted by Felicia Day of Geek and Sundry in the U.S., with an ultimate geeky quiz by Crabstickz from the U.K.

For those of you looking for a bit more YouTube promises the 3l33t geeks out there, that they will features Easter eggs all week, and badges from the eggs and select #geekweek videos when logged in and visiting youtube.com/geekweek.

Google Updates Zagat With New Site, Mobile Apps And Free Access

Google has introduced a new Zagat website and mobile app for Android and iPhone that puts the very best restaurants and nightspots right at your fingertips. And for the first time ever the popular site and trusted Zagat ratings and reviews are available for free with no registration required!

“I think it was clear to all of us involved that that was the logical next step in bringing this experience to people,” says Gannon Hall, Group Product Manager and Head of Zagat. “It’s not about paying for information or creating registration barriers. We want to surface this content. It comes down to focusing on the user and what makes a good experience. It was very clear to us that we should remove those barriers.”

The new Zagat currently covers restaurants and nightlife in nine cities, and over the coming months Google has said it plans to expand to 50 U.S. and international destinations and cover shopping, hotels and other places of interest. Today, the site only covers San Francisco, Austin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Google also plans to expand the range of reviews to include hotels, shopping and “other places of interest,” something the printed Zagat guides have been doing for a while now.

The new site, Google says, will also feature news and video content from local editors, as well as curated lists, improved search and map-based browsing. You will also be able to make reservations through Open Table and read menus before you arrive at the restaurant. The website, of course, still lets you participate in the usual Zagat surveys.


 Source: Official Google Blog

Amazon Hiring 5,000 New Workers For Fulfillment Centers Across The US

The economy may be stagnate and job may be in short order but that isn't stopping Amazon from showing growth and therefore needing a few extra hands. The online retail giant announced announced that it's looking to fill more than 5,000 new full-time jobs in 17 of its fulfillment centers across the United States. So if you happen to live in a city where Amazon has a fulfillment center, it's time to dust off that resume and head over for an interview.

“We’re hiring more than 5,000 people to join our team and help us continue to innovate and serve our customers,” said Dave Clark, vice president of worldwide operations and customer service at Amazon. “We’re focused on sustained innovation across Amazon and want to help our employees succeed—whether at Amazon or elsewhere—so we offer programs like Career Choice, where we’ll pay for up to 95% of eligible employees’ tuition regardless of whether the skills they learn are relevant to a career at Amazon.”

According to the announcement these jobs come with decent pay with positions paying 30 percent more than traditional retail jobs and include comprehensive benefits beginning on day one, including healthcare, 401(k) and company stock awards. Amazon also offers employees innovative programs like Career Choice, where it will pre-pay up to 95% of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a career at Amazon.

Fulfillment network jobs are currently available in:

• Breinigsville, Pa.
• Middletown, Del.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Murfreesboro, Tenn.
• Charleston, S.C.
• Patterson, Calif.
• Chester, Va.
• Phoenix, Ariz.
• Coppell, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas
• Haslet, Texas
• San Bernardino, Calif.
• Hebron, Ky.
• Spartanburg, S.C.
• Indianapolis, Ind.
• Tracy, Calif.
• Jeffersonville, Ind.

Candidates can learn more about the open positions and apply at www.workatamazonfulfillment.com.

Amazon is also currently hiring for more than 2,000 jobs across its customer service network, which include a mix of full-time, part-time and seasonal positions. Amazon customer service jobs include providing world-class customer service for Amazon’s millions of customers. Customer service jobs are currently available at customer service centers in: Grand Forks, N.D., Kennewick, Wash., Huntington, W.V., Winchester, Ky.

For those that don't live in any of the areas mentioned above Amazon is also looking to fill several telecommuting postilions for those that like to work from home. The positions are for Amazon’s customer service team and are currently available in Oregon, Washington and Arizona. Candidates can learn more about the open positions and apply at www.amazon.com/csjobs

Google Announces New Nexus 7 Tablet, Android 4.3 and Chromecast HD Video Dongle

Google officially took the wraps off of several new products earlier today in an event in San Francisco. Topping the list are a brand new Nexus 7 tablet and an updated Android 4.3 operating system.

Google's new, much anticipated, 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet will see several major improvements over the previous generation tab. First is a major screen improvement going from a screen offering 1280 x 800 resolution in the prior model to 1920 x 1200 pixels in the new one and from 216 pixels per inch (ppi) to 323 ppi. The RAM will also see a jump going from 1GB to 2 GB. It also adds dual stereo speakers, and a CPU that Google says is twice as fast and a graphics processor that is four times as fast, as the previous generation model. The new Nexus 7 will be available for preorder beginning Tuesday and the Wi-Fi versions launch on July 30th. The tablet will come in three flavors: A 16GB Wi-Fi-only model for $229, a 32GB Wi-Fi-only model for $269, and a 32GB LTE-capable model for $349.

While the new Nexus 7 was much anticipated an even more anticipated portion of the announcement was the forth coming release of the latest version of the Android operating system Android 4.3 JellyBean. The new OS is adding support for low-power Bluetooth devices such as health sensors that can display data on your smartphone or tablet. Android 4.3 will also feature support for OpenGL ES 3.0, a graphics API that will vastly improve Android tablets’ graphics capabilities and should be a major boon for Android game developers. Finally, Android 4.3 has a new feature that lets you segment off access to different areas of the tablet to different users, such as parents who want to restrict their children’s access to adult content.

Last but not least was the introduction of a new wireless TV dongle dubbed Chromecast. With this HDMI based dongle Google is looking to make it easier to turn your dumb TVs into smart TV by allowing you to stream your favorite online entertainment to your TV. Chromecast is a small and affordable ($35) device that you simply plug in to your high-definition (HD) TV and it allows you to use your phone, tablet or laptop to "cast" online content to your TV screen. It works with Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV, and Google Play Music, with more apps like Pandora coming soon. Chromecast not only allows you to view online videos but allows users to send emails or surf the web—while enjoying what’s on the TV screen. It works across multiple platforms from Android tablets and smartphones, iPhones, iPads, to Chrome for Mac and Windows.

For more details on today's announcement visit the Google Chrome Blog.