Adobe's latest Creative Cloud apps now available, upgraders get 40 percent off until July 31st

Love it or hate it, Adobe's Creative Cloud subscription-based software is now the only way to get your favorite apps like Photoshop, Premiere Pro and the like. The company has just released the latest versions of most of those programs, now dubbed CC, which can be installed alongside the current apps for those afraid to change mid-project. Meanwhile, Adobe's trying to tempt previous suite or apps owners to transition to the new system for up to 60 percent off for CS6 owners during a 12-month period, or 40 percent off for those on CS3 to CS5.5. According to Photo Rumors, Adobe is also considering a new pricing structure in response to a massive online backlash against the subscription model from existing clients, who feel it's too expensive. It sent out a survey asking some of them what they thought about paying $10 per month for three years for Photoshop, or $30 for the entire suite, while being able to keep a permanent CS6 copy of either at the end. Considering the level of vehemence we saw earlier, we'll have to wait and see if that'll fly -- meanwhile, check the PR after the break to see what's new in all the apps.

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Less than a month after the LTE-enabled Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 sauntered past the FCC, AT&T has announced that it'll start selling the device on June 21st. Originally released in the US as a WiFi-only affair, the 8-inch slate will set you back $399 with a two-year contract. However, should you also be in the market for a new smartphone, you can snag the tablet for only $199 if you buy it and bundle the plan with a Samsung Galaxy S 4, S 4 Active or Galaxy Note 2. The S-Pen-toting device is equipped with a 1,280 x 800 display, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor and Android 4.1. These details barely scratch the surface though, so we encourage you to exercise that pointer finger and check out our review to help you decide if this baby is worth your money.

[Thanks, Wesley Chronic]

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Banks brace for cyberwarfare drill Quantum Dawn 2

Come June 28th, Wall Street outfits including the likes of Citigroup and Bank of America will be under siege -- from fake hackers, that is. Representatives from a total of 40 companies along with the Federal Reserve, Securities and Exchange Commission, US departments of Treasury and Homeland Security will take part in Quantum Dawn 2: a simulated cyberattack on faux trading and information systems. Led by the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, the drill will test the ability of participants to cooperate via email and phone to suss out what's going on and hatch a plan. The exercise will momentarily pause so that those involved can decide on a course of action, and then it'll speed up and model the effects of the decision over a longer period of time. With the recent flurry of hacking incidents and international finger pointing, something tells us this won't be the last we hear of drills like Quantum Dawn.

[Image credit: MoneyBlogNewz, Flickr]

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Shazam for iOS updated with Pulse discovery feature, redesigned tab bar on iPhone

It's been a mere few weeks since Shazam introduced those new location-based and tagging features for the tablet version of its iOS app, but the music-driven service isn't stopping there. Reaching version 6.1 on Apple's platform, today Shazam's universal application is bringing a few more tidbits to both the iPhone and iPad. Handset users, for one, will notice speedier load times within the app and a rather fresh look that focuses on displaying more info on the tab bar -- such as friend tags and chart updates. On the bigger screen, Shazam says it's improved things by allowing users to more easily delete tags from Favorites and by adding under-the-hood tweaks which should make for a smoother experience while browsing the Friends feed.

The bigger news, perhaps, is Shazam Pulse, a music discovery tool that's making its way to the iOS app, one which allows folks to quickly see and sample the music currently being tagged by people. It's worth nothing all these new features are available for Shazam and Shazam Encore, so fret not if you have one or the other.

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Dragon Mobile Assistant 4 for Android adds driving mode, voice notifications

For Nuance, it's not enough that Dragon Mobile Assistant spares Android users from pecking at the keyboard -- with the app's new 4.0 upgrade, those users can sometimes avoid contact altogether. Dragon Mobile Assistant can now detect when you're in a moving car and automatically invoke a Driver Mode that relies solely on voice recognition and feedback, keeping your focus on the road. Accordingly, the upgrade builds in spoken notifications for inbound calls, messages, upcoming meetings and Facebook updates. There's also voice-aware email and customizable wake up commands. All told, 4.0 is a big boost for Android fans who see touchscreens as old hat; if you do, you can grab the update shortly (if not already) through Google Play.

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Yahoo discloses US government data request stats: over 12,000 in six months

Yahoo has just revealed just how many government requests for data it's received in the past six months, and it's beaten out Apple, Microsoft and Facebook. Marissa Mayer and General Counsel Ron Bell noted in a Tumblr post that the search giant received between 12,000 and 13,000 requests, "inclusive of criminal, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and other requests," between December 1st, 2012 and May 31st, 2013. According to Mayer and Bell, the majority of requests relate to "fraud, homicides, kidnappings, and other criminal investigations." Naturally, Yahoo notes that it can't specify how many FISA requests are in that figure due to their classified nature, but it "strongly urge(s) the federal government to reconsider its stance on this issue."

Mayer and Co. also announced that their first "global law enforcement transparency report" will debut later in the summer, and will include data on the first half of 2013. It's not a one-time occurrence either -- the firm plans to update the dossier twice each year.

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GEAK Eye and Mars smartphones

GEAK may be focusing its attention on wearable tech like the Ring and Watch, but it still has a pair of new offerings for those who like old-fashioned smartphones: meet the 5-inch Eye and 5.8-inch Mars. Both are tailored to photo junkies with 13MP, backside-illuminated rear cameras as well as strong front cameras that shoot at 8MP (Eye) and 2MP (Mars). Differences between the handsets revolve mostly around performance and screen size. The Eye keeps things modest with a 720p IPS display, a quad-core MediaTek MT6589, HSPA+ data, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Spring for the extra-large Mars and you'll upgrade to a 1080p IPS LCD, a Snapdragon 600 and 2GB of RAM. Either way, you won't be paying a lot for the imaging prowess -- when pre-orders start on June 25th, GEAK will ask ¥1,999 ($326) off-contract for the Eye and ¥2,999 ($490) for the Mars. Just don't expect either to leave China when there's no word of international plans.

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Pelican Imaging demos its array camera as a handy 3D printing tool video

While Pelican Imaging's 16-lens array camera will only reach mobile devices in 2014, the company doesn't want to wait to show what its technology can do in practice. It just posted a clip suggesting that the camera's whole-scene focusing and depth mapping could come in handy at a wedding. A guest could not only capture pristine snapshots of the occasion, but create 3D-printed figurines of the bride and groom while they're still at the reception. Is this a niche case? You bet -- but it reminds us that Pelican's array could make an impact well beyond our photo albums. Catch the full video after the break.

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Sprint sues Dish and Clearwire, claims buyout offer is illegal

Sprint warned Clearwire in early June that it viewed Dish's latest attempt to buy it as illegal, and now the carrier is following up with legal action. Big Yellow has just announced that its filed a lawsuit against Dish and its acquisition target in Delaware, as it believes the buyout would violate state law and the rights of shareholders and investors in both itself and Clearwire. The Now Network is asking the court to prevent the completion of the deal, rescind certain parts of the agreement and seek "declaratory, injunctive, compensatory and other relief." In the outfit's own words, the suit "details how DISH has repeatedly attempted to fool Clearwire's shareholders into believing its proposal was actionable in an effort to acquire Clearwire's spectrum and to obstruct Sprint's transaction with Clearwire." Stand back folks, the legal fireworks are just starting.

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