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The EU is testing cross-border COVID-19 contact tracing
Six countries are trialing the system, which should go live next month.
Czech Republic extradites suspected Russian hacker to the US
The Czech Republic has extradited Russian national Yevgeniy Nikulin to the United States, where he's accused of several hacking attempts dating back to 2012. A US federal grand jury had indicted him in 2016 for breaking into DropBox, Formspring and LinkedIn. The latter breach potentially exposed the information of 100 million of users.
A robot arm is Prague's latest star DJ
Never mind the debate over whether digital or vinyl is better for DJs -- the real question is whether or not a human should be there in the first place. Prague's Karlovy Lazne club has started employing an automotive robot arm as one of its DJs after its management challenged a robotics company to make it happen. The bot uses custom software to pick songs, and grabs CDs with its pincers to queue up tracks. It can dance and even scratch records. That'd make it more involved in the mix than some DJs we've seen.
Watch this Czech pirate's YouTube video or he'll get a huge fine
The Czech Republic's first convicted software pirate has been offered an unexpected way of escaping punishment: log 200,000 video views on YouTube and Facebook or be handed a huge fine. The man in question, who is 30 years old and known only as Jakub F, was originally handed a three-year suspended sentence and asked to forfeit his PC, hard drives and DVD backups after being found guilty of sharing illegal copies of Windows and other copyrighted software on forums over the past eight years.
Czech Microsoft manager claims Office 2013 will reach Android and iOS, rest of company is less certain (update: more direct denial)
The story of Office for the iPad has been something of a rollercoaster. Depending on who you've talked to this year, the mobile app has been on, then off, then on again... if it was ever real to start with. Imagine our surprise, then, when IHNED says Microsoft Czech Republic product manager Petr Bobek "confirmed" native Android and iOS ports of Office 2013 during a press conference. The Office division higher-up reportedly outlined a strategy where the productivity suite would reach Windows for large businesses and individuals in December and February respectively, but would reach "other platforms" later on through more than just mobile-optimized web versions. It sounds promising, but we have reason for skepticism -- assuming the testimony is accurate, there's still a history of employees at Microsoft and other companies overstepping their boundaries without direct guidance from the corporate mothership. We reached out to Microsoft ourselves, and a spokesperson gave us a relatively conservative answer. While the company reiterated statements that "Office Mobile will work across Windows Phones, Android phones and iOS," it added that there was "nothing additional to announce" regarding Office's retail availability. As much of a glimmer of hope that might represent for some Android and iOS fans, it doesn't equate to a direct Office 2013 port with a release schedule. [Image credit: The Daily] Update: To underscore its point, Microsoft has issued a further statement that casts doubt on the very remarks in question. "The information shared by our Czech Republic subsidiary is not accurate," a spokesperson told us. "We have nothing further to share."
PSA: iPhone 5 available in 22 more countries, on Cricket and US regional carriers galore
Disappointed that your country or favorite carrier missed the initial cut for the iPhone 5 launch? Odds are that you're all good now. Worldwide, 22 more countries have joined the mix as of today, including wide swaths of Europe as well as New Zealand; you'll find the full list in the release here. Americans also don't have to turn to the big carriers, as they can now opt for prepaid carrier Cricket in addition to a slew of extra providers that include C Spire as well as regionals like GCI and nTelos. In some cases, you'll even snag a discount by going with one of the smaller networks. If you bagged an iPhone in Barcelona, or caught one on Cellcom, let others know how it's going in the comments. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Twitter announces it's now available in three more languages: Greek, Czech and Basque
Early last year, Twitter kicked off its Translation Center efforts in hopes of bringing support for more languages to the site with help of amicable volunteers from all over the globe. Naturally, this has helped the renowned Blue Bird network immensely during its global gibberish quest, having added compatibility with right-to-left idioms since the program started and, more recently, Ukranian and Catalan. To make things even better, today Twitter's announced it's now available in a few more, including Basque, Czech and Greek -- which means that a simple trip to account settings can now translate your current 140-character experience into one of the aforementioned languages if you so choose. Twitter's Translation Center is open to anyone willing to lend a hand, so those interested in helping the cause can pay the more coverage link a visit to learn how to get involved.
iTunes in the Cloud movies find their way to Australia, Canada, the UK and 32 more countries
The advent of movie support in iTunes for the Cloud was a boon to Apple TV owners as well as any iTunes user with a tendency to hop between devices -- within the US, that is. Apple today swung the doors open and let Australia, Canada, the UK as well as 32 other countries and regions around the world get access to their movies whenever they're signed in through iTunes or an iOS device. Not every studio is on the same page, as many American viewers will know all too well: it's more likely that you'll get re-download rights for a major studio title such as Lockout than an indie production, for example. Even with that limit in mind, there's no doubt more than a few movie mavens glad to avoid shuffling and re-syncing that copy of Scott Pilgrim to watch it through to the end.
PSA: Get your new iPad today in Austria, Ireland, Mexico and many other places
If your homeland wasn't part of the initial iPad roll out we've got good news -- today is the day for iOS tabletry. Maybe. The latest slab of Retina display-equipped machinery out of Cupertino is landing in 25 additional countries today, including Liechtenstein and Luxembourg. So, if you haven't been waiting on line since the 16th in anticipation of this day, then go to your local Apple store to score one. Or don't. For the full list of countries check the PR after the break.
SandyStation interactive sandbox uses Kinect to make topography much more interesting (video)
If you're not really into using your Kinect experiment to launch your new startup or give your next presentation, let us offer another entertaining option. Two students at the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen have created an interactive sandbox using Kinect, a projector, a computer and, of course, a box chock full of sand. The Xbox motion / depth detector is installed about two feet above the sand pit to measure each area that is carved out. Using a unique detection program, the topographical information is then transmitted to a data projector that renders an image in the sandpit -- the image being a color based on the height or depth of what has been created. The devs have built out a few different projections. Hills that are constructed by the user are assigned a shade of green based on height, while troughs are given blue hues according to depth. What's that? You built a hill and dug out the center? The projector sees that as a volcano, complete with spewing lava. If you're tired of SimCity and want to actually get your hands dirty, take a peak at the video just past the break. [Thanks, Mark]
Czech Telefonica dropping the iPhone
Czech mobile provider Telefonica Czech Republic AS has decided not to sell the iPhone 4S and will stop selling all iPhone models, according to an October 27th report by Hospodarske Noviny, a local Czech paper. A spokesperson for Telefonica Czech said Apple's business terms were the reason the carrier chose to stop selling the popular smartphone. The details of the business terms between Telefonica Czech and Apple were not disclosed. Czech iPhone fans won't be left out to dry though. As noted by Bloomberg, last week the iPhone 4S went on sale at the Czech units of Vodafone Group and T-Mobile International AG
Apple opens online stores for Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, UAE
Apple expanded its online reach by opening stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. Apple celebrated the event with a brightly colored confetti banner on each country's website that announced the grand opening. Customers in these above countries will be able to shop online directly with Apple, buy extended Apple Care plans, and receive online sales support just like we do here in the US. With these four new storefronts, Apple now has online stores in 37 countries. In many of these countries, it'll be interesting to see if Apple's online storefront has an impact on local retailers. In the UAE, many Apple products are sold by third-party retailers like Sharaf DG and Carrefour UAE and their prices tend to be more expensive than Apple. With the global economy struggling, we wonder how well these retailers will compete against Apple's strong online presence. [Via The National]
World's largest indoor photograph shows off fancy old Czech library
If you think Google's seven-gigapixel renderings of world famous art museums are impressive, get a load of this: a guy named Jeffrey Martin just produced a record breaking panoramic photo of a reading room in Prague's Strahov monastery library, and it's got the internet giant's Art Project beat by more than 30,000 megapixels. Not that Google's pictures are anything to scoff at, but the 40-gigapixel, 360 degree, 283GB image is something of a digital masterwork. According to Wired, the photograph, taken in February on a GigaPanBot-mounted Canon 550D, is comprised of 2,947 unique images that took a computer program more than four days to stitch together. If you're a fan of 18th century European literature, Franz Anton Maulbertsch's trompe l'oeil paintings, or just ridiculously detailed digital photography, you can peep the image in its entirety at the source link.
Lenovo launches AMD-packing IdeaPad U165 ultraportable in Czech Republic, nowhere else?
We weren't particularly impressed with the IdeaPad U160 when we recently reviewed it, giving it a score of five out of 10 thanks to disappointing battery life and a high price. Lenovo, it seems, looking to bridge that gap to a perfect score has announced the U165, which is apparently five more. It ditches the U160's Intel internals, going for AMD Athlon II processors and ATI Radeon HD 4225 graphics. Other specs remain similar, including the 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 display, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, 802.11n WiFi, and Bluetooth. The U165 is shipping now, but curiously it appears to be only available in the Czech Republic, where it's selling for 9990 CZK -- about $520. Compared to the $1,149 U160 that seems like a smoking deal to us.
Mivvy wants you to "enjoy mobile life," use two SIM cards
We'll be honest: we hadn't heard of Czech firm Mivvy before mobile-review's expose on the company's new models. We suspect most members of its European target audience haven't either -- but one thing they may be able to identify with is the Dual Touch TV's design (pictured), which combines the HTC Touch Diamond's unique prismatic battery cover with Motorola iconography (notice the "A" and "B" buttons), a genuinely puzzling numeric / nav pad layout, and words of encouragement that we should "enjoy mobile life" along the side and back. The other two new units in the company's lineup -- the Dual Nio and Dual Slider -- are more forgettable, but all three offer dual SIM support and GPRS-only data. In the case of the Dual Touch TV you've also got an analog TV tuner, which will slowly cease to do anyone any good as analog television goes dark around the world. Not the most stellar specs in the world -- but the most expensive of the three runs just $215 fully unlocked, so at least you're getting what you pay for and paying for what you get. [Via Unwired View and mobile-review]
T-Mobile bringing MDA Compact V, Vario V to Europe in June
We're thinking that HTC's Touch Diamond2 and Pro2 will be available all over the place by the time 2009 draws to a close, but if you want to be one of the first kids on the block to get in on that action, T-Mobile's European outposts are a good place to start looking. The carrier announced at MWC last week that Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK will all bet getting a version of the Diamond2 -- the MDA Compact V -- "by" June, while the Pro2 variant -- the MDA Vario V -- will launch more definitively "in" June. As usual, T-Mobile has chosen to customize its models a bit versus the standard fare that HTC is offering; opinions on the new look will vary, but if they're the first to launch, we think we can overlook some design niggles.[Via the::unwired]
T-Mobile schedules the G1's European tour
So far the G1 has only been available in the US and UK, but it looks like T-Mo's about to take Android international -- we're told the HTC-made handset will hit the Netherlands, Austria, and the Czech Republic on January 30, Germany on February 2, and Poland a bit later. No detailed pricing information, but it's confirmed that Germans will be able to score a G1 for just €1 ($1.33) with a two-year contract. Hopefully we'll see that pricing make its way Stateside soon -- although the G1 is currently doing quite well at $179, $1 sounds even better.[Via TalkAndroid]
Czech Republic and Slovakia hot for prepaid satellite service
Now, here's a concept: prepaid DTH satellite service. In fact, it's a reality in Czech Republic and Slovakia, and evidently locals are all about it. Reportedly, there is a grand total of over half a million active card customers between the two nations, making it the "leading satellite platform in the Czech Republic and second largest in Slovakia." Tough to say if this prepaid gig would even work elsewhere, but you can certainly color us (read: the "sick of contracts" crowd) intrigued.
Czech Republic says HD channels shouldn't be delivered OTA for free
Wait, what? In a section of the globe that needs to make every possible effort to up the adoption rate of high-def, we've got this winner trying to hold it down. Zdenek Duspiva, the head of the body overseeing the country's transition to digital broadcasting, has reportedly stated that HD channels should not be beamed out gratis to DTT viewers while speaking at the Teleinformatika conference in Prague. We can't imagine why he would possibly think that restricting the public's access to a better quality format would be beneficial for its technological progress at large, but we're sure glad he's not clocking into the FCC everyday.[Image courtesy of DigiZone]
Nokia's S40-based 7100s gets outed
Hard to say if we North Americans will ever see this one (without the kind assistance of an importer), but Nokia's slip-slidin' 7100s has surfaced overseas. The S40-based handset will reportedly boast a QVGA display, 1.3-megapixel camera, built-in FM radio, multimedia player and a microSD card slot. Additionally, you'll find a complete dearth of 3G support, tri-band GSM connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0, Opera Mini pre-loaded and a microUSB connector. Look for it to ship somewhere in Europe sometime before the next decade for around 5,000 crowns ($277).
