SNEP
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French Supreme Court orders Google to censor piracy related terms in Instant search and Autocomplete
The French Supreme Court has handed down a ruling that Google must censor terms such as "torrent," "RapidShare," and other phrases that could be related to illegal file sharing. The decision was in response to a case brought by SNEP, a French music industry group, requesting that Google be forced to censor its results and be held accountable for facilitating piracy. The court ruled that the Mountain View company couldn't be held responsible for people's decision to click through to sites containing illegal material. But it reversed a lower court decision, demanding that related terms be removed from its autocomplete database to making finding such content more difficult. Google was understandably disappointed by the ruling, especially since the company already actively blocks some piracy related search terms. But, that apparently wasn't enough for the SNEP. Check out the ruling itself at the more coverage link.
New NFC spec enables two-way communication, potentially makes Bump obsolete
The NFC Forum just released the latest update to the growing close-range standard and it includes a nice little treat called SNEP, which stands for Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol. (Side note: the NDEF in SNEP, stands for NFC Data Exchange Format -- it's like a matryoshka doll of abbreviations.) What makes SNEP exciting is that it allows for sending and receiving of data between two devices. This could be used to exchange contact information between phones (similar to Bump, but without the need for an app) or collect links to trailers from movie posters which could be played back on your TV at home. It's potentially exciting stuff, so long as manufacturers actually make use of it. Check out the PR after the break for a few more technical details.
Sony shuffles gaming organizations: so long, SCE, hello new SCE
We're not exactly sure what Sir Stringer is up to with this one, but Sony has now announced a reorganization plan for its gaming-related divisions that should make a few heads spin but ultimately end up with most employees staying where they are. The short of it is that Sony Computer Entertainment will be renamed the "SNE Platform" (or SNEP, for added hilarity), and that Sony's video game business (previously part of SCE) will be transferred to a new division called -- you guessed it -- Sony Computer Entertainment. SNEP will then be responsible for Sony's network business (including PSN, it seems), but only until April 1st, at which point SNEP will simply be dissolved into Sony. The goal of all this, according to Sony, is to "strengthen the network business within the Sony Group," but the company is otherwise staying pretty mum on specifics.
Sony reorganization shuffles names, but doesn't mess with the games
You ready? Okay -- follow along: Sony announced today that the Sony Computer Entertainment subsidiary will change its name to SNE Platform (or "SNEP"), and then transfer its video game operations to a new subsidiary, named -- surprise! -- Sony Computer Entertainment. On April 1, SNEP, which will be primarily operating Sony's network services and business as a wholly-owned subsidiary, will merge with Sony, and then promptly dissolve into the parent company. Since Sony already owns all shares of SNEP, there's not going to be any market action (issuance of new shares, share capital increases or cash payments) upon the merger. So, wait, what's happening? Essentially, Sony is moving its network business out from under the gaming wing and bringing it up to the parent company level. This is a different path than the one laid out a year ago, which suggested SCE, as then operator of the network business (think: PSN), would begin to play a larger role in the unification of the company as it pertains to an online strategy. Instead, the "new" Sony Computer Entertainment will have a slightly more narrow focus, "mainly consisting of the planning, development, manufacturing and sales of home-use/portable game consoles and software," according to the reorganization announcement; and Sony Online Service, including the proposed expansion of PSN IDs to non-gaming Sony devices, will seemingly be handled by a new division (but possibly the same personnel) within the Sony parent company. Though listed as the "Representative Director" of the short-lived SNEP subsidiary, Kaz Hirai will presumably remain in charge of the PlayStation division now and after the April 1 merger. Sub-divisions SCEA and SCEE are unaffected by the reorganziation.
New SNES portable is heavy on the SNES, light on the portable
The SNES has certainly proven to be one of the most popular consoles to get the portable treatment among those go-getter console modders out there, and it looks like it's not showing any signs of losing that status, with this so-called SNEP (Super Nintendo Entertainment Portable) only the latest to pop up on our radar. As you can see above, this one is a tad less portable than some other handheld SNES mods we've seen (it also apparently needs to be plugged in), but it does at least do better job than most at staying true to the SNES's (or, more accurately, the Super Famicom's) instantly-recognizable appearance. There's no plans available for building your own, unfortunately, but you can check it out in action in the video after the break.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
