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Six former eBay employees charged in a bizarre cyberstalking scheme
The Department of Justice has charged six former eBay employees with conspiracy to commit cyberstalking.
Leak reveals Microsoft's new Xbox Avatar system
Microsoft's new Xbox Live avatars have been on the cards for a while now, with the company last year promising more diversity and customization. Now, a leaked video (allegedly from a former Microsoft designer and since removed from YouTube) has revealed what they'll look like, plus the editor interface that'll let you design your character.
Apple Final Cut Pro X is ready to edit VR video
Apple isn't just making the iMac Pro available to order -- it's also updating the creative software you'll likely run on that iMac. A new upgrade to Final Cut Pro X adds support for both newer video technology and some key color editing tools. Most notably, the editing tool now handles VR video -- you can edit 360-degree footage at high resolutions (8K "and beyond"), complete with motion graphics. And if you need to see how your work looks, you can preview it in real-time on an HTC Vive or other compatible headsets.
Milo Yiannopoulos has resigned from Breitbart News
Editor for Breitbart News, Milo Yiannopoulos, announced that he is resigning his position at the news network effective immediately. The move comes amid a firestorm of criticism after a video recently surfaced in which he advocated for adults to be able to have sex with minors.
Adobe experiment slips new words into your voice recordings
If you've ever recorded a podcast or a voiceover, you know how frustrating it can be. One slip of the tongue may force you to chop up your recording, or even redo an entire segment. Adobe believes it has a better solution: change what you said. As part of a trio of experiments, the software pioneer has introduced a VoCo tool that would let you insert dialogue into existing voice recordings. All you need is enough audio for the software to get a sense of someone's voice -- after that, you can type what you want that person to say. The results aren't always perfect in this early software, but they're surprisingly natural-sounding.
Apple's Logic audio editor will use the MacBook Pro Touch Bar in 2017
The new MacBook Pro's Touch Bar might already come in handy with video editing in Final Cut Pro X, but what if you're a musician? If you depend on Apple's Logic Pro X, you'll have to be patient. The company has informed an AppleInsider reader that Touch Bar support will arrive in the audio production tool "by early next year." It's not certain what's prompting the longer development process, but it wouldn't be surprising if it's a matter of complexity. It's not just a question of adding a timeline control and calling it a day -- Apple has to account for the many, many interface elements you need to produce album-worthy tracks.
Sony sells most of its media editing tools
Sony's quest to get rid of unnecessary businesses continues. The electronics giant has sold off the "majority" of its creative software suite to Magix, a German firm that revolves around pro imaging apps. That's right -- Vegas Pro, Sound Forge Pro and other well-known Sony media editing apps are now in someone else's hands. Sony will still offer its Catalyst broadcast and production tools, but Magix will be handling development and support from here on out.
Facebook offers a free VR audio tool thanks to a buyout
Facebook isn't merely content to make a virtual reality camera rig and call it a day. The company has revealed that it acquired Two Big Ears, the creator of the VR audio app Spatial Workstation, and has set the software loose. As of now, Spatial Workstation is free -- anyone with a Mac (Windows support is coming) can produce immersive sound for their 360-degree videos. Support for the company's existing Pro and gaming products will phase out over 12 months, but you'll eventually see the gaming tech merged into the Facebook-owned software.
Create 'Gran Turismo 6' race tracks on your tablet
For ages, Polyphony Digital has been promising a Gran Turismo 6 track editor that lets you build the race course of your dreams. Well, it's finally here... if not quite in the form you might have expected. Download the Track Path Editor app for Android and iOS and you can design circuits for the PlayStation 3 sim on your tablet. It's not so detailed that you'll recreate every nuance of your local raceway, but you can trace paths with your finger, choose themes and add scenery. Think of it as a way to extend the life of GT6 beyond the occasional new concept car -- you don't have to settle for driving on Autumn Ring or Brands Hatch for the hundredth time.
Instagram tries a faster, sleeker Android photo editor
Not happy with having to wade through filters and other editing tools just to post your Instagram shots? You might have a much simpler solution in the near future. Droid-Life has noticed that Instagram is trying out a new photo editor on Android that squeezes things into a single, simpler page that lets you add comments, tag people and apply filters. You only have to jump to another screen if you're eager to make in-depth tweaks.
The 'Grand Theft Auto V' Rockstar Editor is exclusive to PC
Anyone who plays Grand Theft Auto V on PC will get a special treat when the game launches tomorrow, April 14. The Rockstar Editor is exclusive to the PC version of GTAV, offering tools that allow players to cut up in-game shots, create unique scenes with hand-selected characters, animals and physics, and basically mess around even more in sunny Los Santos. We're talking about a movie editor here, not a level editor, meaning players will be able to really rev up their creative engines. Imagine re-creating Furious 7, for example -- or maybe even Furious 8 (Now with 150 percent more bald dudes!). Take a look at the sweet editing suite coming to GTAV on PC in the new trailer below.
Capture new job creation tools in GTA Online this Friday
Rockstar will launch the capture jobs creation system in GTA Online this Friday, April 11 and is offering a rewards boost in select online missions until then. Starting Friday, Grand Theft Auto 5 players can use the GTA Online Creator Tool to build missions using one of four capture job variants: Contend, GTA, Hold or Raid. For those unfamiliar, Rockstar describes the capture jobs as a "GTA twist on classic capture the flag style confrontations." To get players accustomed to the job style's unique brand of action, the developer upped the reward levels for all official capture jobs in GTA Online. Until Friday, jobs like "GTA: All Abhorred" and "Raid: High Road" will earn players double the GTA$ and RP. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Roll your own adventure with the free Age of Wonders 3 level editor
Following the debut of the excellent turn-based strategy game Age of Wonders 3 on March 31, developer Triumph Studios has simultaneously announced and launched a map editor for those who prefer crafting their own worlds to relying on the game's random map generator. "The map making community has been super important to Age of Wonders, they have helped keep the series alive for over 10 years since the release of the previous title," wrote Triumph development director Lennart Sas in this morning's announcement. According to Triumph, the editor will allow players to craft new maps and scenarios using the deep well of content included with Age of Wonders 3. With a bit of extra effort, those more dedicated (or finicky) creators can customize the game even further by importing their own audio and art assets to customize story cutscenes, campaigns and individual heroes. Best of all, the Age of Wonders 3 map editor is now available at no charge. Those who own Age of Wonders 3 will now find a new option in the game's launcher which will fire up the gratis editor. [Image: Triumph Studios]
Google+ photos get more 'pop' with new dynamic range tool
So far, you've had to use Snapseed on your phone to add high dynamic range effects to Google+ photos after you've taken them -- not very convenient if you're at your computer. That won't be a problem after today, though. Google has brought its mobile apps' HDR Scape tool to the web-based photo editor in Google+, letting you brighten shadows and tone down highlights in a single step. And if you're fussy about your edits, it's now easy to zoom in and verify that everything is just right. The new tools are already available for some Google+ users, and they should reach the rest of the social network in the near future.
Android 4.4 KitKat comes with a deep, non-destructive photo editor (video)
Google revealed many things about Android 4.4 KitKat on the software's launch day, but it glossed over one of the sweetest treats for shutterbugs: a much more advanced photo editor. As the company's Nicolas Roard demonstrates, creatives can now apply effects, filters and adjustments at very precise levels, down to specific color channels and regions. Mobile artists can create presets, and every change is non-destructive -- it takes just a a couple of taps to revert to the original image. The new tool is built into KitKat's Gallery app, so just about any Android device that uses the standard photo browsing interface will reap the rewards.
LFM: Massively seeks a new columnist and freelancers
Yes folks, it's that time again: the time when Massively hops into the hiring channel and says, "Looking for more!" We're looking to hire fresh meat a new staff member and a set of freelancers for the site: a new multipurpose columnist and West Coast freelancers. Here's the skinny on us: Massively is Joystiq's geeky MMO cousin. We're owned by AOL; we're all paid, remote contractors; and we uphold a strict set of ethical standards you won't find among our rivals. We focus on high-quality writing with fair sourcing and a mix of news and features. We employ actual copyediting and editorial oversight, so you won't see trainwreck English in every headline. In short, we are the MMO site the other sites use as an RSS feed. These positions would be an awesome chance to break into paid gaming journalism if you happen to have just the right blend of availability, excellent writing skills, and passion for the MMO genre. If that describes you, then read on and apply!
Wikipedia rolls out VisualEditor, lets you edit without the cumbersome markup
Making simple edits to a post on Wikipedia hasn't traditionally been an impossible undertaking, but Wiki markup (the syntax used to add and adjust formatting) wasn't nearly as intuitive as it could have been. And editors dropped like flies as a result of confusing tags and a generally frustrating workflow. Now, in an attempt to simplify the editing process dramatically, the site's management team is adding a brand new What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) tool called VisualEditor. Making corrections is now as simple as hitting "Edit" and typing in your changes -- intuitive buttons for text formatting, list creation and adding headings enable you to make pages look nice and consistent without a lot of work. Assuming you're using a recent version of Chrome, Safari or Firefox, manual page overhauls should take minutes, rather than hours.
Google's Dart SDK and Editor arrive as beta with focus on performance
Dart isn't conquering the world wide web just yet, but that doesn't mean Google is giving up on its darling programming language. The internet giant has just released the first beta of the SDK and Editor, and the update's focus is obvious: speed. The analysis engine, which is responsible for altering you to errors in your code, has been revamped and is now 20 percent faster, according to Google. There are a whole bunch of new features designed to simplify development too, such as the ability to import or rename libraries. And the Editor's autocomplete engine is now "camelcase aware," meaning when you type "iE" the editor tracks down "isEmpty." Dart code compiled to JavaScript now results in significantly smaller file sizes and Dart VM performance has supposedly been boosted by between 33 and 40 percent. Oh, and there's much, much more... this is just the SparkNotes, folks. For the full change log hit up the source.
Massively seeks a new Guild Wars 2 columnist
Yes folks, it's that time again: the time when Massively hops into the hiring channel and says, "Looking for more!" We're looking to hire fresh meat a new staff member for the site, a Guild Wars 2 columnist to keep up the quality of our GW2 coverage as produced by past experts Lis Cardy and Rubi Bayer and our interim Flameseeker Chronicles video guru Richie Procopio. Here's the skinny on us: Massively is Joystiq's geeky MMO cousin. We're owned by AOL; we're all paid, remote contractors; and we uphold a strict set of ethical standards you won't find among our rivals. We focus on high-quality writing with fair sourcing and a mix of news and features. We employ actual copyediting and editorial oversight, so you won't see trainwreck English in every headline. In short, we are the MMO site the other sites use as an RSS feed. This position would be an awesome chance to break into paid gaming journalism if you happen to have just the right blend of Guild Wars 2 experience, availability, excellent writing skills, and passion for the MMO genre. If that describes you, then read on and apply!
Do you live in San Francisco? Do you want to write for Engadget?
Oh sure, you love gadgets -- but do you have the chops to write about them? We'd love to know if you think you do, because we're looking to actually pay people to do this stuff. Professional writing experience, particularly in our industry, is greatly preferred. That said, what we really care about is that you can write skillfully about gadgets with wit, concision, authority and blinding speed, even if you haven't cut your teeth in the tech sector just yet. Oh, and being obsessed with Engadget is good, too. We're looking for a freelance editor in the San Francisco area. Want to apply? Read on!
