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Windows 10 source code leak is an embarrassment for Microsoft
Earlier this week, Beta Archive posted Windows 10 source code related to USB, storage and WiFi drivers on its free FTP site. Now, a spokesperson for Microsoft has confirmed to The Verge that this code, from the Shared Source Kit, is genuine.
Hackers target UK parliament email accounts
After a report from The London Times that the email addresses and passwords of British cabinet members and other government officials were being traded by Russian hackers, it looks like the inevitable next step has occurred: a cyberattack on the UK parliament.
In 2017, tweets are official presidential statements
Does a tweet count as an official response to a federal inquiry? Unsurprisingly, the White House thinks so. As reported by Reuters, the White House sent a letter to the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee claiming that a pair of Trump tweets on Thursday were the president's official response to an inquiry from the committee. At question is the existence of any recordings or memos of Trump's conversations with fired FBI director James Comey, and Trump's latest tweets claim that he "did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."
Recommended Reading: Apple's original television aspirations
Apple Is a Step Closer to Making Its Own TV Shows David Sims, The Atlantic While the company's television aspirations remain largely a mystery, Apple hired two big names this week to help build its slate of original shows. Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, presidents of Sony Pictures Television, will make the move to Cupertino this summer with experience making hits like Damages, Breaking Bad, Justified and other series. The Atlantic offers a look at what this means for Apple and what we can expect from Eddy Cue & Co. in the months to come.
'Rocket League' will die without cross-console multiplayer
All online games eventually die. But the difference between the original version of World of Warcraft and, say, Call of Duty: Ghosts is that WoW was more of a service on an open system (PC). Players were able to gradually migrate to its annual expansions while remaining a part of the overall population. Comparatively, CoD is a franchise with annual sequels on several different pieces of hardware, each with cordoned-off players who jump from one game to the next. But sometimes you don't want to stop playing a game just because seemingly everyone has moved on after 14 months. Rocket League developer Psyonix's Jeremy Dunham has an idea for how to fix these fractured player bases: opening up cross-platform multiplayer.
Sony is losing its grip on the indie market
Here we go again. In 2011, Microsoft was the indie king. The industry was just blossoming thanks to services like Steam and Xbox Live Arcade, which introduced independent games to huge, hungry audiences. Indie Game: The Movie was about to debut, giving fans a deep behind-the-scenes look at the perils and triumphs of small-scale development. The Xbox 360 served as the foundational platform for the film's major projects Super Meat Boy, Fez and Braid. And then, the pendulum swung -- in 2012, Journey landed exclusively on the PS3. It served as a lightning rod for discussions about emotion and art in video games, and it gave Sony the momentum to transform its indie ecosystem. By July 2013, Sony had opened up its processes, allowing indie developers to self-publish their games on the company's next console, the PlayStation 4. Even Microsoft still required indies to partner with established publishers, at this point. Microsoft attempted to regain its indie dominance with the ID@Xbox program, though that turned out to be more complicated than most developers would have liked. The launch of the Xbox One was a low-key disaster while Sony continually dropped the mic, showcasing indie games at E3 to widespread acclaim while Microsoft played catch-up. As recently as E3 2015, Sony's head hung heavy with indie jewels.
The Morning After: Weekend Edition
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous. Welcome to the weekend. We have Galaxy Note 8 rumors, and information about an Amazon beehive -- we'll explain.
Google Home and Assistant can speak Canadian French now
The first of several new languages for Google's Assistant AI is here, as users have noticed Canadian French as a language option. I was able to switch it on for my Google Home by looking for Assistant Language under device settings in its control app, while The Android Soul reports they could turn it on simply by saying "Ok Google, speak to me in French Canadian," however I could not get that to work. The new language is obviously there to get ready for the Google Home launch in Canada on the 26th, making it the first one Assistant supports outside of English. At Google's I/O event in May, the company announced that German, Brazilian-Portuguese and Japanese will be added this summer, followed by Italian, Spanish and Korean later in the year.
Sharp will reportedly start building OLED TV panels next year
Now that Sharp is under new ownership by Foxconn, it may have big plans for a return to TV prominence. In a move that could explain a sudden push to recover the use of its name from Hisense, the Japanese company apparently has a plan to add OLED TV production lines at one of its plants next year. The Japan Times reports that at a cost of 57.4 billion yen ($515 million US), it could have production operation at two plants in the spring of 2018. While one would work on small and medium screens for phones (like, maybe a new iPhone?) and laptops, the other would focus on TVs, where LG dominates the segment, producing OLED panels for its own TVs as well as other brands.
Rockstar Games, Take Two seem to back off of PC game modders
Earlier this month, Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two angered the PC gaming community after sending a cease and desist letter to the developers of the OpenIV modding tool. OpenIV allowed people to create modifications for GTA IV and GTA V single player, but according to its creators, the letter said their tool could "allow third parties to defeat security features of its software and modify that software in violation Take-Two's rights." Facing the threat of legal action, they announced on June 14th that they would stop distributing OpenIV.
Report: Obama authorized a secret cyber operation against Russia
President Barack Obama learned of Russia's attempts to hack US election systems in early August 2016, and as intelligence mounted over the following months, the White House deployed secrecy protocols it hadn't used since the 2011 raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, according to a report by The Washington Post. Apparently, one of the covert programs Obama, the CIA, NSA and other intelligence groups eventually put together was a new kind of cyber operation that places remotely triggered "implants" in critical Russian networks, ready for the US to deploy in the event of a pre-emptive attack. The downed Russian networks "would cause them pain and discomfort," a former US official told The Post.
'Titanfall 2' DLC adds another weapon slot and new maps on June 27th
It might be hard to top Titanfall 2's last DLC release that dropped the first new playable titan since the game launched. But the mech-filled multiplayer shooter's next free content block will add something back that fans have been wanting for months: Another weapon slot allowing players to carry both anti-titan weaponry and a sidearm in addition to their main gun.
Facebook’s latest app is designed just for video creators
In a bid to keep its creator community happy, Facebook announced that it's planning a whole new app just for them later this year. It's essentially a video creation app made just for its star broadcasters, who are also the same folks who are deemed worthy enough to use Facebook Mentions, an app only available to verified accounts owned by journalists, celebrities and other online influencers. Just like Mentions, the new video creation app is said to feature access to Facebook Live plus a new "creative kit" that includes tools like special intros and outros to videos, custom stickers, custom frames and more. Since the app is geared towards celebs, it'll also have a Community tab, where the rich and famous can interact with their fans and followers on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger. The video creation app was announced at VidCon, a place where video creators from all over the world flock to promote their show as well as to meet their fanbase and get new ideas. It's also a chance for video platforms to showcase their wares to attract more creators. For example, Periscope announced its Super Hearts program this week, and Instagram made it so that live videos can be replayed 24 hours later. YouTube, however, is still the online video destination to beat, with YouTube Red getting nearly 250 million views and a healthy roster of upcoming shows.
Nike’s SNKRS app uses AR to help you buy limited-edition shoes
Nike is the latest company to join the augmented reality craze. The sportswear giant has started using the tech to sell limited-edition kicks through its SNRKS app, with the system's first drop being the Nike SB Dunk High Pro "Momofuku," a model designed in collaboration with renowned chef David Chang. To unlock these sneakers in the application, all you have to do is go to the product page, tap on a GIF and then point your camera at a menu of Chang's Fuku restaurant in New York City. (It doesn't have to be a physical one, so don't worry about having to make the trip if you're not in The Big Apple.)
‘Modern Warfare Remastered’ heads to PS4 without the bundle
If you were disappointed that you had to keep the $80 disc for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare in your gaming rig to be able to play the better-reviewed Modern Warfare remaster, you're in luck. Publisher Activision has announced that it will reverse the classic bait and switch tactic it employed with Infinite Warfare by putting out Modern Warfare Remastered as a standalone title on June 27th. Of course, it's not all straightforward, as the title will only be available for PS4 as a disc or digital download (at first). We've reached out to Activision for more specific information on other platform release dates.
FCC greenlights OneWeb to deliver satellite internet in the US
Providing internet to remote users beyond the telecom grid has always been a difficult dream to realize. But as Trump assured supporters in Iowa yesterday that better rural broadband would get looped into his infrastructure plans, the ambition at least has the White House's attention. Actual beyond-the-grid solutions have been varied and still, alas, experimental. A company working to support that population with a novel network of internet-beaming satellites, OneWeb, just hit an important milestone: The FCC has approved its request to broadcast internet on certain frequencies, giving it access to the US market.
Wallet-busting Galaxy Note 8 expected to launch in September
VentureBeat reported today that the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 will be Samsung's most expensive model yet. The phone is expected to retail for €999 -- which should put it somewhere around $900 -- and will likely launch in late September. The information comes from someone briefed on Samsung's plans.
Instagram tests sharing posts with only your closest friends
Instagram's algorithmic timeline is an abject failure if you actually want to see all of your friends' posts. As a way of seemingly admitting that, the photo-and-video-minded social network is testing a new feature called "favorites," according to The Verge. The idea is pretty simple: you make a list of the people you want to see your post as soon as possible, and then send it to them privately, either as a Story or the timeline. It sounds a lot like sending photos to your friends on Snapchat versus pushing them to that service's Story. Hrm. Posts that go out to your friends list will appear in their timelines and will have a green check mark in them.
Oliver Stone's unhealthy treatment of hacking in Hollywood
What's so compelling about Oliver Stone's recent four-part interview series with Vladimir Putin is probably not what the multi-Oscar-winning director intended. It's the same thing that makes his Edward Snowden biopic its own sort of cipher after the fact. Both have inadvertently — and strangely, by their own design — upset the already shaky foundations of toxic hero worship in the era of hackers, hacktivism and cyber-espionage.
China targets livestreaming in latest censorship crackdown
China just shut down livestreaming on three major media platforms -- Weibo, the news site iFeng and the video website ACFUN. China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television sent notices to the companies ordering them to cease all video and audio livestreaming, saying they were, "not in line with national audiovisual regulations and propagating negative speech."
