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Disney will not be a part of iCloud launch
Disney CEO Bob Iger spoke at the D9 conference this week, and said that while he considers the cloud to be a huge force in technology going forward, he's not sold enough to be included in the first round of Apple's almost-announced iCloud service. Whatever Steve Jobs announces for iCloud on Monday (likely a music sharing and storage service, according to the rumors), it will not include goodies licensed under Disney. Still, Iger lauded Apple for working on what he called a "digital locker in the sky," saying that a system like that would really be "a step in a better direction for the user experience." Hopefully Apple will nail down Disney's agreement for iCloud in the future, if indeed it is going to serve as a media storage unit in the cloud. Meanwhile, Iger's plans seem much more local to his company -- rather than relying on Apple or any other company to sell and store his content, Disney apparently plans to "deliver entertainment directly to our consumers through a proprietary site or platform," said Iger. Seems a little inconvenient to have each content company set up its own platform to sell content (rather than going through Apple's store and service), but to each his own, we guess.
Eutelsat's Ka-Sat satellite goes into service, provides broadband to 13 million homes across Europe
Europe's already extensive broadband coverage may be expanding even further, now that Eutelsat's Ka-Sat satellite has officially gone into service. The new craft, which launched from Kazakhstan in late December, uses spotbeam technology to generate areas of connectivity that are about 250 kilometers wide, with each beam carrying a total capacity of 900Mbps. Unlike the Hylas 1, its reach will extend far across the continent, providing Tooway's high-bandwidth services to 13 million households in remote locations. Subscribers will have download speeds of up to 10Mbps and upload rates of 4Mbps, though they'll still have to put up with latency on the order of 250ms, making life even more difficult for Eastern European OnLive gamers. Of course, this access won't come for free, but Ka-Sat's 82-beam network structure significantly lowers its operating costs, allowing Eutelsat to offer prices that are on par with market rates. According to company CEO Michel de Rosen, customers should expect to pay around €30 for basic service, in addition to €250 they'd have to spend on a 77cm satellite dish. That's not necessarily a small amount of cash for low-income families to fork over, but at least they'll have an option that didn't exist before. Head past the break for a video about Tooway's Ka-Sat services, along with a full PR.
Is it possible? AT&T drops lower in customer satisfaction survey
It's a bit of a surprise. AT&T has dropped below Sprint in consumer ratings, at least according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, as reported by the Associated Press. Both T-Mobile and AT&T are ranked at the bottom, which makes you wonder about the wisdom of the announced sale of T-Mobile to AT&T. Think of the fun customers will have as the two worst companies on the list merge accounting systems and networks. Consumer Reports also ranks AT&T the worst of the cellular carriers. Sprint and Verizon both get a score of 72 in the survey, which was done by polling 8,000 households in the first quarter of the year. AT&T is at the bottom with a score of 66, down 3 points from last year. T-Mobile scores a 70, also down 3 from a year ago. At first glance I would have thought there would be some improvement in the AT&T score. We've been reporting on problems for years, and AT&T says it has spent millions in upgrades and says it has been trying to fill in the coverage gaps. What's your experience? Is AT&T getting better or worse, and if you made the jump to Verizon, are you happier?
The Daily Grind: What's the best service you've received from a GM?
There are players for whom the GMs of a given game are nothing but antagonists, killjoys who want to ban people for shouting just a few obscene slurs in a public chat channel. For many other players, they're a silent presence, something you're sure is there but never make any use of. And sometimes, they're the only people who can help you fix a serious problem with your character, a bug that crept in somewhere along the line. There are games where you virtually never see a GM in person, such as World of Warcraft, and then there are games such as Final Fantasy XI where the GMs have a very different image among players. But today, we're not going to talk about times when GMs randomly teleported you to jail and fed you to a dragon for amusement. We're talking about the best incidents you've had, the times where you've called for help and received it without a problem. So what's the best service you've received from a GM in the game? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
TiVo pricing changes May 19th: $100 Premiere, $20 / month service, $500 lifetime for all
According to emails being sent out to existing customers, TiVo will streamline its pricing options in a couple of days, offering the Premiere for $99.99 and the Premiere XL for $299 with one year service commitments at $19.99 monthly or product lifetime service for $499.99. The new options are seen above in the picture posted by skaggs at TiVo Community, detailing the pricing that will apply to all TiVos, no matter where they're purchased from. The new pricing drops the total cost for lifetime service, but we'll let you figure out all the arithmetic and decide if you want to upgrade or jump into the Premiere before or after the service plans change. If you still need convincing, there's also word of a new 14.8 software update just starting to roll out, while the Virgin Media TiVo can apparently expect a fix for standard def picture quality to arrive soon.
iMac frees you from the tyranny (and convenience) of servicing your own hard drives (update: not exactly a new problem)
Letting Apple control most facets of your computing experience is just a fact of life for the Mac faithful, but if you want to swap out the hard drive for a bigger or faster one with the most recent iMac refresh, well, you have somewhat limited options. Rather than a 4-wire SATA configuration Apple uses a 7-wire configuration that keeps you from hooking up just any old hard drive, lest a temperature sensor go batty and your system refuse to cooperate. There are ways around it, but your warranty may not apply afterward... Update: We've revised this post to clarify that this isn't exactly a new issue. The same problem existed in previous revisions, but the big issue now is that the separate thermal cable has been integrated into the SATA cable. It's similar to what was done before, just a little harder to get around now. But, you can get around it. Update 2: Hardmac has a detailed analysis of the situation which we'd recommend you check out. It verifies OWC's findings, and recommends you short pins 2 and 7 to basically circumvent the issue. Why does Apple do this? The separate temperature monitor enables OS X to more regularly check the temperature of the system's drives without compromising overall bandwidth provided by SATA. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Sony misses promised PlayStation Network and Qriocity restoration date, begs for more patience
Whoops. If you'll recall, Sony held what can only be described as an emergency press event in Japan a week ago in order to issue a number of assurances about the resumption of service as it relates to the PlayStation Network and Qriocity. Seven days later, things are still as dead as they were pre-Cinco de Mayo. This evening, the company's Senior Director of Corporate Communications Patrick Seybold punched out a quick update to let the world know that they could actually leave the house and find something else to entertain 'em -- like it or not, PSN isn't coming back online today. The reason? On May 1st, Sony was apparently "unaware of the extent of the attack on Sony Online Entertainment servers," and now, it's spinning its wheels in order to restore security on the network and "ensure" that user data is safe. Mr. Seybold seems to understand that you're overly anxious about getting back into the swing of things, and he's even going so far as to ask your trust that Sony's doing "everything [it] can" to get the lights blinking once more. Oh, and if you were planning on visiting that source link just to find the new ETA... don't. Sony's planning to update you "as soon as it can." [Thanks, Alex]
Rumor: Apple's cloud service comes with subscription fee
CNET has heard from "music industry insiders" that Apple's long-rumored cloud service is indeed coming, but with a subscription fee. When it first launches, the service, which supposedly will act as a "music locker," allowing you to store and access a music collection in the cloud, may be available free of charge. But the plan is to eventually charge for it, and most estimations (also known as guesses) are falling in the $20 per year range. We'll have to see how this all plays out -- Google is also reportedly working on a service like this, but of course, the details are still up in the air. And it remains to be seen what deal Apple is working out with the record companies as well. Will only your iTunes-purchased music be able to stay in the cloud, or will we be able to upload any music that we have installed in iTunes? Or will, as Billboard suggests, Apple try running a Netflix-style music service, where a standard fee gets you access to a certain library of music? Either way, it'll be good to see whatever Apple's been working on finally revealed, hopefully later on this year.
3LiveShop woos you into phone contracts by touching your screen from the other side (video)
Feeling lonely? Got some Swedish kronor to burn? Now you can kill two birds with one stone thanks to Three's Scandinavian arm. Hold up, we're not talking about online dating here; but you could certainly start by buying a phone from 3LiveShop, which lets you interact virtually face to face with a human sales rep. Better yet, these folks are equipped with eccentric multitouch workstations (pictured after the break) to let them drag phones and spec sheets around your screen. We had a go on this service just now and apart from a couple of hiccups later on, our Hong Kong-to-Sweden call was surprisingly fluid and fun. Sadly, we didn't get around to filming our intimate conversation with Adam here, but you can watch a promotion video by B-Reel -- the folks behind the touchscreen's Flash interface -- after the break to see how it works. [Thanks, Johan]
HTC's Thunderbolt beset with video capture woes, fix purportedly on the way
Uh oh, sounds like HTC's Thunderbolt has struck yet another stumbling block on its path to glory. Forums dedicated to the superphone are now rife with frustration of inconsistent audio capture when using its bundled video recorder, and apparently, the rally cry was vociferous enough to warrant a response from HTC itself. Users of first-gen technology are likely familiar with the line, but word is it's aware of the issue and working to release a software update to remedy the nasties. In the meantime, if uploading your macaw's cover of 'Friday' is a priority for you, don't go to crankytown just yet -- we hear there's a whole world of third-party cappers to explore.
MLB offers free MLB.tv trial during April for buying app
Baseball season started this week, and things are already off to a rip-roaring start, with the Yankees in first place. My Cubs are, well, losing as I write this (Dempster's grand slam on Friday didn't help my fantasy baseball team, either). We've already reported that the terrific MLB apps for iPhone and iPad have been updated this year, but now Major League Baseball is offering an even better deal: buying either of the apps for iPhone or iPad (or Android, if you happen to have that kind of phone) gets you a free MLB.tv trial through the month of April courtesy of automotive sponsor Volvo. I like the MLB.tv service. I didn't go for it this year (at least, not yet), but I subscribed last year and really enjoyed watching my Cubs games out of market here in Los Angeles, as well as pulling up all of the HD game videos on my iPhone (and even the PS3). The only drawback of the service for most people is the price (it's at least US$99.99 for the entire year), so this trial is great. You basically get to watch a month of baseball games from all over the league for free. If you haven't been sold on the apps yet, maybe this free trial of the TV service will change your mind. Speaking of the apps, you can definitely use them without the video service; you still get updated scores, standings and radio broadcasts without any extra subscription charge. You can find the MLB.com At Bat 11 apps on the App Store right now.
Sony's Music Unlimited streaming service coming to NGP, will hit Xperia Play this year and PSP 'in a matter of weeks'
It may sound patently obvious at this point, but there's still cause to celebrate -- Sony's streaming subscription music service, Music Unlimited, is headed to both the PlayStation Portable and its pair of divergent spiritual successors the Next Generation Portable and Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play. Eurogamer sat down with Sony Network Entertainment VP Shawn Layden, who spread the news readily, confirming that the service would be activated (at least in the UK) on PlayStation Portable "in a matter of weeks." Meanwhile, Android phones including the infamous PlayStation handset will get Music Unlimited "this year," and SNE "will make it happen" on the NGP as well, presumably sometime after the company reveals when its beast of a portable game station will actually come out. All in the name of taking your tunes with you wherever you happen to travel -- a concept that's getting rather popular right now.
Amazon negotiating for Cloud Player music licensing deals after all?
Publically, Amazon wants you to think it doesn't care about licensing the music that it will let you store in the cloud, but privately we're hearing the company is scrambling like mad to work things out with angry music labels as we speak. Specifically, the Wall Street Journal cites a pair of anonymous sources who say Amazon's actually negotiating deals with the four major labels right now -- though Amazon won't confirm such a thing -- which the e-tailer hopes to close in a matter of weeks. What's more, they say Amazon may move to a system that compares users' uploaded songs with a database of those tunes it's managed to licence should the deal go through -- a system much like Sony's Music Unlimited, by the sound of it. It shouldn't come as any surprise, then, that the Journal quotes Sony Music chairman Martin Bandier in its final paragraph, who makes his pointed indignation at Amazon's announcement heard: "This is just another land grab. I can't make it any plainer than that. It's really disrespectful, and of course we are considering all of our options." Nothing like a little bit of mainstream media coverage to help pressure a business deal.
AT&T CEO promises improved service from T-Mobile deal
Businessweek had a chat recently with AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, and he told them that the pending merger with T-Mobile would have the intended effect of improving service and capacity on the networks for all of AT&T's devices, including, of course, the iPhone. "Virtually on the day you close the deal, getting a 30 percent lift in capacity in New York City: that's a significant improvement in call quality and data throughput," he said. That's a nice big promise to make -- something that will be easy to check up on the day the merger gets closed. Stephenson also speaks to the merger's opposition, saying that the cell phone service providing market is plenty intense. "It is intense before we do this transaction, it will be intense after we do this transaction." Stephenson also suggested that the deal might lower costs for AT&T customers overseas (since potentially, the international arm of T-Mobile would be ready to do deals with the US arm that AT&T will own). He's obviously got some good reasons for the merger, but then again, he stands to make plenty of money if it's approved. If the deal does go through, AT&T has said it expects to finish everything within a year from now. [via 9to5Mac]
Former Lala CEO says Apple bought them 'for the people'
Lala's Bill Ngyuen had a short video interview with Fortune, and in it Nguyen says that Apple picked up his company specifically "for the people," not for the streaming cloud music service or any of Lala's other assets. Fortune confronts him on the idea of Apple running its own cloud music service (as has been rumored for a while), and Nguyen suggests that instead of building its own service, Apple's actually provided the hardware and software platforms to let any number of companies, from Pandora to Netflix, do what Lala did and provide content over the air to whatever devices people happen to use. That's an interesting take for sure -- from Nguyen's perspective, it sounds like Apple is already doing what it wants to do with Lala, which is just use its employees' knowledge of how services like this work to provide help for other companies on the App Store. We've all expected Apple to run a streaming service of its own, but maybe it just wants to make things easier for other companies to jump in and provide content. Who knows what we'll see with that data center in North Carolina.
Aldebaran to create all-terrain disaster relief robots, make a hero of Nao?
We've seen Nao bust a move and play a little footy, and now its creator is making plans to take its bots off-roading in the name of disaster relief. Aldebaran robotics recently announced its intention to invest in and develop a range of robots that can traverse rocky roads to help in hazardous situations, citing the tsunami in Japan as a catalyst for the move. The company's yet to state how it will make this happen, but says it's already made contributions to Cap Robotique, the "French cluster dedicated to the development and innovation in the field of service robotics." If you ask us, we're all for Nao gettin' a little dirt under its nails, as long as it can still serve Fosse. Full PR after the break.
Time Warner's iPad TV service cut back due to overwhelming demand
Earlier this week, Time Warner Cable released its new iPad app, which allowed users to watch live TV on the device if they met certain key conditions. The app only works when connected to residential networks that are connected to TWC's RoadRunner cable modem ISP service, or the parallel Earthlink service delivered by TWC, and users have to subscribe to a base tier of cable TV service as well. Who knew live TV would be so popular? Apparently the service has already been overwhelmed with demand. Customers couldn't log in yesterday due to the drain on the authentication servers, and Time Warner has had to cut back the number of channels available to watch from 30 to just 15. Keep in mind, this is a huge amount of demand from the relatively small audience covered by the restrictions above. But apparently that was enough -- even with just those users, the service was completely overrun. That hasn't stopped Time Warner from promising improvements, however -- the company still says it plans to add even more than the 30 channels that were supposed to be available at launch, and the service is expected to turn into a Slingbox-style solution, with Time Warner subscribers able to watch television from anywhere. Those days may be a little while off yet, though. Obviously, any setup like that will clearly require a large and dedicated infrastructure to run well.
Sprint handing out $50 and $125 service credits for number ports
If you've been looking for the right opportunity to bring your number into Sprint, we suppose you could consider this a sign from the heavens. Through April 16th, the carrier's offering incoming subscribers a $125 service credit applicable toward your bill after 60 days as long as you buy a smartphone, but dumbphone buyers aren't being left out in the cold: they'll still be able to pick up a $50 credit. There's a registration process involved -- the free money doesn't just happen automatically -- so if you're going to take advantage, be sure to read the rules and regs. [Thanks, Seth]
PlayStation now offers customer service via Twitter, probably won't help you jailbreak your PS3
Got a question about a PlayStation product? Have a Twitter account? If you answered yes to both, then you'd be interested to know about @AskPlayStation -- the official account for all of your PS concerns. They'll assist you via tweets Monday through Friday from 9:30AM - 5:00PM PST and will answer in real-time between the hours of 2 and 5 PST. Hit up the source link to get all of your inquiries answered -- just behave yourselves, OK?
iOS 4.3 spotlight: Personal Hotspot
Perhaps the biggest feature available in the iOS 4.3 update today is the Personal Hotspot -- Verizon iPhone users have had access to the feature before now, but as of iOS 4.3, AT&T users can find the hotspot feature under the Network tab, inside the General Settings app on the iPhone. Note that while Personal Hotspot makes it possible for you to share a network connection with a computer, either over Bluetooth, a USB connection, or now over Wi-Fi, there is an extra charge on AT&T, and your phone will ask you to sign up for that service if you haven't yet. AT&T calls the service DataPro with Tethering, and it will cost you an extra $45 a month, allowing up to 4 GB of bandwidth, and extra charges beyond that for more. That's not cheap, but if you are often in places where you have to depend on your phone for an internet connection, it could be worth it. To use the service itself, you just jump into that Settings screen, set up a password, and then connect from your computer as you would any other Wi-Fi network. The hotspot works with up to three connections via Wi-Fi at a time, so you and two friends can access the internet from anywhere, right through your iPhone.
