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PS4's Share Play limited to one hour increments
When Sony unveiled its upcoming PS4 Share Play feature during its Gamescom 2014 press conference on Tuesday, a few questions remained as to how it would operate. The "virtual couch" feature allows PlayStation Plus members to play any PS4 game of choice with a friend that doesn't own the game over PSN. As Sony explained to GameSpot, Share Play is limited to 60-minute play sessions, though there's no limit on the number of times friends can play the game. Planned to launch this fall as part of system software update 2.0 for the console, Share Play will be an inherent feature for any PS4 game, as "there is no need for developers to do anything for their games to be compatible with Share Play," Sony's Shuhei Yoshida told Famitsu (as translated by Kotaku). However, a Sony representative said that the "visitor" that doesn't own the game technically "takes over the host's account," so a friend that's getting a taste of your gaming library is not able to save their play data to their own account. Rather, save files will stay with the hosting player.
'Share Play' passes the controller to a friend in this fall's PS4 update [Update]
Sony announced that system software 2.0 will arrive on PS4 this fall. The firmware update will add a new feature known as Share Play, which allows PlayStation Plus members to invite any friend to play their games with them in a cooperative, pass-the-controller fashion. What's more, those that join their friends on Share Play don't need to own or download the game. Update: PlayStation Blog described Share Play as a "virtual couch," allowing users to play cooperatively together in addition to the aforementioned pass-the-controller method. The system update will also add a dedicated YouTube app and the ability to upload gameplay clips to the popular video platform, a feature Sony announced back at E3 in June. The What's New section of the console will also receive an upgrade with friend-of-friend suggestions and a real name search function.
Vodafone targets data-sharing families with its new Red+ plan
Family mobile plans might be big in the US, but they haven't really got going in the UK. However, that isn't stopping Vodafone from trying to change people's minds with the launch of its new Red+ plan. Instead of equipping a family with individual tariffs, Vodafone aims to supply each member of the household with their own SIM, allowing the "plan leader" to distribute monthly data limits depending on how data thirsty they are. These so-called leader plans are basically upgraded Red plans that come with a 2GB, 4GB, 7GB, 10GB or 13GB data allowance, which can then be shared with a family member in 500MB, 1GB, 2GB or 4GB amounts.
Sonos now streams SoundCloud music collections
Sonos owners looking for more off-beat tracks than Spotify or Google Play Music offer can now access a SoundCloud beta program. SoundCloud likens itself to an audio version of Vimeo or Flickr: a platform for new artists, established acts like Macklemore, comedians and others to share tracks. Users can listen to unlimited music for free, download up to a hundred songs, join groups and even comment on specific parts of a song. If you've got a Sonos device like the Play:1, you'll be able to access SoundCloud by heading to the "add music services" section in the latest Sonos iOS or Android controller app. From there, you've got a stupefying array of choices -- 12 hours of music is loaded to the site every minute.
Google Glass update serves up World Cup scores and faster photo sharing
Google Glass is about to get a handful of updates that should be especially helpful this summer. To start, it should be easier to share Glass photos from your vacation; a new MyGlass app for Android (iOS is due later) will surface your most recent snapshots. An upgrade to Glass itself, meanwhile, lets you keep tabs on World Cup matches and group standings. It should be simpler to find your parking spot and track packages, too. Google hasn't said when all the updates will roll out to its smart eyewear, but it expects the MyGlass update to hit later this week -- hopefully, in time for the World Cup's June 12th kickoff. [Top image credit: Miguel Tovar/STF via Getty Images]
YouTube headed to PlayStation 4 'later this year,' adds one-click sharing
Sony Computer Entertainment's new head, Shawn Layden, confirmed that YouTube is on its way to the PlayStation 4 this fall. Layden tossed out a few stats about the PS4's social reach with gamers, citing the over 95 percent of PSN-connected consoles and heavy use of the DualShock 4's Share button -- it's been pressed over 220 million times. To enhance the ease with which gamers can share via social, the dedicated YouTube app will allow for easy video uploads with a click of the Share button. If you prefer to watch, then that's alright too, since the app will be just like the one launched on PS3 that lets you easily browse videos and channels. Layden also followed up on last year's promise that PS4 gamers would be able to join a friend's broadcast session, saying that interactive ability will be added to PS4 soon.
Facebook will no longer share all of your activity by default
Facebook revoked Instagram's auto-posting credentials recently, and it looks like the social network is going a lot further than it's own properties. After noticing that links and other activity shared by knowingly tapping the blue "F" button garner more interest, Zuckerberg & Co. are scaling back the amount of automatically-posted content that shows up in the News Feed. Facebook will give preference to those items in its regularly updated rundown, which means less stuff from third-party apps will pop up in the days to come. However, as The Verge reports, those auto-posts will still populate areas of your profile dedicated to them -- such as track-by-track Spotify activity and the like -- and will still be used for targeted ads. The move follows last month's announcement that the folks in Menlo Park were cracking down on spam in its News Feed, but we'd surmise sponsored posts are staying put.
Facebook stops oversharing, defaults status updates to just friends
Previously, when you first joined Facebook, all of your posts would be shared with the world by default. Anyone who stumbled upon your profile could read anything you previously shared, be it a short update or a personal photo, unless you deliberately clicked away from "Public." Now, the social site's switched things up for the better, making "Friends" the new default for status updates. You don't have to do anything to take advantage, but now's as good a time as any to pay very close attention to your Facebook privacy settings. And maybe be a bit more selective when it comes time to add a new friend.
AllCast now streams your media to any Android device
Koushik Dutta's AllCast app can stream media to seemingly any set-top box you might own, but it hasn't let you stream to (most) Android devices. Today, though, that barrier has come down: Dutta has released AllCast Receiver, an app that turns any supporting Android gadget into a streaming target. You can now send video to a tablet for more comfortable viewing, for example, or mirror your screen to walk someone through an unfamiliar app. To top it off, AllCast itself has received an update that will stream Google Play Music to other hardware, provided you get root OS access on the host device first. Whether or not you're willing to take that risk, you'll definitely want to grab the newer apps if AllCast is your go-to content sharing tool.
Dropbox cuts access to shared documents that were accidentally exposed to the web
If you've shared a Dropbox document recently, but your intended recipients are complaining that the link is bust, then here's the likely reason: The cloud storage service has been forced to sever many shared links after realizing, perhaps a bit late in the day, that they contained an inherent security flaw that could potentially expose documents to the wrong people. Specifically, an authorized user who opens a shared document and clicks on any hyperlink within its text could unwittingly expose the entirety of that document to the webmaster of the hyperlinked site.
Upload gameplay to YouTube on Xbox One tomorrow, 360 gets GoPro app
Microsoft is updating the YouTube app on Xbox One to allow players to upload gameplay clips directly to the video platform starting tomorrow. The app will integrate with the Game DVR and Upload services already present on the console; players will just need to enter the system's settings, select "Share game clips" and then "Share on social network" to access the YouTube upload option. Additionally, the updated app will allow users to view YouTube videos in snap mode, add them to Pins, add channels to OneGuide and earn media achievements on Xbox One. Microsoft also announced the GoPro app for Xbox 360, which allows users to "stream and curate" videos created using the brand of high-definition personal cameras. GoPro app users will also be able to purchase cameras within the app through Microsoft's online store. The app will require an Xbox Live Gold subscription. The Xbox One's trek into the livestreaming and video sharing realm was marked by the addition of Twitch broadcasting in March, which saw 108,000 broadcasters in the first week. While having the ability to upload content to YouTube directly will be ideal for many users, one hopes that the history of gameplay videos being flagged by the platform's Content ID Match system doesn't prove to be an issue. [Image: Microsoft]
Sony says the PlayStation 4's 'Share' button has been used 100 million times
Sony has a released a bunch of statistics covering the first four months of life of its new baby. Beyond regular sales figures (six million units so far, and nearly 14 million game sales), some of the more interesting numbers relate to how PlayStation gamers are engaging with the console's online features. We're told that half of all PS4 owners have been persuaded to cough up for a PS Plus subscription, which grants access to online multiplayer gaming as well as a number of discounted and free titles. Meanwhile, the 'Share' button on the DualShock 4 controller has apparently been used 100 million times to share recorded game highlights with the PS4 community, and 3.6 million gameplay broadcasts have been streamed over Twitch and Ustream -- a feature that still hasn't been enabled on the Xbox One. And who knows? The PS4's Twitch numbers might have been even higher if people hadn't gotten themselves banned for playing real-live strip poker.
Wacom lets people share handwritten notes across devices and platforms
Wacom has been pushing into the world of mobile for a while, and its efforts have just culminated in a pretty bold move: A single, cross-platform standard for sharing handwritten notes and sketches between users, regardless of whether they're using a stylus or a finger, an iPhone or a PC, an app or a browser. The tool is called "WILL" -- "Wacom Ink Layer Language" -- and it captures a pen stroke's coordinates, pressure and the identity of its creator (through a unique "Pen ID"), as well as allowing the scribble to be edited by others. Users can also see other people's handwriting being created in real-time, i.e. we're not just talking about static images. Beginning next month, Wacom will promote WILL by distributing SDKs for iOS, Android, Mac OS and Windows, as well as for browsers and cloud platforms. These SDKs are meant to make it easier for developers to create apps that accept signatures scrawled on a touchscreen, or DIY smileys, or hand-drawn highlights on a cloud document, or any other sort of handwritten input. Of course, the concern with any such format is that it'll need to be embraced by a large number of companies in order to reach a tipping point and become widely accepted. Wacom doesn't seem to be ready to announce even a single partner just yet, but where there's a will... (Ahem, sorry.)
500px iOS app finally lets photographers upload their work on the go
If you're on the go and would rather post your pictures to 500px without running them through Light Room first, the photo-sharing app's latest iOS update addresses just that. You can now upload iPhone shots directly from the application, and all you need to share DSLR pictures without a PC are an iPad and its SD-card reader. There's a step-by-step guide on the developer's website should you need it, but the entire process is pretty straightforward. No, it isn't revolutionary, but the new functionality essentially puts the application on par with Instagram. There is a key difference between the two photo apps though -- one could earn a (marginal) profit by uploading to 500px.
Confide is like Snapchat for business, but without pictures
The written word has a nasty habit of sticking around, surfacing in hacked email accounts, accidental forwards and the on untrustworthy lips of your peers. That's why former AOL executive Jon Brod created Confide, an iOS texting app that erases sensitive messages as soon as they're read. It's designed to make private texts as fleeting as a whispered secret, retained only in the memory of the person you confided in; hence the name. To protect itself against the iPhone's screenshot function, the app only reveals a few words at a time, blocking the rest out with an orange sensor bar until the user's finger glides across the screen. Unlike Snapchat, however, the app doesn't seem to support picture sharing. The app is live on the App Store now, you know, in case you needed a fresh way to share office gossip.
Droplr's speedy file sharing now starts at $5 per month with unlimited storage
Droplr members wondering (and worrying) about the company's switch to a pay-only service now know just how much it will cost to keep sharing files. The developer has announced that its Droplr Lite tier will start at $5 per month, or $50 per year; if you want customization, image embedding or password-protected sharing, you'll need to shell out $10 per month ($100 per year) for Droplr Pro. Existing users get a 30 percent discount in return for their loyalty. There are a few strong incentives to pay whether or not you're a longtime customer, though. All members now get unlimited storage, with uploads increasing to 2GB each. You can also sign up for a new $10-per-person Business tier with collaboration features, and individual subscribers can knock 10 percent off their bill with each person they refer. There's even a Droplr for Mac 4 app update launching at the same time with a redesigned menu bar item, improved searches and a sharing shortcut. The pricing changes take effect immediately, but everyone gets a 30-day free trial to help make their decision. Whatever your feelings about paying up, you can find out more at the source link.
Droplr's rapid file sharing service goes pay-only
Droplr makes it easy to share files with friends, but that simplicity doesn't come cheap, it seems. The company has revealed that it will discontinue its longstanding free tier next week; after that, customers will have 30 days before they must subscribe to a Lite or Pro plan. There are a couple of incentives for veterans to fork out some cash, though. Any existing Droplr members can get a 30 percent lifetime discount, and a referral program will let users earn free Pro access. The shift in strategy won't please those who've been thriving on free sharing for years, but there are plenty of alternatives for thrifty types.
Sweden fines pirate $650,000 for illegally sharing a single film
Sure, it's no Somalia, but Sweden's been fighting plenty of its own battles against piracy -- of the digital variety. The former home of Pirate Bay, the infamous online repository for everything the RIAA and MPAA stand against, has just fined an unnamed 28-year-old man 4.3 million krona (about $650,000) for uploading a single film to a torrent site. Granted, an anti-piracy group called Rights Alliance described the man as the country's "worst ever" pirate, according to a BBC report, so just because this fine covers only one film, he's likely responsible for ripping off plenty more. In fact, the same court that assigned the fine also convicted the man of sharing 517 other flicks -- that charge brought a rather tame punishment, including a suspended jail sentence and 160 hours of community service.
LG's AllJoyn support will let you control Smart TVs from any device
Many Smart TVs don't really talk to other devices as well as we'd like; integration tends to be basic, proprietary or both. LG may soon have a more elegant solution, as it's promising AllJoyn support in its TV line. The Qualcomm-built framework should let you control on-screen activity from any AllJoyn-capable device, whatever platform it runs -- Android, iOS and Windows users could theoretically play the same TV game. LG hasn't said when AllJoyn will reach its sets, but we wouldn't be surprised if the company has more to say at CES next month.
Ask Engadget: best online photo album with public contributions?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Jeff, who wants to crowdsource his wedding photography without any mess. If you're looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "As part of my wedding plans, we're expecting plenty of our friends to take pictures of the big day on their smartphones and cameras. I'd like to create a public online photo album to let everyone upload the pictures to one place, and then I can download them later. I'd really rather not have anyone set up an account anywhere (so Flickr won't work) and, ideally, I'd like those who shoot in .RAW to be able to upload the full sized files. Any ideas and suggestions of places would be great, thanks!" Well, actually, your humble narrator has this same problem early last year. My solution, which won't work for you, was to sign up with a Flickr Pro account and set up a new group. As you can email in images to a specific group email address, we sent this address out on our invitations. That way, anyone who took pictures could just email them straight to the site. As you've said, that's not going to work with .RAW images, so let's turn this question over to the community and see what they can come up with.
