Summit
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Montblanc leads the next wave of Wear OS 3 watches with the $1,290 Summit 3
Montblanc is about to release the first Wear OS 3 smartwatch that isn't made by Samsung, but you'll pay a luxury-level price for it.
White House invites tech companies to discuss violent online extremism
The White House plans to host a meeting with tech companies to discuss the rise of violent online extremism. According to The Washington Post, this is the Trump administration's first major engagement on the issue after the recent mass shooting in Texas left 22 people dead. Trump is scheduled to be at fundraisers in the Hamptons, so he may not attend.
The White House may host a social media summit next month
The White House will reportedly host a social media summit next month. According to The New York Times, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the meeting will "bring together digital leaders for a robust conversation on the opportunities and challenges of today's online environment." The White House has not officially announced the summit or confirmed who will attend, but the event is reportedly scheduled for July 11th.
The US again has the world's most powerful supercomputer
The Department of Energy pulled back the curtain on the world's most powerful supercomputer Friday. When Summit is operating at max capacity, it can run at 200 petaflops -- that's 200 quadrillion calculations per second. That smokes the previous record holder, China's Sunway TaihuLight (which has a 93 petaflop capacity). Summit is also about seven times faster than Titan, the previous US record holder which is housed at the same Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee. For perspective, in one hour, Summit can solve a problem that it would take a desktop computer 30 years to crack.
Amazon, Google and Microsoft to attend White House AI summit
The Trump administration hasn't exactly been receptive to AI -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin once said it was "not even on [his] radar screen." However, it's warming up. The White House is holding a summit on May 10th where representatives from 38 companies (including Amazon, Facebook, Google and Intel) will discuss how the government can fund AI research and alter regulations to advance the technology. A Washington Post source said the government was also mulling proposals that could include providing more data for AI research.
Qualcomm's new chip brings ultra-wide screens to mid-range phones
Ultra-wide screens are hot stuff on smartphones these days, but there still isn't a whole lot of choice: you tend to either spring for the high end or make do with budget models. Where are the in-between options? Qualcomm might just help. It's introducing the Snapdragon 636 processor, an upgrade to the mid-tier 630 whose centerpiece is support for extra-tall FHD+ resolution (roughly 2,160 x 1,080) screens. You should get a reasonably speedy, dramatic-looking phone without making your bank account cry for mercy. It supports Assertive Display, too, so you can expect better visibility in less-than-ideal lighting.
Montblanc's first smartwatch is the luxury Summit
Luxury brand Montblanc has already made a few tentative steps into the smart things space. And just as a simpler stylus preceded a fancier note digitizer, Montblanc is now ready to follow up its e-Strap accessory with a fully fledged Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch. It's called the Summit, and there's nothing too out of the ordinary as far as components go: A 1.39-inch (400 x 400) AMOLED display sits up front, with a Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip, 512MB of RAM and 4 gigs of storage tucked away behind. Other notable elements include a heart-rate sensor and built-in microphone, but Montblanc is under no illusion it's pushing the boundaries of technology here. It's much more concerned with style.
Auto-complete blunder leaks passport details of world leaders
Australia has proved that it can hold its own against Hillary Clinton any day when it comes to email gaffes. The nation's immigration department accidentally disclosed the passport numbers and other personal info of every world leader attending last year's G20 summit, then compounded the problem by hushing it up. Affected leaders include US president Barack Obama, Russia's Vladimir Putin and British prime minister David Cameron. According to an email obtained by the Guardian, "the cause of the breach was human error... (an immigration employee) failed to check that the autofill function in Microsoft Outlook had entered the correct person's detail into the email 'To' field."
Obama's executive order urges companies to share cyberthreat data
Attacks on the computers of large corporations were constantly in the headlines last year and now President Obama is taking steps that he says will help fight back. A month ago he announced a push for new legislation that would lay out ways for companies to share information about hacking activity so it can be investigated, while also protecting the privacy of consumers. Pushing that through Congress has been a failure since 2011, so he's following up with an executive order that mandates companies to do so. "There's only one way to defend America from these cyberthreats, and that is with government and [private] industry working together, sharing appropriate information," Obama said at today's White House cyber security summit at Stanford. The announcement comes just a few days after the President unveiled a new cyber warfare agency intended to "quickly assess and deter cyberthreats."
Guild leaders converge for The Elder Scrolls Online's first guild summit
If you weren't invited to The Elder Scrolls Online's current guild summit... well, don't feel bad; only the leaders of 20 guilds and online communities were invited. But it's still kind of nail-biting. What could they be talking about in there? What strange and arcane topics will be brought up? Will special items be handed out? Are there designer cheeses available? Lucky for you, though, the folks at the Tamriel Foundry have taken the time to transcribe what's going down in Maryland so that even those not at the summit can get a sense for what's happening. The first day of the summit covered combat responsiveness, system design, AvA mechanics, and the Champion system. This means both detailed examinations of where the game is currently lacking and what's coming in the future; the Champion system and the rework of the veteran experience is slated for "when it's done" rather than a specific date. So sit back and take a look at all of the hard details on display, possibly whilst eating some designer cheese of your own.
Russia denies it slipped world leaders bugged USB disks and cables
After becoming embroiled in the NSA brouhaha by giving Edward Snowden sanctuary, Russia is again on the defensive after reports suggested it may have slipped G20 leaders compromised devices. A pair of Italian newspapers said that German security experts discovered "USB sticks and recharge cables (that) are suitable for undercover detection of computer data and mobile phones," after being alerted by the head of the European council. The Kremlin denied the allegations, calling them "an attempt to switch attention from the (spying) problems that really exist." Further tests are underway, and if the results are confirmed, may show that Russia has a ways to go to catch up to the NSA's more sophisticated eavesdropping.
Huawei outlines plan to regain its share of European smartphone market
Last year, Huawei's Device Business Group set an ambitious goal of shipping 60 million smartphones, but managed only 32 million, keeping it out of IDC's top five smartphone vendors in 2012. That said, for Q4 that same year Huawei did finally break into top three, but it didn't change the fact that it had been a tough period for Huawei's smartphone division, especially for its CMO Shao Yang (pictured above with his 6.1-inch Ascend Mate). At the 2013 Huawei Global Analyst Summit in Shenzhen yesterday, the exec was kind enough to share his side of the story about the hurdles his team faced last year -- the period when Huawei was transforming from an original design manufacturer (ODM) to serve others, to an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in order to build devices according to its own specifications.
China Mobile says over 60 million TD-SCDMA devices sold in 2012, aiming for twice as many this year
At today's Qualcomm QRD Summit in Shenzhen, China Mobile sent its Deputy General Manager of Products Wang Hengjiang to share some hardware stats. In 2012, over 60 million TD-SCDMA devices were sold, with December alone pumping out over seven million units. To put that into perspective, there are now over 220 million 3G phone users in China (as of end of November), meaning the carrier still has plenty of catching up to do as it had a late start in the 3G game. That said, Wang also announced that China Mobile aims to sell twice as many TD-SCDMA devices this year, with smartphones expected to take up over 80 percent of that segment -- hardly a challenge considering they already reached 94.4 percent in the last quarter. Wang added that out of the 120 million units to be sold this year, half of them will be customized by China Mobile -- presumably so that it can choose its own bloatware, right? As for TD-LTE, China Mobile expects its 4G technology to bloom in China some time between 2014 and 2015, as it continues to help the development of devices that natively support five modes (GSM, TD-SCDMA, UMTS, FD-LTE and TD-LTE) along with 10 to 12 bands. Obviously this is the very reason why China Mobile is getting cosy with Qualcomm, the company who has SoCs that support all these radios. Wang added that ahead of the full launch of TD-LTE, his company will be initiating user trials for TD-LTE data devices and phones throughout 2013 -- the first half of the year for the former, and the second half for the latter. Well, we only have three words for China Mobile: hurry up already!
EVE's CSM7 meeting minutes released
EVE Online's Council of Stellar Management (CSM) is a player-elected council of, well, players. Their job is to represent the community's interest to CCP, and one of the ways they do that is by meeting with CCP in Iceland to discuss stuff and things. The most recent CSM meeting was in mid-December 2012, and we bet you're just dying to know what they talked about. CCP put up a full topic list of the three-day meeting sessions earlier today. The council members discussed everything from customer loyalty to factional warfare. Null-sec, ship balancing, live events, the UI, marketing, and a number of other topics were all on the agenda. You can read the full minutes to go in-depth with the topics (and find out who wants ponies to be included in EVE).
Kate Edwards named IGDA's new executive director
Gordon Bellamy stepped down as the director of the Interational Game Developers' Association last July, and the organization has finally named his successor. Kate Edwards will serve as the group's new executive director, after being an IGDA member for 16 years, and founding and chairing the IGDA's Localization Special Interest Group.Global cultural strategy is Edwards' specialty: She worked for Microsoft as a geopolitical strategist in the '90s, and more recently worked at her own company, Englobe, since 2005. In addition to her other experience with the IGDA, Edwards also helped co-organize the Game Developers' Conference Localization Summit. The IGDA's chairman, Dustin Clingman, says he hopes Edwards will use her talents to help the group "lay a foundation for ongoing international growth."
Huawei Summit hits T-Mobile for $50 sporting faux-Android duds
A recent leaked T-Mobile roadmap showed a Huawei Summit handset that we suspected was "possibly Android-flavored," and now that the device has arrived in the carrier's shop, we're still not certain. It's a basic phone, to be sure, with a 3.5-inch 480 x 320 display, 3.2-megapixel rear camera, GPS, Swype keyboard, WiFi, Bluetooth and HSPA+ network support. What's not clear is the OS, which T-Mob cryptically lists as "proprietary," but appears to at least have Android underpinnings, judging by the phone's manual (and the fact that it's rocking Swype). Hopefully, that won't incur the wrath of Mountain View, but if you need a basic $50 phone and don't care about Android-this or Open Handset Alliance-that, check the source.
T-Mobile's holiday roadmap leaked: LG Optimus L9, HTC Windows Phone 8X spotted
According to a leaked roadmap on TMoNews, the magenta carrier appears to have a few tantalizing offerings coming its way this holiday season. A curious BlackBerry handheld dubbed the Armstrong, a color refresh of the Samsung Galaxy S II, a possibly Android-flavored Huawei Summit and the LG Optimus L9 are all slated to launch just on or before Halloween. Going into the next month, we see the HTC Windows Phone 8X making the pre-Thanksgiving cut with a potential debut of November 14th. Notably absent are the Samsung Galaxy Note II and the Nokia Lumia 810, but that doesn't mean they won't be there when December rolls around. Of course, this info didn't come through official channels, so we wouldn't bank on any of the handsets as holiday gifts just yet. Still, its nice to know they're coming, and you can get the full details on these and other devices at the source.
The Guild Counsel: Should MMO studios hold guild summits?
We're in the thick of game convention season, and with that come the usual panels and discussions aimed at the general playerbase. But in some games, there are organized "guild summits" that pull in handpicked guilds for some amplified feedback and lobbying power over future game design. But how much sway should guilds have with game studios? On one hand, they can be helpful lobbying groups for game changes that the bulk of the playerbase wants and would appreciate. On the other hand, not all guilds are the same, and what one guild might want to see in game could be vastly different from the ideas of another guild. Should guilds have special summits with studios? Let's take a look at this topic in this week's Guild Counsel.
Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic fielding a plethora of revelations
Would you like to be able to Force Choke people on your Bounty Hunter? Do you want your orange modifiable gear to be viable in the endgame? Are you looking for a little more variety in your Warzones? The first Guild Summit for Star Wars: The Old Republic is promising all of these things, with new information coming in a mile a minute. And if you're missing the livestreams due to work or other obligations, there's thankfully a summary available on Darth Hater covering the big points being hit. The developers are heavily discussing the upcoming patch 1.2 and all that it brings as well as fielding several player questions regarding the design philosophy. Operations are being more finely tuned and polished starting with 1.2, with future Operations meant for two tanks and potentially splitting the group into two teams for two objectives. PvP players will be getting a new set of gear to bridge the gap between fresh 50s and veteran players; there will also be gear with more pure PvP stats to minimize crossover. And if you're more the sort to roll alts, the Legacy system promises more options and combinations than you might have imagined possible. There's a great deal to digest and a lot for Star Wars: The Old Republic players to anticipate, and the event isn't nearly over yet.
Inaugural STO Podcast Summit announced
Star Trek Online has always been known for generating unwavering support from its community of gamers. Whether identifying as trekkers, trekkies, casuals or hardcore gamers, players are extremely dedicated, including yours truly. Alongside the numerous fan sites that have been created, there is a select group of individuals out there who have gone beyond the call of duty and put out weekly podcasts. This Sunday, April 17th, the STO podcasting community will come together for the inaugural STO Podcast Summit. Join Red Shirt Army, STOked, Priority One, Podcast UGC and Hailing Frequency as they broadcast live at TrekRadio.net from 6 p.m. EDT to 8 p.m. EDT. If you miss the livestream, have no fear -- the show will be posted in mp3 format on each of the podcasts' individual websites. We are also told that there may be even some surprise guests who drop by, including Cryptic developers.
