Das Actionspiel GTA 5 läuft weiter hervorragend: Mittlerweile hat Rockstar Games rund 60 Millionen Exemplare ausgeliefert. Mit einer VR-Umsetzung ist laut Mutterfirma Take 2 eher nicht so bald zu rechnen. (Take-Two, Steam) 
Month: February 2016
Windows 10: Insider Build kann System unbrauchbar machen
Microsoft behält den Wochenabstand bei und bringt ein weiteres Insider Build von Windows 10. Damit werden einige Fehler behoben, es gibt aber auch neue. Ein Problem betrifft auch das vorherige Build und kann ein System im schlimmsten Fall unbrauchbar machen. (Windows 10, Microsoft) 
Microsoft behält den Wochenabstand bei und bringt ein weiteres Insider Build von Windows 10. Damit werden einige Fehler behoben, es gibt aber auch neue. Ein Problem betrifft auch das vorherige Build und kann ein System im schlimmsten Fall unbrauchbar machen. (Windows 10, Microsoft) TSMC: Taiwanischer Auftragsfertiger darf Fab in China bauen
Die taiwanische Ökonomiebehörde hat dem Auftragsfertiger ihr Okay gegeben: TSMC kann wie geplant eine neue Fab in der Volksrepublik China bauen. Die Auflagen der Regierung sind jedoch streng. (Google Targets Fake ‘Download’ and ‘Play’ Buttons
Google says it will go to war against the fake ‘download’ and ‘play’ buttons that attempt to deceive users on file-sharing and other popular sites. An extension of its ‘Safe Browsing’ initiative launched eight years ago and tweaked last November, the moves will see users increasingly warned when Google and Chrome users are faced with deceptive practices.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
The aim on most file-sharing and streaming sites is for users to either download or play content, whether that’s the former to their hard drive or the latter in a YouTube-style window.
It should be straightforward but all too often users are presented with an array of buttons, all of which claim to either ‘download’ or ‘play’ when in reality only one actually does anything useful. In conjunction with suspect advertisers, it appears that some site operators are happy to send users down a rabbit hole of frustration.
Users pressing the wrong buttons (and there are millions of them) often end up on dodgy sites pushing unwanted software or offering get rich quick schemes, subscription traps, or worse. But now, thanks to Google, their prevalence might be somewhat curtailed on file-sharing sites and other popular locations such as Facebook.
According to a new announcement from the company titled ‘No More Deceptive Download Buttons’, Google says it will expand its eight-year-old Safe Browsing initiative to target some of the problems highlighted above.
“You may have encountered social engineering in a deceptive download button, or an image ad that falsely claims your system is out of date. Today, we’re expanding Safe Browsing protection to protect you from such deceptive embedded content, like social engineering ads,” the company says.
Those receiving protection from Google and its Chrome browser will be presented with a message similar to the one below.
In order to qualify as part of a social engineering attack, content embedded in webpages must demonstrate a key feature – an attempt to lure the user into a false sense of security by masquerading as something they would ordinarily trust.
For example, content falling foul of Google’s rules would be that which acts or feels like a user’s own device or web browser, or even pretends to be part of the website the user is on. Content that tries to trick the user into doing something it would only normally do for a trusted third-party (such as sharing a password or calling tech support) will also be targeted.
In our recent article detailing sites that employ some of these practices, we highlighted those that mislead the user into thinking they need to update software (such as Flash or a media player) to play a video.
Google says that these kinds of techniques will also become a target for its systems.
“Our fight against unwanted software and social engineering is still just beginning,” Google explains. “We’ll continue to improve Google’s Safe Browsing protection to help more people stay safe online.”
In 2015 Google took action against major torrent sites on at least two key occasions, once in July and again in October. The warning messages were triggered by Google’s “Unwanted Software” scanner which flags websites that pose a potential danger to visitors. The issues were remedied when the sites weeded out some bad advertisers.
Google’s campaign will not just affect file-sharing sites though. The same kinds of techniques are being used all over the web and the tech giant hopes to get involved no matter where they appear.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and ANONYMOUS VPN services.
Asteroidenbergbau: Verblendet vom Platinrausch
Nach den USA will nun auch Luxemburg Gesetze zum Bergbau im Weltall erlassen. Dabei wird sich der Abbau von Edelmetallen im All für den Gebrauch auf der Erde ironischerweise erst dann lohnen, wenn wir ihn gar nicht mehr brauchen. (Warner Bros.: Batman kämpft nicht auf Linux und OS X
Nach dem Debakel um die Fassung für Windows-PC hat Warner Bros. nun die Umsetzung von Batman Arkham Knight für Linux und OS X gestrichen. Wer das Actionspiel vorbestellt hat, bekommt sein Geld zurück. (EA Boss Accidentally Leaks Xbox One Sales Figures
EA’s boss may have accidentally let known how many Xbox One consoles have been sold so far. It’s a number that Microsoft wants to keep secret, so they do not reveal just how far behind in sales their flagship console is compared to Sony’s record sellin…
EA's boss may have accidentally let known how many Xbox One consoles have been sold so far. It's a number that Microsoft wants to keep secret, so they do not reveal just how far behind in sales their flagship console is compared to Sony's record selling PS4 console.
EA CEO Blake Jorgensen revealed the company's own estimate for the total number of consoles in this current generation in EA's latest financial report, a number that, once combined with Sony's official sales figures for the PS4, would reveal the Xbox One numbers.
"The console purchases up through the end of calendar year 2015, our estimate is 55 million units out there, which has exceeded virtually everyone’s forecast for the year, and is now almost 50% higher than the previous console cycle," writes Jorgensen in the report.
Sony previously announced that 35.9 million PS4s have been sold up to the end of the 2015 holiday period, and when combined with the above 55 million figure (and with EA not really working with the Wii U), this would leave roughly 19 million Xbox Ones being sold so far.
This would suggest that the PS4 is outselling the Xbox One by almost a 2:1 margin, which is not particularly far off previous estimates.
Despite Microsoft's lagging sales, the company says it's happy with how the Xbox One is doing, the console is still outselling the Xbox 360 at the same stage of its lifecycle.
Sony Alpha 6300: Mehr Autofokuspunkte hat keine Kamera
Die Sony Alpha 6300 ist eine spiegellose Systemkamera mit APS-C-Sensor und 24,2 Megapixeln, die über 425 Phasen-Autofokuspunkte verfügt. Damit soll sie laut Sony schneller scharfstellen als andere Kameras. (Sony Alpha, Sony) 
Die Sony Alpha 6300 ist eine spiegellose Systemkamera mit APS-C-Sensor und 24,2 Megapixeln, die über 425 Phasen-Autofokuspunkte verfügt. Damit soll sie laut Sony schneller scharfstellen als andere Kameras. (Sony Alpha, Sony) I am weirdly excited about this new Seth Rogen space comedy
What could go wrong?
Seth Rogen demonstrates his Kylo Ren lightsaber joint.
Seth Rogen, Bill Hader, and Zach Galifianakis are set to star in a new astronaut movie called The Something, and I'm unreasonably excited about it.
I say "unreasonably" because the movie is written and directed by Rodney Rothman, who wrote 22 Jump Street and Grudge Match, a decidedly mixed bag when it comes to awesomeness. Still, the first-time director has pulled together an impressive cast for a comedy and that could make all the difference.
All we know about the plot so far is that it's about a group of three male astronauts who have been drifting in space for years... until they come upon another spaceship. Given that the official summary emphasizes that the astronauts are all male, my guess is that we can expect some lady alien shenanigans in that other spaceship. Or lady somethings, anyway.
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Jury: Apple must pay $626 million to patent troll VirnetX
Patent-based company wins a 9-figure verdict in East Texas. Is it the last?
An East Texas jury has ruled that Apple must pay patent-holding company VirnetX $625.6 million for infringing four patents. It's a massive verdict for VirnetX, a company that has no products and makes its money solely through patent litigation.
The verdict form (PDF) shows the jury found Apple infringed on every patent claim that was at issue. The first question was how much Apple should pay for infringement related to two VirnetX patents that it had already been ruled to infringe, and the jury held Apple should pay $334.9 million. It also found in VirnetX's favor on every other patent claim and ordered Apple to pay another $290.7 million for infringing those patent claims.
The VirnetX v. Apple showdown may be one of the last of its kind in which a "patent troll"-style company is able to wrest a nine-figure jury verdict from a tech company. Patent trolling still abounds and is increasingly concentrated in East Texas. But the ability to get huge verdicts has been dampened by changes in case-law, particularly the Supreme Court's 2014 Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank decision that made it easier for defendants to get software patents thrown out of court.
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